Upon hearing Azrael's introduction, a response immediately rang out from the city wall, "Please wait a moment, Mr. Azrael. We need to verify your identity."
Although the guards didn't know whether the newcomer's identity was genuine, they temporarily assumed it was. After all, if it proved true, offending an Emerald-level Lore Cardian for no reason would be foolish.
Azrael, naturally understanding the intricacies of border protocol, simply stood and waited.
Soon, a figure descended from the top of the wall.
"Junior Brother?"
A calm voice, tinged with uncertainty, echoed through the night.
"It's me, Senior Brother."
With that, Azrael took the identification card from the Shadowkhan soldier beside him and handed it to the unremarkable man before him.
It was none other than his senior brother, Jacob.
Although Jacob had agreed to help his junior apprentice secure a position in the Northern Defense Army, he remained cautious and placed him under his own command, allowing him to address any issues that might arise.
Jacob had good reason for such caution.
He was a Diamond-level Lore Cardian and the deputy commander of the Northern Defense Army's Gaza Town.
Of course, Gaza Town wasn't the only posting with Diamond-level Lore Cardians.
As the first line of defense against the demon army, the Northern Defense Army boasted a far higher concentration of high-level Lore Cardians than cities further inland.
Coastal cities were also densely populated with powerful practitioners, but the Empire of Aetherlight's vast coastline stretched their numbers thin.
Jacob took Azrael's identification card and immediately began the verification process.
Although he was certain the young man before him was legitimate, protocol demanded thoroughness for safety's sake.
Border defenses were crucial, and there was no room for carelessness.
Demon troops had previously abducted personnel arriving for their posts, then disguised themselves to infiltrate military installations.
After a moment, Jacob handed Azrael's identification back. "Let's go, little brother."
"It's nighttime, so we can't be careless. Don't take it personally."
He glanced with surprise at Ulquiorra, who stood guard beside Azrael. "You mentioned on your phone that you'd reached the Emerald rank. I thought you hadn't created an Emerald-level card yet."
"I didn't expect this."
"No wonder Master Lucian thinks so highly of you."
As a Diamond-level Lore Cardian, Jacob naturally sensed Ulquiorra's extraordinary aura.
But he dismissed it as a young man's whimsical creation, never realizing that Ulquiorra, now in his Segunda Etapa fusion state, was the product of a series of remarkable coincidences.
Azrael simply smiled and offered no explanation for Ulquiorra's origins, believing discretion was the better course.
The two arrived at the city gate. Jacob waved his hand, and a prop card materialized.
Then, he gently brushed it against the seemingly impenetrable wall, and a swirling portal of light appeared before Azrael's eyes.
It was then that Azrael realized the walls of Gaza Town lacked a traditional gate.
"First time seeing this, right? The demon army has retreated for some reason in recent days. Otherwise, even with proper identification, entry wouldn't be possible."
"Junior Brother, you haven't had contact with the Northern Defense Army before, so you wouldn't know. All important border towns are constructed this way. Furthermore, there's a dedicated engineering battalion responsible for reinforcing the walls during wartime, and Gaza Town can even be relocated if necessary."
Azrael was stunned, this was the first time he'd heard of such measures.
But he quickly understood. The so-called reinforced walls couldn't just be thicker stone. The Lore Cardians in the engineering battalion must possess cards that grant the walls all manner of extraordinary abilities.
As for the city's mobility, someone's card abilities made that possible.
"By the way, your identification verification should be available tomorrow, and I'll bring it to you then."
"But you won't have many opportunities to use it. We can't leave Gaza Town without proper authorization, especially since the demon army has been acting strangely lately."
Upon hearing this, Azrael's expression tightened.
He felt like he was about to break his promise to his senior sister.
Noting Azrael's reaction, Jacob couldn't help but offer reassurance, "Don't worry, the city has everything you need."
Soon, Azrael, led by Jacob, arrived at a modest single-story house.
As a deputy commander, he naturally had his own residence.
While it wasn't as spacious as his villa in Donglai, Azrael's requirements for accommodation were modest, even a small, run-down apartment would suffice.
"Junior Brother, rest tonight. I'll take you to meet your colleagues tomorrow."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
"You're welcome. I'll be leaving now."
Azrael stood at the door, watching Jacob's figure disappear into the distance, then turned and entered the accommodations arranged by the Northern Defense Army.
The next morning, Azrael was awakened from his meditation by a knock on the door.
With a sweep of his Emerald-level mental power, he sensed his senior brother standing outside.
Stretching muscles stiffened from a night of meditation, he washed up briefly and stepped outside.
"Good morning, Senior Brother."
"Good morning."
Jacob nodded slightly, turned, and motioned for Azrael to follow. "There's a meeting in town today, a good time for you to get acquainted with your colleagues."
Azrael was intrigued, then asked, "Is it about the defense line retreat?"
Jacob glanced at the young man beside him with surprise. "Your mind is quite sharp."
"But let's discuss the specifics at the meeting. I won't say much now."
During their conversation, the two had already arrived before a massive tent.
"By the way, here's your identification. I almost forgot."
Before entering the tent, Jacob slapped his forehead, then produced a card from his pocket and handed it to Azrael.
[Authority Authentication Card for the Deputy Commander of the Northern Defense Army]
Rank: Master (Diamond) Quality: White Category: Props
Skills: [Identity Authentication]: An identification card with the corresponding authority of the Deputy Commander of the Northern Defense Army.
"Keep it safe. Losing this is a real hassle," Jacob whispered in Azrael's ear. "Though it's not easy for a Lore Cardian to lose a card."
Azrael nodded silently, solemnly storing the card in his mental space. "Was this card created by Master Tempest?"
Jacob wasn't surprised that Azrael had deduced this, after all, the Master-level designation on the card was obvious.
"Correct."
"Alright, let's go in."
Without further hesitation, Jacob entered the tent.
Azrael followed closely behind.
As soon as he entered, the young man felt several gazes lock onto him.
Just as the pressure was mounting, Jacob intervened. "This is Azrael, the newly appointed Deputy Commander of Gaza Town."
"He's also my junior apprentice. Please look after him."
Azrael bowed slightly and said sincerely, "I'm Azrael. I'll be in your care."
Courtesy was expected, and a humble demeanor was perfectly acceptable for a newcomer. Besides, he knew there was more than one Diamond-level Lore Cardian present.
Jacob patted Azrael on the back and, with a smile, introduced the attendees.
There wasn't much to say about the Emerald-level Lore Cardians; Azrael simply noted their titles and names.
He focused on the other two Diamond-level Lore Cardians besides Jacob.
Commander Kageyami was a sturdy, bald man with a scar running halfway across his face.
Xin, like his senior apprentice, was an unremarkable middle-aged woman.
After the introductions, without any pleasantries, Commander Kageyami nodded to Azrael and began the day's meeting.
Azrael quietly found a corner and listened to the proceedings. The Emerald-level Lore Cardians present paid him little attention, as today's meeting clearly took precedence over his arrival.
"I won't waste time on pleasantries. To ensure the safe retreat of the Northern Defense Army from Shibuya and NingEmpyrean Dollars, we in Gaza Town will need to create diversions for the Demon Army during this period," Commander Kageyami stated directly, announcing today's agenda.
Hearing this, Xin said, "I'm afraid the demon army is thinking the same thing. To devour that portion of the Northern Defense Army, they'll definitely launch an offensive soon."
Commander Kageyami smiled grimly, his scar making the expression particularly menacing. "So, besides creating diversions, we'll need to send reinforcements."
"Teams will also be dispatched from Hazbin Prefecture and Shunagakure."
"I called you here today mainly to see if anyone is willing to volunteer."
He had barely finished speaking when Jacob said, "I'll lead the team. You and Xin are still needed in Gaza Town."
Commander Kageyami readily agreed. "Then I'll have to trouble you this time, Jacob."
"You can choose your personnel."
In the corner, Azrael, though somewhat surprised by his senior brother's decision, remained silent.
To be fair, going to support against the demon army and staying in Gaza Town to harass them were completely different levels of difficulty.
After all, the former would likely face direct confrontation with the demon army, while the latter's chances of engagement were extremely low. Even if they did encounter demons, they could rely on Gaza Town's defenses to maneuver freely.
After accepting the mission, Jacob didn't waste time. He immediately began selecting candidates in the tent to carry out the operation.
To Azrael's surprise, his senior brother didn't choose him, and the others in the tent didn't object, including the two Diamond-level Lore Cardians present.
But he soon understood why his senior brother hadn't selected him. They both shared the same assessment: this mission was dangerous.
"Then why did he volunteer?"
Before his doubts dissipated, a hypothesis flashed through Azrael's mind, "Could it be that he accepted the mission precisely because he could choose the personnel?"
But he quickly realized he was mistaken. No one else would select him, a Lore Cardian who had just reached the Emerald level, for such a dangerous mission.
Despite Ulquiorra's immense power, Azrael only possessed one Emerald-level card.
If unexpected situations arose during the mission, he wouldn't be able to handle them with his current strength.
"I'm still too weak."
Although he had reached the Emerald level, Azrael only realized upon reaching the front lines that his current strength remained insufficient, deflating his previous confidence.
"Is he getting cocky?"
"That's right, Azrael. Didn't you say you had the ability to cause large-scale damage beyond visual range? It's time for you to demonstrate it."
Under the pitch-black night, Azrael was stealthily hiding in a dense forest, gazing at a small, illuminated city in the distance.
Beside him, the short-haired, capable woman known as "Wendy" wore an eager smile.
"Hurry up and fire a few rounds at them, then we'll run."
Wendy said, laughing with anticipation.
Having partnered with Wendy for several days, Azrael was no longer surprised by her enthusiasm. He couldn't understand how Wendy, who appeared to be a strong professional woman, could secretly act like an excited battle junkie.
Wendy's real name was Wen Jea-Min.
Several days had passed since the tent meeting, and afterward, he and Wendy were assigned to the same harassment team.
After a few days of cooperation, Azrael understood why they were paired together.
Although Wendy was an Emerald-level Lore Cardian, her cards were mostly stealth-focused, designed for assassinations and one-on-one eliminations.
While formidable in single combat, they lacked area-of-effect capabilities.
Of course, Emerald-level assassin cards could destroy a small town through sheer physical force alone, assuming no one interfered.
The key was that the demon army wouldn't allow their strongholds to be destroyed, so Wendy was essentially limited to sending her cards on high-risk strikes every day.
But with Azrael's arrival, things were different. Wendy now only had to focus on concealing their whereabouts and escaping with Azrael after the bombardment.
"Got it. Wendy, remember to take me with you when we retreat."
"Don't worry, I won't abandon you for Master Lucian's sake."
Hearing the woman's assurance beside him, Azrael immediately summoned Ulquiorra.
Two pairs of jet-black wings suddenly unfurled in the dense forest, but the next moment, all movement was instantly muffled.
"I'm counting on you, Ulquiorra. Give them hell."
"Yes, Master Azrael."
With that, Ulquiorra opened his hands and condensed a lightning spear before him.
As his pale right hand grasped the emerald-green spiritual weapon, the volatile energy seemed to calm.
The next moment, the spirit spear shot out like an arrow, instantly disappearing from Azrael and Wendy's sight.
But that wasn't the end.
The second, the third, Ulquiorra fired three lightning spears in succession. Although he could manage a fourth, hints of fatigue appeared on his features.
By then, the first lightning spear had already reached the demon army's stronghold.
"BOOM!"
Pale green spiritual energy erupted skyward, powerful gusts from the explosion sweeping outward in an instant.
But this was only the beginning.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
Two more explosions echoed.
Without even checking the results, Azrael sensed a dangerous aura emanating from the small demon stronghold. He urged, "Run, Wendy!"
Wen Jea-Min, still tingling with excitement, chuckled, "Got it, got it."
With that, the two vanished from the scene.
Shortly after they disappeared, an enraged roar echoed through the sky, "Who threw that blade handle?!"
Elsewhere, Azrael, who had already returned to Gaza Town, scratched his head and asked Wen Jea-Min, "Wendy, do you think my attack was effective?"
Running so quickly, he had no idea how much damage Ulquiorra's three lightning spears had inflicted.
Hearing this, Wen Jea-Min casually replied, "Oh, there won't be much actual structural damage. After all, those demon strongholds are specially protected."
"If it were so easy to destroy a stronghold, we would have pushed them back long ago."
"Huh?" Azrael was stunned. "Then what's the point of doing all this?"
Wen Jea-Min said mysteriously, "You don't understand."
"Even if it doesn't cause damage, it's annoying when a mosquito keeps buzzing in your ear."
Azrael suddenly understood. "I see. It's psychological warfare to exhaust the enemy."
Wen Jea-Min put her arm around Azrael's shoulders like a good friend. "Very wise."
"Tomorrow night, we'll move to another stronghold and continue to harass them."
"The other teams are definitely not as efficient as us."
There were many demon strongholds near Gaza Town. This was the demon army's strategy: numerous small strongholds protecting larger installations, and then many large strongholds protecting the secret realm where the demon army first emerged.
The demon army would only continue its advance after completely securing an area, emphasizing a methodical and cautious approach.
Of course, many demons within the army weren't from that original secret realm, but their specific origins remained unknown.
The next night, Azrael and Wen Jea-Min, once again moving stealthily, arrived at a different grove, with another small demon stronghold visible in the distance.
They understood the importance of relocating after each strike; returning to yesterday's target would likely result in capture.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!"
Three more lightning spears flew toward the stronghold.
Azrael and Wen Jea-Min exchanged glances, each sporting the sly grin of successful mischief-makers.
"No, how can this be called mischief? I'm doing this for the Empire of Aetherlight!"
Azrael's conscience tightened briefly, worried that Wen Jea-Min had almost led him astray.
Then explosions echoed, and the two vanished from the grove.
For several days thereafter, Azrael and Wen Jea-Min repeated their pattern, constantly harassing the demon strongholds surrounding Gaza Town.
But if you walk by the river often, you'll inevitably get your feet wet.
Finally, on the sixth day, just as Ulquiorra launched his first lightning spear, Wen Jea-Min's expression changed. "Oh no! Let's go!"
She grabbed Azrael's right arm, attempting to activate her card's abilities to leave the area.
However, unlike previous nights, this time Wen Jea-Min only moved a few kilometers before being forced to materialize mid-air and land heavily with Azrael.
"Tsk, they're willing to go to such lengths," Wen Jea-Min pouted with irritation, then rolled over and climbed to her feet. "Why are you still standing there? Run!"
With that, the two broke into a sprint.
Azrael had tried to see if the Shadowkhan soldiers could lead him into the shadow realm, but unfortunately, the spatial restrictions affected them as well.
As he ran, he asked, "Wendy, the demon army has this capability?"
Wen Jea-Min replied without turning back, "Yes, but it's usually reserved for large-scale battles to prevent our cards from executing decapitation strikes."
"I didn't expect they'd be willing to use it just to catch us."
"But don't worry. Those bastards certainly didn't predict we'd attack this specific base. They must have deployed containment devices at bases we haven't targeted."
"So it's not just us who'll be affected."
Upon hearing this, Azrael initially thought the woman running beside him was gloating, but then felt ashamed of his suspicion. "So Wendy means Commander Kageyami and the others will soon realize something's wrong and come to our aid."
"No, I am gloating."
"?"
Azrael stumbled and nearly fell, but the woman beside him reached out and steadied him. "But you have a point too."
"Commander Kageyami..."
"Oh, here he comes."
Wen Jea-Min stopped, hands on her hips, and gazed into the distance.
The aura the woman could sense, Azrael, also an Emerald-level Lore Cardian, could naturally detect as well.
It was impossible to miss, because at the edge of their vision, a towering giant was running toward them.
The giant clutched a yellow serpent in his left hand and a green serpent in his right. The ground shook violently as he ran, like a localized earthquake.
Azrael, now well-versed in mythology from various cultures, naturally recognized this vivid image, not to mention the familiar Chinese idiom the giant had used earlier.
[Sun-Chasing Giant·Kuafu], one of Commander Kageyami's Diamond-level cards.
"We're safe," Wen Jea-Min shrugged as she watched the enormous Kuafu thunder past. "Let's go, let's return to Gaza Town first."
She placed her right hand on Azrael's shoulder. It was clear that with Kuafu's arrival, the demons pursuing them were already overwhelmed, and spatial restrictions were naturally lifted.
In the blink of an eye, the two had returned to Gaza Town.
"Don't we need to support Commander Kageyami?" Azrael asked hesitantly.
Wen Jea-Min's actions had been so swift that he hadn't had time to react before they had already returned to safety.
Hearing this, Wen Jea-Min scoffed, "Those demon troops don't have the guts to fight Commander Kageyami, at least not yet."
"Whatever Diamond-level demons might be in that small stronghold won't avoid complete humiliation unless they can actually overwhelm Kuafu."
"What you need to do now is get some rest. There's a fierce battle tomorrow."
Azrael was confused momentarily, but before he could ask, Wen Jea-Min waved her hand and disappeared.
Bewildered, he returned to his residence and could only follow Wen Jea-Min's instructions and meditate obediently.
In the early morning, Azrael stood atop the wall, surrounded by a dense crowd of colleagues.
He finally understood what Wen Jea-Min had meant.
The demon army had arrived.
Meanwhile, Lore Cardians in the city's engineering battalion were continuously strengthening the city with prop cards. Countless profound runic inscriptions floated into the sky from Gaza Town.
"KAGEYAMI!"
"GET OUT!"
A roar resonated like thunder in everyone's minds.
The Diamond-level demon at the head of the demon army stared balefully up at the city wall.
However, Commander Kageyami, whom the demon had singled out on Gaza Town's wall, ignored the taunt and simply declared in a deep voice, "Everyone, summon your cards and prepare for battle."
"Monitor your card consumption carefully."
Commander Kageyami wasn't surprised by the demon army's arrival, rather, it was exactly what he had hoped for.
He had initially assumed it would take longer for them to take the bait, but after just a few days, these demons had already lost their temper and launched an offensive, giving him the opportunity to exploit their impatience.
Last night alone, his cards had eliminated over a dozen Emerald-level demons and one Diamond-level demon.
This was primarily due to the demons' inferior combat capabilities compared to Lore Cardians, who were essentially an optimized class designed for warfare.
Thinking of this, he glanced curiously at Azrael, who was standing shoulder to shoulder with Wen Jea-Min not far away.
"Jacob's little brother is quite interesting."
Meanwhile, several Emerald-level demons within the demon army were gazing at the black and white figure beside Azrael with blazing hatred.
"You bastard," they cursed inwardly.
Last night, they had finally identified the true nature of the card that had been tormenting them for days.
Perfect, today was the ideal opportunity to vent their fury.
Several demons turned their gazes to Azrael beside Ulquiorra, murderous intent gleaming in their eyes.