"The Sheng family."
Azrael recalled the task his teacher had assigned him and couldn't help but glance back at the red-robed judge standing beside him.
While his mission this time wasn't entirely different from a property confiscation, he certainly couldn't go as far as Wei Xiaobao had.
At the very least, he couldn't bring women home for torture, and of course, he had no desire to do so.
Of course, for someone like the Sheng family patriarch, who had clearly participated in summoning the Palace-level secret realm and orchestrating the assassination attempts, Azrael could act freely.
But that presupposed they could survive Lord Lioren's wrath.
The Sovereign-level Lore Cardian clearly wouldn't let these Diamond-level threats go, especially those who could cause considerable damage to the Empire of Aetherlight.
Looking at the vast mansion sprawling before him, Azrael's eye twitched. "Bastard rich people."
Even from outside, he could clearly hear the chaotic commotion within the mansion, the occupants obviously caught off guard by the sudden upheaval.
With a slight pout, he immediately summoned his card.
"Ulquiorra, I'm counting on you."
As Azrael finished speaking, massive black-green spiritual pressure instantly surged into the sky. Immediately afterward, the pale specter of a palace flickered behind Ulquiorra, who had already transformed into his Segunda Etapa form.
Although he could sense only a few Emerald-level Lore Cardians in the mansion before him, it was better to err on the side of caution. Ulquiorra's [Void] ability could conveniently disarm a large number of people while minimizing risk.
The Association Lore Cardians behind him couldn't help but swallow hard as they watched the demonic figure emanating terrifying spiritual pressure.
They finally understood how an Emerald-level Lore Cardian could lead them to eliminate such a colossus as the Sheng family.
"Let's begin."
The young man's emotionless voice rang out, sending a shudder through the assembled Lore Cardians.
"Yes!"
The Sheng family couldn't have failed to notice the massive phenomenon created by Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa transformation.
After a brief silence, the scene descended into even greater chaos.
"It's a disaster!"
"It's a disaster!"
A middle-aged woman, clearly pampered by years of luxury, muttered to herself, her face filled with panic.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she frantically grabbed the hand of the young man beside her. "Son, you must leave immediately."
"No matter where you go, don't return to the Empire of Aetherlight."
The experienced woman certainly understood the concept of exterminating an entire clan.
What was happening now was undoubtedly the Association taking action against the imperial court.
The young man was equally bewildered. He didn't understand why things had suddenly turned out this way, when just this morning everything had been perfectly normal.
But as an Emerald-level Lore Cardian, the young man wasn't so fragile. He said helplessly, "Mother, there are Association members blocking the exits. Where can I run?"
He gestured toward a figure with jet-black wings spread wide in the distant sky.
While his combat prowess wasn't particularly strong among Emerald-level warriors, he still possessed the necessary judgment.
Fighting that monster would be suicide.
The middle-aged woman, though pale with fear, spoke quickly and clearly, "Your father prepared a secret passage long ago, just in case."
"The entrance is in our bedroom. You must use it."
"The passage is protected by cards that block spiritual signatures. Even a Diamond-level Lore Cardian wouldn't be able to detect it."
Hearing her words, the young man's spirits instantly lifted. After all, who wants to die when they can live?
Still, hesitantly, driven by their long-standing mother-son bond, he asked, "Mother, what about you?"
The middle-aged woman let out a bitter laugh. "Your father's dead, so why should I continue living?"
The young man's mind flashed back to the charred remains near the study doorway, their form so unrecognizable they could have belonged to anyone. "I understand."
"I'll avenge you both."
He turned to flee toward the backyard, where screams and cries continued unabated, but suddenly noticed his mother's expression had become vacant.
Before he could process what was happening, he felt his own thoughts begin to slow.
"What's... going on?"
The young man slowly raised his head, seeing the black-and-white figure shrouded in the aura of death looming above him.
Azrael stood atop the wall, glancing down at the two who had just been displaying their touching maternal affection. "Why do you make me feel like I'm the villain here?"
He certainly wouldn't make such a naive mistake and then suffer through some tedious revenge drama later.
This young man was ready to crush every last egg the Sheng family had laid.
Azrael then settled into a chair brought out by the Shadowkhan soldiers, waiting with mild boredom for his subordinates to gather everyone from the mansion.
Soon, the Association Lore Cardians began returning to his side.
"Master Azrael, everyone should be accounted for."
An Emerald-level Lore Cardian stepped forward trembling, emboldened by his task as he looked at the young man casually flipping through a book while seated in an ornate chair.
His fear wasn't surprising. After all, their operation had been incredibly smooth. The Sheng family, like complete idiots, had offered virtually no resistance, not even the several Emerald-level Lore Cardians.
Upon hearing this, Azrael snapped his book shut and looked up at the Sheng family members kneeling before him. He asked in surprise, "So many?"
The sheer number of Sheng family members exceeded his imagination. Including servants and attendants, there were several thousand people.
"I wonder if the young emperor has so many people serving him."
He quipped, then signaled two Shadowkhan soldiers to drag the middle-aged woman in the lead forward.
Unfortunately, the expected cry of "Let go of my mother!" never materialized.
Under the influence of the [Void], everyone remained in a trance, losing all sense of purpose.
This eerie scene made the Association Lore Cardians behind Azrael hold their breath.
The red-robed judge spoke at precisely the right moment, "Killed a child, forced a woman, and strangled a hero."
"Behead her."
Swish,
As the words fell, the middle-aged woman's head and body were instantly severed.
Azrael watched her corpse tumble to the ground, his eyes unmoved.
He simply signaled the Shadowkhan soldiers to quickly drag another person forward.
After all, with thousands of people to process, who knew how long it would take if they didn't hurry.
Soon, the only sound at the scene was the red-robed judge's pronouncements.
Azrael stared at the proceedings in a daze, his mind wandering to a method he'd heard about before his transmigration for detecting hidden individuals, the so-called human radar spot-check method.
Just as his thoughts drifted, a sudden commotion caught his attention.
A Platinum-level Lore Cardian from the Sheng family suddenly broke free from the Shadowkhan soldiers' control and roared at Azrael, "You corrupt official! I'll fight you!"
He summoned his own card.
However, upon appearing, his card became lost in confusion.
Seeing this, the Platinum-level Lore Cardian's face filled with despair.
Azrael opened his mouth, somewhat speechless. "Is 'corrupt official' really what you think I am?"
Not expecting an answer, he continued, "Honestly, if I didn't want this to end quickly, I'd really like to subject your people to some serious punishment."
"Look at what you've all done."
"Forcing women into prostitution, molesting children, and murdering people for entertainment."
"Compared to you, the Crimson Oath Society could be considered benevolent benefactors."
If he wanted to resort to torture, he could easily have Retsu perform it. With her swordsmanship, she could easily inflict a thousand cuts on these beasts.
Even if she failed, he could use Kaidō to heal them and continue.
At this point, Azrael sighed softly. "Forget it. I don't want to waste words on you, and you don't deserve to hear them."
He tilted his head slightly to look at the red-robed judge beside him.
Seeing this, Dread King Bao nodded and uttered a single word, "Behead."
As he finished speaking, an emerald-green spiritual spear suddenly pierced the Emerald-level Lore Cardian's chest.
Despite the farce, the Sheng family's trial was far from over.
After all, not everyone was evil. There were always some kindhearted people in such a large family.
However, they had ultimately been passive recipients of the benefits the Sheng family brought them. As a result, they would be required to undergo a period of labor reform, and afterward, they would remain under the Association's supervision.
Of course, aside from the Sheng family members, most of the people present were actually servants.
Dealing with them was even simpler: those who deserved execution were executed, and those who deserved release were released.
It took a good half day before the matter was finally concluded.
The backyard was now stained crimson with blood, though not a single corpse remained.
Azrael had Frieren perform direct cremation, saving him the trouble of disposing of the bodies.
"Did I forget something?"
He suddenly realized he didn't seem to have seen the Sheng family patriarch.
A sweep of his immense Emerald-level mental power revealed something unusual near the study doorway.
There lay a charred corpse.
"Ah, this."
Lord Lioren was undoubtedly responsible. After all, the slightest touch of Azrael's mental power produced a burning sensation.
And the corpse's owner was undoubtedly the Sheng family patriarch.
"It's a shame I couldn't take revenge myself."
He sighed, then unleashed a powerful kick, scattering the corpse into a cloud of gray ash.
Elsewhere, within the vast Forbidden City.
Aramaki gazed vacantly through the window at the daylight outside.
Behind him, a feminine-looking old man wiped his sweat nervously. "Your Majesty!"
Before the old man could finish his words, Aramaki interrupted him. "Eunuch Wynnard, you must be hiding something from me, aren't you?"
He pointed outside. "Otherwise, why would Lord Lioren be so angry?"
Eunuch Wynnard was left speechless.
The young man in the dragon robe wanted to continue, but suddenly broke into laughter. "It seems the Empire of Aetherlight has come to an end."
"Come, Eunuch Wynnard. Follow me to greet our new masters."
Upon hearing this, the old man's face turned deathly pale.
Suddenly, an aged voice echoed from within the bedroom, "Your Majesty need not trouble yourself."
Three figures, two men and one woman, materialized inside.
Aramaki gave a wry smile. "I didn't expect all three masters to come personally."
He scratched his cheek helplessly. "Should I shout, 'Long live the sun, moon, mountains and rivers! Long live the Empire of Aetherlight'?"
The visitors were, of course, the three Master-level Lore Cardians of the Association.
After hearing the emperor's words, they exchanged strange looks.
Lucian sighed quietly, then simply raised his hand, causing Aramaki's pupils to constrict.
However, the imagined death didn't come. Instead, Eunuch Wynnard beside him fell silent.
Aramaki tilted his head in confusion. "Three masters, you won't kill me?"
He had originally believed he was doomed today and had abandoned all thought of resistance.
But now it seemed there might be a turning point?
Hearing this, Lucian couldn't help but smile. "Your Majesty had nothing to do with this matter. I still have some discernment."
Based on Dread King Bao's feedback, he knew Aramaki had nothing to do with Lord Lioren's situation, in fact, he could even be said to be completely unaware of it.
After all, the emperor had previously served no purpose beyond being a mascot.
Realizing his life wasn't in danger, Aramaki sat down casually on the bed beside him, completely disregarding his image. "So the three masters haven't left yet. You must have other business?"
At this point, he pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something and clapped his hands. "Oh, I see! You need me to write an abdication edict, right?"
"Excellent. The question is, to whom should I write it?"
"Lord Lioren?"
Seeing his casual attitude, Master Fujimaru hurriedly stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty has misunderstood. We don't need an abdication edict."
"What we need is a decree to grant power."
Aramaki was stunned, but soon understood what the woman meant.
He first turned his head to look at the sky outside the palace, then said with relief, "I see."
"I agree."
With that, a green-and-yellow silk scroll appeared in the emperor's hand.
He casually tossed it to Lucian and the other two. "Write whatever you want. I doubt anyone will take it seriously anyway."
Truthfully, Aramaki himself couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd issued an imperial edict. He recalled that starting from his father's generation, edicts from the palace had gone unheard.
It also seemed that from that time onward, the Zhu family had lost its authority.
After receiving the silk scroll, Lucian and the other two fell silent for a moment.
They hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. The three Master-level Lore Cardians had envisioned a worst-case scenario where they'd be forced to kill the young emperor and bury the final shovelful of earth over the Zhu clan's grave.
Master Tempest considered for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty."
He paused, then slightly amended his tone. "Young friend Zhu, your future treatment will be equivalent to a normal Diamond-level Association member. Is that acceptable?"
Aramaki's eyes lit up. "Does that mean I don't have to stay here anymore?"
"Of course not."
"Wuhu!"
Honestly, emperors of the Empire of Aetherlight since Zhu Di had been particularly interested in matters beyond their official duties.
Aramaki was no exception.
With joy in his heart, he asked tentatively, "Then I'll take my leave?"
Upon hearing this, Lucian and the other two nodded.
Seeing this confirmation, the former emperor of the Empire of Aetherlight vanished from the bedroom in an instant.
Outside the palace, Aramaki took one last look at the massive palace complex behind him, without a trace of attachment in his eyes.
Although he knew he would never be able to escape the Association's surveillance, compared to the dark and boring days of the past, even limited freedom was enough to excite him.
As for summoning old subordinates to overthrow the Association and rebuild the glory of the Zhu clan?
Come on. It had been so many years, there were no old subordinates of the Zhu family left in this world.
What's more, opposing such a behemoth as the Association was nothing short of courting death.
Hadn't they seen that the deaths of Eunuch Wynnard and the others hadn't caused even the slightest ripple?
Aramaki now just wanted to experience life properly.
"Goodbye, cage!"