Several days passed, and Azrael received no contact from Sisco. Instead, his teacher arrived unexpectedly.
Looking at the somewhat travel-worn Lucian before him, Azrael poured him a cup of tea with a puzzled expression. "Teacher, is everything resolved?"
Lucian shook his head slightly. "It's just temporary containment for now. With Lioren watching over the situation, I'm no longer needed there."
"But we've roughed out a plan. We'll probably establish additional positions in coastal cities, though the inland areas..." He paused meaningfully. "We'll need to consider those more carefully."
This didn't surprise Azrael. After all, the coastal regions had always been the Association's stronghold, so the Imperial Court's collapse wouldn't affect them significantly. However, the inland territories were a different matter entirely. To minimize potential chaos, caution was absolutely necessary.
Lucian knew his disciple wasn't particularly interested in such political matters, so he didn't delve deeper into the topic. Instead, he pulled out a tablet. "Speaking of which, we've catalogued the assets confiscated from the Imperial Court officials. Take a look and see if there's anything you need."
This explained why the old man had taken so long to return to Velkairos.
Azrael blinked in surprise before instinctively accepting the device.
A quick glance revealed the screen displaying several categories: real estate, materials, currency, and more. The young man didn't rush to examine it, instead asking hesitantly, "Teacher, is this... appropriate?"
He knew he'd definitely want the free materials, that went without saying. His concern naturally stemmed from the potential impact on his teacher's reputation.
Lucian was already quite elderly, and Azrael didn't want his teacher's reputation tarnished in his twilight years.
Upon hearing his words, Lucian let out a hearty laugh. "This entire affair is thanks to your efforts, Azrael. Without you, we'd have remained in the dark about their schemes for who knows how long."
"If anyone objects to this arrangement, let them come to me." His eyes softened with genuine warmth. "That's Lioren's sentiment as well."
Azrael felt relieved hearing this confirmation.
Since his teacher had said so, there was no need for false modesty. But the young man only needed materials. Real estate and other assets were completely useless to him, after all, he already possessed the ability [False Karakura Town]. Even if the Imperial Court officials had owned vast tracts of land, could they rival an entire city?
He scrolled through the listings quickly.
One section caught his attention.
Azrael's eyes flickered as he glanced at the real estate information.
"Interested in picking out a place to live?" Seeing his expression, Lucian said with a gentle smile. "We're not planning to keep those properties anyway. We'll renovate them later so civilians can move in."
Hearing this, Azrael shook his head repeatedly. "No, I'm just looking."
He then switched to the materials page, and his breath caught.
It was obvious these corrupt officials hadn't died in vain. Azrael even spotted substantial quantities of duplicate materials, clear evidence of embezzling output from multiple secret realms over the years.
He slowly swiped through the screen, methodically searching for materials he needed.
"Wait..."
Azrael suddenly froze, his pupils constricting.
A Sovereign-level material lay among the inventory.
Sovereign-level [World Anchor] (Red).
"There's even Sovereign-level material here," the young man muttered to himself.
Seeing his surprise, Lucian glanced at the tablet briefly before nodding in understanding. "The Imperial Court has produced many Sovereign-level talents over the years, so naturally there are some unused Sovereign-level materials remaining."
"You'll find more as you continue browsing."
Hearing his teacher's explanation, Azrael gradually composed himself and resumed his search.
After an extended period, he returned the tablet to Lucian. "Teacher, I've selected all the materials I need."
It was unfortunate the young man hadn't found suitable Diamond-level venue materials, otherwise, he could have directly assembled the Soul King this time. But Azrael understood this was to be expected. After all, Diamond-level materials were undoubtedly far rarer than Emerald or Gold-tier resources.
And venue materials were even more scarce than typical materials.
The last venue material Jin had provided him had been precisely what he needed, an incredibly fortunate stroke of luck.
Lucian examined the materials Azrael had chosen and asked in surprise, "Is this all you need?"
"Yes," Azrael nodded. He hadn't selected excessively.
Acquiring so many usable materials this time was already quite remarkable.
[Blood-Bound Contract] (Red), [Chains of Destiny] (Red), [Ward of Nullification] (Red), [Earthen Maw] (Red), [Celestial Fragments] (Red), [Cinder Edge] (Red), [Human-Faced Tarantula] (Red).
These were the materials Azrael had selected.
Seeing this, Lucian shook his head helplessly. "You..." He sighed with gentle exasperation. "Azrael, just tell me directly what materials you need in the future. Lioren and the others won't object."
"We in the Empire of Aetherlight can certainly afford to support a Diamond-level Lore Cardian."
What the old man didn't mention was that after consulting with Lord Lioren and the others, they'd decided to allocate even more resources to Azrael, not just Diamond-level materials, but Sovereign-level as well.
After all, anyone who wasn't blind could clearly see that the world consciousness favored Azrael, and the young man had successfully fulfilled every prophecy.
Although Lucian and the others didn't know the specific reasons behind this phenomenon, they'd chosen to trust him regardless.
Of course, part of their reasoning stemmed from Azrael's consistently admirable character.
Azrael was stunned. He hadn't expected such an opportunity to fall into his lap. "Huh?"
Before he could process this revelation, Lucian continued, "It's settled, then."
The old man then changed the subject. "Speaking of which, Azrael, have you discovered anything recently?"
Addressing this topic, Azrael's expression immediately turned serious. "Yes. The Crimson Oath Society's top leadership, aside from Jin, has already rushed to Velkairos."
"Teacher, I think that old schemer is getting anxious."
Hearing this, Lucian's brow furrowed deeply.
He clearly understood what Azrael was referring to.
After a prolonged silence, he sighed heavily. "It's probably because the situation in Antarctica has made him feel his time is running out."
Azrael fell silent.
Having never visited Antarctica himself, he had no concrete understanding of conditions there. But if Jin had abandoned his characteristic caution, the situation clearly wasn't optimistic.
After a moment's consideration, the young man asked hesitantly, "Teacher, is Lord Lioren's health good enough to eliminate Jin?"
Lucian shook his head dismissively. "Lioren's health..." He paused, his expression growing somber. "Probably won't last much longer."
Azrael felt a pang of disappointment.
Since his teacher had stated this so definitively, Lord Lioren was clearly in no condition to take action, he might even perish on the spot if he attempted it.
But just as Azrael was processing this grim assessment, Lucian shifted direction. "However, if Lioren truly feels his time is running out, he might forcefully intervene to eliminate certain threats."
A phrase suddenly materialized in Azrael's mind: The dying Sovereign arrives bearing the Ultimate Imperial Armament.
"I understand, Teacher."
"By the way, Teacher, should I inform the Crimson Oath Society about your arrival?"
Just as Lucian was preparing to leave, the young man suddenly spoke.
The old man immediately halted.
He considered for a moment before responding, "Tell them. Otherwise, Azrael, your identity might not remain hidden from Jin much longer."
Lucian's reasoning was simple: if Azrael, as his disciple, didn't even know he'd returned to Velkairos, it would undoubtedly raise suspicions.
Moreover, as one of only three Sovereign-level Lore Cardians in the Empire of Aetherlight, his whereabouts were inherently difficult to conceal.
"Understood."
Seeing the business concluded, Lucian stood immediately. "Then I'll go find the other Association leaders."
"Azrael, make time in the next couple of days to travel to Pixar and collect the materials you need."
Hearing this, Azrael nodded. "Goodbye, Teacher."
"Mm." Lucian smiled faintly before vanishing from the young man's sight.
Looking at the living room, which had once again fallen silent, Azrael couldn't help scratching his head.
While today's events had been somewhat unexpected, the ability to continue receiving free materials was undeniably positive.
Shaking his head, the young man retrieved his communicator.
[Six: Lucian has arrived in Velkairos.]
After a brief silence, the group chat exploded with activity as several messages rapidly flashed across the screen.
[One: He arrived today? Understood. Thank you, Sixth Brother.]
[Two: .]
[Three: 1]
[Four: Tsk, that old codger came so quickly. Did you summon him?]
[One: Fourth Brother! What nonsense are you spouting!]
Faced with Fourth Brother's malicious insinuation, Azrael chose to ignore it. After all, he'd fulfilled his obligation to notify them. If anyone got caught by his teacher later, it would be none of his concern.
After waiting several more days, Azrael received no contact from Sisco and the others. Perhaps Lucian's arrival had made them hesitant to act.
However, this didn't bother him in the slightest. The young man even returned to Pixar to visit Alice and collect the materials he needed.
Taking a deep breath, Azrael surveyed the materials laid out before him.
His first upgrade would be the Holy Blade Armor. After all, upon reaching a new tier, the most crucial priority was rapidly improving survival capabilities.
This was a persistent weakness for classes similar to Lore Cardians, essentially Summoner-type roles.
Due to the properties of the [Flame Sword - Blazing Blade Driver], the young man immediately invested his three sword materials of different attributes.
With a flash of brilliant light, the Holy Blade Armor instantly upgraded from Emerald to Diamond tier.
"That's convenient," Azrael murmured softly, examining the card in his hand.
Compared to its Emerald-level state, the Diamond-tier Holy Blade Armor's core abilities hadn't changed dramatically. However, it had gained an additional Wonder Ride Book: [Dragon Mark Knight Wonder Ride Book].
Seeing this, Azrael couldn't help raising an eyebrow. "Dragon Mark?"
However, considering his pirated version of Arthur's flying dragon was pinnacle Emerald-rank, it made sense that the dragon mark would manifest as a Diamond-rank Wonder Ride Book.
"So what does Sovereign-rank grant?" Azrael pondered briefly. "Ancient Dragon?"
He contemplated this question momentarily before suppressing his curiosity.
Today's workload was substantial, and upgrading the Holy Blade Armor to Diamond-rank was merely the beginning.
Taking another deep breath, the young man immediately retrieved three ingredients: [Blood-Bound Contract] (Red), [Chains of Destiny] (Red), and [Ward of Nullification] (Red).
Azrael already had a rough concept for transferring damage sustained by himself to Shiraori.
"Here we go."
[Please begin weaving your story.]
[Due to the Ancient Gods' arrival, humanity lost its future.]
[In 2087, a young man huddled before a café entrance.]
[Just then, the café door opened, and a well-dressed businessman appeared before him.]
["Hungry? Come with me."]
[A voice like salvation reached the boy's ears. After brief hesitation, he followed the man, after all, he had nothing left to lose.]
[Shortly afterward, the man brought out a meal. But before the boy could eat, the man produced a contract and asked him to sign it.]
[The boy couldn't comprehend the contract's contents, but after brief deliberation, he signed his name regardless.]
[The contract took effect immediately. The boy could vaguely sense a connection forming between himself and the man.]
[After a meager meal, the boy attempted to leave, but the man stopped him.]
[Grabbing the boy by his collar, the man dragged him to a concealed underground facility.]
[There, the boy witnessed countless children like himself.]
[Before he could react, he was trapped in an iron cage.]
[The man then departed the basement.]
[In the days that followed, the boy watched the children in surrounding cages die in horrific ways.]
[Some even lost their sanity entirely, descending into madness.]
[The boy was terrified, yet unable to resist the contract's compulsion. He ultimately curled up in the cold basement and perished.]
[Only then did he understand the contract's true nature: a pact compelling him to voluntarily bear all harm suffered by the man.]
The card-crafting process proceeded effortlessly as always. Azrael created the cards he needed without difficulty.
Naturally, this was also attributable to the high-grade materials.
After all, according to his original concept, the cards he was creating shouldn't even reach Diamond-tier.
[Eternal Bond]
Rank: Diamond
Quality: Gold
Category: Item
Abilities:
[Unidirectional Channel]: Damage sustained by the cardholder, including but not limited to physical injuries, curses, and spiritual attacks, is transferred to the contractor, while the cardholder remains completely unharmed.
[Absolute Immunity]: Negative effects resulting from damage to the cardholder are likewise transferred to the contractor.
Note: This contract requires the signatory's 100% willing consent.
Indeed, Azrael hadn't selected materials from any previous work this time. Instead, he'd experimented with crafting his own original cards.
Unfortunately, the gold quality didn't match his investment, he'd used three full portions of red Diamond-tier materials.
"So was the card quality previously so high because they had established source materials?" He tilted his head in confusion.
After pondering momentarily, Azrael still couldn't reach a definitive conclusion.
Fortunately, this card's intended purpose had been achieved regardless.
"Now, as long as I don't exhaust my mental energy, I'm essentially invincible." Reflecting on this, Azrael sensed his own substantial mental power reserves.
Coincidentally, that was his greatest strength.
"With the belt and Eternal Bond, I no longer need to worry about survival," the young man couldn't help grinning.
He now felt confident that even facing a Sovereign-level Lore Cardian, he wouldn't be instantly eliminated.
Of course, this was far from true invincibility. After all, if his mental power was depleted and he couldn't maintain the Eternal Bond, simply keeping Shiraori manifested would become meaningless.
Storing away the Eternal Bond, Azrael retrieved two more ingredients. "One more card to craft."
He planned to upgrade Shiraori to Diamond-tier, primarily because if any mission required him to operate as a Crimson Oath Society member, he wouldn't need to rely on Kurosaki Ichigo anymore.
That dependency was far too easily exposed.
Although Shiraori's [Goddess System] trait wasn't currently generating maximum benefits, Azrael couldn't afford to care about such efficiency concerns.
"Hope everything proceeds smoothly."