Having already entered [False Karakura Town] once before, Garo and the others immediately recognized their surroundings.
The delinquent man glanced at his colleague who'd been dragged in with him, his expression grim.
Memphis was already an Emerald-level Lore Cardian. Having lost to Azrael during their previous encounter, the outcome of this battle was painfully obvious.
Fortunately, the bastard had also dragged Dracov into this mess.
Thinking of the burly man's strength, Garo's expression softened slightly. "Second Brother, I'll be counting on you."
Unfortunately, Dracov had been acting somewhat dazed ever since entering [False Karakura Town].
Having spent so many years with him, Garo naturally understood this was because he'd been separated from Steph. Fortunately, their opponent likely didn't know about this vulnerability.
All it would take was for Azrael to attack Dracov, and the burly man would surely retaliate.
Compared to Garo's misplaced optimism, Memphis was more cautious.
He knew the three of them wouldn't be escaping today unless the president and his forces in the outside world could defeat the Empire of Aetherlight's Lore Cardians.
Otherwise, even if they somehow managed to kill Azrael, leaving this place would be a death sentence.
But such words were unnecessary right now, saying them would only lower morale.
Garo and Memphis both subconsciously ignored one crucial fact: the young man had just survived an encounter with their Master-level leader. They were completely disregarding the reality that the three of them had virtually no chance of killing him.
People always need something to cling to.
Otherwise, they'd already be on their knees begging for mercy.
Azrael wasn't quite as perceptive as the three men at this moment. He'd simply dragged Garo and the others into [False Karakura Town] to settle old scores, pure vengeance.
Memphis, needless to say, had been a traitor within the Crimson Oath Society for so long because he'd threatened Azrael when the young man was still Bronze-level, leaving him no choice but to join.
He also remembered Garo's previous provocation.
If Azrael hadn't been undercover in the Crimson Oath Society for a while, he would've killed this foolish and arrogant duo long ago.
As for Dracov...
Azrael simply felt he could easily handle Garo and wanted to "trim" the wings of his beloved President Jin, so he'd randomly selected a lucky participant.
"Azrael, "
Garo was about to speak when a sudden roar interrupted him.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A pitch-black crescent-shaped slash suddenly flew toward the delinquent man.
Azrael had no interest in wasting time.
Seeing this, Garo couldn't help but curse inwardly as he immediately summoned his cards. "Shit!"
BOOM!
Dark spiritual energy instantly engulfed the three Crimson Oath Society members. The violent explosion reduced the surrounding deserted buildings to rubble in an instant.
Crimson flames shot skyward. With Kurosaki Ichigo's layered enhancements, even without the Mugetsu state, the power of Getsuga Tenshō far exceeded its previous iterations.
The next moment, a massive figure burst from the smoke, carrying a gust of foul wind as it rushed straight toward Azrael.
It was Dracov.
The burly man's clothing remained intact, and he looked nothing like someone who'd taken the attack head-on.
Just as Dracov was about to reach Azrael, a massive half-human, half-spider monster appeared before him, wielding its scythe with a shrill roar.
SWISH!
Faced with the gleaming cold blade, Dracov abruptly halted his charge, then reached out with his left hand to grasp the scythe that had already reached his waist.
But anyone who thought Shiraori's attack was that simple was gravely mistaken.
The crimson compound eyes on the spider's head instantly flashed with a bloodthirsty gleam.
"Snap!"
With a crisp, shattering sound, one of Shiraori's compound eyes exploded, shedding a stream of blood. Fortunately, she had many eyes, so losing just one wouldn't affect her vision.
Instantly, the Evil Eye skill [Death Evil Eye], attached to [Ruler: Patience], activated.
An invisible sense of crisis suddenly gripped Dracov's heart.
Although the burly man seemed somewhat dazed without Steph, he still fought with unwavering determination. Even so, he couldn't escape Shiraori's Evil Eye.
With a muffled groan, Dracov's left hand vanished.
Without it to block the blow, Shiraori's white scythe cleaved the burly man in two.
As the smoke on the ground began to dispate, Garo stared at Dracov, now cleaved apart mid-air, utterly stunned.
He hadn't expected his comrade to be defeated so quickly.
"Doesn't that mean..."
A flicker of fear crept across the delinquent's face.
However, after witnessing Shiraori's successful takedown of Dracov, Azrael didn't let his guard down. Instead, a hint of caution rose in his heart.
Shiraori had already identified the information of several people present.
, , , ,
[Name: Dracov]
[Title: Mindless Puppet]
[Level: Diamond]
[Cards Held: [Erosion Cell], [Reconstruction Corridor], [Rusty Moon Skin]]
, , , ,
, , , ,
[Name: Garo]
[Title: Mindless Puppet]
[Level: Diamond]
[Cards Held: [Thanatos], [Morpheus]]
, , , ,
Based on the identification information, Azrael could conclude that Dracov was a treacherous Lore Cardian like Master Tempest.
Sure enough, as if time had reversed, Dracov recovered in the blink of an eye and instantly engaged with Shiraori.
Because Shiraori had previously taken damage for Azrael, she wasn't at peak condition. For a moment, she was unable to defeat Dracov.
A stalemate ensued between the two.
Fortunately, Azrael had more than just Shiraori. Seeing that she could contain Dracov, the young man turned his attention to Garo, who was bracing for battle.
Azrael smiled slightly, then uttered an extremely cold phrase, "This time, no one will help you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cards led by Kurosaki Ichigo immediately attacked Garo and Memphis behind him.
Seeing this, Garo couldn't help but show a hint of panic on his face. You had to understand, it hadn't been long since he last fought with Azrael.
This meant he hadn't created any new cards, and his strength hadn't increased.
And if Azrael could defeat him once, he could definitely defeat him a second time.
Before long, the same scene as last time appeared again in this empty city.
Garo felt the Diamond-level cards in his mind cooling down and hurriedly ran backward.
But [False Karakura Town] was Azrael's home ground, where could he run?
Ignoring the delinquent man, Azrael walked straight toward Memphis.
Memphis simply gave him a cold look, then closed his eyes and gathered his strength.
Seeing him like this, Azrael's interest piqued. He rubbed his chin and asked curiously, "Don't you have anything to say?"
"Maybe curse me or something?"
Memphis opened his eyes and said coldly, "I accept defeat."
"I've served you for so many years. I'm ready."
Azrael's interest waned for a moment.
He waved his hand, and Ulquiorra stepped forward, slashing a large hole in the chest of the man in the black suit.
Glancing at the now-lifeless Memphis, Azrael sent his cards to support Shiraori while he chased after Garo in the distance.
Empowered by the Holy Blade Armor, the young man quickly caught up.
"Don't come over here!"
Garo couldn't help but scream, sensing the deadly aura behind him.
In a desperate gamble, he summoned every card he possessed, from Emerald to Gold, even Bronze and Black Iron.
Unfortunately, even if he exhausted himself, these cards couldn't penetrate Azrael's armor. The young man simply swung his sword a few times and cleared the screen.
Azrael approached Garo and casually remarked, "Compared to Memphis, your performance was a bit disappointing."
But Garo was consumed by fear and paid no attention to what Azrael said. He simply kept retreating, collapsing to the ground.
Seeing this, Azrael couldn't help but sigh, though he said nothing more.
SWISH!
As the sword pierced his chest, the light in the eyes of the Fourth Master of the Crimson Oath Society dimmed instantly.
Drawing the flaming blade from the corpse, Azrael turned to gaze at the battle in the distant sky, which was already drawing to a close.
Although Dracov's powerful abilities had been able to suppress the weakened Shiraori, two fists were no match for four hands. With the support of Azrael's other cards, the burly man quickly fell into a disadvantage.
As if sensing death's approach, Dracov roared and immediately attempted to force back the surrounding cards.
But it was futile.
Under the influence of Mirror Flower Water Moon, he couldn't even see his opponents.
Indeed, it was only then that Azrael realized that even though Aizen was only at Emerald-level, he could easily outmaneuver the Diamond-level Dracov.
But remembering the title "Mindless Puppet" identified by Shiraori, the young man suddenly understood the reason.
Sensing Dracov's now extremely weakened aura, Azrael knew the next fatal attack would likely be enough to truly kill this Diamond-level Lore Cardian.
But at that moment, the burly man suddenly clutched his head and roared in pain.
Meanwhile, his aura steadily intensified, surpassing his initial strength in just a few breaths.
Seeing this, Azrael's face suddenly changed, and he wanted Shiraori and the others to quickly end the battle.
But it was too late.
BANG!
A roaring hurricane instantly emanated from Dracov's body, engulfing the entire city in an instant.
At that moment, the earth crumbled into jagged rock masses, and the clouds in the sky were torn to shreds.
Azrael listened to the whistling wind cutting across his Holy Blade Armor, his face darkening. "Jin."
Undoubtedly, the Crimson Oath Society leader was responsible for all this. Apparently, upon learning of Memphis and Garo's deaths, he'd chosen to fuel Dracov's flames.
The young man hadn't expected Jin to be so decisive, willing to transform the Crimson Oath Society's leaders into demons.
But considering the old man's erratic and insane personality, Azrael wasn't surprised.
"ROAR!"
With a deafening roar, Dracov reappeared before Azrael, though this time the burly man barely resembled a human.
Azrael didn't have time to react. Dracov vanished and appeared directly in front of him.
BOOM!
A dull thud echoed as Azrael raised his sword to block the fist aimed at his face.
Under the immense force, the young man involuntarily slid backward, his legs leaving two long furrows in the ground.
"So strong."
Azrael muttered solemnly, feeling his right hand tremble slightly.
Aside from a few Masters, Dracov in his demon form was the strongest opponent he'd ever faced.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
With an angry voice, a pitch-black crescent suddenly flew toward Dracov, and Azrael took the opportunity to retreat.
What a joke! As an orthodox Lore Cardian, he certainly wouldn't be so foolish as to engage Dracov in hand-to-hand combat.
Azrael's cards quickly surrounded him.
Faced with such a situation, Dracov, already bereft of reason, had no time for the strategy of capturing the leader first.
The burly man remained silent, simply punching at Azrael's cards.
In the fierce clash, countless buildings were crushed like paper by the terrifying winds of his punches.
From a distance, Azrael watched the situation descend into a stalemate, silently wondering, "Should I drag it out any longer?"
The best option right now was naturally to wait until the battle outside was over, then deactivate [False Karakura Town] and hand Dracov over to his teachers.
Azrael fell silent for a moment, his mind slowly forming a plan.
He would finish Dracov off right here, then have Kurosaki Ichigo deliver a crushing blow to Jin.
The young man's assessment of the situation suggested that once the yellow-haired man entered his Mugetsu state, he should be able to suppress the frenzied Dracov.
At worst, he could use the final Getsuga Tenshō to finish him off. After entering Mugetsu, he'd be putting it to good use anyway.
Of course, Azrael wanted Jin to experience this ultimate move, to show the old man he wasn't someone to be trifled with. At the very least, he'd stop sending these random people to harass him.
However, to be on the safe side, the young man had decided to relocate to the Velkairos Cardian Master Association headquarters after today's events were over.
That way, Jin wouldn't dare come looking for him in person.
With this in mind, Azrael no longer hesitated. Under his instructions, Kurosaki Ichigo instantly entered the Mugetsu state.
Unlike the Bankai Hollow Formation and Resurrección of other Shinigami cards, the yellow-haired boy's momentum at this moment didn't increase at all, but instead gradually weakened, until he seemed like an ordinary person.
But if anyone noticed Ichigo's right hand, which had become one with the blade, they would realize it was far more complicated than it appeared.
The yellow-haired boy's face was firm, and his eyes revealed a profound calmness, as if he'd already experienced countless hardships.
It was difficult to explain why such a young boy carried such a weathered expression on his face.
But just from his demeanor and posture, one could tell how terrifyingly strong he was!
Ichigo simply stood there quietly.
But the next moment, he disappeared.
When he reappeared, the yellow-haired boy had already arrived before Dracov, and the Tensa Zangetsu in his right hand pressed down on the burly man from above.
Facing Ichigo's seemingly ordinary slash, Dracov felt like he was facing a formidable enemy. He clasped his hands together and tightly clamped the blade above his head.
But then, a terrifying slashing wave erupted from Dracov's hands, sweeping across the surroundings like a hurricane.
At this moment, there were no buildings taller than the yellow-haired boy.