Though Two had lost all consciousness, every cell in his body screamed warnings of Kurosaki Ichigo's terrifying power.
"Roar!"
The burly man exerted force with both hands, attempting to forcibly break Tensa Zangetsu.
But that was nothing more than a foolish dream.
Compared to other Zanpakutō users who relied on technique and finesse, Kurosaki Ichigo's fighting style had always been characterized by a single trait: overwhelming raw power.
After entering the Final Getsuga Tenshō state, the orange-haired youth had taken this trait to an absolute extreme.
Boom!
Like a cannonball, Two was instantly sent flying backwards, carving a long trail of smoke through the already shattered landscape of [False Karakura Town].
However, Ichigo felt no satisfaction at the sight before him.
He simply lowered his eyelids, exhaled lightly, and then tapped the ground with his toes, vanishing from the spot.
The next moment, dull impacts echoed through the ruined city.
The demonized Two was powerless against Kurosaki Ichigo.
From a distance, Azrael watched the orange-haired youth in his Final Getsuga Tenshō state and couldn't help but frown slightly.
It wasn't that he was dissatisfied with Ichigo's performance, quite the opposite. Rather, the gap between Master-level and Diamond-level seemed even greater than he'd imagined.
Kurosaki Ichigo already possessed a terrifying array of abilities, yet even so, in Azrael's perception, he was still a considerable distance from true Master-level power.
"No wonder there are so few Master-level Lore Cardians," Azrael murmured, his eyes flickering with contemplation.
Diamond-level Lore Cardians were numerous throughout the Empire of Aetherlight, Velkairos alone boasted three of them.
And that was just in the coastal cities; the density would be far more terrifying if one looked at the Northern Defense Army.
Yet despite this base population, there were only three Master-level Lore Cardians in the entire Empire. Even including Master Fujimaru, who had died at Lord Lioren's hands, that brought the total to merely four.
The gulf between the two tiers was staggering.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, the battle between Kurosaki Ichigo and Two neared its end.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the burly man, covered in wounds, plummeted from the sky and crashed into the ground. The earth trembled continuously from the impact.
"It's over," Azrael thought, watching intently.
What happened next unfolded exactly as he'd anticipated. Kurosaki Ichigo flashed before Two's broken body.
"Haa... haa..."
Two gasped for breath, his crimson eyes fixed intently on the orange-haired youth standing above him.
Yet this scene didn't cause Kurosaki Ichigo to hesitate even for a moment.
He simply stepped forward and ended Two's life with his blade.
With the battle concluded, Ichigo turned and looked toward Azrael in the distance.
As the card's owner, the young man knew Ichigo wouldn't be able to maintain his Final Getsuga Tenshō state for much longer.
However, before he could deactivate [False Karakura Town], there was one more thing to do.
"Is there going to be materials this time too?" Azrael wondered as he flew over to Two's corpse, bent down, and picked up a shimmering piece of material.
Diamond-level [Rule Breaker] (Red).
"This..." The young man raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected to unexpectedly acquire a material he actually needed.
He could only thank nature for this gift.
After collecting the materials, Azrael turned to look at Kurosaki Ichigo beside him, a smile curling his lips. "Time to teach that old dog a lesson."
Outside [False Karakura Town], even after Azrael had vanished from sight, Jin's fury remained unquenched.
The reason was simple.
The venue card that little bastard had used was clearly constructed from the venue materials Jin himself had previously prepared for him.
Having a boomerang strike him on the head would be unbearable for anyone, let alone a volatile madman like Jin.
The old man seethed with barely controlled anger, unable to vent unless he could tear Azrael into pieces.
"Little Four and Little Five are dead," Jin said, his expression darkening as he sensed two more contracts dissipating in his mind.
He pondered for a moment before a material appeared in his bony hand, which he flung toward Hermes.
The old man had been preparing to demonize Two.
However, upon further reflection on how Azrael had survived his attack and remained alive, he doubted Two could kill the young man either.
But Jin had no such intentions anyway. He simply wanted his second brother to see if he could break through that spatial barrier.
After all, with Lucian restraining him, Jin could only vaguely sense the venue's location, pinpointing it precisely would require considerable effort.
At this moment, the Skinner whispered to Jin, "President Jin, it's time to go."
"I don't know why Lord Lioren hasn't made his move yet, but delaying further will only lead to complications."
The Skinner truly didn't want to continue this fight. Judging from the current situation, they had no chance of defeating the opposing Lore Cardians anytime soon.
If they dragged this out, Lord Lioren might actually attack.
Hearing this, Jin sneered. "Do you think Lord Lioren doesn't want to attack?!"
"I don't think so!"
The old man undoubtedly knew more than the feather-crowned woman beside him.
Just as Jin was about to say something else, his expression changed abruptly.
Two was dead.
The old man clearly realized this fact.
Which meant Azrael could remain in the space created by the venue card for as long as he wished.
Continuing to waste time was clearly disadvantageous to his side.
Despite his immense anger, Jin ultimately decided to retreat.
He gritted his teeth as he forced out a few words, "Then let's, "
Before he could finish speaking, the old man froze in place, a wave of ecstasy washing over him.
At that moment, a young man surrounded by summoned cards caught Jin's eye.
He had never expected Azrael to voluntarily remove the venue card and reappear on the battlefield.
"Memphis!"
The old man shouted excitedly, immediately urging Hermes to kill the young man, even if it meant suffering serious injury in the process.
However, before Hermes could move, a heavy pressure began permeating everyone's hearts.
The next moment, a massive surge of pitch-black spiritual pressure erupted skyward, accompanied by a gust of wind that whipped everyone's hair into disarray.
In everyone's eyes, the orange-haired card that had been standing beside Azrael moments ago had undergone a complete transformation.
Long black hair swayed in the wind, while dense, inexhaustible black spiritual energy swirled around the youth's right hand like living darkness.
Seeing this, Jin's pupils contracted. He already felt a faint, piercing sense of threat emanating from the transformed figure.
Before he could react further, Kurosaki Ichigo's calm voice echoed across the sea, far from Velkairos:
"Mugetsu."
At that moment, the world seemed muted, all sound cut off.
Not only the battlefield, but the surrounding city itself hadn't escaped Mugetsu's influence.
Velkairos City.
Gustav stared blankly at the pitch-black curtain dividing sky and earth behind him, not even noticing the cigarette slip from his fingers to the ground.
The people around him moved their lips, but no sound emerged.
After a moment, the inky-black slash gradually dissipated, and the previously suppressed sound suddenly released. The scene erupted into chaos.
"What was that?"
Gustav undoubtedly knew more than the ordinary citizens around him.
However, in his memory, neither of the two Diamond-level Lore Cardians in Velkairos possessed power comparable to what he'd just witnessed.
After eliminating all impossibilities, the answer became clear. The one who had just attacked was either one of the illegal Lore Cardians from the Crimson Oath Society, or Azrael, the new vice-president of Velkairos.
Gustav came to his senses, pulled a thin cigarette from his metal case, lit it casually, and took a deep drag.
"Is that you, Azrael?"
The scene returned to the battlefield.
Jin's frantic expression froze as he turned to look at Hermes in disbelief.
Of course, the attack hadn't harmed him, because the opponent wasn't targeting him at all.
Instead, with a crisp shattering sound, the golden scales in Hermes' hands transformed into shimmering light and shattered into nothingness. A thin line of blood appeared on the God of Commerce's body.
Mugetsu certainly couldn't kill Hermes, but the fact that a mere Diamond-level card could inflict damage on a Master-level card was enough to shock everyone present.
After all, Hermes was no low-quality card.
"Azrael!"
Jin's barely surviving sanity snapped in an instant. He had never imagined that the traitor before him possessed such a terrifying threat.
Without the Scales of Balance, Hermes's combat effectiveness would be significantly reduced.
Jin couldn't understand how a Diamond-level Lore Cardian could unleash such a devastating attack. That strike had even vaguely touched the threshold of Master-level power.
Compared to Jin's shock, Lucian was filled with grave concern.
As a Lore Cardian specializing in Underworld cards, the elder had naturally witnessed more than the others present.
He had sensed the ultimate aura of death emanating from that attack.
"But the price is heavy," Lucian murmured, glancing at the fading form of Kurosaki Ichigo before stepping forward to shield his disciple.
The elder didn't believe the cost of unleashing such a terrifying attack was merely a card cooldown.
As he'd expected, after releasing Mugetsu, Azrael would have to wait a full seven days before being able to summon Kurosaki Ichigo again.
At this moment, Azrael grinned and called out, "How was it? Did you like my gift?"
"Did you enjoy it?"
The young man finally couldn't help but taunt Jin. After all, he'd suffered considerable humiliation while lurking within the Crimson Oath Society.
Hearing his voice, the hook-nosed old man laughed coldly. "Good. Very good."
"I really liked it, Azrael."
Endless rage flooded Jin's heart. The old man's mind was now consumed with thoughts of how to cut Azrael into pieces.
As if sensing that the old man beside her had been overwhelmed by fury, the Skinner couldn't help but consider whether to forcibly remove him from the battlefield.
After all, there was no point in continuing this fight.
At that moment, a blazing white beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping the positions where Jin and the others stood.
Sensing the presence of the newcomer, Azrael couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
It was Lord Lioren.