On the Velkairos coast, Lucian gazed grimly at the spatial vortex churning in the distant sea, its terrible fluctuations rippling through the air. A master-level secret realm, one that should never have appeared, had descended upon the waters surrounding Velkairos without warning.
Though it hadn't fully manifested yet, once the entrance stabilized, the pressure on Velkairos would become overwhelming. The city might even need to be relocated.
Relocating a metropolis of this scale was no small undertaking, even with Lore Cardians at their disposal. More likely, the city would be transformed from a civilian center into a military stronghold.
But Lucian wasn't in the mood to contemplate what lay ahead. The old man glanced back worriedly toward the city. Moments ago, he'd clearly sensed a master-level Lore Cardian attacking within Velkairos itself.
Having dealt with Chris before, Lucian recognized the signature instantly. The target was undoubtedly one of his own disciples.
"Azrael," the old man whispered his young protégé's name, his heart torn by an impossible choice.
Logically, he should focus all his attention on the newly revealed secret realm at sea, as well as the likely appearance of Jin and his associates. But Lucian couldn't stop worrying about Azrael.
This situation differed drastically from the young man's previous encounters. First, Chris's cards were far more effective in direct combat than Jin's. Second, Azrael currently had no other Lore Cardians to support him.
After all, whether fighting Jin or later battling the Nation-Destroying Fox, the young man had never been alone. But this time, he had only himself to rely on.
"Hahahaha!"
A somewhat unhinged laugh reached Lucian's ears. It was Jin.
Having already struck a deal with Chris, he certainly couldn't hide in the shadows and watch events unfold.
The hook-nosed elder's face twisted as he spoke in an exaggerated tone. "How is it, Lucian? Do you like this gift?!"
A malicious smile crossed Jin's face. "Choose. Velkairos? Or your student."
Lucian's expression darkened at Jin's piercing words. He knew the moment had come to make a choice.
The elder took a deep breath and spoke each word deliberately. "Whether it's Velkairos or Azrael, I'll protect them both today!"
As his declaration fell, half of the cards belonging to the Empire's master Lore Cardian split off, heading toward the newly revealed secret realm in the city.
Jin's face flickered with surprise at the sight, but then he let out a savage laugh. "It seems you've made the worst decision. Do you really think you can stop us alone?! Today is your death!"
As he spoke, the Skinner and Marcus materialized beside him.
At this moment, excluding the master-level secret realm that hadn't yet fully descended, Lucian had to face three master-level Lore Cardians and a master-level demon simultaneously.
Sensing the overwhelming auras emanating from the sea, Dareth's face tightened with bitterness. "Old Lucian, looks like we'll die here today."
Yet even in this desperate situation, Lucian remained calm. The old man spoke quietly to his friend. "The Mountain Lord should arrive soon. The situation isn't quite that dire yet."
"I'm worried they're targeting Lioren."
Upon hearing this, Dareth's voice choked. He glanced at Jin and the others in disbelief, uttering a few words, "Did they figure it out?!"
"I don't know." Lucian could only shake his head to express his uncertainty.
Silence fell over the scene.
However, it was clear Jin and the other two wouldn't let the situation stagnate. They immediately launched their attack.
In a single breath, the coast of Velkairos vanished without a trace.
In the secret realm, Azrael relied on Shiraori's spatial abilities to dodge Chris's relentless attacks.
Only Shiraori's advancement to Diamond tier, which significantly increased her teleportation range, combined with the vastness of this secret realm, made avoiding Chris's saturation bombardment possible. But hiding forever wasn't a solution, under the enemy's attacks, his available hiding places would only dwindle.
A faint burning sound echoed from behind him, and Azrael turned to gaze at the encroaching darkness that pursued him like a shadow.
"Is this the only way you survived Jin's clutches?" a cold voice echoed from the distant sky.
Chris hadn't participated in Jin's previous operation, so he had no idea Azrael had survived after taking Jin's blow head-on. He'd assumed the young man's exceptional evasion skills had forced Jin to abandon the kill.
But Azrael clearly wasn't going to reveal his secrets so easily. He simply steadied his gaze, silently thinking, 'It's time.'
The young man sensed that Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto had successfully slain the Diamond-level demon. Without hesitation, he immediately launched his cards forward.
Chris, having studied Azrael's battles in the City Within a City, was naturally on guard. Endless darkness surged from the cards beside him, instantly obscuring the entire sky.
Witnessing this, Azrael muttered, "Lucifer."
After such a prolonged chase, Shiraori had naturally identified Chris's card. Of course, there was no need to dwell on the specific details, after all, the young man was merely a Diamond-level Lore Cardian, and being able to identify a name was already impressive.
[Name: Chris]
[Title: Inverted Cross]
[Rank: Master]
[Cards Held: [Fallen Morning Star·Lucifer], [Sin of Wrath·Samael]]
Like most masters, Chris possessed very few master-level cards. This was due to the difficulty of finding suitable materials for such powerful cards, and also because not everyone possessed Azrael's extraordinary mental capacity.
Currently hovering in the sky, Chris remained unaware that the young man on the ground had already observed his secret. He simply wanted to defeat Azrael quickly and escape.
After all, the longer he delayed, the more dangerous his own situation would become.
However, just as Chris prepared to end this fight in one decisive strike, an incredibly blazing tornado of fire flew in from the distance, instantly engulfing him.
But such an attack could never harm a master-level Lore Cardian. The massive fire tornado shattered instantly, scattering in all directions and setting the surrounding woods ablaze.
When Chris reappeared, he tilted his head and muttered to himself, "I've never seen a card like this before."
He remembered that this card hadn't appeared in the battle footage he'd reviewed. The master glanced at the shirtless, white-bearded elder who had appeared in the sky, frowning slightly.
"Just relying on a Diamond-tier card?"
Chris was about to scoff when an aged voice interrupted him.
"Bankai: Zanka no Tachi."
As Yamamoto finished his declaration, the surrounding flames instantly intensified, then vanished without a trace.
Chris's pupils constricted at the sight. His instincts as a master Lore Cardian told him that if he came into contact with that blackened blade without proper defense, he would surely be injured.
Faced with Yamamoto's undisguised killing intent, Lucifer instantly stepped in front of Chris.
However, the captain wasn't the only one present. Azrael's cards immediately launched forward, a barrage of attacks instantly overwhelming Chris's position.
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted, and waves of vibrant energy engulfed everything around them. A howling wind whipped through Azrael's hair.
A hint of doubt crept into the young man's heart, and he frowned. "Why does he seem weakened?"
So far, Chris hadn't demonstrated the true might of a master Lore Cardian. Despite the immense pressure, the young man didn't feel the urgency of facing a life-or-death crisis.
He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Or is it because I've gotten stronger?"
As the smoke gradually cleared, Chris appeared before Azrael, his face grim. "I admit I underestimated you. But if that old dog Jin hadn't required me to personally descend into this secret realm, I wouldn't have wasted so much energy."
Azrael suddenly understood. He'd wondered why this secret realm had appeared in Velkairos for no apparent reason, it turned out Chris had paid the price.
Thinking of this, the young man couldn't help but chuckle. "Then where do you get the confidence to kill me?"
Chris froze, unsure how to refute Azrael's words. His best option now was to retreat. After all, killing the young man quickly seemed impossible.
So he tried.
Unfortunately, just as Chris prepared to turn and flee, he saw a master-level card appear behind him, accompanied by several Diamond-level cards.
"Lucian?!" Chris cried out in surprise. He could certainly recognize the support card as belonging to Lucian.
But Chris quickly calmed down, having determined that it was Lucian's card, not Lucian himself.
"Your teacher hasn't given up on you," Chris sneered, turning toward Azrael.
Escape was impossible now, he was trapped within the secret realm. Given this, he had no choice but to fight to the death.
Without further ado, Chris immediately ordered Samael to confront Lucian's master-level card, while he himself, accompanied by Lucifer, faced Azrael directly.
As Azrael watched, a pitch-black sun plummeted from the sky toward the earth. All-consuming darkness spread from the falling sun, instantly covering the surrounding ground.
"Zanka no Tachi, West: Zanjitsu Gokui."
At that moment, Yamamoto's voice echoed, his immense spiritual pressure instantly transforming into flames reaching fifteen million degrees. The white-bearded old man was now draped in clothing resembling the blazing sun itself.
Under the terrifying heat, the surrounding temperature began to rise dramatically, and the ground beneath his feet began to transform into magma.
The next moment, Yamamoto vanished. When he reappeared, he was already standing before Chris and Lucifer.
Chris's expression shifted slightly as he gazed upon the torch-like old man before him. Lucifer, sensing the danger, immediately attempted to force Yamamoto back.
The fallen angel's tattered wings, dripping with black corruption, began to unfurl, and countless demons of various forms instantly appeared around the old man.
Unfortunately, upon manifesting, they were reduced to ash by the terrifying heat of the Remnant Sun Prison Garb.
Lucifer's goal, however, was merely to delay the old man. As the fallen angel extended his right hand, the surrounding aura of death enveloped it, and he pressed his palm against Yamamoto's chest.
BOOM!
The old man, like a cannonball, was hurled into the distance. Lucifer frowned slightly at his charred right hand. But with a slight clench of his fist, the scorched, corrupted skin instantly faded, revealing tender, pale flesh.
At that moment, black and red lightning exploded, and a giant, pitch-black fist appeared before Lucifer's eyes. It was Luffy.
Facing the Straw Hat boy's fierce attack, Lucifer merely curled his lips slightly, attempting to swat away the fist imbued with Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki.
However, even at first contact, a look of surprise crossed Lucifer's face. The fallen angel could clearly feel a slight sting in his right hand.
Before he could process the cause, a yellow-haired boy appeared beside him. Facing the defenseless Lucifer, Ichigo mercilessly slashed Tensa Zangetsu toward Chris.
However, Lucifer was still a master-level card, and even though he'd been slightly weakened, assassinating the Lore Cardian under his nose would be difficult.
Under his control, darkness enveloped the two in an instant, and he simultaneously launched an attack similar to what Azrael had experienced earlier.
SWISH!
With a sharp whistling sound, a dark beam of light instantly passed by Azrael, leaving a bottomless chasm in the ground.
Of course, Chris couldn't let the young man attack him recklessly. In just a short while, he'd already devised a countermeasure.
"Azrael. Maybe I can't leave today. But don't think you'll get off easy!"
A cold voice rang out from within the pitch-black sphere.
The next moment, the pitch-black sphere suddenly shattered, and Lucifer, wrapped in thick black corruption, floated into the air. At the same time, Samael, who had been fighting Lucian's card, also forcefully broke from the battle and came to Lucifer's side.
Then, under Azrael's horrified gaze, the two fallen angels who had turned their backs on God gradually shed their humanoid forms.
After several breaths, a massive red dragon with seven heads and ten horns appeared before the young man's eyes.
Chris had finally revealed his ultimate trump card.
"ROAR!"
With a deafening roar, the great red dragon announced its presence.
...
[The great dragon is the ancient serpent, called the devil, also called Satan, who deceives the whole world. - Revelation 12:9]