Since Shiraori couldn't identify Chris's card, Azrael had no idea the master Lore Cardian had this devastating ability.
Feeling the terrifying pressure emanating from the seven-headed, ten-horned Great Red Dragon, Azrael's heart sank.
"A master indeed," he couldn't help but whisper.
BOOM!
Stars fell. The Great Red Dragon, Satan incarnate, dragged celestial bodies from the heavens with its massive tail.
Though actual stars didn't exist in the secret realm, the materializing meteorites served as symbols of the dragon's apocalyptic destructive power.
Azrael immediately tried to have Shiraori evacuate him from the battlefield, but Chris wouldn't allow such an easy escape.
"ROAR!"
Seven deafening roars echoed simultaneously, and an invisible wave instantly swept across the entire secret realm.
Azrael felt a torrent of negative emotions surge from the depths of his soul.
Pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust, the seven deadly sins representing humanity's original corruption, began clouding his judgment.
"Whoa! That was close!"
At that moment, Shiraori activated her spatial ability and instantly transported Azrael far from the Great Red Dragon. Their previous location was now engulfed by a brilliant celestial breath.
Seeing his attack fail, surprise flickered across Chris's eyes. "Immune to even a master-level card's negative effects?"
This was the first time the young master had witnessed his trump card fail so completely.
Even Jin and the others couldn't simply ignore his attacks like this.
"And," he glanced at Azrael's other cards, his expression growing grim, "it's mostly immune."
The Great Red Dragon resulted from the bond and fusion of two master-level cards. Even if inflicting negative effects wasn't its primary ability, Diamond-level cards shouldn't be able to resist.
What Chris didn't realize was that Azrael's cards were based on anime characters, many of them protagonists.
Protagonists' defining characteristic was their unshakeable willpower, making them naturally resistant to negative status effects.
For instance, [Lonely Pilgrimage] and [Ruler: Patience].
Despite this advantage, many of Azrael's cards were still affected by the Great Red Dragon and had lost their combat effectiveness.
Fortunately, several critical battle cards remained unaffected.
And Azrael's cards weren't the only forces present. Lucian's master-level card also occupied the secret realm:
[Chujiang King: Li Wen].
Lucian's second master-level card.
Though both he and [Dread King] ranked among the Ten Hell Kings, Azrael could clearly sense that [King Chujiang] was significantly weaker.
At that moment, the short-faced, broad-mouthed man in robes roared, and a frost-filled hell suddenly manifested within the secret realm.
Seeing this, Chris sneered. "Futile resistance."
If all of Lucian's cards were present, Chris might have exercised more caution. After all, the old man had his own hidden trump cards.
Fortunately, the enemy was currently being held up by Jin and his forces in the outer realm, allowing only a single master-level card to enter the secret realm.
This was one of the reasons Chris had agreed to intervene personally.
Honestly, the old man's willingness to send reinforcements into the secret realm had already surprised the young master.
As Azrael watched, the Great Red Dragon simply flicked its tail, effortlessly sweeping away the icy shackles that attempted to bind it.
"Trouble!"
This scene made Azrael realize the vast disparity in power between King Chujiang and the Great Red Dragon.
At that moment, Yamamoto Shigekuni, previously sent flying by Lucifer, rushed back to the battlefield.
The white-bearded elder plunged his scorched blade into the ground, and a terrifying skeletal hand emerged from the earth.
"Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin!"
The tremendous disturbance instantly captured Chris's attention.
The young master frowned as he gazed at the now fully revealed giant skeleton and the countless smaller skeletons flanking it. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This is..."
"That demon from before?"
Indeed, Yamamoto Shigekuni's Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin could resurrect the souls of those who had fallen to his blade.
Now, the Quincy he had slain during the Millennium Blood War had appeared in this world.
Furthermore, the treant demon that had recently fallen to his flames now rose as an undead servant.
Seeing this, Azrael sighed with regret. "Too bad I didn't create old man Yamamoto back in Great Britain. Otherwise, I could break Chris's defenses right now."
The young man realized the master Lore Cardian and Yhwach were polar opposites.
The latter had no regard for his subordinates' lives and would sacrifice them without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Chris was willing to risk his life for a mere Emerald-level Lore Cardian.
If Yamamoto Shigekuni could summon Antipas's spirit at this moment, Chris's composure would undoubtedly shatter.
He might even become enraged.
Chris clearly recognized the true nature of the old captain's ability, but he had a different thought, "Fortunately, I didn't give him time to develop further, otherwise..."
His mind flashed back to the Nine-Tailed Fox with its severed tail, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.
"But if this is all you have, don't embarrass yourself."
With a flicker of intent, the Great Red Dragon turned one of its heads slightly toward the army of undead.
BOOM!
The next moment, a single ray of celestial breath swept past, and most of the souls summoned by Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin were obliterated.
"Your turn next."
As Chris whispered softly, Azrael's pupils contracted as the celestial breath instantly approached him.
Technically, the Velkairos coast could no longer be called a coast, most of the city had been reduced to ruins.
"Ugh."
Dareth spat out large mouthfuls of blood, his expression grim as he watched the battle unfolding in the sea not far away.
He gritted his teeth and spat out a name.
"Jin..."
Everything that had happened today brought the president of the Velkairos Cardian Master Association back to that afternoon when the [Demon's Nest] first descended.
That time, Velkairos had only faced one master-level demon, the Flesh King. Now, they faced four masters simultaneously.
Glancing at the mangled arm jutting from the rubble of a collapsed building, Dareth's heart grew heavier.
Just then, a figure crashing down from the distance pulled him back from his thoughts.
BOOM!
Swirling smoke obscured the middle-aged man's vision, but it couldn't block his mental detection.
"Lucian!" Dareth identified the fallen man with a single glance. "Are you alright?!"
He leaped into the smoke.
At that moment, Lucian first slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then waved his hand slightly. "I'm fine, just a minor injury."
"Thank goodness the Mountain Master arrived in time, otherwise today's losses would have been catastrophic."
He glanced at Kunlun Mountain, which towered over the distant sea.
If Fujimaru hadn't arrived in time, not only Velkairos but even the surrounding cities would have been ravaged by Jin and his forces.
Dareth breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but then remembered something else. "Azrael."
Hearing his disciple's name, a hint of gloom flickered across Lucian's eyes.
The old man was silent for a moment before he spoke dryly. "Chris has revealed his trump card."
"I don't know if Azrael can survive."
As the holder of King Chujiang's card, he knew the situation Azrael faced.
Dareth fell silent.
After a long pause, he hesitantly asked, "What about Lord Lioren?"
"I don't know."
Lucian shook his head. He had no idea what Lord Lioren was doing at the moment.
Hearing this, despair flashed across Dareth's face.
Seeing his expression, Lucian took a deep breath and forced himself to straighten his hunched body. "At this point, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."
In the secret realm, Azrael leaned against Shiraori's body, panting heavily.
The entire secret realm looked like it had been gnawed by some monstrous beast, everywhere scorched earth stretched as far as the eye could see.
But after seeing the Great Red Dragon with two heads missing and its body covered in burns, frostbite, and cuts, a slightly arrogant smile spread across his masked face.
"You want to kill me?!"
Chris's face darkened at the challenge.
The young master hadn't expected that even with his trump card, he still couldn't quickly defeat his opponent.
But soon, as if struck by a thought, a mocking smile crossed his face. "It's almost time."
"I didn't want to resort to this, but you can only blame yourself for refusing to die peacefully."
Hearing this, Azrael was startled, a sense of foreboding rising within him.
But before he could even process it, the Great Red Dragon, now with only five heads remaining, roared to the heavens.
With a flash of black light, the five heads vanished, replaced by a single ferocious hexagonal head emanating endless dark energy.
With his extensive knowledge of the occult, Azrael knew that the number "six" represented the devil in Western theology. "There's a second stage?!"
The young man had never imagined he'd encounter a boss entering its second phase. He now understood how his former enemies felt when they saw his Shinigami cards transform.
More crucially, his previous success in severing the Great Red Dragon's two heads had come at the cost of King Chujiang's dissolution.
This meant Azrael could only face the Great Red Dragon's second stage alone.
And this wasn't the end.
As black energy began permeating the entire secret realm, Azrael suddenly realized he could no longer maintain [False Karakura Town].
At that moment, Chris's voice echoed beside him, "You finally realized..."
"This is His kingdom of heaven, naturally, there's no room for outsiders."
"Heretic!"
Hearing this, the young man's expression changed instantly.
He had never imagined the other party's true target would be the ordinary people in [False Karakura Town].
"No, it's just to contain me."
At that moment, Azrael forced himself to remain calm and began thinking about his next move.
But how could Chris give him time to think?
"Welcome..."
"Judgment of annihilation!"
As Chris's voice fell, Azrael's mental energy consumption to maintain [False Karakura Town] began increasing dramatically. Simultaneously, a terrifying breath that could cover the entire secret realm descended from the sky.
Azrael was undoubtedly faced with a dilemma.
Continue maintaining [False Karakura Town], or release the venue card to face Chris's attack more calmly.
Without hesitation, the young man chose the former.
Azrael had plenty of mental strength!
At that moment, the young man took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. "It's just gambling my life. Do you really think I'm scared?"
Simultaneously, from among his few remaining cards, Artoria launched the first attack.
The fully restrained holy sword collided with the brilliant breath descending from the sky.
Unfortunately, the blonde knight at only Emerald rank was still too weak. She couldn't even withstand the full force of the master-level attack for a second.
In an instant, the Great Red Dragon's Breath of Annihilation finally landed on Azrael.
CRACK!
Within just a few breaths, the holy blade armor suddenly shattered and dissipated into thin air.
Feeling the mental strength rapidly draining from his mind, the young man's lips curled into a defiant smile. "You think you can kill me?!"
Endless pain flooded Azrael's heart, but he stared intently at the world-destroying dragon in the sky, constantly releasing its devastating breath.
Under the influence of [Eternal Bond], Shiraori's aura began waning while the young man remained perpetually on the brink of death.
Chris's face darkened as he watched Azrael still standing on the ground. "Azrael!"
"Why won't you die?!"
"Die!"
The young master had never imagined a Diamond-level Lore Cardian could withstand his strongest attack for so long.
The situation was beginning to slip beyond his control.
Rage and madness gradually consumed the master Lore Cardian obsessed with revenge, causing him to lose his composure.
However, Azrael wasn't simply standing there as a sitting target. He was creating opportunities for his own cards.
"Mugetsu!"
A resolute voice suddenly rang out, and Kurosaki Ichigo, who had been lurking in the sky, finally unleashed his most powerful attack.
A massive, pitch-black slash descended, and the world instantly transformed into monochrome.
At that moment, Chris sensed the scent of death beneath the blow.
He had no choice but to direct the Great Red Dragon's head toward Kurosaki Ichigo.
The next moment, Mugetsu collided with the devastating breath.
But the orange-haired Shinigami was no master-level card. Even with his stacked enhancement abilities, he couldn't single-handedly slay the Great Red Dragon.
Even the brief stalemate he'd managed against the Great Red Dragon was thanks to Chris personally entering the secret realm, which meant the young master wasn't operating at full capacity.
"Pointless struggle."
Chris couldn't help but sneer as he watched the Great Red Dragon's annihilating breath threaten to engulf Kurosaki Ichigo.
Just then, an aged voice suddenly echoed behind him.
"Zanka no Tachi, North: Tenchi Kaijin!"
Flames, boundless flames, slashed through, instantly obliterating everything in their path.
The flames accumulated over millennia condensed into a single line. Before the blade's shadow could reach its target, all moisture in the world had evaporated. The intense heat even caused the earth to crystallize before it could melt.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni unleashed his Bankai's most powerful attack.
"What?!"
Surprise flashed across Chris's face before he lost all consciousness.
Azrael's goal hadn't been to engage Chris head-on, after all, that would be complete suicide.
Everything he did was simply to create an opportunity to strike his opponent's true form.
Fortunately, Chris, caught off guard by the myriad factors, lost his composure, allowing Yamamoto Shigekuni to land a single devastating strike.
Of course, the Lore Cardian profession also played a role. Not everyone possessed Azrael's incredible survivability.
It was absurd, the captain who had perished in Yhwach's ambush had now, through a sneak attack, slain a formidable opponent who was equal to, if not more powerful than, his original nemesis.
Fortunately, the old man's temperament didn't care whether his attacks were honorable duels or surprise strikes.
Watching the breath suddenly cease in the sky, the young man could no longer support himself and collapsed to the ground.
Don't ask why Shiraori didn't catch him, the little spider had been reduced to a mangled mess by the annihilating breath.
In other words, she was barely maintaining her existence thanks to her [Immortality] trait.
With his mental strength nearing exhaustion, Azrael was forced to deactivate [False Karakura Town].
The next moment, ordinary people and low-level Lore Cardians, their faces still etched with fear, suddenly appeared behind him.
What greeted them was a world resembling apocalyptic hell, and a massive red dragon slowly dissipating into particles of light.
"...?!"