Many days had passed since the tragedy in Velkairos.
Perhaps because of the pain inflicted by Lord Lioren, neither the two Master-level secret realms along the coast nor the Lore Cardian group headed by Jin in City Within City had made any movement.
Of course, another possibility was that they were all waiting for an opportunity to strike another blow against the Empire.
At least, Azrael was more inclined to the latter.
Why?
Naturally, because...
"Azrael, the latest news from Europa is that most of the members of the Fallen Cult have been captured by Jin."
At this moment, Lucian gazed at the still-destroyed Velkairos coast with a somewhat grim expression.
Since Velkairos wasn't planning to rebuild in the short term, the association naturally hadn't sent civil engineering Lore Cardians to clean up the mess.
Currently, they had only constructed simple defensive fortifications on the ruins.
However, these fortifications would be of little use in a potential battle between Master-level beings. They were more for early warning, giving the cities behind them more time to respond.
Azrael wasn't overly surprised by what his teacher said.
He simply said, somewhat helplessly, "Chris is dead. It's his own fault."
Even if Jin hadn't recruited the Fallen Cult, there was no chance of repairing their relationship with the Empire of Aetherlight.
Azrael had certainly been searching for intelligence on the Fallen Cult during this period, but he could only say that they were the polar opposite of other evil forces, constantly engaged in scheming and intrigue.
Their harmonious atmosphere didn't resemble a terrorist organization at all.
However, without the leadership of a Master-level Lore Cardian, the Fallen Cult posed little threat to the Empire.
But there was no other way around it. Jin's abilities were simply too well-suited to exploiting others like slaves.
Lucian sighed silently and didn't pursue the topic further.
The old man turned to look at his disciple, who had matured considerably since their first meeting. After a moment's deliberation, he said softly, "Azrael, Lioren and I have agreed that you won't have a permanent position for a while. You'll go wherever the Empire needs support."
With Velkairos now gone, Azrael's position as Vice President of the Velkairos Cardian Master Association was essentially a dead letter.
He had no objection to being a firefighter. After all, with his current strength, as long as a Sovereign-level being didn't appear, there was basically no possibility of defeat.
As long as he wasn't dead, he wasn't defeated.
"I understand."
Seeing Azrael agree, Lucian couldn't help but pat his arm.
The old man wanted to pat his shoulder, but with his hunched body, he couldn't reach it.
"I'll have to work you hard from now on, Azrael."
Hearing this, Azrael shook his head slightly, indicating to his teacher not to take it to heart.
Now that he had received so many resources from the Empire, it was only right for him to do more, not to mention that he now had his own ties to this land.
Standing there in silence for a moment, looking at the two Master-level secret realms in the distance, Lucian turned around and took Azrael back to the fortifications.
As they walked, he said, "Then, Azrael, prepare for the next two days, then go to the Northern Defense Army to find Master Tempest and Master Fujimaru."
"We can't delay the Demon Army issue any longer."
During previous incidents in Velkairos, the Demon Army had closely coordinated with Jin's actions, clearly aligning the forces of one man and one demon.
Azrael wasn't surprised that the Empire was preparing to take action against them.
"Is Lord Lioren going to take action?"
Azrael's question was understandable. The Demon Army was a thorn in their side. If the Empire could eliminate it, they would have done so long ago. Why wait until today?
It was simply because they couldn't do anything about them.
Now that they were about to unleash a thunderbolt attack, there must be some uncertainty.
Azrael felt that his current strength was adequate for stirring up trouble, but expecting to annihilate the Demon Army was unrealistic.
However, Lucian, upon hearing his words, shook his head slightly. "No, it's Tsarist Russia. Their empress has reached the Sovereign level."
"So they want to reclaim the land they lost."
Hearing this, Azrael was taken aback. He had never expected Tsarist Russia to be the culprit.
But he soon figured it out. After all, the Empire wasn't the only nation facing the threat of the Demon Army.
Apparently, the Slavs, forced to abandon their territories, also harbored a deep hatred for these demons.
But Azrael immediately harbored a new suspicion. "Since the Tsar has reached the Sovereign level, why can't they just do it themselves?"
"Why drag us into this?"
"Or are they looking to share the risk?"
If Azrael remembered correctly, the Demon Army didn't have Sovereign-level members. Therefore, Tsarist Russia, with its Sovereign-level Lore Cardian, would clearly be able to crush them.
There was no need to let the Empire take a share.
Upon hearing this, a slightly quizzical look crossed Lucian's face.
He summarized the information he had gathered and then said, "On the one hand, there's indeed the reason you mentioned, Azrael."
"On the other hand,"
"Although the Tsar has reached the Sovereign level, she lacks the appropriate materials to craft cards, so her combat effectiveness..."
At this, the old man gave Azrael a look that said, "You know what I mean."
Azrael suddenly realized, then curled his lips. "Why are they so kind?"
Undoubtedly, the Tsar, without a matching set of cards, could only be treated as a large Master.
She wasn't quite up to the task of challenging veteran Sovereign-level beings like Lord Lioren and Edley.
As if sensing Azrael's inner thoughts, Lucian casually offered some solace for the Tsar. "Their system cap is only Master, so there's nothing they can do."
"I imagine she's probably also struggling with what Sovereign-level cards to create."
Having fought Hanzu before, Azrael knew that the upper limit for Slavic Mythology was roughly Master. After all, cards like [Black God] and [White God] were only Diamond.
Furthermore, not everyone could freely switch systems like Azrael. Most Lore Cardians spent their entire lives struggling within a single system.
Not knowing what Azrael was thinking, Lucian ended the topic of the day. "Alright, enough talking. Azrael, go back and prepare first."
"Then we'll go to Hami to find Master Tempest and the others."
Hearing this, Azrael nodded slightly. "Okay."
After saying this, he turned and left the fortifications.
The joint combat meeting against the Demon Army was held in Hami of the Empire of Aetherlight.
This was also for the Russian Empire to show its sincerity, after all, it was they who first proposed it.
"Your Majesty, my men said that the Empire's people have arrived."
In a luxurious study, a man in red court clothes was quietly reporting to the graceful woman in front of him.
At this time, Catherine III, who was resting with her eyes closed, opened her eyes slightly. "I understand. Then let them know that the meeting will be held tomorrow."
"Yes," the man murmured, then hesitated. "Your Majesty, it seems to me that the Empire doesn't want to cooperate with us."
"After all, according to my people, they're just sending a Diamond-level Lore Cardian."
Hearing this, Catherine sneered disdainfully, then lazily rested her right hand on the armrest of her chair. "Do you really think they're waiting for that Diamond-level Lore Cardian?"
"It's just a cover-up."
"Such a big thing happened in Velkairos. They have to clean up the mess there first."
Hearing this, the man was stunned for a moment, then flattered, "I see. You are worthy of Your Majesty."
Seeing this, Catherine didn't bother to point out the minister's subtle thoughts. She didn't think this well-mannered minister would fail to see such a simple thing.
Everything was just to please her.
Thinking of this, she yawned somewhat boredly. "I'm tired. You go down first."
"By the way, remember to have Petrovna prepared. Don't bring shame to the Empire tomorrow."
The man bowed slightly and replied, "Yes, I'll inform Her Highness to make preparations."
With that, he quietly left the study, leaving Catherine alone to gaze at the falling snow outside the window.
After a long moment, she frowned wearily. "Lord Lioren, Edley."
"Sovereign-level!"
Catherine paused, then sighed heavily. It could only be said that building a Sovereign-level deck was far more difficult than she had imagined.
The next day.
At the conference center at the Hami Guardian Cardian Master Association headquarters, Azrael sat at the conference table with Master Tempest and Master Fujimaru.
"Master Tempest, Master Fujimaru."
"Have you two ever dealt with the Tsar?"
Azrael asked the two Master-level Lore Cardians beside him softly before the Tsarist troops arrived.
Hearing Azrael's question, Master Tempest nodded slightly. "I've had some dealings with her before, and that Tsar wasn't the easiest person to deal with."
"Otherwise, a mere woman wouldn't have been able to control such a vast empire."
He didn't mean to discriminate against women. It was simply that Catherine III's experience was a bit too legendary.
As far as Master Tempest knew, Catherine wasn't a Lore Cardian until her twenties.
The reason for this was naturally related to the Tsar's political system. As the saying goes, there can't be two suns under the sky, and there can't be two rulers under the same roof. The original Tsarist emperor was Catherine's husband, Peter V, a Master-level Lore Cardian, so Catherine wasn't allowed to become one.
Logically, Peter V should have outlived Catherine, but as fate would have it, he died prematurely.
If things had unfolded normally, the throne would have been chosen from a branch of the Tsarist royal family, holding the highest rank of Lore Cardian.
But the strange thing was that it was Catherine who ultimately inherited the throne.
Remember, she was still a commoner at the time.
Consequently, rumors had long circulated that the entire Russian upper class was a slave to the Empress.
However, Master Tempest, having dealt with her before, knew these rumors were mere speculation.
The subsequent developments were somewhat bizarre, as no one could have imagined Catherine was a genius Lore Cardian. She rose from ordinary to Master in just over a decade.
As the Empress grew in power, fewer and fewer dared to defy her, until she ultimately became her own unstoppable force.
After hearing about Catherine's glorious deeds, Azrael opened his mouth, at a loss for words.
His only thought was that those poorly-written "strong female lead" dramas of the past should learn from her, instead of resorting to arranged marriages between princes and legitimizing their enemies.
Catherine II in history was already quite remarkable, at least far superior to certain rulers who left blank monuments.
Just as Azrael and the other two were conversing, the conference room door was pushed open, and three elegantly dressed individuals entered.
Seeing this, Azrael and the other two immediately stood up.
Master Tempest, the only Empire official present who had experience with Tsarist Russia, greeted the woman in the lead. "Your Majesty Catherine, long time no see."
He then introduced her to Azrael and Master Fujimaru.
"Azrael, Ji, this is Her Majesty Catherine."
Azrael greeted calmly, then began to examine Tsarist Russia's newly promoted Sovereign-level Lore Cardian.
Catherine noticed how out of place Azrael was with Tempest and Ji, the two Master-level Lore Cardians.
She couldn't help but frown, wondering what the Empire meant by this. Why send a Diamond-level person to sit in on the meeting?
The fact that he was sitting at the conference table wasn't the key point. The key point was that Azrael was sitting at the table, acting as if he were on equal footing with the two Masters beside him.
Of course, Catherine wasn't so foolish as to mock the young man across from her. There was no grudge between them. At most, she felt the Empire was being unruly.
Putting aside the truth, what if the young man was connected to the Empire's renowned Lore Cardian?
Her Majesty wasn't about to offend anyone for no reason.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the three Tsarist Russians sat down.
Azrael was puzzled by what he saw, the young woman across from him didn't sit at the conference table. Instead, she found a chair and quietly sat behind Catherine.
Not only did he find this strange, but Master Tempest and Master Fujimaru were also puzzled.
As if sensing the Empire's confusion, Catherine said, "Petrovna is my disciple. I'm just bringing her here to see the world today. She won't be participating in today's meeting."
She paused, then turned her gaze to Azrael. "I have no intention of targeting you, Excellency. Please don't misunderstand me."
Azrael couldn't help but curl his lips at this.
He could sense that the girl, like him, was a Diamond-level Lore Cardian, and he could also sense that the Empress was telling the truth.
After hearing Catherine's words, Master Tempest instantly understood the reason behind it. He burst out laughing and said, "Your Majesty, you've misunderstood. Azrael is the backbone of our Empire."
"Hmm..."
"You can consider him a slightly weaker Master-level Lore Cardian."
Hearing this, the three Tsarist Russians were stunned, then looked at Azrael with a hint of surprise.
Catherine and the other Master-level Lore Cardian were relatively calm, managing to control their emotions and expressions.
However, Petrovna was clearly not as shrewd as her two elders, and her curiosity was almost palpable.
With her sapphire-like eyes, she sized Azrael up and down, clearly observing the differences between herself and a fellow Diamond-level Lore Cardian.
...
Historical/Cultural Notes:
The chapter references Catherine the Great (Catherine II, 1729-1796), who overthrew her husband, Peter III, in 1762 to become Empress of Russia. Catherine was originally a German princess (Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst) who wasn't allowed to pursue education as a Lore Cardian until her husband's death
The "monument without an inscription" likely refers to Wu Zetian's blank stele (無字碑), the only female emperor in Chinese history