Because the strategy focused on building strongholds and maintaining defensive positions, neither the Empire of Aetherlight nor Tsarist Russia bothered concealing changes to their border defenses.
Furthermore, news of the alliance between the two nations likely wouldn't remain hidden from the Demon Army for long.
Azrael and his team couldn't simply launch an assault on the Demon Army on a whim, they required thorough preparation. For instance, if successful, how would they handle the aftermath? And what contingency plans would activate in the event of failure?
But these logistical concerns didn't matter to Azrael. He remained solely focused on the fighting itself.
Of course, if necessary, he could always consult his cards for strategic advice.
Like Azrael, Petrovna was also an idler. Although her teacher greatly desired her to learn more, the girl clearly didn't have the heart for it.
Petrovna studied Azrael with undisguised curiosity. "Your name is Azrael, right?"
"Your teacher is Master Lucian?"
After the meeting that day, the Russian delegation had already learned Azrael's identity.
However, to their surprise, the young man's teacher wasn't Lord Lioren, but Lucian.
Azrael, unaware of Petrovna's intentions, simply nodded in response.
Petrovna tapped her cheek with her fair index finger, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Can you teach me how to be like you?"
A hint of distress crossed her face. "My mother and uncles always think I'm a child."
Azrael didn't pause. He glanced at Petrovna beside him, unsure whether the girl's expression was genuine or performed.
After a moment's deliberation, he said, "It's simple. All you need is sufficient strength."
"If you're a Master, then the elders won't look down on you."
Perhaps in the normal world, maturity was measured by many factors, but on Earth, sufficient strength was sufficient.
If someone possessed Master-level power, even if they appeared childish, others would simply perceive them as having achieved a state of sublime simplicity.
Of course, these two sentences were more Azrael's way of dismissing Petrovna. After all, the girl was only a Diamond-level Lore Cardian.
Petrovna clearly sensed his perfunctory approach.
She said, somewhat annoyed, "Lord Azrael, don't try to fool me."
"You're a Diamond-level Lore Cardian like me, yet Fang Qing and the others respect you."
Hearing this, Azrael glanced at the girl, speechless.
He could see she hadn't the slightest idea that her question might touch upon the secrets of a Lore Cardian.
Azrael now understood why Her Majesty Catherine had behaved that way during the meeting.
Just as he was about to offer another perfunctory remark to Petrovna, the vibration of his communication device suddenly caught his attention.
Azrael drew his device and saw several urgent messages flashing across the screen.
The Demon Army had taken action.
The location was far from Hami, and there were multiple attack points.
Azrael wasn't surprised by this development. After all, the Demon Army couldn't have remained ignorant of the recent military movements by both the Empire and Tsarist Russia. And once they'd learned the truth, they certainly wouldn't attack near Hami, where the Master-level Lore Cardians were concentrated.
He took a deep breath and immediately prepared to provide support.
Just then, Petrovna suddenly grabbed Azrael's left hand. "What happened, Azrael?"
"Did the Demon Army attack?"
Though her emotional intelligence was somewhat lacking, she remained very sensitive to such matters, having been exposed to them by her surroundings.
Unlike Azrael, the firefighter, Petrovna, as a princess, clearly hadn't received the news.
Furthermore, strictly speaking, what was happening in the Empire had little to do with her.
Seeing that she had guessed correctly, Azrael couldn't help but smile faintly. "Yes, they're just some Diamond-level demons. Your Highness should wait in the city."
Before he could finish, Petrovna interrupted, "Take me there, take me there!"
Having lived under Catherine's control since childhood, the girl had never experienced anything so interesting. It could be said that she was a slightly kinder version of Hanzu.
This rare opportunity presented itself, and she immediately prepared to follow Azrael.
Hearing this, Azrael's head sank, and he could only find an excuse to evade. "Your Highness, this..."
"Shouldn't I inform Her Majesty first?"
He had already planned to flee the moment Petrovna went to report to Tsarist Russia's Sovereign-level Lore Cardian.
In fact, if he wasn't afraid of damaging relations between the Empire and Tsarist Russia, he would have left immediately.
But Petrovna then smiled triumphantly. "My lord, my mother has asked me to stay with you for the time being."
"So, just take me with you."
Hearing this, Azrael was startled, but quickly realized that the Empress had probably anticipated something. Perhaps she also wanted to give Petrovna more real combat experience.
After all, no one wanted their successor to be raised as a high-scoring, low-ability piece of mediocrity.
Azrael could only sigh helplessly and grasp the girl's arm. "Your Highness, remember to follow my instructions from now on. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain to Her Majesty Catherine if anything goes wrong."
With that, he instructed Shiraori to lead them out of Hami.
Gaza Town.
The violent explosion shook the sturdy city walls, dislodging fragments of stone.
"How's it going? Has the message been sent?"
Jacob, standing atop the city wall with his eyes fixed on the vast Demon Army in the distance, asked an Emerald-level Lore Cardian beside him without turning around.
"It's been sent, but since the nearby military towns have also been attacked, we might have to hold out a while longer before reinforcements arrive."
Hearing his subordinate's reply, Jacob couldn't help but sigh heavily.
He was the only Diamond-level Lore Cardian left in Gaza Town. Commander Kageyami and Xin had received orders two days ago to take a group of Lore Cardians to station elsewhere.
Since the two of them weren't bringing their troops back to Gaza Town to provide support, it was obvious that they were also pinned down.
Fortunately, Gaza Town was still quite formidable, and Jacob felt confident he could hold the city even without reinforcements.
Just as he was thinking this, something strange happened.
Boom,
Accompanied by a violent explosion, some of the Lore Cardians on the city wall turned pale.
They discovered that the cards they had just deployed had entered cooldown.
At this moment, as the Lore Cardians watched, the mud in the distance surged towards Gaza Town like waves.
The sudden situation made Jacob's face darken. As the only Diamond-level Lore Cardian in Gaza Town, he could clearly sense the distant aura that made his hair stand on end.
"How could it be?!"
Jacob had fought against the Demon Army for so many years and had a general understanding of opponents at his level.
But he searched his memory, unable to find a Diamond-level demon that matched the aura emanating from the enemy position.
"Has a new Diamond-level demon been promoted?"
"How could it be this powerful just after being promoted?"
"Or..."
Before he could ponder further, a khaki figure burst from the muddy waves and slammed heavily into the wall of Gaza Town.
Boom!
The entire town trembled instantly.
Faced with this scene, Jacob frowned and tried to recall his cards.
Unfortunately, the Demon Army was no fool. After the khaki figure rushed to the wall, his several Diamond-level cards were immediately surrounded by demons.
Seeing this, Jacob took a deep breath and immediately wanted to order the Lore Cardians on the wall to summon the cards they needed to maintain their safety.
After all, the cards he had kept in reserve and had not yet deployed were originally prepared for precisely this situation.
At this moment, the Emerald-level Lore Cardian standing beside Jacob scratched his cheek in surprise and whispered, "Sir, do you feel the temperature rising?"
Jacob was startled at this, but then he noticed the temperature around Gaza Town was climbing steadily.
This was clearly not a natural phenomenon.
Just as Jacob was secretly worried, wondering if new demons had arrived on the battlefield, a crimson meteor streaked across everyone's sight and plummeted towards the Demon Army's position.
"?"
Seeing this, Jacob immediately understood that reinforcements had arrived and breathed a sigh of relief.
"But who is it?"
"Which of my colleagues possesses such a powerful fire card?"
Feeling the surging heat, he couldn't help but feel a hint of curiosity.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"Senior Brother, long time no see."
Jacob turned to see his junior brother looking at him with a gentle smile.
He was stunned at first, but quickly reacted. "Junior Brother?"
"Is that your card?"
Seeing Azrael nod, Jacob's expression suddenly turned strange.
But now was not the time to dwell on such matters. He gathered his thoughts and immediately informed Azrael of the situation.
Finally, he glanced at the young man with some concern. "Junior Brother, if it's just the two of you this time, I'm afraid it will be a bit difficult."
Because Azrael and Lucian hadn't previously detailed the recent events in Velkairos in "A Loving Family," Jacob was unaware that his youngest junior brother had successfully defeated a Master-level Lore Cardian while at the Diamond level.
Azrael and his team needed to provide support not only to Gaza Town but also to many surrounding military towns, so Jacob's concern was understandable.
At this moment, Azrael didn't directly address Jacob's concerns. Instead, he introduced the girl beside him, "Senior Brother, this is Her Highness Petrovna of Tsarist Russia. Her teacher is..."
"Her Majesty Catherine."
"Your Highness, this is my senior brother, Jacob."
Intelligent people often didn't need much communication.
Jacob instantly grasped Azrael's implicit meaning.
He knew, of course, that the Russian Empress had recently ascended to the Sovereign level, so the Princess couldn't afford to let anything go wrong while in the Empire of Aetherlight.
"Then, Junior Brother, you..."
Jacob glanced at Petrovna and stopped talking.
Petrovna, noticing his gaze, patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, Jacob. I'll help too."
But Azrael didn't dare let her risk her life.
More importantly, the battle was over after Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto entered the Demon Army's position.
"Bankai: Zanka no Tachi, South: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin."
An old voice echoed across the battlefield, and the next moment, countless skeletons crawled out of the mud.
The Quincies, Hollows, and demons who had previously perished at the hands of Yamamoto's blade had all reappeared in this world.
Even though Chris's great red dragon had nearly annihilated these skeletons with a single breath in the secret realm of Velkairos, Yamamoto remained undaunted.
He couldn't defeat Chris, but he couldn't defeat you?!
Azrael knew there were no Master-level combatants among the distant Demon Army.
Furthermore, Chris had also fallen to Yamamoto.
As a small, terrifying skeleton appeared on the battlefield, everyone froze.
"A Master?!"
"How is this possible?!"
Cries of panic echoed through the Demon Army ranks. They had never expected a Master-level summon to appear.
Meanwhile, the Lore Cardians in Gaza Town were stunned, including Jacob and Petrovna.
Jacob glanced at the demons being chased and slaughtered in the distance, opening his mouth, unsure what to say.
He had never expected his junior brother, a Diamond-level Lore Cardian, to resort to such overwhelming tactics. It was no wonder he had come alone to Gaza Town for support.
In Jacob's eyes, Petrovna was essentially a burden.
Petrovna, on the other hand, looked at Azrael in surprise. "Azrael, so what Fang Qing said before was true!"
"You really are worthy of being considered a Master!"
Upon hearing this, Azrael simply shook his head.
Family matters were complicated. Even though Yamamoto had successfully summoned Chris's spirit, he couldn't actually summon the accompanying cards, Lucifer and Samael, that Chris had used in the secret realm.
Therefore, Chris was effectively just a bluff, his true combat effectiveness essentially zero.
While the spirits summoned by Yamamoto would have been significantly weakened regardless, if Chris weren't a Lore Cardian, he wouldn't be completely powerless.
But you're just saying, is he a Master?
In addition, there were no Master-level combatants in the distant Demon Army at the moment, so Azrael could do whatever he wanted.
Of course, Azrael could not explain this secret information to Petrovna, so he acquiesced to the girl's statement.
Scattering a slew of cards to harvest the distant demons, Azrael cast his gaze towards the khaki figure beneath the city walls.
At that moment, the figure fiercely bombarded the walls of Gaza Town, oblivious to the slaughter raging among the Demon Army behind them.
"This is..."
His mental power swept over the khaki figure, and Azrael couldn't help but frown slightly. He felt a sense of familiarity with the entity's aura.
"A demonized Lore Cardian?"