Watching the Four Evil Gods successfully contained within the secret realm, Lucian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
In the current geopolitical climate, whether a nation possessed a Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian determined its survival. If Azrael hadn't arrived today, the Empire of Aetherlight would have been doomed.
No, without Azrael, the Empire would have perished long ago.
"Azrael..." Lucian gazed at the distant entrance to the secret realm over the sea, worry rising in his heart. Old age naturally led to sentimentality, and he was no exception.
Elsewhere, Azrael's expression remained impassive as he silently assessed the Four Evil Gods.
'Is he as powerful as Shiraori?'
'No, he's not that simple. He definitely has tricks up his sleeve.'
'And perhaps the [World-Devouring Disaster] could use his body to descend.'
At this thought, Azrael's vigilance intensified. After all, what happened in Great Britain had sounded the alarm. A single exceptional Master-level demon had been enough to unleash the [World-Devouring Calamity] and transform all of Great Britain into a secret realm.
If the catastrophe were to descend through the Four Evil Gods, Azrael doubted he could stop it.
The possibility seemed high. After all, the Four Evil Gods, like the seven-colored dragon, had devoured world consciousness, though their methods differed.
'I can only take it one step at a time.'
Upon receiving confirmation that Shiraori had driven the Four Evil Gods from the secret realm entrance, Azrael took a deep breath of sea air, attempting to calm himself with the salty taste.
Then he summoned most of his cards.
Within the secret realm, the giant Four Evil Gods engaged the tinier Shiraori in battle at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye. The terrifying aftermath prevented even his demonic forces from offering support.
Suddenly, several terrifying figures entered the battlefield, attacking the Four Evil Gods in unison.
"Who!?" The demons under the Four Evil Gods tensed, already sensing the incoming hostility.
Watching the earth suddenly tear apart by an unknown force, the demons couldn't help but swallow nervously.
The Four Evil Gods currently lacked Master-level minions. After all, those Master-level demons like the Flesh King had been decimated when Jin attempted to descend. Therefore, he maintained a more lenient relationship with his remaining minions, the strongest of which were only Diamond-level.
Upon seeing the sudden appearance of figures attacking his minions, the Four Evil Gods forced Shiraori back and turned to block the assault. However, a strange expression crossed his face as he sensed the power within.
He looked at a man with cross-shaped pupils beside Shiraori. "So it's you."
This person was, of course, the Soul King.
The Four Evil Gods couldn't fail to recognize the being who had driven them from Earth.
More importantly, he was curious about the Soul King's current power.
Seeing the Four Evil Gods greet him, the Soul King remained silent. He had nothing to say to his enemies.
The Four Evil Gods paid no attention to his attitude, instead asking curiously, "Where's your master?"
Azrael hadn't entered the secret realm. As a Lore Cardian, he certainly wouldn't venture into such a dangerous place, especially not one as perilous as the Four Evil Gods' domain.
Furthermore, Azrael strongly suspected they possessed special attacks against other worlds; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to devour entire worlds.
The Four Evil Gods' only response came from Shiraori's suddenly opened eyes.
Petrification, corrosion, paralysis, a vast array of negative effects instantly afflicted the Four Evil Gods' bodies.
Feeling the sudden weight upon their bodies, the Four Evil Gods said calmly, "What a troublesome ability."
Despite the words, their expressions remained unchanged.
Then, as Azrael and his cards watched, the Four Evil Gods' joined bodies suddenly separated, transforming into four distinct giants.
"It's been ages since I've used this ability." Their voices overlapped, creating a reverberating sound.
It was then that Azrael, outside the secret realm, understood why they were called the Four Evil Gods.
'So that's why they're plural,' he thought.
Despite his realization, Azrael remained vigilant. Based on the Four Evil Gods' experiences, he could easily deduce that the abilities of these four titans were undoubtedly connected to the worlds they had devoured.
'Wait!'
'Connected to the worlds they devoured?'
A flash of inspiration struck Azrael's mind, but upon closer examination, the thought slipped away before he could grasp it.
'Tsk.'
Unrequited understanding was undoubtedly frustrating, but he could only temporarily suppress his irritation as the battle resumed in the secret realm.
After seeing the Four Evil Gods split into four forms, Naruto and Sasuke immediately ruled out using [Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei]. From their perspective, while their opponent's aura had declined significantly, they hadn't fallen below their current state. Using Chibaku Tensei at this point would likely fail to contain them.
Furthermore, they were unsure of the technique's effectiveness against demons.
Without hesitation, the duo activated their strongest states. Naruto even had Kurama envelop Tornado within his chakra cloak. With Kurama's protection, Tornado could abandon defense and unleash her full psychic power.
The battle resumed, and the first to strike was a giant radiating a sharp aura. As everyone watched, a dense mass of small light swords formed into a massive, piercing magic blade, which then tore through the sky and slashed fiercely toward Shiraori's position.
As soon as the giant attacked, Azrael recognized it as the world consciousness of the Sword Lake secret realm, the one he had entered upon his arrival in this world.
No, now it was the Four Evil Gods.
'Sure enough, the power he unleashes is related to the world he devours.'
'But speaking of which, can he drop four different materials?'
'If he could, I'd consider myself incredibly lucky.'
If that proved impossible, he could supplement with universal materials. But it was premature to contemplate such matters now. The clash between Sovereign-tier warriors was destined to be anything but swift. The two sides would likely engage in a protracted struggle.
Azrael was, after all, a remnant of world consciousness, and the Four Evil Gods were terrifying demons that had devoured at least three worlds. They were unlike any other opponents he had faced.
Facing the annihilation sword that parted the clouds and descended from the sky, the Soul King raised his hand slightly. Immediately, a vast expanse of pale blue spiritual pressure surged from the ground to meet it.
With a piercing hum, the massive magic sword continuously drained the Soul King's spiritual power while its own energy remained undiminished.
As a being summoned by three Diamond-level venue cards, the Soul King ultimately struggled against Sovereign-tier powerhouses.
Fortunately, he wasn't alone.
Naruto and Sasuke roared, and immediately, massive shurikens and lightning bolts were flung into the sky like projectiles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Continuous explosions echoed through the heavens.
Under the siege of Azrael's three cards, the massive magic sword showed signs of disintegration.
The Four Evil Gods obviously couldn't just stand by and watch their attacks be thwarted, reality wasn't a turn-based game.
Unfortunately, before they could move, Shiraori swung her pale scythe at them.
With a subtle humming sound, the earth split in two.
Seeing this, one of the giants stepped forward, taking Shiraori's blow head-on. He ignored the bloody streak that split his body and delivered a powerful punch.
Whoosh!
Before the punch even reached her, the wind pressure arrived first. The force from the mere blow reduced everything before the giant to dust.
Under the terrifying power, Shiraori instantly flew backward, but quickly regained her balance with Tornado's psychic assistance.
However, before she could retaliate, the remaining two giants launched their own attacks. A massive suction force pulled everything around toward the Four Evil Gods, even Azrael's cards were not spared.
Seeing this, Shiraori remained expressionless. An immense magic circle instantly appeared beneath her feet, enveloping all the cards.
The next moment, Azrael's cards vanished from their positions.
Shiraori had used dimensional magic to flee with her allies.
'Can't defeat them? Then just retreat.'
And Shiraori excelled at guerrilla warfare.
Outside the secret realm, Azrael frowned slightly. The Four Evil Gods' strength had somewhat exceeded his expectations. Fortunately, with Shiraori's mastery of dimensional magic, she would have no problem engaging them in guerrilla warfare within the secret realm.
"No wonder it took Lord Lioren so long to suppress the secret realm."
"As expected, no one who reaches Sovereign-tier is ordinary."
Azrael sighed softly and quickly returned to Velkairos.
Elsewhere, Lucian stood at the newly constructed defense line, gazing anxiously at the entrance to the secret realm in the distance.
Fujimaru had also arrived in Velkairos. She stared at the silent spatial rift in the distance, frowning as she asked Lucian, "What's the situation?"
"Azrael should have initially contained the Four Evil Gods within the secret realm," Lucian explained.
"That's good." Fujimaru's expression relaxed. As long as the Sovereign-tier demons within the secret realm couldn't escape, it was acceptable to the Empire of Aetherlight.
After a brief exchange of information, silence descended.
Just as the two Master-tier Lore Cardians were feeling uneasy, a voice suddenly rang out beside them.
"Teacher, Master Fujimaru."
It was Azrael.
Seeing him return to Velkairos, they were initially startled, but then joy flickered across their faces. After all, Azrael's presence meant the secret realm wasn't in immediate trouble.
But before their joy could last, Azrael poured cold water on them. "The Four Evil Gods' strength has somewhat exceeded my expectations. Right now, my cards can only hold them back in the secret realm. It'll probably take a considerable amount of time to defeat them."
This wasn't Shiraori's fault, it was simply that Azrael had been playing high-stakes games since reaching Sovereign-tier.
Upon hearing Azrael's words, Lucian and Fujimaru exchanged glances, then opened their mouths, unsure what to say. They knew they couldn't help Azrael with their strength, but allowing the situation to escalate wasn't an option either.
After a moment's silence, Fujimaru tentatively asked, "Should we ask Her Majesty Catherine for help?"
She suggested this because Catherine had offered assistance during Azrael's earlier standoff with Edley.
If paying a price could secure the services of Catherine, a fellow Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian, it would surely be worthwhile.
Upon hearing this, Lucian also looked at Azrael, awaiting his decision.
Unexpectedly, Azrael shook his head slightly, dismissing the proposal. "She won't come."
Earlier, when Azrael faced Edley and the others alone, Catherine had offered her assistance because she anticipated that the battle would stall after she and Louis XXIV arrived. Furthermore, even if a fight did break out, she wouldn't have to go all out, she could withdraw at any time. Edley and Motian would certainly not pursue her recklessly.
But facing the Four Evil Gods was different. After all, they viewed all Earth's inhabitants as enemies equally.
Furthermore, given Earth's current situation, the Empress wouldn't act rashly. Who knew when Tsarist Russia would face a Sovereign-tier secret realm of their own?
"So what should we do?" Lucian asked subconsciously after listening to Azrael's analysis.
Azrael naturally had a solution.
He sighed deeply, then said solemnly, "I'll create new Sovereign-tier cards, but it might consume an exorbitant amount of Diamond-level materials."
"?"
Hearing this, Lucian and Fujimaru were stunned. Neither of them could fathom the connection between crafting Sovereign-tier cards and Diamond-level materials.
Azrael intended to use Diamond-level materials to convert them into Sovereign-tier cards. However, the amount of materials consumed would undoubtedly be astronomical, and he wasn't sure if the Empire had enough in its inventory.
Therefore, before proceeding, Azrael needed to calculate how many Diamond-level materials met the requirements.
Fortunately, if the Empire were truly short, it could exchange materials with Tsarist Russia. Great Britain's resources were also readily available to Azrael. If that proved problematic, France should also be a viable trading partner.
With this in mind, he immediately told Lucian his request.
Lucian and Fujimaru realized that Azrael's request was likely related to his secret abilities. Without hesitation, they vanished from their positions to help Azrael calculate the materials.
Azrael gazed calmly at the distant entrance to the secret realm.
The materials were quickly tallied.
Including the materials from Great Britain and Tsarist Russia, the Diamond-grade materials primarily focused on "Power" and "Limit Breaking."
This didn't surprise Azrael. After all, the "Light" and "Sword" required for [Blade King Sword Ten Holy Blades] and the "God" required for [Abandoned Heavenly Emperor] were always major necessities for Lore Cardians.
Looking at the list displayed on the instrument in his hand, Azrael breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good. I've already made two cards for One Punch Man, and I can still gather some bonds."