Azrael had initially believed Edley would choose to yield. He hadn't expected such stubbornness.
In that case, there was nothing more to discuss.
At that moment, a suffocating spatial fluctuation suddenly drew both combatants' attention.
Turning, Azrael saw the secret realm entrance on the sea surface flickering erratically. Yet according to Shiraori's transmitted information, the Four Evil Gods within the realm hadn't moved.
"What's happening?"
A slight frown creased Azrael's brow. Something was clearly wrong.
However, the secret realm's disturbance didn't distract him for long. After all, regardless of what occurred next, he and Edley were destined to clash.
As the massive ring-shaped mechanical creation in the sky began flashing with bursts of pale blue light, the sea suddenly surged violently.
But Edley's [Supreme Mecha God] ability wasn't controlling the seawater,
Buzz, !
Gravity suddenly intensified exponentially, crushing countless fish and shrimp in the ocean into pulp. Everyone present save Azrael began bleeding uncontrollably from every orifice.
The next moment, a yellow figure defied the terrifying gravitational pressure and shot skyward.
Bang!
The giant circular mechanical structure was instantly knocked sideways, and gravity returned to normal levels.
Witnessing this, Edley's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Even though he'd been mentally prepared after watching the opponent instantaneously destroy Brahma, facing Saitama in person finally drove home the depths of this bald man's power.
This was the first time Edley had encountered a card capable of completely ignoring the Supreme Mecha God's pressure.
He was grateful he'd chosen to act now rather than retreat. Otherwise, by the time Azrael dealt with the demons in the secret realm, he might stand no chance at all.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
After watching Saitama temporarily neutralize the Supreme Mecha God's gravity, Azrael addressed Lucian and the others nearby. "Teacher, you all should leave. I'll handle this."
Despite their resentment, Lucian and the other two knew following Azrael's instructions was the most rational choice.
"Then, Azrael, be careful."
With those words, the three vanished from the scene.
Edley wanted to intervene, but couldn't, the Supreme Mecha God was being brutally pummeled by Saitama.
As a veteran Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian, Edley was undoubtedly skilled. His previous defeat by Earthshattering Star had resulted entirely from overconfidence.
Thick black fog instantly enveloped the entire sea as Edley phased into the Supreme Mecha God.
Under his control, the ring-shaped mechanical creation gradually stabilized.
"Azrael..."
"You are truly despairingly powerful. I regret becoming your enemy."
A voice mingled with electronic distortion echoed across heaven and earth.
Hearing this, Azrael looked up at the Supreme Mecha God and sneered coldly. "You're not afraid, you just know you're going to die."
"..."
Edley fell silent. Azrael had seen straight through him.
Then, with a hint of irritation, he said, "Azrael, you're being far too arrogant."
Not wanting to waste time, Azrael gestured for Saitama to continue.
However, at that moment, a strange spatial fluctuation swept across the entire area.
As Azrael watched, the secret realm entrance on the sea surface suddenly split into four.
He frowned, then understood what had happened. Since the Four Evil Gods could separate the world consciousness spliced into their bodies, they could naturally also separate the spliced secret realms.
Sure enough, with a twist in the air, four massive secret realm entrances appeared above the ocean.
The next moment, the Four Evil Gods emerged from one entrance, though Azrael's perception detected their aura had weakened considerably.
"Finally free."
The Four Evil Gods took a greedy breath, then looked toward Azrael in the distance.
He froze momentarily, then an excited smile spread across his face. "I never thought someone like you existed in this world."
"No wonder."
He licked his lips hungrily.
Clearly, he'd seen through Azrael's true nature, and Azrael naturally realized it too.
The next moment, a giant half the size of a mountain materialized before the young man.
But even faster than the giant was a red-gloved fist.
Boom!
The sea instantly split in two, and the Four Evil Gods transformed into a cloud of flesh and blood, flying in all directions.
Such a terrifying display brought momentary silence to the battlefield.
Standing within the [Supreme Mecha God], Edley's throat involuntarily contracted.
"Monster!"
The Indo-American Federation's Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian could clearly sense that the yellow figure's strength had increased significantly compared to before.
Without further consideration, he immediately attacked Azrael.
Simultaneously, the Four Evil Gods, transformed into a flesh-and-blood cloud, gathered together again, bloodshot eyes gazing at Saitama in disbelief.
He finally understood the source of the threat he'd felt earlier within the secret realm.
But the next moment, greed filled those eyes.
"As expected."
"If I can devour you, I'll definitely be able to advance further."
Though their greed was nearly uncontrollable, the Four Evil Gods hesitated to advance, still stinging from Saitama's previous punch.
It was then that heavy pressure descended from the sky, expertly forcing them away from Azrael.
Looking up, the Four Evil Gods saw a being of their own rank attacking the young man opposite them. Their expression twisted grotesquely.
"So that person wasn't helping you?"
"Really..."
"That's hilarious."
Unable to suppress his laughter, he cackled wildly.
The Four Evil Gods had never expected the outsiders to engage in internal strife, but this was actually advantageous for them.
Surrounded by two enemies, Azrael remained calm. Shiraori dodged and stepped in front of him.
Just because Shiraori couldn't kill the Four Evil Gods didn't mean she couldn't hold them back.
A massive magic circle materialized beneath their feet, and Shiraori and the Four Evil Gods vanished. Only Azrael knew they'd traveled into space.
Having temporarily resolved the Four Evil Gods' threat, Azrael breathed slightly easier and raised his head with a cold expression.
"Edley."
"You've also fallen to the level of associating with demons."
He'd naturally noticed the other party's attack deliberately avoiding the demon.
Hearing Azrael's words, Edley remained calm, showing no shame for his actions. "I'll deal with that demon after I've dealt with you."
Azrael curled his lips in disdain.
With the Four Evil Gods' strength, no one on Earth could stop them. Where Edley found such confidence remained unclear.
"Forget it."
"If you want to die, I'll grant your wish."
The next moment, Saitama soared skyward again.
Boom!
With a dull impact, a huge gash tore through the Supreme Mecha God, and glowing blue mechanical parts fell into the sea like rain.
Witnessing this, Edley's heart nearly stopped.
"It's stronger than before."
The thought flashed through his mind.
Before he could process it further, the Supreme Mecha God was split in two by the terrifying wind pressure from Saitama's fist alone.
Azrael wasn't surprised by Saitama's strength. After all, if he couldn't kill opponents instantly, wouldn't his card have been wasted?
Unfortunately, Saitama wouldn't be useful against the World-Devouring Disaster.
Regardless, the current crisis was half resolved. All that remained was dealing with the Four Evil Gods.
That said, if nothing unexpected happened,
The Four Evil Gods' special nature left Azrael with deep unease.
At that moment, Edley plummeted from the sky, landing in the sea not far from Azrael.
A moment later, he emerged from the water, face dazed as he stared at the sky.
Edley had never expected his prized card wouldn't last more than three hits.
"Hehehe."
He began to wonder when things had become irreversible.
Perhaps it was from his sneak attack on Azrael, or perhaps even before.
But at this point, it no longer mattered to him.
Swish,
The next moment, a flash of blade light passed, and Edley was dead.
The dignified White Crown met his end in such an anticlimactic fashion.
"Only the Four Evil Gods remain."
Azrael thought silently, mentally adding the Sovereign-level demon in Mughal territory to the list.
After all, with Motian's death, no one in Mughal territory could resist him, which, rounded up, also counted as part of the Empire of Aetherlight.
Azrael's change of heart stemmed from his realization that the other Lore Cardians on Earth were completely unreliable. How could he save Earth with these insane creatures?
And having tasted the effectiveness of Saitama, Azrael only wanted to quickly scavenge materials and continue crafting cards. At worst, he could single-handedly suppress all of Earth's secret realms.
In space,
The Four Evil Gods glared at the white figure in the distance. He'd never encountered such an annoying opponent. She didn't engage directly, but simply dodged and harassed.
The problem was, if he tried to escape, he would be pulled back.
This was also why he was willing to pay a high price to separate the worlds he had devoured. After all, if he didn't, who knew when he would be able to enter this blue planet.
"Ah."
The Four Evil Gods sighed. If possible, he truly didn't want to do this.
Then, as Shiraori watched, he split into four, transforming into four giants again.
Seeing this, Shiraori frowned slightly, unsure of what the Four Evil Gods were planning.
But what happened next made her face darken instantly.
In Shiraori's sight, three of the four giants split from the Four Evil Gods showed pained expressions, and then a black-and-red aura emerged from them.
Shiraori knew what this scene meant.
[World-Devouring Disaster].
Without hesitation, she swung her scythe at the Four Evil Gods.
Then, a moment later, one of the giants raised his palm and gently grasped the scythe that had reached him.
"This day."
The three giants spoke simultaneously, their voices overlapping eerily.
"We're finally here."
With those words, they instantly merged, transforming into a faceless, black-red figure.
Shiraori's pupils contracted at the sight before her.
She immediately tried to withdraw, but was instantly knocked back.
"Huh?"
[World-Devouring Disaster] tilted his head in confusion, wondering why the white-haired girl hadn't died.
Logically, an ordinary Sovereign-level cultivator shouldn't have been able to withstand his blow.
But never mind, it wasn't important.
He ignored Shiraori, and an endless black-red aura suddenly spread from him in all directions.
Meanwhile, Azrael on Earth had received Shiraori's message, his worst fears had finally come true.
Azrael watched helplessly as the black-red aura from outer space obscured the sunlight.
Meanwhile, people around the world noticed something strange happening.
The sun was obscured by darkness, and a chilling feeling penetrated their very bones.
"What's happening?"
"Oh my god."
"The end of the world is coming! The end of the world is coming!"
Faced with this sudden and bizarre phenomenon, ordinary people demonstrated the true meaning of panic.
Compared to them, the Lore Cardians undoubtedly knew more, especially the several Sovereign-tier Lore Cardians.
Catherine gazed at the strange phenomenon in the sky with an extremely gloomy expression.
"Activate the final plan."
With these words, she vanished from the spot.
Meanwhile, Louis XXIV looked utterly stunned.
"So fast?!"
He quickly realized something had happened that he wasn't aware of.
After using his cards to continue suppressing the demons in Antarctica, he vanished in a flash.
Meanwhile, Lucian and the others appeared beside Azrael.
"Azrael!"
Seeing the young man unharmed, they breathed a sigh of relief, but then asked nervously, "What happened?"
"The [World-Devouring Disaster] has fully arrived." Azrael pointed to outer space. "It is currently transforming the entire Earth into a secret realm."
Lucian and the other two were stunned upon hearing this.
Although they already knew the answer, hearing Azrael's words in person still plunged them into uncontrollable fear.
At this moment, Catherine and Louis XXIV also appeared on the scene.
However, upon seeing the bodies of Edley and Motian, they too fell into momentary shock.
However, they were both Sovereign-tier Lore Cardians after all, and quickly controlled their emotions.
"Master Azrael, it's here. What can you do?"
Hearing this, Azrael shook his head slightly.
If he were given a little more time, perhaps he could find a path to the upper echelons of Sovereign-tier.
Unfortunately, the [World-Devouring Disaster] arrived too quickly, and the hidden danger of the Four Evil Gods was ultimately triggered.
It would be more accurate to say that Azrael's earlier use of the Soul King to expel them had already won Earth considerable time.
Just when everyone was at their wit's end, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Azrael."
"It's time to fulfill your promise."