"Does the Crimson Oath Society still have someone of your caliber in Donglai?" The middle-aged man in the red dragon robe, known as Li Gang, asked with a serious expression. "And I don't believe I know you, sir?"
He was puzzled as to why the other party had spoken his name so directly.
The visitor was naturally Azrael, operating under his alias Bruce. He had carefully considered his decision to save the Crimson Oath Society.
First, he knew that if he didn't act, Godfrey would undoubtedly harbor wild suspicions. After all, the current chaos had erupted shortly after their meeting.
Although he had already escaped via Shiraori when the incident occurred, he immediately returned after his subordinate informed him of the situation.
As for his subordinate, it was Azrael who told him not to intervene.
He needed to create the illusion that his lieutenant wasn't always stationed in Donglai.
This would allow him to assume Bruce's identity later without suspicion.
Second, he certainly couldn't stand by and watch the situation escalate. However, as his official identity, Azrael was probably still rushing back to Donglai, so he had no choice but to act as Bruce.
Of course, there was another reason. Previously in Velkairos, Azrael's observations suggested that Jin seemed to hold the Onefold Doctrine in the shadows.
Given that connection, it might be worth testing the waters. Perhaps he could reap some benefits later when reporting on the situation.
It must be said that Shiraori's spatial magic was indeed effective. At least the other cards Azrael had on display definitely wouldn't be able to return so quickly.
Azrael silently considered the information Shiraori shared with him while responding to the middle-aged man's confusion.
[Name: Li Gang]
[Title: Failed Ambitious Man (Onefold Doctrine Collaborator)]
[Rank: Gold]
[Cards Held: [Dangun, Ancestor of the Tranquil Dawn], ???]
"Sure enough, the card information is special and requires observation to be displayed," Azrael felt relieved, now certain that Shiraori's identification skills were correct.
The card Shiraori had identified was the red-robed figure Azrael had seen accompanying Li Xie previously.
"Dangun?" Azrael's soft whisper was caught by Li Gang.
The middle-aged man smiled smugly. "I never thought trash from the Crimson Oath Society like you had even heard of the ancestor's name."
"I can be merciful."
But Azrael's next words made his face freeze, "Only you take fabricated myths seriously."
"You're the only ones delusional enough to claim such fake ancestry as your own heritage."
Lies don't hurt; the truth is a sharp blade.
Azrael's words undoubtedly struck a nerve with Li Gang.
As a member of the Korean royal family, he knew only too well that Dangun was merely a fabricated ancestor from legend.
Li Gang's face darkened. "You have such a sharp tongue."
"In the past, a lowly person like you wouldn't even have the right to speak to me!"
Just then, Godfrey's cold, mocking voice echoed from the side, "Even the Emperor of the Empire of Aetherlight wouldn't dare speak like that."
"You little vassal nation are so arrogant."
Diesel laughed at the right moment.
Li Gang's face twitched. "You traitors and scoundrels, I want you all dead!"
He pursed his lips.
The next moment, a middle-aged man in a red robe suddenly appeared beside Azrael and attacked him.
Meanwhile, Shiraori also identified his opponent's information.
[Dangun, Ancestor of the Tranquil Dawn]
Rank: Gold
Quality: Red
Category: Creature
Skills:
[Sound Field] [Sunlight] [Kings of All Ages]
Abilities:
[Founding Ancestor] [Son of the Sun God] [Demi-God, Half-Demon]
Description: Who first founded the nation? The grandson of Emperor Hwanin, Dangun.
Advancement: ???
Bond: When playing with [God Emperor Hwanin] and other series, the effect [Father and Son] can be activated. When playing with [King series] and other series, the effect [Loyal Subjects] can be activated.
The information was not very detailed, with each ability showing only a single name.
Even so, Azrael couldn't help but be surprised.
Sometimes, the card name alone can roughly determine the scope of the opponent's abilities.
At this moment, a dazzling glow cast brilliant light on the ground, and the temperature began to rise sharply.
But Azrael wasn't about to play a one-on-one, turn-based game.
The most effective tactic in a chaotic battle was, naturally, to directly attack the opposing Lore Cardian.
With a flash of movement, Shiraori used her spatial magic to carry him out of Dangun's attack range.
Then, Shiraori appeared alone, not far from Li Gang.
Seeing this, Li Gang's face darkened. "Spatial abilities..."
As a Gold-rank Lore Cardian, he knew how devastating they could be without proper countermeasures.
As long as they weren't instantly lethal, the opponent could easily dart through your defenses, leaving you powerless.
However, Shiraori wasn't planning on using spatial magic to attack the opponent directly. Her spatial magic wasn't particularly lethal; it was more of a means of escape and positioning.
She couldn't throw him into lava since she hadn't unlocked that particular dimensional space yet.
"Hmph, beautiful Shiraori, the enforcer of divine judgment, hereby pronounces you guilty!"
[Ruler: Patience].
The derived skill [Conviction] activated.
Li Gang saw the giant white spider appear not far from him, then let out a series of terrifying hisses.
The next moment, a deep sense of mortal danger suddenly washed over him.
Li Gang's pupils contracted, and Dangun appeared before him in an instant.
"Blocked?"
"Ara ara, you're going to block my judgment strike?"
"Minister of Body, charge! Corrosive Attack!"
Li Gang watched as the white spider's scythe-like forelimbs instantly became stained with dangerous purple liquid as she charged towards him.
But before he could react, the sense of crisis that had just surfaced in his heart suddenly materialized as actual pain.
Li Gang's face paled instantly, and he couldn't help but groan in agony. He was puzzled, "Where did this attack come from?!"
There was no doubt that the judgment had truly harmed him.
By universal moral standards, Li Gang undoubtedly bore countless sins.
Dangun, standing before him, frowned slightly and snorted coldly.
Li Gang's aura returned to normal, while Dangun's presence had weakened slightly.
"As expected, you are an unforgivable sinner. Today, I will enforce justice on behalf of Heaven!"
"Damage transfer is useless!"
Just as Shiraori charged to within a few dozen meters of Dangun, he lifted his red robe and sat down.
A wooden throne instantly materialized behind him.
Then, men in various colored dragon robes emerged from thin air around the arena.
[Kings of All Ages].
Seeing this, Azrael had a strange sense of déjà vu, "Where did you steal this from the King of Conquerors?"
"Wow, Ionian Hetairoi, huh?"
Of course, compared to the King of Conquerors from the Fate series, Li Gang's technique was undoubtedly far weaker.
Both quality and quantity were far inferior to the legendary Reality Marble.
However, the sudden appearance of over twenty kings, along with their generals, instantly swelled the crowd before Li Gang to over a hundred.
Therefore, Azrael had to admit that while Li Gang might have some mental issues, his strength was certainly formidable. At least, he hadn't displayed this ability the last time Dangun had appeared with Li Xie.
Diesel and Godfrey had never seen such a scene before. Seeing the situation seemingly spiraling out of control, Diesel decisively declared, "We can't wait any longer. If they continue to clash, we'll have no chance of securing this area."
Godfrey nodded and rushed down to aid Azrael.
He had been waiting anxiously, but with Diesel nearby, he couldn't act directly without raising suspicions.
He sensed that the phantoms before Li Gang were genuine Gold-level cards. Though they were among the weaker variety, quantity had a quality all its own. Without a powerful area-of-effect attack, even the mighty spider would simply be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
Unfortunately, Shiraori had detected the enemy's information and naturally wasn't completely defenseless.
"Minister of Magic, I leave it to you!"
"Fufufu, witness my super-ultimate finishing move!"
"Abyss Magic!"
"Manifest, Hell's Gate!"
A massive gate adorned with ferocious demon statues slowly rose in front of Shiraori, blocking a variety of attacks.
This was a hidden tactic Shiraori had secretly prepared with her Minister of Magic since the beginning of the battle.
If they could eliminate the opponent directly, there would be no need to use this trump card.
But if they couldn't resolve the battle quickly...
"[Parallel Minds], isn't this just cheating?" Azrael sighed in the distance.
With [Parallel Minds], Shiraori could multitask in combat.
For example, she could have the Minister of Body engaging in melee combat while the Minister of Magic prepared spells.
Neither could interfere with the other's operations.
"Come to think of it, she has several separate consciousnesses now."
"The Minister of Wisdom processes information, the Minister of Body handles combat, and the Minister of Magic uses spells."
Unlike Azrael, who was still pondering Shiraori's multiple personalities, Godfrey grabbed Diesel beside him the moment he saw the giant gate.
A sudden burst of dark blue water swept the two of them far away, completely unconcerned about whether they would be injured.
Diesel forced himself to steady himself in mid-air and turned to look at Godfrey beside him, "Director Godfrey, you..."
Before he could finish his words, the giant gate slowly opened.
Inside the gate was dense, impenetrable darkness, like a monstrous maw ready to devour everything.
Its immense suction drew in everything around it.
Earth, ruins, broken walls, and even the [Kings of All Ages] Dangun had just summoned.
Everything was being consumed.
The Crimson Oath Society members behind Azrael swallowed hard, watching the unfolding events in terror.
But then they realized the attack was from one of their own, and a sense of relief washed over them.
"Fortunately, that spider belongs to the Sixth Master."
But the Onefold Doctrine members weren't so lucky.
Hell's Gate swallowed them all indiscriminately.
Only a handful struggled to hold on.
A moment later, as if satisfied, Hell's Gate slowly closed, sinking into the ground and disappearing from sight.
In its place lay a bottomless, gaping crater.
And Li Gang, with bloodshot eyes.
Azrael wasn't surprised that Li Gang hadn't been defeated by Hell's Gate.
After all, Dangun was a Red Card on the same level as Shiraori. How could he be defeated so easily in a single strike?
Li Gang's breathing was rapid. Besides Dangun, he had three other cards beside him.
These weren't the type summoned by [Kings of All Ages], but genuine cards from his collection.
"Finally, you can't resist using another card?" Azrael's heart sank.
If there was one thing he lacked, it was his recent advancement to Gold rank, leaving him with a much smaller card arsenal.
But then Li Gang's actions surprised Azrael.
"Very good. I'll remember you!" Li Gang growled, practically through gritted teeth. "Tell me your name!"
Azrael curled his lips and said coldly, "A stray dog doesn't deserve to know my name."
He was referring to both Li Gang's status as a member of the Korean royal family now living in exile, and his current disgraceful state.
Li Gang clearly understood Azrael's meaning, his eyes blazing red as if on fire.
But he finally took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and with a heavy snort, left the scene with his remaining forces.
Azrael was somewhat surprised. "Can this old fool actually swallow his pride? He can even tolerate this level of humiliation?"
He wasn't afraid of a desperate fight. After all, with Shiraori's spatial magic, even if he couldn't win, how could he not escape?
Touching Shiraori, who had returned to his side, Azrael asked softly, "Does he also have spatial abilities?"
"No, I didn't detect any spatial fluctuations," Shiraori shook her head at first, then said excitedly, "So, are you impressed by my magnificent power?"
Azrael smiled, "I'll give you a treat when we get back."
"(ω<)!" Shiraori cheered. "Azrael's awesome!"
Ignoring Shiraori's excitement, Azrael ordered the Crimson Oath Society members behind him, "You go first and secure the perimeter."
"Yes!"
The society members, as if granted amnesty, all fled the scene using their own methods.
Azrael didn't care if these people would be caught by the Association. He simply cast his gaze on Godfrey and Diesel in the distance.
Seeing the Sixth Master looking at him, Godfrey's heart tightened.
However, before he could say anything, Diesel whispered, "Let him go. The two of us may not be able to take him down."
Perhaps if the two of them used their full strength, they could defeat the other party.
But that was based on the assumption that the other party's strength was only what he had shown so far.
If the young man in the distance had some other trump cards, someone might die here today.
Diesel didn't dare to gamble with those odds.
Moreover, they had witnessed the spatial ability. If they acted rashly without certainty, it would only lead to more violent retaliation from the other party.
Godfrey remained silent. The young man opposite was his secret superior. If Diesel was really ready to take action, he would simply sit back and do nothing.
As for whether Diesel would survive or not... he could only apologize internally.
After all, after joining the Crimson Oath Society, his life was no longer his own.
Seeing the two men weren't about to attack, Azrael watched them coldly and placed his hand on Shiraori's back.
The next moment, both disappeared without a trace.
With the terrifying young man gone, Diesel felt sudden relief. "When did such a monster appear in the Donglai Crimson Oath Society?"
"He intimidates me more than Vice President Azrael does," he said, casting a fearful glance at the completely altered terrain around them. He chuckled bitterly, "The Association is going to have trouble again this time. Rebuilding will take considerable time."
The Association had specific rules and procedures for dealing with sudden damage caused by illegal organizations.
Thanks to specialized construction cards, the civil engineering teams could rebuild quickly.
Of course, this was provided free; the Association would compensate civilians for damages.
Natural disasters were handled similarly.
However, compared to various natural disasters, high-level Lore Cardians were more likely to be natural disasters themselves.
Deity, calamity, monster - all kinds of names were given to high-level Lore Cardians due to worship or fear.
Gold-level Lore Cardians had already stepped into that threshold.
"We must go back and report what happened today to President Kavach."
"If necessary, we must ask him to seek assistance from higher authorities."
As he said this, Diesel sighed heavily.
Godfrey just nodded silently.
For him, the stronger "Bruce" was, the better.
And the strength shown by the other party at this moment could only be described as overwhelming.