After reaching his decision, Azrael whispered urgently to Wendy beside him. "Wendy, take the target and go. I'll hold her back here."
"Remember to call for reinforcements once you escape the blockade."
Upon hearing this, Wendy didn't hesitate. She immediately commanded her spatial manipulation card to carry Cliff and dash away from Ruth's position.
She wasn't Chen Zixuan, and Azrael wasn't the Platinum-faced Grenade King. (T/N: Chinese Reference)
They both understood this was their best tactical option.
At that moment, Ruth's lips curved into a beautiful smile. "Oh? Instead of running away, you're actively approaching me?"
"Sweetheart, you really surprised me."
Before the seductive woman's voice had even finished, her entire figure vanished.
However,
"Boom!"
A pale streak of light instantly cut across the snow-covered ground.
Ruth stopped mid-charge, then glanced at Ulquiorra with genuine surprise. "Strange."
She could tell that compared to their last encounter in the deathmatch arena, the pale Arrancar's card had grown noticeably stronger.
You must understand, she hadn't been aiming for Ulquiorra just now, but for Wendy, who was rapidly fleeing with the prisoner.
Yet Ulquiorra had intercepted her mid-flight.
And even that brief exchange gave Ruth a taste of something unusual.
"Can an Emerald-level card achieve this level of power?"
"Or is it, ?"
Her gaze shifted toward Artoria, who stood ready with her holy sword drawn not far away.
The alluring woman's brows furrowed slightly. The situation was beginning to slip beyond her control.
After all, she was the one who had deliberately leaked the Northern Guard's route. Cliff had been used as bait at her specific request.
To ensure absolute success, only such heavyweight bait, a high-level researcher, could catch the big fish she was after.
However, if Azrael and his team actually managed to bring Cliff back to the Northern Defense Army, even Ruth would face severe consequences from the army commander.
Although Ruth had already accumulated enough infractions that one more shouldn't matter, she feared the accumulation of too many lice would eventually become unbearable. This was the fundamental reason for her audacity.
"But sweetheart, do you really think you can stop me like this?" The alluring woman smiled confidently, rapidly shedding her veil of restraint. "You're completely mistaken."
An invisible wave suddenly rippled throughout the area.
Ruth waited confidently for Azrael's cards to become her willing vassals.
But,
Nothing happened.
"Huh?"
At that moment, Ruth was genuinely stunned.
Azrael, however, understood the reason perfectly. It was simply the [Void Heart] and [Lonely Journey] attributes protecting his two cards from mental manipulation.
Without giving her time to process this revelation, Ulquiorra and Artoria attacked from both flanks.
Facing this pincer assault, Ruth calmly extended both hands and grasped the incoming weapons.
"Bang!"
Though Ruth appeared composed on the surface, the massive cracks spiderwebbing through the ground behind her silently revealed just how ruthless Artoria and Ulquiorra's combined assault had been.
She said with mild distress, "I don't know why you can ignore my charm, but please don't resort to such troublesome attacks again."
Then the alluring woman exerted slight pressure with both hands.
"Bang!"
The spiritual javelin in Ulquiorra's grasp suddenly shattered, transforming into sky-high emerald green spiritual energy.
However, a hint of genuine surprise crossed Ruth's face. "What?"
She had intended to crush both weapons simultaneously, but only one had broken.
Looking at the holy sword Excalibur gripped firmly in her right hand, which hadn't even cracked, Ruth froze momentarily.
Seizing this opportunity, Artoria's expression darkened as she immediately tried to wrench her blade free from the demon's grasp.
Feeling the overwhelming force transmitting through the sword, Ruth instinctively released her grip.
"Bang!"
After blocking Ulquiorra and Artoria's renewed assault, she gazed at Azrael in the distance with an increasingly complex expression. "Sweetheart..."
"You've given me far too many surprises today."
She left one thought unspoken: too many surprises can lead to shock.
At this point, Ruth finally set aside her playful demeanor.
She stopped holding back, sending Artoria flying with a single devastating blow.
"Bang!"
The blonde knight slammed into the distant forest at tremendous speed.
Observing this, Azrael's expression remained neutral as he slowly increased the distance between himself and Ruth.
After all, he couldn't rely solely on Wendy's call for reinforcements. Eliminating Ruth here and now would be ideal, if possible.
Furthermore, Artoria hadn't dissipated from his perception.
"An Emerald-class card against a Diamond-class opponent like Ruth is definitely stretching the limits."
Artoria was, after all, only an Emerald-class card. While she possessed colored quality, much of that came from her [Thirteen Restraints] ability.
Azrael was genuinely surprised she'd managed to hold out for several exchanges against a Diamond-class powerhouse like Ruth.
The true star of today's performance was Ulquiorra.
[Segunda Etapa] + [Perfect King] + [Hōgyoku Enhancement] + [King of Perfection].
With four powerful buffs stacking, even if Ulquiorra couldn't defeat Ruth outright, he could at least buy substantial time.
Furthermore,
Azrael calmly glanced toward the direction where Artoria had fallen.
Although Ruth didn't understand Azrael's strategy, she knew prolonging this battle wasn't an option.
It wouldn't be long before the female Lore Cardian escaped her blockade zone entirely.
She said with genuine regret, "I originally wanted to bring you back safe and sound, sweetheart."
"It seems that's impossible now."
Then a malicious smile spread across her face. "But it doesn't matter. Our R&D department can help you attach new limbs anyway."
"A limb-attached demon is quite appealing too, wouldn't you say?"
Before Ruth could finish speaking, Azrael began retreating from her at maximum speed.
Though he didn't know exactly what she was planning, running away at this moment was undoubtedly the wisest choice.
Just then, an incredibly powerful suction force suddenly erupted from behind him.
Caught off guard, Azrael was yanked backward. Fortunately, Ulquiorra secured him at the crucial moment.
Ulquiorra's aura began fading rapidly.
However, Ruth's primary target wasn't Azrael at this moment, she didn't want to accidentally drain her sweetheart dry with an overeager word.
Under Azrael's vigilant gaze, everything surrounding the alluring woman began to crumble.
Her complexion, in stark contrast, grew increasingly rosy.
But there was no such thing as a transformation that granted instant invincibility. Faced with such a golden opportunity, Ulquiorra certainly wouldn't waste it.
Just as he prepared to fire his Lightning Lance, Azrael reached out and stopped him.
A message had arrived from Artoria.
The blonde knight had warned them not to act rashly, evidently her intuition had detected something abnormal.
After a long moment, Ruth wiped her lips with a hint of regret. "I thought you'd be impatient enough to attack, sweetheart."
"Never mind. Barely three-quarters full is sufficient."
Azrael's eyes now revealed a desolate wasteland.
The once snow-covered ground was now completely bare, as if it had been parched for years, revealing cracked and barren earth.
Every tree within sight had been reduced to lifeless, rotting wood.
The four combatants were the only living creatures remaining in this dead zone.
Meanwhile, Wendy listened with mounting worry to the thunderous sounds echoing behind her.
The current situation reminded her vividly of her last encounter with the alluring woman.
Back then, she and Azrael had been practically unstoppable, until they were subdued without a second thought.
But this time was different. Ruth hadn't caught up to her yet, which undoubtedly proved Azrael had indeed stopped her advance.
Just as she paused to assess the situation, she sensed a terrifying, dangerous aura emanating from behind her.
Wendy turned her head while running, only to discover the world behind her had completely transformed.
While the land she occupied was still covered in snow and vibrant with life, the world behind her represented the complete opposite.
Dead silence.
Those two words floated through Wendy's mind.
Despite this realization, the short-haired woman didn't falter in her escape.
As an Emerald-level Lore Cardian, she was no slouch when it came to movement speed.
Just as she forced herself to ignore the apocalyptic scene behind her, her expression suddenly brightened with relief.
"Finally escaped."
It had been quite some time since leaving Azrael's position, and Wendy finally felt her spatial manipulation abilities return to normal.
Instead of immediately leaving the area, she quickly pulled out her phone and typed a message.
[Wendy: 'Coordinates.' Azrael and I have encountered a Diamond-level demon here. Requesting immediate support!]
After transmitting the message back to Gaza Town, Wendy disappeared with Cliff in tow.
In the devastated world, Ruth gazed coldly at the scarred Ulquiorra standing before her. "I must admit, sweetheart."
"If those worthless Diamond-level soldiers in our army had encountered you, they'd be dead."
She was referring to the Diamond-level limb-attached demons.
Ulquiorra leaned heavily on his spiritual javelin, barely holding himself upright.
Not far behind him stood Azrael, his Sacred Blade Armor also showing considerable damage.
Facing Ruth's transformed state, Ulquiorra clearly couldn't fully protect him from all attacks.
Fortunately, the Sacred Blade Armor remained durable enough, allowing him to barely survive under Ulquiorra's protection.
However, the alluring woman wasn't entirely unscathed either. Minor wounds now marred her once-flawless body.
Clearly, this battle hadn't been as effortless as she pretended.
"Let's end this, sweetheart," Ruth sighed softly, ready to conclude what she considered a farce. "But consider Cliff my betrothal gift, alright?"
She was fully aware that Wendy had escaped her range with Cliff a short while ago.
The demon army might have suffered losses, but as long as she achieved her personal objective, nothing else mattered.
However, the only response was another Lightning Lance from Ulquiorra.
"Tsk."
Ruth glanced at him with barely concealed impatience.
The minor wounds she now bore were all caused by Ulquiorra's earlier Lightning Lance attacks.
Watching Ruth emerge from the Lightning Lance explosion, Azrael's eyes remained calm. "I still have enough spiritual energy for three more shots."
"Or maybe, "
He thought of Artoria, who had remained eerily silent ever since Ruth's transformation.
"Do you really think, "
"These attacks can affect me?!"
A fierce voice rang out as Ruth walked barefoot from the epicenter of the Lightning Lance explosion.
Pale green spiritual energy swirled protectively around her, and the already-minor wounds appeared even more numerous across her skin.
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly stomped the ground and charged toward Azrael.
"Boom!"
A massive sonic boom erupted instantly.
But even faster than the sound was Ruth's figure itself.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared mere meters from Azrael.
Yet the black-and-white figure managed to block the alluring woman just in time.
"Get out of my way!"
Ruth yelled, her frustration mounting.
A dull impact echoed, and a howling gust of wind emanated from their clash point, instantly sweeping away the swirling snow.
Unlike before,
Ulquiorra didn't choose to disengage this time.
Though Ruth felt momentarily puzzled, a smile of anticipation spread across her face. "Watch me devour you!"
Finally,
She could finally taste her little sweetheart.
The thought alone made Ruth's eyes moisten with desire.
However, Azrael's expression grew heavy upon witnessing this.
"That should be about enough."
After exhausting Ulquiorra for so long, Ruth had apparently completely forgotten about Artoria's existence.
Furthermore, her opponent's condition clearly wasn't as pristine as it had been at the beginning of their encounter.
On the battlefield, Ruth assumed Ulquiorra was at his limit, merely sacrificing himself to buy Little Sweetheart time to escape.
But she clearly understood that once Ulquiorra fell, Azrael, a mere Emerald-level Lore Cardian, would be impossible to escape her grasp.
Just as she prepared to quickly dispatch Ulquiorra and capture Azrael for transport back to the demon army, an extremely potent sense of threat suddenly reached her from the distance.
"The Thirteen Restraints are released. The Round Table convenes."
"This battle is for survival." "Acknowledged, Kay."
"This battle is against those stronger than oneself." "Acknowledged, Bedivere."
"This battle does not stand against humanity." "Acknowledged, Gaheris."
"This battle is not against Elementals." "Acknowledged, Lancelot."
"This battle is to punish evil." "Acknowledged, Mordred."
"This battle is not for personal gain." "Acknowledged, Galahad."
"This battle does not wield the sword against the virtuous." "Acknowledged, Gareth."
Azrael mentally counted the number of restraints released as he ran. "Seven!"
"According to the Knights of the Round Table's majority rule, with seven votes secured, the holy sword has released all restraints and entered its completely liberated state."
"I hope its power won't disappoint."
Azrael felt somewhat uncertain because he didn't know exactly how much power Excalibur would unleash with all restraints removed.
However, to be safe, he ran as far as possible from the impact zone, simultaneously attempting to escape Ruth's clutches entirely.
Ruth, listening to the rapid exchange of questions and approvals between multiple voices, froze involuntarily in place.
However, she wasn't Antipas, and the control effect of the "Thirteen Restraints" deliberation didn't last long against her Diamond-level strength.
Indeed, it was only now that Azrael realized Artoria's deliberation process could have such a binding effect on opponents.
However, this effect obviously didn't impact Diamond-level opponents significantly, otherwise the blonde knight wouldn't have waited so patiently for so long before completing the deliberation with Ulquiorra's cooperation.
At this moment, Ruth's alluring eyes widened as she struggled violently. "Let go!"
Feeling the intense threat bearing down on her, she no longer cared about maintaining appearances.
Ultimately, as she wished, Ulquiorra's arms were torn from their sockets as he was flung into the air.
Unfortunately,
"Excalibur!"
A golden torrent descended from the heavens, instantly engulfing both Ruth and Ulquiorra.
In the distance, Jacob, who had rushed over at maximum speed after receiving Wendy's distress call, gradually stopped in his tracks.
He stared at the golden beam of light spanning heaven and earth before his eyes, muttering almost reverently, "Junior Brother..."