Even after the battle ended, Azrael didn't wait for his comrade to make a move. Instead, he encountered his target for this mission, Tempest.
Seeing the elegant middle-aged man before him, seemingly unharmed, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Master Tempest, I'm glad you're alright."
"Who's this?"
Azrael turned his gaze to the gray-haired elder beside Tempest. He could clearly tell the man was also a Master-tier expert, and not just another demon.
After reaching the Master tier, he'd become particularly sensitive to such matters. After all, there was a huge difference between a red-named monster that dropped materials and an NPC that dropped nothing.
But for Azrael now, it was all the same. With his own Lore Cardian space, even NPCs could drop materials.
Argyle, on seeing Azrael, felt a strange familiarity, as if they'd met before.
But he was certain this was his first encounter with the young man.
Just as Argyle was beginning to wonder, Tempest introduced him. "Azrael, this is General Argyle of the Resistance."
He then turned to the gray-haired elder and said, "General, this is Azrael, the [Myriad Phenomena] of our Empire of Aetherlight."
Argyle temporarily suppressed his doubts and nodded to Azrael in a friendly manner. "Your Excellency's strength is truly... amazing."
He glanced at the land, which had completely lost its original appearance.
If the gray-haired elder remembered correctly, this was supposed to be the capital of the Submissive faction. No, not just the capital, but also the surrounding satellite cities.
But the dozens of fortified cities that once towered over the land were now gone, leaving only a bottomless crater.
Such a display startled Argyle, and cold sweat broke out on his body.
Recalling the devastating attack not long ago, the gray-haired general couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He glanced calmly at the two young men behind Azrael, silently wondering, Were they responsible?
After several days of investigation, he naturally knew that the power system of these outsiders was vastly different from his own world, a strange system called Lore Cardians.
To be honest, when he first encountered the Lore Cardians, Argyle almost thought he had witnessed humanoid, moving secret realms.
Conversely, Tempest, who was of the same level as him, behaved similarly to the transcendent beings the old man had come to know.
Regardless, Lore Cardians were among the most powerful transcendent systems Argyle had ever encountered.
However, after meeting Azrael, Argyle realized he had been mistaken, profoundly so.
This wasn't just a top-tier transcendent system. It was clearly the most powerful transcendent system he had ever encountered.
What the old man didn't know was that Azrael, a remnant of the world's consciousness, was slightly different from other normal Lore Cardians.
Of course, even Azrael's teacher, Lucian, didn't know this.
Until now, several Master-tier Lore Cardians in the Empire of Aetherlight had believed he was simply gifted. The Empire had seen its fair share of geniuses over the years, but a freak like Azrael was unprecedented.
Lucian and the others undoubtedly knew Azrael had a secret, but they tacitly avoided delving deeper.
Azrael was certainly well aware, but the idea that he was a remnant of the world's consciousness was too bizarre.
Secrecy was key. Disclosure was key.
Even if a showdown were to occur, it would be after he reached the Sovereign tier, or even beyond.
Argyle, unaware of this information, observed Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke with awe for a moment before saying to Azrael and Tempest, "Why don't you two rest at my place? I think we should have news on the entrance to the secret realm soon."
Azrael glanced at Tempest, seeking the middle-aged man's advice.
Seeing him nod slightly, Azrael agreed. "Then, General, please lead the way."
Argyle smiled. "It's not a matter of bothering you. On the contrary, I should be thanking you for eliminating a major threat to the Resistance. I simply wanted to express my gratitude."
"Next, please follow me."
With that, the old man turned and led the Empire Lore Cardians back in the direction they had come.
As for the Submissive demons who had been watching from a distance, they had all perished or dispersed after the five Master-tier demons were killed. Therefore, until they left the Resistance's territory, Azrael and his companions hadn't seen a single demon above the Diamond tier.
On the way, Tempest whispered to Azrael, "This secret realm is a bit complicated. I'll explain it to you in detail later."
Azrael remained expressionless, his eyes flickering slightly before he nodded in response. Seeing this, Tempest fell silent.
Behind them, Victor stared at Azrael with a complex expression.
He had just recognized Uchiha Sasuke's identity. It was the card Azrael had used long ago at the national tournament.
However, he had lost before he could even force it out. Back then, Victor naively believed that with diligent training, he would one day defeat Azrael.
But after witnessing what had just happened, this battle-crazed warrior finally felt a deep sense of defeat.
He considered himself talented, but the gap between him and the young man ahead was as vast as a flickering candle compared to the blazing sun.
He saw absolutely no hope of catching up.
Furthermore, unlike ordinary Lore Cardians who specialized in a single discipline, Azrael's current cards were extremely complex, ranging from systems resembling the Shinigami of legend to systems Victor couldn't even fathom.
His masterpieces were the two cards just now.
Perhaps Uchiha Sasuke was the final straw that broke Victor's back. After all, having used the same card at the Silver tier, his own [Tiger Demon] would have been eliminated long ago.
That's terrifying, Azrael.
Victor breathed softly, trying to dispel the feeling of powerlessness within him, but the scorching air made it impossible for him to calm down.
In front of the Empire Lore Cardians, Azrael was unaware of the inner turmoil of his old friend behind him. He simply followed Argyle with a calm expression.
Beside him, Tempest could roughly guess what his disciple was thinking, but he didn't intend to say anything.
Some matters ultimately depended on the individual's own resolve. Persuasion from others was ineffective and might even backfire.
Of course, whether accepting failure or never giving up, Tempest supported Victor's decision.
Even as a teacher, he didn't believe his student could surpass Azrael.
After all, the elegant middle-aged man reasoned, if he faced those two Master-tier cards, his fate wouldn't be much better than those Submissive demons that had been reduced to ash.
Honestly, even Tempest, a fellow Master-tier Lore Cardian, couldn't understand why Azrael's cards were so outrageously powerful.
The Fighting God assumed Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were likely colored cards. After all, his own red Master-tier cards couldn't compare.
However, compared to the complex emotions of the master and apprentice, the other Empire Lore Cardians present had a simpler mindset.
Master Azrael's cards are simply too powerful!
Perhaps to their enemies, the Naruto-Sasuke duo at the Valley of the End truly possessed terrifying, oppressive power. But to their teammates, it was simply reassuring.
Do you understand the sense of salvation the Four Great Shinobi Alliance felt upon seeing Naruto and Sasuke arrive at their darkest hour?
"What's wrong with Master Azrael's brain? Why can't I come up with that kind of card?"
"You ask me? If I knew, I'd be a Master-tier Lore Cardian too."
Whispers rang out among the Lore Cardians.
With excitement, the Empire group, led by Argyle, finally arrived at their destination.
It was a remarkably modern city.
And it was easy to see that the architectural style was identical to that of other Resistance cities.
After escorting Azrael and his companions to a luxurious mansion and arranging their accommodations, Argyle expressed a hint of apology. "You will all stay here for the next few days."
"We will do our utmost to uncover information about the secret realm's entrance."
"I have some important matters to attend to, so I will be leaving. I hope you'll understand."
With that, the old man summoned a waiter and whispered a few words before nodding to Azrael and disappearing from the sight of the Empire people.
Azrael and Tempest were not surprised by this.
After all, Azrael had caused such a stir within the Submissive faction's sphere of influence, and the Resistance would surely not miss such a golden opportunity.
As a high-ranking Resistance figure familiar with the details of the incident, Argyle clearly needed to explain the events to the other leaders in power and formulate follow-up plans. This included how to deal with Azrael.
They couldn't afford to be careless, as the Submissive faction's plight was still fresh in their minds.
"Azrael, you must be tired too, right? We'll discuss the details tomorrow. Take a rest today."
Tempest glanced at Azrael, a hint of concern on his face.
The middle-aged man kept a close eye on Azrael's condition. He noticed that the young man had become somewhat distracted since entering the Resistance's territory, perhaps due to exhaustion from the intense fighting.
Hearing his words, Azrael collected his thoughts, sighed, and said, "Okay, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
He then looked at the waiter who had been waiting nearby.
The waiter, having received Argyle's instructions, stepped forward. "My colleagues and I will take you to your rooms. Please follow us."
With that, a large number of waiters, each leading an Empire Lore Cardian, headed toward the elevator.
Azrael followed one of the waiters, reflecting on his recent discovery.
Since entering the Resistance's territory, he had no longer sensed the presence of his fellow soldier.