Two days passed in relative quiet.
During that time, Argyle hadn't appeared again.
Through Tempest, Azrael had gained a general understanding of the secret realm. He hadn't expected anyone to voluntarily kneel before the [World-Devouring Disaster], yet here they were.
However, the young man felt things were more complicated than they appeared on the surface. Based on the information gathered so far, the World Consciousness within this secret realm was likely in extremely poor condition, otherwise, its continued absence wouldn't make sense.
He suspected the Resistance knew the inside story. It just depended on whether Argyle and the others were willing to share.
Knock, knock, knock,
Just as Azrael was contemplating how to inquire indirectly, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
The door opened, revealing the same waiter from before.
The waiter bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Master Azrael, General Argyle is waiting for you downstairs."
"I understand. Thank you for your help." Azrael smiled, then vanished from the room.
Upon reaching the first floor, he found Tempest and Argyle already waiting.
Seeing him arrive, a smile crossed Argyle's weathered face. "I've neglected you a bit these past two days. I hope you won't hold it against me."
Azrael understood they'd had much to discuss internally, so he harbored no resentment. Besides, two days wasn't too long, he'd even prepared for the Resistance to deliberate for ten days or half a month.
"Then I'll take Master Azrael and Master Tempest to the Great Hall." The gray-haired elder paused, his expression calm. "But if you're concerned about the location, you can choose one yourself."
Hearing this, Azrael shook his head slightly. "No, just follow your arrangements."
This wasn't because he trusted Argyle and the others implicitly, but because Naruto and Sasuke had fully recovered after two days of rest. If the Resistance had any ulterior motives, Azrael could let them experience Six Paths: Shinra Tensei firsthand.
Thus, Azrael and the others followed the gray-haired elder to a vast, imposing hall.
Upon seeing the three approaching, the guards at the gate pushed open the heavy doors. Perhaps due to regular maintenance, they opened smoothly without a sound.
The hall was filled with numerous seats, but Azrael's attention focused on the statue at its center, a woman with gray hair and a resolute expression.
At this moment, Argyle whispered, "That's Lady Adele, the great person who preserved the flame that Master Tempest and I spoke of earlier."
Hearing this name, combined with the statue's appearance, Azrael instantly determined the woman was related to Argyle.
As if sensing his gaze, Argyle's face showed a hint of melancholy. She said in a dejected tone, "As Master Azrael has guessed, Adele is my daughter."
Azrael and Tempest fell silent.
However, the gray-haired elder quickly composed himself. "Excuse me," he said, then took the initiative to step forward.
Azrael and Tempest exchanged glances before following.
Already in the center of the hall, two men and one woman awaited them. All three were Masters.
However, if the Resistance only had Argyle as their sole Master, they would be completely helpless against the Submissive faction's attacks. Clearly, there were more.
"General," the three greeted Argyle upon seeing him. Their attitudes clearly indicated the gray-haired elder's high prestige within the Resistance.
Argyle nodded slightly in response, then introduced Azrael and the others.
He pointed to Tempest. "This is Master Tempest, the Empire of Aetherlight's [Fighting God]."
Since Tempest had already interacted with the Resistance before Azrael entered the secret realm, he wasn't particularly unfamiliar to the three.
The real revelation came next.
After introducing Tempest, the gray-haired elder pointed to Azrael and solemnly declared, "This is Master Azrael, [Myriad Phenomena] of the Empire of Aetherlight."
"Master Azrael also killed those Submissive faction lackeys a few days ago."
The three Masters' expressions became solemn upon hearing this, and they bowed their heads slightly. "Thank you, Master Azrael, for your help."
Although they'd long known of Azrael's existence through Argyle, they were still shocked upon seeing him in person. The three Masters had never dreamed that the powerful figure who had almost single-handedly crippled the Submissive faction was actually so young.
Seeing their politeness, Azrael simply waved his hand and said gently, "That was for my own benefit."
"Besides, those Submissive faction lackeys who've defected to that side are free game for anyone."
Hearing this, the Resistance members, including Argyle, felt relieved. It seemed this ruthless young man was easier to deal with than they'd expected.
After brief pleasantries, Azrael didn't intend to play games, so he got straight to the point. "I wonder if you've summoned Master Tempest and me today because you've found news about the entrance to the secret realm?"
Despite asking, Azrael knew there might be something else, otherwise, there wouldn't be such a formal gathering.
As he'd expected, the four Resistance Masters exchanged glances, and Argyle stepped forward. "The entrance to the secret realm has indeed been found. But besides that, there's another important matter we'd like to discuss with you both."
Having said this, as if fearing Azrael would misunderstand them as threatening him with the secret realm entrance, the gray-haired elder immediately informed them of its location.
However, Azrael wasn't about to walk away, he still had questions. As for Tempest, he naturally followed Azrael's lead.
Seeing this, Argyle and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They'd been worried the two outsiders would turn and leave immediately.
Using force was out of the question. After all, even if they were tied together, they wouldn't necessarily defeat the young man before them.
The gray-haired elder smiled faintly, then stated his goal directly. "We hope to cooperate with the Empire of Aetherlight and completely wipe out the Submissive faction."
Azrael wasn't surprised by this. He simply raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "You should be stronger than the Submissive faction now, right? Does this still require the Empire's help?"
After all, subsequent events with or without the Empire's involvement would be completely different matters. Without the Empire's involvement, the Resistance would maintain its independence after the crackdown. With four Master-level members, they wouldn't be a small force on Earth, even if Argyle and his people were weaker than Lore Cardians.
However, with the Empire's involvement, the situation would change. The Resistance's independence would be greatly weakened, and after the operation concluded, they'd likely become the Empire's vassals.
Based on current intelligence, after Azrael's devastation, the Resistance was stronger than the Submissive faction, making the Empire's involvement completely unnecessary.
That is, assuming the Submissive faction lacked the aid of the World Consciousness.
Indeed, Azrael feigned ignorance of the World Consciousness's existence.
In response to his question, hints of bitterness crossed the faces of the four Resistance members.
After a long silence, Argyle pursed his lips and spoke with difficulty. "Master Azrael should already know the origin of our secret realm and that Adele preserved the flame for us. But the key is..."
"He's not dead yet."
Everyone present knew who this "He" referred to.
Argyle continued, "After giving her all, Adele successfully inflicted heavy damage upon Him, preventing Him from engaging in direct combat for a long time. But this is ultimately His home turf. If we can't establish a crushing advantage, He will only return."
Hearing this, Azrael finally confirmed his suspicions. As he'd anticipated, his fellow consciousness was in very poor condition.
However, what the young man hadn't anticipated was that the World Consciousness of this secret realm was likely only at the Sovereign level. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Adele, a Sovereign-level being herself, to inflict such heavy damage.
'It seems there are distinctions among World Consciousnesses.'
However, if his fellow had been more powerful, they wouldn't have fallen prey to the [World-Devouring Disaster] in the first place.
To date, the strongest World Consciousness Azrael had encountered was probably Earth's. The next strongest was that of Gulan's secret realm.
Because Earth lacked the ability to resist, the memories of that secret realm had been lost. Azrael had no idea how powerful it once was.
With this thought, the young man looked at the somewhat anxious Argyle and his companions, nodded gently, and said, "The Empire of Aetherlight has agreed to your proposal. But we need to return to the Empire first."
Azrael and Tempest had already been in the secret realm for quite some time, and they were concerned about the Empire, with only Lucian and Master Fujimaru remaining as its strongest defenders.
Upon hearing this, the four Resistance Masters felt profound relief. "Of course. And even if you both don't agree to our request, we won't stop you."
Azrael believed these words. He didn't think any of the Resistance, not even the Sovereign-level Argyle, would be foolish enough to force him to stay.
After reaching a preliminary agreement on cooperation, Azrael and Tempest returned to their previous residence. After gathering all the Empire Lore Cardians, the two led them toward the secret realm entrance indicated by intelligence.
After a long journey, a massive crack appeared before their eyes, emitting constant spatial fluctuations.
"Finally, we can get out!" Seeing the secret realm entrance not far away, the Empire Lore Cardians breathed a collective sigh of relief.
At this moment, Azrael frowned slightly. He sensed the presence of his fellow consciousness.
Tempest also noticed Azrael's unusual behavior and whispered, "Is something wrong, Azrael?"
"Something's not right."
Upon hearing this, everyone present immediately became alert.
However, as time passed, nothing happened. Just when everyone thought Azrael had misperceived something, an indistinct figure suddenly appeared at the entrance to the secret realm.
"I can't hide it from you."
"Let's make a deal."