The sudden appearance of a figure set off alarm bells among the Empire Lore Cardians present.
In an instant, countless cards materialized across the field.
Seeing this hostile response, the figure raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Relax, I mean no harm."
Azrael, however, scoffed with open disdain, his tone cutting. "No harm? Then why did you teleport us directly into the Submissive heartland when we first entered?"
Everyone's expressions darkened at his words.
It was precisely because of that forced teleportation upon entry that the Empire Lore Cardians who'd arrived first had suffered devastating casualties.
The group following Azrael and Tempest now represented barely more than half of those who'd initially entered the secret realm.
The rest had been killed, though neither Azrael nor Tempest had mentioned the incident publicly.
But that didn't erase what had happened.
None of the Empire personnel present believed Azrael would make such irresponsible accusations.
Therefore, when the instigator finally appeared before their eyes, a wave of suppressed fury swept through everyone.
As if sensing the crowd's mounting hostility, the figure scratched his head awkwardly. "Look..."
"If I kowtow right now, will you forgive me?"
The Empire Lore Cardians, including Azrael, actually laughed.
They were laughing from sheer anger.
Azrael stepped forward, his voice calm but glacial. "From the moment you chose to become a dog, you should've prepared yourself for this day."
"And your time has come."
Hearing this, the figure fell silent, a wave of helplessness washing over him.
He just wanted to survive. Was there anything wrong with that?
"Forget it, there's nothing to discuss with you people," the figure finally said, shaking his head. "And I'm not interested in your deals either."
At this point, negotiations had clearly broken down.
Yet the figure still wanted to avoid conflict. After all, having watched from the shadows earlier, he'd witnessed exactly how powerful this fellow World Consciousness truly was. Even if he ultimately triumphed, it would likely come at tremendous cost.
"If you don't help those rebellious children, I can keep my forces withdrawn until your war with that person is over."
Azrael, however, scoffed at the proposed deal.
He doubted the other side would be able to resist if the [World-Devouring Disaster] truly issued a death order.
Seeing the young man's skeptical expression, the figure sighed with regret, his voice gradually cooling. "You're being unreasonable."
"In that case, you can stay here."
With those words, the figure vanished from the Lore Cardians' sight, revealing the secret realm entrance to everyone.
Any rational person would've recognized something was wrong with that entrance. After all, they'd already been burned once.
Meanwhile, Tempest had deduced the figure's identity. As a Master-tier Lore Cardian, he'd sensed the unmistakable presence of Earth's World Consciousness.
He looked around solemnly and whispered to Azrael, "What should we do now?"
"Return to Argyle and the others?"
Azrael raised an eyebrow at the elegant middle-aged man's question. "No need."
As he finished speaking, a dark-haired man with cracked skin appeared beside him.
It was Uchiha Madara.
Having witnessed the abilities of this legendary Shinobi, Tempest naturally understood what Azrael intended, and his initial anxiety gradually subsided.
As Uchiha Madara formed the Tiger Seal with his hands and intoned, "Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique," a burst of green light illuminated the area.
Within moments, the resurrected dead dispersed like wind, and Azrael's lips curled slightly in satisfaction.
At this moment, he could utter those words once more:
I can do anything.
After successfully refreshing the cooldown on three Venue Cards, Azrael summoned the Soul King once more.
As the Soul King manifested, pale blue spiritual energy began permeating the world.
Within moments, the entrance to the secret realm was stained with the Soul King's distinctive color.
Seeing this, Azrael turned to Tempest. "Master Tempest, you lead them out first."
Tempest nodded at first, then frowned slightly. "What about you? Aren't you coming with us?"
After the [Fighting God] had identified their enemy, he realized the Empire might not be capable of dealing with such a threat immediately.
Since his group had already safely evacuated the secret realm, there was no need to further complicate matters.
This didn't mean the secret realm would be abandoned permanently, but rather that careful discussion was needed before any action could be taken.
After all, this secret realm had existed for so long, and this was the first time Tempest had witnessed a living World Consciousness.
What he didn't know was that there was already a vibrant World Consciousness right beside him.
Azrael simply shook his head in response to Tempest's concern. "While Adnyeus is still deployed, I want to see what gives him the confidence to be so arrogant."
Due to the previous incident with Motian, his three Shinigami-type Venue Cards were on cooldown, so today he'd been forced to use Uchiha Madara to refresh the cooldown.
However, this also meant that after the Soul King dissipated, all three Venue Cards plus Uchiha Madara would be on cooldown for thirty days.
If he didn't take advantage of today to learn more about his opponent, he might not have another chance for a long time.
Of course, the most crucial factor was that Azrael sensed his fellow consciousness had appeared somewhat timid, their condition potentially much worse than when he'd first entered the secret realm.
Even the one who'd just appeared had been merely a projection, which was one reason he hadn't attacked immediately.
Furthermore, if the other party were truly capable, they wouldn't have needed to hide in the shadows from the start, resorting to underhanded tactics. They could have easily taken everyone down just now.
Thinking of this, Azrael couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
New Master-level cards need to be crafted quickly.
After the Soul King went on cooldown, Azrael's combat effectiveness would decline significantly, which remained somewhat insufficient in a crisis-ridden world like Earth. He urgently needed to replenish his powerful forces.
Seeing his determination, Tempest immediately abandoned his hesitation and, with a group of Lore Cardians, rushed through the spatial rift, returning to Earth.
In the blink of an eye, Azrael was the only one left.
He exhaled slowly, looked up at the sky now thick with dark clouds, and muttered, "Hm."
"I didn't summon Adnyeus earlier precisely because I anticipated this move of yours."
If Azrael had summoned the Soul King during the battle with the Submissives, combined with Naruto and Sasuke, he could have completely overturned the entire secret realm.
But that would've been pointless. It would only have made his fellow consciousness cower even more fearfully.
Thinking of this, Azrael scoffed inwardly. After summoning Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, he vanished without a trace.
The young man intended to visit the Resistance's territory to investigate further. After all, he hadn't sensed the World Consciousness's presence there before.
He suspected he'd overlooked some crucial information.
In the Resistance's capital city, four Masters led by Argyle stood before the Great Hall, their brows furrowed as they gazed into the distance.
"Can't wait any longer?"
As powerful members of the Resistance who'd rebelled against the World Consciousness, Argyle and the others were undoubtedly familiar with its presence.
At this moment, they sensed that the god who'd betrayed everyone's hopes was venting his wrath.
This sort of thing had actually occurred many times during the war between the Resistance and Submissive factions.
However, unlike before, this time the target wasn't them.
"Are those outsiders the target?"
Thinking of Azrael and his group, a shadow flickered through the eyes of Argyle and the others.
As expected, that coward wouldn't sit idly by and wait for death.
Just as they were debating whether to go support the Empire forces, a presence that made their hair stand on end suddenly appeared beside them.
All four Masters instantly withdrew, completing an encirclement.
However, when they saw the newcomer's face, they froze.
"Master Azrael?"
It was Azrael.
"Aren't you leaving?"
Argyle and the others shifted their gazes to the Soul King beside Azrael.
If they remembered correctly, the young man hadn't used such tactics in his previous battles with the Submissive faction.
Seeing the four so tense, Azrael smiled slightly and explained, "We do want to leave, but it seems someone doesn't want us to."
Hearing this, Argyle and the other three thought, As expected, but then they noticed their oversight. "Master Azrael, why are you alone? Where are Master Tempest and the others?"
"Oh, they got out."
"?"
Didn't you just say someone didn't want you to leave?
Argyle and the other three were stunned, but soon realized Azrael might have used force to break through the World Consciousness's blockade. "Then why didn't you leave?"
Hearing this, Azrael turned to look at the statue of Adele in the center of the Great Hall, his expression puzzled. "Since he doesn't want me to leave, I'll stay and see what other tricks he has."
"And..."
"I didn't expect that this was the fire you were talking about."
Under the confused gazes of the four Resistance fighters, the young man slowly walked toward Adele's statue.
Only the gray-haired elder seemed to have a sudden realization, a flicker of surprise crossing his face, but then his brow furrowed deeply.
"Could it be..."
"No, that's impossible."
As the four watched, Azrael slowly placed his hand on Adele's statue.
The next moment, dark light shot up into the sky.
The sudden change stunned everyone present, but Azrael's face showed sudden understanding.
"So that's how it is."