[Master-Level Universal Materials] (300%).
With the generous support from his fellow Lore Cardians, Azrael successfully pushed the remaining materials for both [Lion King] and [Holy Lance] to 100% completion. He even had 67% remaining to work with.
"Feels good being the favorite," Azrael muttered, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
Rather than using up the remaining 67% of [Master-Level Universal Materials], he opted to proceed directly with card creation.
[Loading Information.]
[The expected death did not come. Without the Holy Sword's restraint, Artoria was gradually eroded by the Holy Lance's divinity.]
[After recreating the holy city of Camelot, Artoria divided the land with the Sun King and the Mountain People, calling herself the Lion King.]
This card creation was slightly different from previous ones. Although both [Lion King] and [Holy Lance] cards were created simultaneously, only one story loaded.
However, Azrael knew this was likely due to her unique nature.
"I've invested a fortune in this. Please don't let me down."
Azrael couldn't help but mutter as he watched Artoria, whose consciousness had been drawn into the card before him.
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[Lion King Artoria]
Rank: Master
Quality: Chromatic
Category: Creature
Skills:
[Magic Release]
[Shining at Lance's End]: Even with the Thirteen Constraints limiting its true power, the Holy Lance still radiates a star-like brilliance, allowing Artoria to unleash its full power without compromising its performance.
[Pillar of Light]: The Holy Lance's true form is the [Pillar of Light] that anchors the surface of the world. Artoria can fully unleash the Holy Lance's true name, transforming it into the Tower at the End that supports the world itself.
Note: This skill can only be used once.
Abilities:
[Intuition] [Red Dragon Bloodline] [King of Perfection] [Lonely Pilgrimage]
[Holy Lance Protection]: Unlike the Holy Sword, the Sword of Promised Victory, the Holy Lance significantly enhances Artoria's physical strength in various ways.
[Storm King]: Uses the Storm Lance to tear through chaos, paving a path for worlds that haven't yet reached the endgame. When Artoria is in the field, the power of all other cards is significantly enhanced.
[Goddess of the Holy Lance at the End of the World]: Human? God? Under the influence of Rhongomyniad, Artoria gradually gained divinity, significantly increasing her attack power against similarly divine enemies.
Description: Holy Lance, weigh anchor!
Advancement: Silver Rank [Pure White Knight Princess Artoria] → Emerald Rank [Knight King Artoria] → Master Rank [Lion King Artoria]
Bond: When playing with cards from the [Lancelot] series, the effect [Knights of the Round Table] is activated.
When playing with cards from the [Morgan] series, the effect [Sisterly Bond] is activated.
When playing with cards from the [Mordred] series, the effect [Your Majesty, Call Me Crown Prince!] is activated.
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After reviewing the card information, Azrael breathed a sigh of relief.
Most of the abilities were as he'd expected, with the exception of [Pillar of Light].
"Maintaining the world's surface, huh?"
Perhaps the description was a bit exaggerated, but Azrael roughly grasped the meaning. Simply put, if the world is a canvas, then [Pillar of Light] is the nail that anchors it to the wall.
"Not that I'll ever need to use it, hopefully."
Even setting that skill aside, Azrael was quite satisfied with the [Lion King's] strength. After all, it was a card crafted with 600% progress, the best he could manage.
"And this [Holy Lance Protection]..."
A smirk tugged at Azrael's lips as he gazed at the imposing Artoria before him. "I'm so jealous! What did my poor Artoria do to deserve less?"
Time passed like this.
During this period, as Azrael had suspected, under the increasingly frenzied attacks from the [World-Devouring Disaster], secret realms appeared more and more frequently across the Empire of Aetherlight.
The same was true across the globe.
The good news was that no Sovereign-level secret realms appeared, and even Master-level secret realms were pitifully rare. Even if a Master-level secret realm did appear, it would only contain one or two Master-level demons at most.
Then again, secret realms like the one Edley faced were rare anomalies. After all, even the demon army that plagued the Empire a few years ago only contained five Master-level demons.
Of course, in the past, even a single Master-level demon in a secret realm would have taken considerable effort to suppress.
But who cared when Azrael was around to help?
"The situation is getting worse," Azrael sighed inwardly, taking a sip of tea.
As his card collection grew, so did the number of cards he could deploy to handle matters. Retsu, Lancelot, Fubuki, Momonga... If needed, even the Hokage could step in, though Azrael doubted Hashirama Senju's prowess in this particular area.
After letting his cards finish their business, Azrael stood up and announced, "How about I take you guys for some authentic old Beijing cuisine?"
For young people today, leaving work early wasn't an option, but for Azrael? Different story.
After hearing these words, Artoria, who had been expressionless since being promoted to [Lion King], showed a rare fluctuation in her demeanor.
She thought back to the douzhi she'd had last time.
Sure, the blonde knight could eat it, but who would willingly drink pig slop when given the choice?
After a few days together, Azrael could already gauge Artoria's mood from her ahoge.
If she was happy, it would sway. If she was unhappy, it would droop. And there were variations in between, like a mood ring, but cuter.
While Azrael knew the blonde was probably thinking about the douzhi he'd tricked her into drinking last time, he felt no guilt whatsoever.
He'd done it on purpose.
Acting as if nothing had happened, Azrael said earnestly, "This time it's definitely delicious."
He pulled out his communication device and was about to book out the entire restaurant at an authentic Lin'an establishment in old Beijing that he'd just discovered when a knock on the door interrupted him.
"Come in."
Azrael sighed helplessly and sat back down.
Soon, a Diamond-level Lore Cardian pushed open the door and walked in.
Seeing Azrael, he didn't hesitate, stating his purpose directly, "Master Azrael, there's news from Great Britain. I'd like to speak with you."
Hearing the words "Great Britain," Azrael's brow furrowed unconsciously. Then he recalled his conversation with Leon at Lord Lioren's funeral.
Although many speculations welled up in his mind, he said calmly, "I understand. Go inform Master Lucian and the other three Masters."
"Yes."
Watching the Diamond-level Lore Cardian leave his office, Azrael's eyes flickered.
'Could that kid have done something truly insane to become king?' he thought.
Great Britain
The air of this perpetually damp island nation was filled with the faint scent of blood, though a closer sniff suggested it might be an illusion.
As for Leon, the man Azrael was muttering about, he truly had done nothing wrong.
While he genuinely desired to be king, he wasn't foolish.
As a young upstart who had just reached Diamond rank, Leon wouldn't dare plot against King George VII, a Master-level Lore Cardian.
He wasn't a monster like Azrael.
However, Leon also figured that if he were like Azrael, King George VII would have already designated him as crown prince.
But there was still a chance.
With this thought, Leon glanced at his brothers and sisters.
Just then, King George VII, seated at the head of the table, suddenly spoke up. "Now that things have come to this, please share your thoughts."
A profound silence descended upon the vast conference hall.
As Leon watched, King George VII, a Master-level powerhouse and King of Great Britain, wore a look of exhaustion that couldn't be hidden.
The story began with the increasing number of Master-level secret realms within Great Britain.
The frequency of secret realms appearing across Earth had increased significantly, but Great Britain, with only King George VII as its sole Master-level Lore Cardian, was clearly struggling to cope.
Leon and his siblings had been summoned today to discuss this very matter.
With this in mind, Leon suppressed his anxiety and prepared to observe what his brothers and sisters would propose.
Apparently, not everyone shared his composure.
As expected, the eldest prince, Edward, was the first to speak up. "Your Majesty, I think we should abandon some areas."
He paused, then added confidently, "For example, I think we can leave the north alone."
Edward was confident in his proposal. After all, those northern barbarians had always resisted Great Britain's rule.
Who would have thought that upon hearing this, King George VII's eye twitched, and then he said in an emotionless voice, "You think so too?"
Hearing this, Leon glanced at Edward, who was still confused about the situation, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
At this moment, Charlotte, the second princess, stood up. "Your Majesty, I think we should seek help from the Indo-American Federation. They have Lord Edley in charge, so they should be able to help us."
"And the distance is convenient. There's no need to worry about them usurping our power."
Charlotte's thinking mirrored Leon's, completely ignoring nearby nations in Europa.
If the Vatican still wanted to ensure the proper succession of the British throne, it would be best not to invite that particular threat. The divine right of kings was a common occurrence in Europa, and inviting European aid would only invite disaster.
Compared to Charlotte, Leon, having served as an envoy to the Empire of Aetherlight, undoubtedly possessed more information.
He knew that Lord Edley had appeared during the invasion of the Empire by Sovereign-level demons. And his attitude during that incident was quite... intriguing.
With this in mind, Leon decided not to remain silent.
He immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I object."
"Even if we truly need help, even Tsarist Russia is far more reliable than the Indo-American Federation."
If you suggest opening a skylight in a house, people will usually object. But if you suggest removing the entire roof, people may accept the idea of opening a skylight.
Leon was now preparing to do exactly that.