After considering his options carefully, Azrael remained silent. This was his first participation in such a large-scale emergency response, and he needed to understand the full implications before committing.
"What's the fundamental difference between these two assignments?"
The garrison officer maintained his professional demeanor, explaining patiently, "Shelter guard duty offers relatively modest reward points but includes numerous support rotations. You'll be working alongside other Lore Cardians to maintain protective barriers and coordinate civilian evacuations."
Azrael nodded thoughtfully, weighing the information.
Guarding the shelter does seem safer, he mused. There should be other Silver-level Lore Cardians stationed there besides myself.
But the current circumstances...
The timing of this demon invasion struck him as unnaturally convenient. No preliminary signs, no escalating tensions, just sudden, coordinated attacks across multiple fronts.
The pattern triggered uncomfortable associations in his mind.
This feels orchestrated. I need to accelerate my power development immediately.
Having reached his decision, Azrael spoke aloud, "I'll accept the support mission assignment."
The garrison officer operated his identity verification terminal with practiced efficiency. "Your selection has been recorded, Master Azrael. You'll receive deployment coordinates shortly."
"Thank you for your assistance."
While waiting for his assignment details, Azrael activated his communicator and sent a message to the [Loving Family] group chat.
[Azrael: Demon incursion confirmed in the southern territories.]
Jacob's response arrived within moments.
[Jacob: As expected. This southern invasion is definitely coordinated with the northern demon activity.]
[Jacob: Otherwise, why would demons suddenly strike the south the moment Lore Cardians were transferred north?]
[Jacob: This can't be coincidence. Those court 'masters' are proving their incompetence again.]
The bitterness in his senior brother's message was unmistakable.
Senior Brother has serious conflicts with the court administration, Azrael realized. This goes beyond simple factional disputes.
He'd always wondered why Jacob and Second Sister Armani had volunteered for northern frontier duty, especially with Master Lucian commanding the coastal defense lines personally.
[Master Lucian: Jacob!]
[Jacob: My apologies, Teacher. I spoke out of turn.]
Seeing his teacher's intervention, Azrael chose not to pursue the matter further through the group chat.
His thoughts aligned closely with Jacob's assessment, though he'd initially avoided considering direct collaboration between court officials and demonic forces.
The connection between different demon factions was well-established intelligence. However, Jacob's implications raised far more disturbing possibilities.
Azrael pocketed his communicator and gazed at the storm clouds gathering overhead.
How remarkably similar to the Empire of Aetherlight's final days, he reflected grimly. Same corruption, different enemies.
At least the Lore Cardian Master Association provided some stabilizing influence, unlike the historical collapse he'd studied.
But why hasn't the Association completely replace the court system yet?
Master Lucian and Lioren clearly supported the Association. While the loyalties of the remaining two Master-level Lore Cardians remained uncertain, Lioren alone should possess sufficient influence to tip the balance decisively.
Unless the court maintains hidden trump cards.
Azrael's philosophical musings were interrupted by his communicator's vibration.
[Emergency Deployment: Proceed immediately to Empyrean Gardens Community for civilian support operations.]
The official mission parameters appeared on his screen.
Azrael dismissed concerns about high-level political maneuvering. Those struggles remained beyond his current sphere of influence. For now, he needed to focus on the immediate crisis.
"Mr. Crowley, shouldn't we evacuate immediately?"
At Empyrean Gardens Community's eastern perimeter, a young man with panic-stricken features addressed his companion urgently.
Standing beside him was Crowley, the same privileged heir who had previously gifted Azrael an expensive card through spectacularly poor judgment.
Crowley's cold glare could have frozen molten steel. "Flee? To where exactly?"
"Abandoning a mission without completion, do you have any concept of my father's reaction to such failure?"
The young man's face went ashen, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "I... I misspoke, Young Master Crowley."
Crowley massaged his temples, fighting a growing headache. His father's insistence on "character-building experiences" had led to this ridiculous situation.
What a joke, he thought bitterly. With the Wu family's resources, I can acquire anything I desire. What use are these pathetic reward points?
Crowley sighed in exasperation. "If necessary, we'll simply ignore the civilian rabble and eliminate the demons directly."
A predatory smile crossed his features. "After all, when we arrived, the trash had already been slaughtered by demons, hadn't they?"
His lackey's eyes lit up with admiration. "Brilliant as always, Young Master Crowley! Your strategic thinking is unparalleled."
Behind them, a large group of ordinary citizens trembled in terror.
The civilians closest to the two Lore Cardians felt their hope crumble upon overhearing this callous conversation.
Initially, the sight of arriving Lore Cardians had filled them with relief and expectation of rescue.
Now hideous demons blocked both their forward and retreat paths.
Crowley's summoned card, Meng Po, maintained a protective barrier around the group. The blood-yellow waters of the River Lethe flowed through the air in an intricate defensive pattern, creating a temporary safe zone.
In the distance, several demons watched with predatory patience, their terrifying auras radiating malevolent hunger.
"Tsk."
Crowley's expression soured with irritation.
If it weren't for this worthless baggage behind us, Meng Po wouldn't need to waste energy maintaining these defensive barriers. She could eliminate all those demons single-handedly.
If yesterday's battle hadn't forced all my cards except Meng Po into cooldown periods, I wouldn't be so constrained.
Crowley's mood darkened further as he contemplated the situation.
And this lackey is proving completely useless. Typical.
Glancing coldly at his nervous companion, Crowley began seriously considering the feasibility of abandoning the civilian population entirely.
While his father would certainly lecture him about responsibility, that consequence seemed preferable to continued restraint.
Besides, once this is over, I'll simply delete the surveillance footage. No one will know what actually transpired.
Having made his decision, Crowley abandoned all hesitation.
Meng Po, responding to her master's will, showed no mercy for the innocents she'd been protecting.
The massive blood-yellow river contracted instantly, forming a tight defensive perimeter around only Crowley and his lackey before surging toward the distant demons.
"Sir?"
The Empyrean Gardens Community residents watched in horror as their protection vanished, their voices stammering with betrayal and disbelief.
Seeing the barrier's retreat, the demons immediately released concentrated breath attacks and scattered in different directions.
Crowley's face flushed with anger. "Cowardly bastards! Don't let me catch you!"
He completely ignored the abandoned civilians behind him.
Following his signal, Meng Po guided the River Lethe's waters to pursue one of the fleeing demons.
Within moments, the creature's flesh dissolved entirely, leaving only bleached bones.
However, returning to protect the civilian group was now impossible.
The residents of Empyrean Gardens Community closed their eyes in despair.
Against Silver-level demon attacks, even running at full speed wouldn't carry them beyond the destructive range.
Yet at that critical moment, windless streets began stirring with inexplicable breezes.
Just as the demons' lethal attacks prepared to descend, subtle currents of air seemed to flow around the terrified civilians.
"BOOM!"
A thunderous explosion shook the entire street.
Crowley stared in astonishment at the sudden environmental changes.
Then a hoarse, electronically distorted voice spoke near his ear, "Well, well. Crowley."
As smoke cleared, invisible telekinetic force had protected everyone within a golden barrier of concentrated psychic energy.