After successfully escorting the residents of Empyrean Gardens Community to a nearby shelter, Azrael settled into position to wait for his next support mission. The steady flow of emergency requests had been keeping him busy throughout the crisis, but the brief lull gave him time to think.
His mind wandered to the troubling encounter with Crowley earlier. The situation would need careful handling, he'd speak with Master Lucian first. If that didn't resolve matters, perhaps the Crimson Oath Society could provide alternative solutions to deal with the other party.
After all, if it came down to calling in favors, Azrael had connections of his own. Though given the Society's complex relationship with the imperial court, he doubted they'd be willing to take direct action.
"I wonder how Senior Sister is handling things," he murmured with concern.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he recalled Alice's unusually serious demeanor in the classroom earlier. He'd never seen her display such intense focus before, it was almost unsettling how different she seemed when the situation turned dangerous.
"BOOM!"
A tremendous roar suddenly erupted from the outskirts of the city, powerful enough to shake the air itself. The ground trembled violently beneath Azrael's feet, though his Pride-enhanced form kept him steady while lesser structures swayed ominously.
On the distant outskirts of Pixar City, a massive column of white lightning pierced the heavens, stretching impossibly high into the storm-darkened sky. Even from this distance, Azrael's enhanced vision caught a tiny figure positioned near the base of that divine spear of energy.
"Is that Senior Sister?" he whispered in astonishment.
Through Pride's enhanced perception, he could make out Alice standing serenely on a formation of white clouds, ethereal mist swirling around her petite form. Her usual timid demeanor had vanished completely, replaced by an aura of cold authority that made the very air around her seem to crystallize.
She stared at the lightning with complete indifference, as if judging some cosmic tribunal.
"ROAAAAR!"
An earth-shaking bellow emerged from within the white lightning, and Azrael watched in fascination as a colossal figure rose from the ground. This monster dwarfed every other creature he'd encountered during the crisis, a true titan among demons.
But before it could fully stand,
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Four additional lightning bolts, each thicker than ancient trees, crashed down from the heavens with divine fury. They pierced through the giant's limbs with surgical precision, pinning the massive creature to the earth like a specimen in some cosmic laboratory.
Azrael swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. If the strongest Lore Cardians he'd encountered were his teacher and Jin, then Alice had just claimed third place with devastating authority.
He'd always known his senior sister possessed considerable power, but seeing her socially anxious personality transformed into this terrifying force of nature was genuinely shocking. The contrast between her usual demeanor and this display of overwhelming might was almost impossible to reconcile.
"Together," came a voice that carried across the entire city.
Alice's words were spoken quietly, yet somehow every person in Pixar City heard them with perfect clarity. The tone held no emotion, just the finality of an executioner's decree.
The sky erupted.
Lightning fell like rain, each bolt carrying enough power to level city blocks. The display was so brilliant that ordinary civilians found themselves weeping uncontrollably as their eyes burned from the radiance. Even at his considerable distance, Azrael could smell the sharp, metallic scent of ionized air.
The thunderous cacophony that followed was enough to rupture eardrums, a symphony of destruction that announced the end of all resistance.
When the lightshow finally faded, Azrael stood in stunned silence, processing what he'd witnessed. His mobile phone buzzed insistently, breaking through his amazement.
He expected another support mission, but the message contained something very different:
[The secret realm invasion has been successfully contained. Thank you for the dedication of all participating Lore Cardians. Please return home in an orderly manner.]
"It's over?" Azrael blinked in confusion.
The abrupt conclusion felt surreal, though he strongly suspected it had everything to do with the divine retribution his senior sister had just unleashed. Whatever that massive demon had been, it was clearly the linchpin of the entire invasion.
"Well, no point overthinking it. Time to head home and rest."
"Though I'm curious how many points this mission will net me."
The mention of points sparked genuine excitement in Azrael's chest. Points meant materials, and materials meant new cards. If the upcoming secret realm exploration didn't yield suitable components, his next creation would depend entirely on what he could purchase through the exchange system.
And there would definitely be secret realm exploration missions. Azrael was certain of that much. The monsters had obviously emerged from a newly opened realm, which meant opportunities for rare material gathering were on the horizon.
His next card was already decided, he'd known the moment he encountered that Antelope Demon earlier. The former 3rd Espada from Bleach: Nel Tu.
The decision had been swift, but it was also carefully calculated. Creating Nel would serve multiple strategic purposes that aligned perfectly with his long-term goals.
First and most importantly, as a Bleach system card, Nel would contribute to the ultimate effect of his three field cards: [Soul King's Revival]. That particular combination promised devastating power, the kind he'd need if he ever hoped to resist the Crimson Oath Society.
Originally, Azrael had estimated he'd need to reach Master-level to safely confront the Society. there oppressive presence had left too deep an impression. Even Master Lucian seemed cautious about directly opposing them. Azrael refused to spend his life looking over his shoulder, waiting for retaliation.
But with the Soul King's power potentially at his disposal, those calculations might change dramatically.
Second, the Espada hierarchy offered tremendous flexibility. Nel as the former 3rd Espada could begin as "Little Nel", a child form that would serve as an excellent transitional card. Future promotions wouldn't diminish her original strength, making her an ideal long-term investment.
Azrael already had rough plans for several other Hueco Mundo cards. Grimmjow was a definite inclusion, and eventually Aizen himself. That would make three cards total, and if Hueco Mundo followed the same pattern as [Soul Society], perhaps four cards would unlock the venue's highest-level effects.
Though these were just theories. He wouldn't know for certain until he actually created [Las Noches] and examined its mechanics firsthand.
"Aizen should also benefit from [Soul Society's] effects," Azrael mused thoughtfully. "After all, he was captain of the Fifth Division originally."
"Wait, no. In my modified storyline, Aizen never held that position."
"But then again, can anyone actually use the Hōgyoku? Given that it contains fragments of the Soul King, it has to be at least Diamond-level..."
Azrael grimaced as he considered the story alterations he'd made during Aizen's creation. The interconnected nature of these fictional elements was giving him a headache.
"Speaking of which, Aizen could be a promotion candidate once he reaches Gold-level."
Azrael now had several cards with clear advancement paths. For his Pirate series, both Luffy and Zoro would need to reach Gold-level before promotion became possible. As for Nami, she seemed content to remain his Pokémon battle partner, a purely supportive role that suited her perfectly.
The arrangement worked well since Azrael's mental energy capacity far exceeded normal limits. Most Lore Cardians couldn't maintain multiple active decks simultaneously, but his unique circumstances allowed for such luxury.
Of course, the most crucial factor was that his current materials perfectly matched Nel's requirements. Everything aligned too perfectly to ignore.
And finally, Little Nel was undeniably adorable.
After such thorough consideration, Nel had essentially become his inevitable next project.
That evening, Azrael emerged from his meditation session to find it wasn't even nine o'clock yet. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to address the Crowley situation in his teacher's group chat.
[Azrael: Master, during today's support mission, I encountered something troubling.]
He briefly summarized the incident, careful to include all relevant details while maintaining an objective tone.
[Corey: ...Senior Brother.]
Corey, who was usually quite talkative, fell uncharacteristically silent after reading Azrael's message. The ellipsis and mention of "Senior Brother" carried ominous implications.
Azrael's frown deepened. "This involves Senior Brother somehow?"
[Jacob: ...]
Jacob's response consisted of six periods and nothing else, a level of curtness that suggested serious underlying issues. The lack of explanation only heightened Azrael's growing concern.
These cryptic reactions left Azrael thoroughly confused about what connections might exist between Crowley and their mysterious senior brother.
Several minutes passed before Master Lucian finally responded to the group, his message containing only four words:
[Lucian: Wait for me to return.]
The simple sentence carried weight that made Azrael's stomach tighten with apprehension. Whatever was happening, it was clearly more serious than a simple interpersonal conflict between students.