Azrael could understand why the Association was so anxious to clear the newly formed secret realm. After all, when a high-risk realm threatens to invade the world upon its appearance, every passing moment introduces new variables and complications.
Azrael rode Alice's cloud silently through the sky, traveling more than thirty kilometers south from the metropolitan area to reach a remote mountain forest. The journey passed in contemplative quiet, both riders understanding the gravity of their mission.
When they arrived at their destination, a massive crack stretched before Azrael like an open wound torn through reality itself. This marked his first encounter with a high-level secret realm in its initial stages of manifestation.
"Go report in," Alice called out as Azrael prepared to dismount.
Just as Azrael turned to leave, a slightly concerned voice reached his ears. "Junior brother, be careful in there."
Azrael paused at her words, turning back with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, senior sister. You know my strength better than anyone."
"But I'll exercise proper caution. Thank you for the warning."
Simple fortifications had been erected within a one-kilometer radius around the giant dimensional rift. Card makers moved hurriedly through the temporary structures, their expressions grim with professional focus.
After locating the officer in charge of the fortifications, Azrael presented his identification. "Good morning. What are my assigned duties?"
The officer took his ID and swiped it through a scanning device without unnecessary conversation. Looking up from the results, he said, "You need to report to the exploration unit immediately. They're stationed next to the entrance."
Hearing this, Azrael didn't hesitate. After thanking the officer, he made his way toward the secret realm's entrance.
Many Lore Cardians had already assembled in a large formation beside the dimensional gateway. Several faces looked familiar from the previous day's briefing hall. More importantly, everyone present maintained Silver rank or higher, with numerous Gold-level participants scattered throughout the gathering.
Azrael explained his purpose to the registration staff. After a quick database query, they directed him to his assigned small formation within the larger group.
Following their instructions, Azrael approached his designated team position. When he observed the people already waiting there, he couldn't help but feel surprised.
One of the Lore Cardians present was definitely an acquaintance of sorts.
It was Hisham from Southeast University.
"Hisham?" Azrael raised his eyebrows with interest. "What a coincidence."
Hisham merely nodded shyly in response.
A square-faced man standing nearby couldn't help but interject with curiosity. "You two know each other?"
He directed his next question toward Azrael. "Are you also from Southeast University?"
Azrael shook his head. "I'm from Pixar University."
The square-faced man frowned upon hearing this, muttering under his breath, "Why did they assign me another academic school graduate?"
Azrael glanced at the man calmly. Through his spiritual perception, he could sense that their team captain was also a Silver-level Lore Cardian. However, his current words revealed that this person wasn't a Lore Cardian who had emerged from a professional institution like Azrael.
Some Lore Cardians might not have demonstrated outstanding talents during their high school years, choosing not to pursue card making departments in college or never attending university at all. However, they sometimes experienced sudden breakthroughs later in life and became Lore Cardians through alternative paths.
In Azrael's assessment, the square-faced man likely fell into this category.
Since he was now working under this person's command, naturally he wouldn't be tactless enough to contradict him openly. As for Hisham, from Azrael's observation, the young man possessed too gentle a temperament to voice any objections.
These were relatively minor matters in the grand scheme of things.
"My name is Keith. You can just call me by my name," the square-faced man introduced himself to Azrael.
Azrael responded concisely. "Azrael."
Keith scratched his head after hearing both names. "Fortunately, both of your names are easy to remember."
"Hisham mentioned he specializes in defense. What about you?"
Azrael wasn't surprised by Hisham's tactical choice. After all, the opponent's defensive capabilities during their last Battle Club encounter had left a lasting impression. If it hadn't been for Artoria's Caliburn, Azrael would have needed considerable effort to break through those barriers.
Though he now felt confident that Fubuki's defensive abilities surpassed Hisham's, after a moment's consideration, Azrael decided not to compete for the same battlefield role.
"As for me, I'm better at long-range support, and I have some medical capabilities," he explained.
Indeed, his three primary battle cards, Unohana Retsu, Artoria, and Fubuki, all possessed long-range combat abilities.
"Additionally, my cards can provide battlefield enhancement for teammates."
He was referring to Artoria's [Journey of the Flowers] ability.
After listening to Azrael's explanation, the square-faced man's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Excellent! This time I've been assigned a real treasure."
"My card specializes in close combat, so Hisham will be responsible for protecting all three of us, while Azrael handles supporting my card. Does that arrangement work for everyone?"
Since they formed a three-person team, Keith's tactical assignments were relatively straightforward.
Both Azrael and Hisham had no objections to the proposed strategy.
After a moment's consideration, Azrael asked, "Brother Keith, what exactly is our mission this time? Stealth reconnaissance? Exploration?"
Unexpectedly, Keith shook his head and adopted a serious expression. "Neither. The advance teams have already entered and discovered large numbers of demon armies gathering near the entrance."
"We're facing a legion-scale battle this time. You must stay close to me when the fighting begins."
Hearing this revelation, Azrael felt his heart skip a beat.
When discussing the most dangerous types of missions, large-scale legion battles definitely topped the list. Moreover, this involved an extraordinary world where high-level Lore Cardians couldn't simply ignore everything around them during combat.
However, this didn't mean that low-level Lore Cardians were useless in such conflicts.
After all, even ants could inflict damage when present in sufficient numbers.
If no one contained the lower-level monsters, even high-level Lore Cardians would find themselves constrained and constantly vigilant against harassment from weaker enemies.
Keith also offered reassurance at this point. "Don't worry, it's not as dangerous as you might think. I've participated in this type of mission several times, and as you can see, I'm alive and well."
Azrael wanted to ask what had happened to his previous teammates, but ultimately held back the question.
If they had died, he would only be exposing painful memories.
While the team members were getting acquainted, it appeared that all mission personnel had arrived.
A Lore Cardian standing in front of the formation, whose level Azrael couldn't detect, called out loudly, "Follow me now!"
After speaking, he took the lead in stepping into the secret realm.
Large numbers of Lore Cardians began filing through the dimensional rift one after another.
Azrael was among them.
His vision blurred momentarily, and when it cleared, the world had completely changed.
The crimson sky appeared stained with thick blood that refused to dissolve, and even the wind carried bursts of metallic, fishy odors.
Azrael frowned slightly, allowing Pride to begin filtering the air before it reached his lungs.
After entering the secret realm, they didn't proceed directly to support the front lines. Instead, the entire force remained at the entry point.
Fortunately, Keith seemed to understand the reason for this delay.
He turned to Hisham and Azrael, explaining, "This gives us time to familiarize ourselves with each other's cards and abilities."
As he spoke, he summoned his two cards: a scarred man wielding a massive mace who looked powerful as a bear, and another being with a human torso and serpentine head holding a trident.
"Naga?" Azrael recognized what Keith's second card represented, though he couldn't identify the scarred warrior.
At Keith's signal, Azrael and Hisham also released their respective cards.
Azrael had seen Hisham's knight and Taoist priest before, so they didn't particularly capture his attention.
However, when Azrael manifested all his cards, Keith stared at him with an odd expression. "You..."
Azrael glanced at the three elegant women who stood in stark contrast to the masculine cards of his teammates, and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Fubuki, give him a demonstration," Azrael coughed, attempting to salvage his image.
Fubuki rolled her enchanting eyes at Azrael in mock exasperation. Then, without any visible movement on her part, the weapons in Keith's cards suddenly vanished from sight.
Keith stood stunned while his scarred warrior and Naga frowned and tested their grip. From their perspective, the weapons remained firmly in their hands, but they could no longer see them.
Because of his mental energy sensitivity, Keith quickly realized what had occurred. "Holy shit, that's incredible!"