Panic swept through the School like wildfire as students and faculty members scrambled to comprehend the sudden chaos erupting at their front gates.
Azrael immediately extended his mental perception, his spiritual energy rippling outward in controlled waves. The familiar, malevolent aura he detected made his expression darken with recognition.
"Onefold Doctrine?" he muttered under his breath, frowning deeply. "What are they doing here?"
Though Master Lucian had warned him about the possibility of cult remnants lurking in the cities surrounding Riverrock, Azrael couldn't fathom why this particular organization would target a high school with no apparent strategic value.
But the time for analysis is later. Azrael melted seamlessly into the shadows, his form dissolving into darkness with practiced ease.
"What's happening, Miss Victoria?" a student stammered, voice cracking with fear.
Apart from Azrael, Gabi, and Yurek, the other students in Silverbrook High's advanced placement class were all Black Iron-level Lore Cardians who had never set foot inside a secret realm. Faced with genuine supernatural terror, they stood frozen like deer in headlights.
Fortunately, Victoria maintained her composure despite the circumstances. As an experienced educator accustomed to emergency protocols, she made the only sensible decision available.
"It's likely a secret realm breach," she announced with authority that cut through the rising panic. "Everyone remain in your classrooms. Do not venture outside under any circumstances."
Privately, Victoria felt uncertain about her assessment. If this truly were a realm invasion, emergency broadcasts would already be flooding every communication channel in the city. The absence of official alerts troubled her more than she cared to admit.
After a moment's hesitation, she decided to investigate the disturbance personally. After all, Azrael, one of her former students, had walked through those very gates not long ago.
Victoria slipped from the classroom quietly, leaving behind a room full of anxious faces staring at each other in mounting dread.
"Should we follow her to the gates?" someone whispered uncertainly.
Before anyone could respond, Gabi's sharp voice cut through the suggestion like a blade. "Absolutely not. We'd only become obstacles for Azrael if we interfered. Listen to Miss Victoria and stay put."
As the daughter of a Gold-level Lore Cardian, Gabi possessed both the authority and practical wisdom to recognize their limitations. Moreover, since Azrael's dramatic advancement to Silver-level, she had emerged as the class's undisputed academic leader, commanding respect that few would dare challenge.
Meanwhile, at the school's security checkpoint, Corleone swallowed hard as he stared at what remained of the main entrance. The reinforced gateway looked as though it had been struck by a meteorite, leaving twisted metal and scattered debris in its wake.
As a security guard whose typical duties involved checking visitor credentials and maintaining basic order, Corleone had never encountered anything remotely resembling this level of supernatural destruction. The temptation to flee was overwhelming.
However, remembering the generous salary Silverbrook High provided, along with his professional obligations, he retreated to the communications room instead of abandoning his post entirely.
"Director, something has crashed into the main gate," he reported in a low, urgent whisper into his radio. "You need to alert the students to take cover immediately."
"Understood, Corleone. Stay safe out there," came the crackling response before the line went dead.
Curiosity proving stronger than caution, Corleone cautiously raised his head above the desk to observe the developing situation.
What he saw left him completely bewildered.
The same student who had casually mentioned oversleeping during his late arrival that morning now stood calmly at the epicenter of the destruction, apparently unperturbed by the obvious danger.
'Azrael, wasn't it?' Corleone was certain he remembered the name correctly.
In his growing confusion, Corleone reached for his radio again. "Director, there's a student standing right next to the creature!"
"What?! How is that possible? I've already notified Principal Kang and the faculty..."
"Should I try to evacuate him?"
Corleone's voice carried obvious reluctance. "I don't think I can get close enough. He's standing way too near that thing."
As the dust and smoke gradually settled, Corleone finally got a clear view of what had fallen from the sky and obliterated their school entrance.
It was a werewolf.
The creature possessed a humanoid upper torso mounted on the powerful lower body of a massive wolf, creating a form reminiscent of Centaurs from ancient mythology. However, the wolf's proportions were so oversized that the hybrid appearance seemed almost natural rather than grotesque.
What happened next left Corleone completely speechless.
"Onefold Doctrine," Azrael stated with cold recognition, studying the monstrous figure before him.
This marked his first encounter with a werewolf in this particular configuration, though he'd faced similar creatures during his secret realm expeditions.
"Those southern fools actually recognized us!" the werewolf snarled with manic glee, bloodlust gleaming in its wild eyes.
Without missing a beat, Azrael exhaled softly as dark crimson liquid enveloped his entire body. His slender human form expanded instantly into a massive, terrifying entity wreathed in black and red energy.
"I was planning to ask why you're here," Azrael's voice emerged as a low, menacing growl that seemed to echo from the depths of hell itself.
"But I think beating you half to death first sounds like a better approach."
A bone-deep sense of mortal danger washed over the werewolf like ice water. Instinct drove the creature to throw its right arm defensively to one side.
"SLASH!"
A severed limb spun through the air in a graceful arc before crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris.
"AHHHHH!" The werewolf's agonized howl pierced the air as it staggered backward, clutching the spurting stump where its arm had been moments before.
Inside the security booth, Corleone stared in absolute amazement at the unfolding battle. With trembling fingers, he quickly contacted his supervisor again.
"Director, um, that student at the gate seems to have defeated the demon. You might want to come see this yourself."
"We're already on our way," came the reply, not through the radio, but from directly behind Corleone.
The security director had apparently arrived with several other faculty members, and they were now all crowded into the small communications room, peering out at the extraordinary scene.
"Miss Victoria, that is Azrael, isn't it?" one of the teachers asked uncertainly.
Though the summoned cards surrounding the black and red figure looked familiar, the dramatic transformation made identification challenging.
Victoria hesitated before nodding slowly. "It should be Azrael."
None of them could be blamed for their uncertainty. Azrael's full combat transformation was primarily employed during secret realm expeditions, and the staff at Silverbrook High had never witnessed it firsthand.
With a wet, tearing sound, a completely new arm burst from the werewolf's shoulder socket, regenerating with disturbing speed.
"Gah! I'll kill you!" the creature roared, foul-smelling saliva dripping from its maws onto the pavement below.
Azrael frowned as he watched the crimson glow in the werewolf's eyes intensify dramatically. "Have you lost your mind completely?"
"Perfect. I was waiting for you to start chanting anyway. What's taking so long?"
A pitch-black wall erupted from the ground with lightning speed, transforming in the blink of an eye into a massive coffin that completely engulfed the werewolf.
Moments later, the coffin dissolved into ethereal mist, revealing its contents.
Not a single piece of flesh remained on the werewolf's bones. Its breathing was so shallow that it appeared essentially dead, though a faint spark of life still flickered within.
Everyone watching from the communications room released collective sighs of relief at this apparent resolution.
Principal Kang smiled with genuine pride as he prepared to lead the faculty outside. "Azrael truly is an exemplary graduate of our institution."
"Don't approach yet," Azrael called out sharply, halting their advance.
His enhanced senses detected a stark contradiction between the werewolf's external appearance and its internal vitality. Something was very wrong with this picture.
"Tsk, you didn't fall for the deception?" the werewolf muttered as it climbed to its feet as though nothing had happened.
Under the horrified gazes of Principal Kang and his colleagues, the creature's flesh regenerated completely within seconds.
"You are quite powerful, I'll grant you that," the werewolf acknowledged with grudging respect.
"However..."
"Protecting others is ten thousand times more difficult than simple killing!"
With a frenzied roar, the werewolf launched itself like a cannonball toward the nearby classroom building.
In Senior Year Class 3, homeroom teacher Calvin paced anxiously back and forth across the front of the room.
After the initial commotion at the school gates, the emergency broadcast had instructed all classes to remain in their rooms and avoid spreading rumors. Since then, continuous vibrations and distant sounds of combat had only heightened the tension.
Everything pointed toward the possibility of a secret realm invasion, though the absence of official city-wide alerts remained puzzling.
"Mr. Calvin, please stop pacing. You're making me dizzy," complained Zack from the front row.
Calvin responded with a weary sigh, his nerves frayed beyond his ability to maintain classroom composure.
"CRASH!"
At that moment, an intermittent roar echoed from the direction of the school entrance.
Unable to resist his curiosity any longer, Calvin moved toward the classroom door to peer outside.
The sight that greeted him instantly drained the color from his face.
A massive half-human, half-wolf monstrosity was charging directly toward their building with murderous intent.
With a single sweep of its right claw, the creature generated a massive white energy slash that threatened to bisect the entire structure in a single blow.
The other students in the classroom naturally witnessed this terrifying development through the windows.
"We're all going to die!" The thought arose simultaneously in nearly every mind present.
However, just as despair seemed inevitable, a gentle breeze caressed their faces as an invisible wall of psychic force enveloped the entire classroom building.
"CRASH!"
The scattered white energy claws instantly tore through the surrounding pavement, leaving deep gouges in the earth while the building itself remained completely unharmed.
"How repulsive! You Onefold Doctrine scum!" a harsh voice like the growl of a demon echoed in everyone's ears.
The teachers and students who had narrowly survived the assault rushed to the corridor railings to observe the ongoing battle.
The werewolf that had originally charged toward their building now crouched on the ground, snarling continuously at something near the school's entrance.
"Nelliel, finish this!"
Amidst the deep, commanding voice, faint crimson spiritual energy surged skyward while massive spiritual pressure settled over everyone's hearts like a physical weight.
As everything fell into an eerie silence, a gentle voice rang out clearly across the battlefield.
"Declare, Gamuza!"
The crimson spiritual energy instantly converged, and for a moment, the scene became as still as if nothing had ever happened.
Only the invisible pressure in the air testified that what they had witnessed was no illusion.
"That sounds like Azrael's technique," someone whispered in the hushed silence.
Upon hearing this observation, everyone turned their attention toward the towering black and red figure surrounded by several female cards.
Though they had never witnessed Azrael's combat form personally, the distinctive faces of Artoria, Unohana Retsu, and Fubuki were deeply ingrained in the memories of every teacher and student at Silverbrook High.
"It really is Azrael!"
"My god, that technique is even more terrifying when experienced firsthand."
Calvin stared blankly at the black and red figure below, his mind reeling.
Once upon a time, Azrael had been a teenager who boasted to him about successfully crafting a single Purple Iron-rank card.
"He's really made it big," Calvin murmured in amazement.
Zack listened to the excited chatter around him while remembering how he'd flaunted his own Green Iron-rank card on the bus at the beginning of their senior year.
Even worse, he'd later told his classmates in Senior Year Class 3 that Azrael was dropping out to find work.
The memory made him flush with embarrassment. "Hey Zack, buddy, Azrael probably won't hold grudges, right?" he muttered to himself.
Down in the courtyard, the werewolf glared at Azrael with undisguised hatred. "I didn't expect you to possess a card of that caliber."
The creature wasn't referring to Nelliel, but rather to Fubuki.
The werewolf had initially planned to use the students and teachers in the building as hostages to force Azrael into submission, only to discover that penetrating Fubuki's psychic barriers was completely impossible.
Azrael had no interest in prolonged conversation, though he was somewhat puzzled by the tactical approach.
"Based on his aerial arrival, he could have chosen a more densely populated landing zone from the beginning," Azrael mused internally.
"Whatever. Let's beat him half to death first, then ask questions."
With that thought, Nelliel appeared before the werewolf in a flash, wielding her distinctive double-headed lance.
"What?!" the werewolf's pupils constricted in shock as he barely managed to cross both arms defensively in front of himself.
How could mere flesh and bone hope to withstand Nelliel's weapon?
In the blink of an eye, Nelliel lifted the werewolf into the air like a piece of cargo, her lance piercing completely through his torso.
The searing pain finally forced a genuine cry of agony from the creature's throat.
Desperately, the werewolf grasped Nelliel's lance with both hands, using the leverage to pull himself backward and escape toward the school's athletic field.
Watching the werewolf's retreat toward the open area, Azrael smiled with grim satisfaction. "Finally drove him to where I wanted him."
Eliminating this Onefold Doctrine operative would be simple enough, either Artoria could fire a concentrated blast, or Nelliel could unleash her full power.
However, such devastating attacks would cause collateral damage far exceeding anything the werewolf itself might inflict.
Artoria's signature beam would be immensely satisfying to deploy, but the resulting casualties would likely dwarf those caused by the werewolf.
"I really need to find Artoria a more precise weapon," Azrael reflected.
"Plus, equipment cards can be utilized by other cards as well, including myself."
As a Silver-level card, Artoria's strength derived largely from her Sword of Promise. With the "Thirteen Restraints" system unlocked, she barely achieved average Silver-level combat effectiveness without her legendary weapon.
In the distance, the werewolf gasped heavily while covering the gaping wound in his chest. "Damn it."
"This is a formidable opponent."
"I have to retreat."
The creature couldn't help but feel anxious. The Silver-level Lore Cardian opposing him was as powerful as a monster in human form. A single card was sufficient to completely suppress his abilities.
Moreover, the hostage strategy they had planned proved utterly unworkable against this particular enemy.
"ROAR!"
Releasing a defiant howl toward Azrael, the werewolf prepared for one final assault.
But in the next moment, his actions shocked every teacher and student at Silverbrook High.
Without the slightest hesitation, the werewolf turned and leaped into the air, attempting to flee the scene entirely.
However, such a obvious maneuver could hardly escape Azrael's notice.
Instantly, Nelliel materialized above the escaping creature.
Her double-headed lance, wrapped in pale crimson spiritual energy, pierced through the werewolf like lightning, bringing the beast crashing down to earth with tremendous force.
The soil at the center of the athletic field surged outward like a tsunami under the impact of the lance strike.
Within moments, the previously spacious playground had vanished, replaced by a terrifying crater of enormous proportions.
At the bottom of the pit, the werewolf lay pinned to the center like a discarded puppet.
The dramatic transformation of terrain caused by such overwhelming destructive power left everyone at Silverbrook High speechless, as though invisible hands had seized their throats.
"I may have overdone that slightly," Azrael admitted with a trace of guilt as he surveyed the unrecognizable athletic field. "Well, I did this to protect the personal safety of my classmates and teachers. No one should blame me for that."
Setting aside his minor concerns, he addressed Unohana Retsu directly. "Retsu, please apply the restraints."
"Bakudō #75: Gochūtekkan."
A gentle feminine voice echoed across the battlefield as five massive iron pillars materialized from thin air, crashing down heavily upon the werewolf's limbs and neck.
"AHHHHH!" A soul-deep scream of agony rose from the depths of the crater.
Normally, the Five Iron Pillars technique should secure the head and four limbs simultaneously. But Azrael had specifically requested targeting of vital areas instead, after all, how could the creature answer questions with his head pinned down?
Seriously, this modification was purely to facilitate interrogation. It had nothing to do with any preference for theatrical positioning.
With a light leap, Azrael descended to the bottom of the pit.
"Now then, what exactly is the Onefold Doctrine planning?" he demanded coldly.
"And why did you land at the school gates when you could have simply destroyed the building from the start?"
A massive shadow loomed over the trapped werewolf as those chilling words reached his ears.
However, the creature simply raised his head to stare at Azrael, a disturbing smile spreading across his blood-stained features.
"Heh heh."
"Because of us, "
Before the werewolf could complete his sentence, his head exploded like an overripe fruit.
The self-destruct mechanism was activated exactly like those Azrael had encountered with demons in the secret realms.