A fierce battle raged in the vast theatre, the empty auditorium echoing with the sounds of clashing spiritual energy and explosive techniques.
BOOM!
A violent gust of wind, generated by the explosion, whipped through Azrael's hair and that of his companions. The dazzling light and searing heat forced them to squint against the overwhelming radiance.
'I don't know if it's my imagination, but do you think Greg and the others are holding back?' Jacob suddenly asked Azrael and Commander Kageyami beside him.
He had noticed something peculiar since his younger brother's arrival. The group of Diamond-level demons on the opposite side had become somewhat restrained, as if restricted by an unseen force. The addition of a mere crow to their ranks couldn't possibly have had such an impact.
Hearing this, Commander Kageyami nodded slightly. He had also noticed the abnormality, though he couldn't immediately determine the cause.
Azrael, however, seemed to have an idea and spoke hesitantly. 'Could the attack I launched before being transported here have damaged the Binding Barrier, causing them to hesitate and preventing them from fighting at full strength?'
The two Diamond-level Lore Cardians paused, considering this possibility. They exchanged meaningful glances before rubbing their chins thoughtfully.
'If that's the case,' they said in unison, 'perhaps we can exploit this weakness.'
Azrael wasn't entirely certain if his theory was correct, but, seeing that two beings of a higher rank and with greater experience had reached the same conclusion, he remained silent. He understood their urgency , while their current situation was relatively stable, the fate of the remaining Emerald-level Lore Cardians who had been separated was uncertain.
After all, the demons had been strengthened by the Binding Barrier: Deathmatch Theatre. If the barrier couldn't be broken quickly, Gaza would suffer catastrophic losses. Azrael felt that the casualties were already severe enough.
Meanwhile, Greg's face darkened as he and his group of Diamond-level demons confronted Azrael's three companions and their summoned cards. He cast a resentful glance at Azrael in the distance , this unstable factor had become a thorn in his side.
He had never imagined that a Lore Cardian from Gaza, let alone an Emerald-level one, could have such a profound impact on the Binding Barrier: Deathmatch Theatre. Greg's intelligence reports had indicated that, while impressive, Azrael's two cards should not be capable of achieving what they currently were.
Greg's expression darkened further as he considered all the effort he had invested in this plan. Fortunately, the situation wasn't irreversible. He had a contingency plan for this scenario, though it came at a steep cost and he would only use it if absolutely necessary.
Just as he was pondering his next move, the card attack led by Kuafu suddenly intensified with renewed vigour.
Seeing this, Ruth frowned slightly, her beautiful features creasing with impatience. 'Wouldn't it be better if you just died already?'
She was growing irritated. These obstacles were wasting precious time she could be spending with her sweetheart, one after another. Greg had seemed so well prepared before the battle, but a single miscalculation had thrown everything into chaos.
As an invisible wave of alluring energy swept through the theatre, the air instantly filled with an intoxicating fragrance that would overwhelm lesser beings.
Fortunately, Azrael and his two companions were protected by Diamond-level cards, so Ruth's seductive aura didn't affect them significantly.
WHOOSH!
As Ruth watched the Thunder Spear approach again, she glanced at Azrael in the distance and whispered seductively, 'Sweetheart, do you really want to pierce me with your spear?'
"?"
Hearing Ruth's provocative words, a deep voice slowly emerged from Azrael's mouth. 'No, big sister, why are you being so inappropriate?'
Speechless at her shameless flirtation, he turned his head away and ignored the alluring demoness entirely.
BOOM!
As the Thunder Spear exploded once again, chaotic surges of spiritual energy roiled around them, drowning out all other sounds with their thunderous roar.
At the same time, three Diamond-level cards silently broke away from the main engagement and sped towards the edge of the theatre.
Caught in the middle of the explosion, Greg immediately noticed the tactical shift, his expression changing drastically. 'Not good!'
He had intentionally concentrated the battle in the centre of the theatre to prevent the opposing Lore Cardians from discovering the weaknesses of the Binding Barrier: Deathmatch Theatre. But somehow, they had figured it out.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar that resonated throughout the surrounding area, the theatre in which Azrael and the others were standing began to shake violently.
Unfortunately, the trembling only lasted a few seconds before fading as if what had just happened was an illusion.
However, the three companions couldn't help but feel a surge of joy when they witnessed this reaction.
Jacob smiled faintly and patted Azrael on the shoulder. 'It seems your deduction was correct, Junior Brother.'
With Azrael's suspicions confirmed, the three of them no longer wanted to engage the opposing demons in prolonged combat. They simply wanted to break the barrier and retreat to Gaza with the other Lore Cardians as quickly as possible.
Seeing that the opposing Lore Cardians had already grasped the true nature of the situation, Greg spoke in a cold, determined voice: 'Everyone, abandon all restraint! Go all out and eliminate them immediately.'
As he spoke, he relinquished the separate space he had created to trap the Emerald-level Lore Cardians, channelling all its power into reinforcing the theatre's barriers.
Hesitation breeds defeat. Greg had the courage to make tough decisions.
As the battle intensified, Azrael and his companions realised that something had fundamentally changed. The barrier, which had previously shown signs of weakness under their attacks, had now become seemingly impenetrable.
Their expressions first grew grim, but then brightened slightly as understanding dawned. They had a rough understanding of Greg's actions , by sacrificing the other spaces, he had strengthened this one. Now that the remaining Emerald-level Lore Cardians had likely escaped, their only task was to defeat the group of Diamond-level demons before them.
'Azrael, isn't it?' A cold, emotionless voice suddenly echoed through the theatre.
Greg's face remained expressionless, his emotions completely unreadable. 'You're performing adequately. Thanks to your interference, my plan was only half successful.'
Just as Greg was about to continue his monologue, an extremely terrifying aura suddenly emanated from outside the theatre.
The demons, led by Greg, immediately changed their expressions; alarm replaced their previous confidence. Meanwhile, Jacob and Commander Kageyami's faces were filled with uncontrollable ecstasy.
Azrael stood stunned, absorbing the overwhelming spiritual pressure that washed over him.
Undoubtedly, it was a Sovereign-level aura.
'It's Master Fujimaru, the Mountain Master,' Commander Kageyami said, barely concealing his excitement. 'She's returned from Shudoria.'
Azrael suddenly understood the situation. At his current level, he had long been aware that a new Sovereign-level secret realm had appeared near the previous Sovereign-level one in Shudoria. Therefore, Master Fujimaru had left the Northern Defence Army to help Lord Lioren suppress it.
However, Azrael had also heard that the Sovereign-level secret realm had largely been resolved with Lioren's help. Lioren was the only Sovereign-level Lore Cardian in the Empire of Aetherlight. There were still some residual issues that Fujimaru needed to address, which was why she hadn't returned until now.
Lucian had mentioned this to Azrael while he was taking part in the national competition.
Just as Azrael and the others thought everything was settled, another terrifying aura manifested.
Sensing it, the demons' pale faces instantly regained their rosy complexion.
'It's a Lord Military Commander,' Greg breathed, relieved, and fixed his gaze on the three Lore Cardians in the distance. 'I just don't know which one it is.'
He knew the battle could no longer continue under these circumstances.
'You're quite fortunate,' he said coldly. 'What a shame.'
As his voice rang out, dense cracks gradually appeared around the edges of the theatre.
Just as Azrael and the others thought that the Deathmatch Theatre was collapsing under the pressure of the Sovereign, Greg smiled mockingly.
'Farewell.'
CRACK!
A crisp, shattering sound echoed through the space and the theatre instantly collapsed into chaotic dimensional turbulence.
Violent spatial distortions began tearing at Azrael and his companions. Sensing the imminent collapse of his Sacred Blade Armour, Azrael gritted his teeth and replaced Luffy's Wonder Ride Book with Shiraori's.
However, as the two terrifying auras outside collided with tremendous force, the already unstable space shattered completely.
"Junior Brother!" At Jacob's desperate cry, Azrael's vision darkened and his consciousness fled.
My name is Amina.
I'm an ordinary textile worker in Baron Albert's household.
I thought I would live a peaceful life like this forever.
But then, one day, monsters invaded our home.
The Baron and the Knight were killed in the battle that followed. The monsters took us survivors back to their lair as captives. Just when I thought I was doomed to become the monsters' food, priests from the church invaded the lair.
However, they seemed no match for the creatures that had captured us.
I hid alone in a cave amid the chaos of battle.
A day passed like this. When I finally returned to explore the area, I found the bodies of priests and monsters alike scattered across the blood-soaked ground.
Terrified by the carnage, I retreated to the cave again.
After another day, I found the courage to try and find a way home.
Just then, a tattered figure appeared in front of me out of nowhere.
He seemed to still be alive, though barely.
I dragged him back to the cave with great difficulty.
How strange! Despite the obvious trauma he had suffered, there wasn't a single visible wound on his body.
Could he be a noble lord too?
In the darkness, Azrael opened his eyes with considerable effort. 'Am I not dead?'
The hoarse words emerged from his parched mouth.
Azrael's heart was filled with gratitude at having survived such a catastrophe. He hadn't really expected to survive the dimensional collapse.
However, after the initial relief, he was overwhelmed by profound confusion.
Where exactly was he now?
All he could see were rough rock walls surrounding him in every direction.
This was clearly not Gaza, but he didn't think that he had been captured by the demon army either.
He tried to stand up but found his body was weak and unresponsive, and waves of stabbing pain were radiating through his muscles and bones.
Most importantly, his mental strength had completely deserted him.
'The spiritual energy has dissipated.'
Cough, cough.
His throat burned like fire and his mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood as he couldn't help but cough violently.
Just then, a timid voice came from somewhere close to Azrael. 'Are you awake?'
Azrael heard a rustling sound and felt cool liquid flow into his mouth.
It was water.
However, he was terrified by the realisation that he had failed to notice someone beside him. This was a dangerous vulnerability in his current weakened state.
Fortunately, this person seemed harmless enough.
Moreover, they appeared to be speaking English , a language that shouldn't exist in his world.
'What's going on? Where am I?' Azrael felt deeply puzzled. Only then could he make out the other person's face in the dim light.
It was a grimy little girl, perhaps twelve or thirteen years old.
'You saved me?' Azrael asked hoarsely; his English was barely sufficient for basic communication.
The girl nodded almost imperceptibly, then found the courage to ask, 'Are you a noble lord?'
'?'
Azrael was stunned.
What on earth was a noble lord? What did that concept even mean in relation to him?
He asked carefully, 'Why do you think I'm a noble lord?'
The little girl shrank back nervously and replied hesitantly, 'Because you, sir, are very beautiful.'
'?
Azrael's hair stood on end. Could Ruth be playing some kind of elaborate trick on him?
He considered many possibilities instantly, but Ruth probably didn't speak English, and the situation felt far too real to be an illusion.
'And...' the girl continued shyly, 'you, like those noble lords, have divine powers.'
Before he could ask her about these supposed powers, she continued, 'Are you hungry, sir? I have some fruit left.'
She pulled a bunch of small, unidentifiable red fruits from her tattered clothing.
Out of extreme caution, Azrael politely declined the girl's generous offer.
The little girl withdrew her hand, looking slightly disappointed, and muttered softly, 'Just call me Amina, sir.'
With that, she retreated into a corner of the cave, hugging her knees and lying motionless like a frightened animal.
Although he didn't know if she harboured any ill intentions, Azrael chose to meditate and focus on recovery. His top priority was to quickly regain his mental strength and the ability to protect himself.
In his current vulnerable state, even if this girl truly had malicious intentions, he wouldn't be able to resist effectively.
Seeing Azrael close his eyes in meditation, Amina pursed her lips and quietly left the cave.
When he opened his eyes again several hours later, she was gone.
Feeling his mental strength gradually returning, he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately summoned Pride to heal his numerous internal injuries.
Within seconds, Azrael was back on his feet, fully recovered.
After changing into fresh clothes retrieved from the Shadow Kingdom, he stretched his limbs experimentally.
'The cards that were on cooldown have been restored,' he noted with satisfaction. 'It seems I haven't been unconscious for more than a day.'
Then, Azrael unleashed a massive Emerald-level mental force and swept the surrounding area with his enhanced perception.
'Hmm?'
He had located the missing Amina, but her condition didn't look good. From his perspective, however, she appeared to be just an ordinary human being , no spiritual energy and no unusual abilities.
Elsewhere in the dense forest, Amina was limping painfully through the undergrowth.
'Ouch, it hurts,' she whispered to herself, grasping a tree trunk for support as she crouched down, her face covered in perspiration.
At that moment, a calm voice sounded directly in front of her. 'What are you doing out here?'
Amina looked up and saw that the nobleman, who had seemed so frail and helpless not long ago, had undergone a complete transformation. He looked healthy, strong and beautiful.
A flicker of envy crossed her face as she gazed at his elegant clothing. She then pulled a different fruit from her ragged pocket , a completely different variety of red fruit to the one she had offered before.
'This one is very sweet,' she said hopefully. 'Would you like some, sir?'
Azrael remained silent for a moment, then gently patted Amina on the head and gazed towards the dense forest behind her with sharp, alert eyes.
'Since you're here,' he said, addressing the hidden presence, 'do you still need me to invite you to show yourself?'
Amina raised her head in confusion, but the next moment she was shielded by Shadowkhans who had materialised beside her out of thin air.
Feeling the soft, warm blanket that the spectral figures had draped over her, she stared up at Azrael in wonder and growing fear.
'There really is a big fish!' A malicious voice echoed from the forest shadows. 'I wonder how this little morsel managed to survive all alone in demon territory.'
SWISH!
A brilliant sword flashed towards Azrael with lethal intent.
Just as the blade was about to make contact, however, a pale figure appeared before Azrael and grasped the weapon with one bare hand, stopping it completely.
'?'