Before entering this unknown secret realm, if someone had told Azrael that an Emerald-rank Lore Cardian could produce colored cards, he would have refused to believe it.
He had never seen anyone possess a colored card before reaching Emerald rank, nor had he ever created one himself.
Of all his cards, only the Saber and Shiraori, both of which were capable of advancing to the Sovereign level, had come close in quality to colored cards.
But they were only close. The information panels still indicated that they were red-quality materials.
Reflecting on this remarkable achievement, he sighed with mixed emotions. "I'm afraid it'll be difficult to replicate next time."
This time, he had invested two complete sets of colored materials in creating the card, an astronomical investment that would be nearly impossible to replicate.
Unless someone as generous as Gulan provided him with such materials again. Like Gulan, they would also need to have fallen from Sovereign-level status. That combination alone made replication unlikely.
Furthermore, Azrael believed that Artoria's colored quality was partly due to the chain cards he had consumed when she was promoted.
Therefore, the Knight King he currently possessed was technically a fusion card: two in one.
After a long moment of contemplation, Azrael calmed his racing thoughts and resumed examining Artoria's detailed information.
"We already have the Wind King Barrier, so there's no need for a modified version of Hell Blizzard Fantasy Control.
"But that can only intimidate primitives like Diarmuid. I'm afraid it won't fool anyone truly skilled."
For Artoria, the Wind King Barrier was now more of a tool for eliminating weaker enemies without unleashing the full power of Excalibur. Concealing the blade's form was merely a secondary feature.
But the real prize was yet to come.
"Thirteen Restraints..."
Azrael found himself at a loss for words to describe his feelings adequately.
He knew that the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad and the Holy Sword Excalibur both had thirteen binding restrictions, so he had written this mechanic into the card design specifically.
However, he hadn't expected Artoria to manifest this ability as a functional skill.
In the original Fate series, after all, Excalibur, with all its restraints removed, was the ultimate holy sword that could save the planet itself.
Azrael murmured doubtfully to himself, "It should be a weakened version, right?"
Then a new concern surfaced in his mind. "The problem is that removing all the restraints will be difficult. According to the majority rule of the Knights of the Round Table, only seven votes are needed for complete release."
Nevertheless, having such a devastatingly powerful skill as a trump card gave Azrael considerable peace of mind.
If he were to encounter Greg again in a hostile situation, he would definitely show the man what a true surprise looked like.
As for the rest of the card's abilities, Artoria's two original traits had transformed into similar yet distinct names after her promotion, presumably due to their enhanced effectiveness at the higher rank.
After thoroughly reviewing Artoria's card information, Azrael finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.
The only remaining materials were [Bloody Lord] (Red) and [Warlord] (Red). Everything else had already been converted into combat-ready cards.
"Time to ask for directions again."
Azrael muttered to himself, a hint of regret creeping into his thoughts. He should have asked Gulan for directions to the secret realm before the old man passed away.
However, before asking another captured demon for directions, he needed to recover the substantial mental energy he'd expended creating Artoria's card.
At the exit of the secret realm, Leon gazed at the vast spatial rift shimmering in the distance. He casually asked the man beside him, David, "Still no sign of Azrael these past two days?"
David shook his head slightly, his expression remaining neutral.
Seeing this response, the brown-haired prince felt frustration building within him.
He had been guarding the secret realm's exit for days, yet Azrael had seemingly vanished into thin air. The foreign Lore Cardian hadn't been spotted since the confrontation in the Royal City.
Leon wondered if Azrael had perished in some remote corner of the realm or had found a way to leave this mystical space entirely.
However, considering Azrael's formidable combat prowess, Leon was certain the man wasn't dead. Someone with that level of power wouldn't fall so easily.
With this thought firmly in mind, Leon couldn't help but release a weary sigh. "Wait two more days. If we still can't locate him by then, we'll attempt to break through on our own."
His expression darkened considerably as he spoke.
Leon was still uncertain whether they could break through the Fallen Cult's blockade without Azrael's help.
Recently, the Fallen Cult had ramped up their operations to the point of madness, conducting systematic sweeps throughout the secret realm. If he waited much longer, his carefully concealed position would soon be discovered.
Leon had a general idea of what the Fallen Cult was searching for in this realm, though the specifics remained unclear.
After all, before entering, he had only known that the secret realm contained materials he required for his advancement. The Fallen Cult's true objectives remained a mystery.
Suddenly, a violent commotion erupted near the distant exit portal.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion thundered across the landscape, and the resulting shockwave shook the dense forest violently.
Such a dramatic disturbance naturally caught Leon's attention immediately.
After observing the chaotic scene near the exit of the secret realm, the brown-haired prince broke into a delighted expression. "He's finally arrived! Let's move!"
With those words, he led David toward the exit at full speed.
The cause of all the commotion was Azrael.
Several days ago, after regaining his mental strength through meditation, he located and captured a moderately powerful demon. He then inquired about the secret realm's exit location using his usual persuasive methods.
After gathering this intelligence, they rushed toward the exit without stopping.
It had taken several days to reach their destination because he encountered multiple waves of Fallen Cult members patrolling along the way.
To maintain operational security and conceal his whereabouts, he was forced to take lengthy detours around their search patterns.
Moreover, Azrael had discovered that the Fallen Cult now devoted considerably more resources to interference operations than when he and Leon first met. Their behavior over the past few days could be described as obsessive fanaticism.
He nearly got discovered several times during his journey.
Azrael had developed some educated guesses about the situation. He had a general idea of what the Fallen Cult was searching for when they sealed off this secret realm.
It was probably the mysterious sphere embedded in Gulan's abdomen.
They likely didn't know the artifact's exact specifications or true nature; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent only Emerald-level Lore Cardians to seal off the secret realm. A treasure of that magnitude would have warranted Diamond- or Sovereign-level operatives.
However, precisely because of this incomplete intelligence, the Fallen Cult's defensive presence at the exit of the secret realm wasn't particularly formidable. Most of their forces were deployed throughout the interior, conducting systematic searches for valuable items.
Azrael couldn't help but feel satisfied as he watched a pale green Lightning Lance strike its target with devastating precision in the distance.
Perhaps because Ulquiorra had fired so many of these attacks during their journey, he had improved dramatically in his control over the Lanza del Relámpago compared to his initial attempts.
At the very least, if he tried to strike Tier Harribel again, he wouldn't miss.
Dodging the attack didn't count as missing, of course.
However, Azrael's attention was now focused more intently on Artoria than on Ulquiorra's improved marksmanship.
"Can the [Perfect King] trait even enhance Ulquiorra after his Segunda Etapa transformation?"
Although the improvement was relatively minor, Ulquiorra, in his second-stage release, could barely be considered low Diamond-level in raw power.
"And isn't Artoria's combat strength somewhat exaggerated?"
Azrael marveled as he watched the blue-clad girl in gleaming armor charge into the Fallen Cult's defensive formation like an unstoppable war goddess.
Unfortunately, the breakthrough wasn't proceeding quite as smoothly as he'd hoped.
The Fallen Cult didn't have a Diamond-level Lore Cardian overseeing this operation, but they did have a highly talented Emerald-level combatant commanding the defense.
With the sudden appearance of a stern, red-haired man on the battlefield, the Fallen Cult forces stabilized their collapsing formation.
Seeing this tactical shift, Azrael couldn't help but sigh in frustration. "I knew it wouldn't be that simple."
However, the red-haired commander looked strangely familiar to him.
A moment later, recognition dawned on him. He recalled seeing this individual standing behind Chris during the Australia incident.
Azrael's expression grew more serious. After comparing the Crimson Oath Society members who had accompanied Jin to Australia, he felt confident that anyone accompanying Chris, also known as [Inverted Cross], would possess considerable combat capability.
His assessment proved accurate when four women with gorgeous, ethereal features materialized on the battlefield.
With their dramatic entrance, massive trees erupted from the soil in overwhelming numbers.
The Fallen Cult Lore Cardians, injured by Ulquiorra and Artoria's relentless attacks, were suddenly enveloped by streams of healing water. They began to rapidly recover from their wounds.
Azrael's expression darkened considerably as he observed these developments.
He didn't immediately recognize the origins of the four cards the red-haired commander had deployed, but judging by their strikingly similar attire and coordinated abilities, they were undoubtedly from the same series. This implied a powerful bond effect between them.
Furthermore, he could sense that these four cards possessed considerable strength, even without their bonuses.
"I just don't know what their specific bond effects are."
On the active battlefield, Artoria frowned slightly at the vast enchanted forest that had suddenly materialized in front of her. She tightened her grip on the hilt of the holy sword.
The next moment, a raging gust of compressed wind swept through everything in her path.
Watching the Wind King Hammer plow a clear corridor through the magical trees, Artoria took a deep breath, planted her foot firmly against the ground, and charged forward with explosive speed.
In the blink of an eye, however, the path she had carved was replaced by another wave of towering trees as the enchanted earth churned and regenerated.
Artoria pondered the tactical situation silently. "Should I release the holy sword's true power?"
Since Azrael wasn't afflicted with severe mana deficiency, she wouldn't lose all combat capability after firing a single full-powered blast.
Just as she was considering this option, a pale green Lightning Lance descended from the sky, striking the regenerating forest.
"Boom!"
The resulting explosion sent a raging storm that whipped the girl's golden hair wildly.
"There."
Artoria immediately understood that Ulquiorra was providing targeting intelligence from his aerial vantage point.
After all, while she was trapped in the maze-like woods, Ulquiorra had unrestricted aerial mobility.
Without hesitating, she adjusted her course toward the Lightning Lance's impact location.
However, Azrael, observing from outside the boundaries of the enchanted forest, undoubtedly sensed something far more concerning. "Can it completely block mental perception?"
His mental scan revealed the vast magical forest covering the secret realm's exit like a prickly hedgehog. A single sweep of his psychic power produced distinctly uncomfortable stinging sensations.
Even forcing his way through with raw mental strength revealed no useful information about the interior.
More critically, perhaps it wasn't merely his imagination: after Ulquiorra's Lightning Lance destroyed a substantial section of the forest, the trees that regenerated in that area seemed even more robust than before.
"A bond effect that grows stronger through damage absorption?"
Just as Azrael began formulating theories about the enemy's abilities, a familiar voice suddenly rang out beside him, causing him to tighten his grip on the Flame Sword instinctively.
"Sir, please withdraw your cards first."
It was Leon's voice.
Azrael turned around sharply and saw the brown-haired prince approaching with a diplomatic smile. Beside him, David maintained his characteristically expressionless demeanor.