At the Crimson Oath Society headquarters entrance, a young man stood examining messages on his phone.
A familiar voice interrupted his concentration.
"Brother, sorry I'm late."
Pierre approached with an apologetic expression.
Azrael looked up and waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I just arrived myself." He pocketed his phone and got straight to business. "This mission involves the Onefold Doctrine again, doesn't it?"
He'd already reviewed the mission briefing and recognized his old adversaries immediately.
Though his recent encounters with the demon army's upper echelons had somewhat desensitized him to the cult's activities, Azrael knew better than to underestimate them. The Onefold Doctrine always had some new scheme brewing beneath the surface.
Pierre sighed heavily. "Yeah, you just got back, and we haven't encountered them on our last mission, so we're not entirely sure how rampant they've become in Qilu."
Then a thought struck him, and he scratched his head sheepishly. "Wait, you dealt with them extensively in Donglai, didn't you?"
Azrael nodded. "Shawn and Cliff caused quite a stir there. If Ulquiorra hadn't broken through to Emerald-level beforehand, that middle-aged bastard would've been a real problem."
Pierre clapped him on the shoulder sympathetically. "There's an old saying about cockroaches, if you see one in your house, there's already a nest of them hiding somewhere you can't see."
He gestured toward the headquarters entrance. "But brother, you've retired from the Northern Defense Army. This mission will depend mainly on you."
Having never directly confronted the demon army himself, Pierre recognized that Azrael had far more experience with the Onefold Doctrine than he did. When it came to professional matters, it was best to defer to professionals.
Pierre had already decided to play the role of obedient subordinate on this assignment.
"I'll do my best," Azrael replied with a slight smile.
The two continued exchanging mission details before departing for their destination: Jeju.
However, they weren't the first support team to arrive. Two other mobile units had already reached the area, making Azrael and Pierre's team the third wave of reinforcements.
'The Onefold Doctrine plus a secret realm invasion?' Azrael thought, reviewing Jeju's current situation. 'No wonder they're sending so many people.'
'I just hope those cockroaches aren't running another experiment.'
The memory of Donglai's demonization experiments made him frown. Aizen's created item had solved that particular problem, but if the cult was attempting something new, he might not have an easy solution available.
To break the monotony of travel, Pierre decided to make conversation.
"Speaking of which, we really owe you for that last mission, brother," Pierre said in a tone mixing gratitude and satisfaction. "Otherwise, we might not have completed it so smoothly."
"But man, those reward points were generous."
The burly man spoke frankly. He'd rarely encountered such a comfortable mission before, only a few days of work for nearly forty thousand points.
While there had been some risk involved, it fell well within his capabilities to handle. Even if he couldn't manage something, he certainly couldn't refuse the mission.
Having a powerful teammate like Azrael made everything easier.
Though Pierre's contribution to the Ande City mission hadn't matched Azrael's, and his points were correspondingly lower, he would never tamper with the mission report. First, both their signatures were required for submission. Second, even if Azrael didn't sign, Pierre had no intention of offending someone with such obvious potential for a few extra points.
"Ah..." Pierre's expression turned wistful. "I'm still quite short of the venue materials I want."
He couldn't help but envy Azrael. During their last mission in the secret realm, he'd seen the young man already possessed an Emerald-level venue card.
What Pierre didn't know was that Azrael actually owned two Emerald-level cards, not just one.
"Can't be helped," Azrael replied sympathetically. "Venue materials are incredibly scarce. Finding one that suits your needs is already fortunate."
He carefully avoided mentioning his recent venue card acquisition.
Just as Pierre was about to respond, an inexplicable, bone-chilling cold suddenly swept over them.
Without hesitation, Azrael drew the Kaenken Rekka from his belt.
WHOOSH,
Blazing flames instantly engulfed their surroundings as he transformed into a knockoff Flying Dragon Arthur in the blink of an eye.
"Who's there?!" Azrael shouted, his voice sharp and commanding as he scanned the area with narrowed eyes.
Beside him, Pierre had already activated his own defensive card, though it wasn't as powerful as the Sacred Blade Armor. Caught off guard, he'd sustained minor damage from the initial attack.
For an Emerald-level Lore Cardian, however, such injuries were barely scratches.
'An ambush?' The thought flashed through both their minds simultaneously.
They had no idea who would be targeting them on the road.
Pierre leaned closer to Azrael, his voice low and uncertain. "The Onefold Doctrine?"
Azrael answered conservatively, "Probably."
While he strongly suspected the cult's involvement, a lingering sense of unease made him hesitate to confirm it outright.
With both of them heading to Jeju for support, the only parties who would be negatively affected were the demons in the secret realm and the Onefold Doctrine members within the city.
The former couldn't possibly have obtained intelligence about their support mission and staged this ambush.
As for the latter, considering his own reputation among the demon army, Azrael felt fairly certain this was their handiwork. The Onefold Doctrine must have somehow acquired information about the reinforcement teams.
Several figures emerged from concealment around them, each dressed differently, forming a loose encirclement.
In that instant, Pierre confirmed their identities and said confidently to Azrael, "It's cards. They're from the Onefold Doctrine."
"I just don't know how many Lore Cardians we're facing."
Looking at the numerous summoned creatures, Pierre's expression turned dark and grim.
The attackers were Lore Cardians, and the Onefold Doctrine employed Lore Cardians in their operations.
Azrael nodded silently, remaining cautious.
Then a voice emerged from somewhere within the encirclement, confirming Pierre's suspicions, "Azrael?"
"A man's reputation precedes him like a tree's shadow. You're truly the high-priority target designated by our commander. That attack didn't even harm you."
After a pause, the hidden speaker continued, "But next year, today will be your death anniversary."
"Surrender now, and I can make your death less painful."
Azrael scoffed. "Empty threats. I hope your strength matches your words."
With that declaration, he began summoning his own cards.
When Ulquiorra and Artoria materialized, the hidden Lore Cardians showed no surprise. After all, these two cards were already documented in the intelligence they'd received.
'This is troublesome,' one attacker thought, his expression serious. 'But there's still a chance.'
Recalling Azrael's record of severely injuring Diamond-level demons, the lead attacker's mood grew heavier.
When Unohana Retsu appeared, radiating her distinctive aura, his sense of foreboding intensified. However, considering the time elapsed since Azrael left the Northern Defense Army, encountering a new card, while somewhat unexpected, remained within acceptable parameters for a talented Lore Cardian.
'This is getting messy,' the lead attacker calculated grimly. 'We might have to use the trump card the master provided.'
Unfortunately, he didn't know about Azrael's venue card, nor did he realize this wasn't the young man's final summoned creature.
When Nelliel appeared beside Azrael, wearing attire identical to Ulquiorra's, not only the attackers but even Pierre showed visible surprise.
Looking at the green-haired woman and Ulquiorra's matching outfits, even a fool could recognize they belonged to the same series.
Cards from the same series invariably possessed bonds, special synergistic effects that amplified their power.
More importantly...
'If that card is number four...' The hidden attacker's gaze fixed first on the "4" displayed on Ulquiorra's left chest, then shifted to the "3" on Nelliel's back. 'Then how powerful must number three be?'
He could comfort himself by assuming higher numbers meant greater strength. But even so, with only a single digit difference, how vast could the gap possibly be? It couldn't be 3.1, could it?
What he didn't realize was that Ulquiorra's unique circumstances meant his current combat power might actually equal or slightly exceed that of the original Tres Espada, Nelliel, who should theoretically be stronger according to the numbering system.
Despite the situation spiraling beyond his initial calculations, thinking of the task his master had assigned, the lead attacker ultimately decided to proceed.
'Unfortunate that I don't know the bond effect.'
Card bonds were undoubtedly powerful, capable of deciding battle outcomes. However, since both Ulquiorra and Nelliel were Azrael's personal creations, he had no basis for speculating about their synergistic abilities.
Soon enough, a unique wave of spiritual energy resolved his uncertainty.
Pesche and Dondochakka materialized beside Nelliel in an instant, while Ulquiorra's aura suddenly intensified dramatically.
"A summoning bond?!" the lead attacker muttered, his heart sinking.
Judging from their spiritual pressure, the two newly appeared cards weren't top-tier Emerald-level entities, but they qualified as solid mid-tier threats.
The attackers' numerical advantage had just been neutralized.
Azrael's side, including Pierre's cards, now matched the number of creatures summoned by the attacking Lore Cardians.
As for quality, Azrael's team held a significantly higher advantage.
An uneasy voice echoed from the encirclement, "I didn't expect you to have so many hidden cards. We miscalculated this time."
"You're delusional if you think you can eliminate us with just these tricks," the speaker added with forced bravado.
Hearing this, the two subordinates flanking the lead attacker exchanged bewildered glances, uncertain whether their commander was serious or bluffing.
Ignoring the enemy's obstinate posturing, Azrael spoke in a cold, emotionless tone:
"Eliminate them."
"Remember, leave them alive."