A faint smell of burning still lingered in the air. Azrael stood quietly before the massive crater created by the three assassins' self-destruction, contemplating his next move.
He'd already contained Shiraori. Although he'd made up his mind to reveal his hand eventually, he preferred to remain as secretive as possible for now.
He was primarily concerned about the hassle of explaining himself if someone saw him.
He pulled out his phone, staring at the pitch-black screen in silence for a moment before expertly lighting it up and opening the contacts page.
[Azrael: Senior Sister.]
[Alice: ?]
Seeing Alice's lightning-fast reply, he knew his senior sister hadn't been attacked.
But then again, as a Diamond-level Lore Cardian, even in Pixar, she couldn't be eliminated without anyone noticing.
[Azrael: It's okay, wait until I get back.]
[Alice: Okay.]
The crisp, clear reply left Azrael unsure whether his senior sister had grasped his meaning or if it was simply her nature.
After all, except for the last time when she'd spoken in long, articulate sentences while playing it straight, her normal speaking style was like this.
Azrael didn't directly tell Alice the specific information after confirming her safety because he was afraid his mobile phone was monitored by the court.
Although according to normal reasoning, the court shouldn't be so powerful, but what if? It was better to be safe than sorry, and he wasn't in a hurry for this moment anyway.
Putting away his phone, Azrael continued standing there, waiting for Pierre. According to the time, the other party should arrive soon.
Sure enough, not long after, the big man arrived at the scene with three or four figures.
"Brother! Are you okay?"
Looking at the completely changed landscape, Pierre glanced around and found Azrael's figure.
He hurried over, nervously looking the young man up and down. "Hey, bro! Are you okay?!"
Azrael waved his hand and joked, "I'm even craving some lychees right now."
Although he had no idea what that meant, seeing him in the mood for a joke, Pierre couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay."
"They ran away?"
He was referring to the attackers. After all, Azrael was the only one at the scene, so it was likely they saw the situation was hopeless and retreated.
Of course, it was also possible that the young man before him had completely wiped them out.
Considering Azrael's strength, Pierre felt that this wasn't impossible.
"Dead."
Azrael succinctly summarized the fate of the three assassins.
Hearing this, Pierre couldn't help scratching his head, then turned to look at the reinforcements he'd brought. "This..."
"President Vladimir, it seems you've made a wasted trip."
Azrael had already noticed that Vladimir, the president of the Qilu Cardian Master Association, had come in person to support him. He nodded slightly to the young woman. "I'm sorry, President Vladimir."
"But I couldn't stop them from self-destructing suddenly. I was thinking of leaving one alive to interrogate for information."
This was a lie.
If Azrael's attackers were truly members of the Onefold Doctrine, he might have done so. But if the identity identified by Shiraori had even the slightest connection to the imperial court, he would kill them to silence them.
After all, he didn't know if there was a mole within the Qilu Cardian Master Association.
He thought there was a high probability of one. Otherwise, how would the attackers, now wiped out, have learned of his and Pierre's itinerary?
Hearing his words, Vladimir merely smiled faintly. "Azrael, you're too polite. This is my duty."
"How is it? Do you know their identities?"
Everyone present knew it was a polite remark. After all, if a normal Emerald-level Lore Cardian were attacked, Vladimir, as president, wouldn't have needed to personally rescue them.
Even if the enemy was powerful enough to require a Diamond-level Lore Cardian, the Qilu Cardian Master Association headquarters had more than one Diamond-level practitioner.
Everyone knew the young woman's reason for this: Azrael was Lucian's disciple, and his talent was truly formidable.
In response to her question, Azrael remained impassive, replying, "They're from the Onefold Doctrine. They somehow learned of Brother Pierre and my mission, so they came to ambush us."
At the mention of the Onefold Doctrine, everyone present gave a look of astonishment, though one person's gaze flickered.
If Azrael hadn't known the attacker's true identity, he might not have cared. But now, knowing full well that the imperial court had sent someone to assassinate him, he naturally picked up on the subtle movements.
Unfortunately, he didn't recognize the person. After all, Azrael had only been in the mobile unit for a short time.
He silently memorized the man's face, intending to investigate his identity after the matter was over.
At this time, Vladimir's brows flickered with worry. "Since Azrael and Pierre are fine, let's head to Gaza as soon as possible."
"The situation over there is not good."
After a moment of silence, she sighed and continued, "If even you two can't help, then the Vice President and I will have to take action."
Vladimir and the Vice President didn't go to Gaza to suppress the rebellion this time because they had other priorities. Furthermore, since no diamond-level demons had appeared in Gaza, there was no need for them to intervene yet.
They were only able to rescue Azrael because Vladimir had instructed her subordinates to submit all the information they had about him.
Upon hearing this, Azrael and Pierre exchanged a glance, then nodded solemnly. "Please rest assured, President Vladimir. We will do our best."
With that, they bid farewell to the rescue Lore Cardians and headed toward Gaza.
Watching them depart, a Lore Cardian approached Vladimir, looking worried, and said, "President, the Onefold Doctrine is becoming increasingly aggressive. It would be best to inform the Northern Defense Army."
This was the Lore Cardian Azrael had just noticed.
Upon hearing this, Vladimir glanced at him and said calmly, "The Northern Defense Army is under considerable pressure right now, and I've already informed the two master Lore Cardians."
"That's not something you should worry about."
The Lore Cardian who had spoken stiffened at this, then wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I spoke too much."
Despite his words, he harbored no resentment. After all, his goal had been achieved.
The Qilu Cardian Master Association's attention was now solely focused on the Onefold Doctrine. No one would suspect this matter was connected to the imperial court. His meddling was simply to deepen the impression of the Onefold Doctrine among those present.
In the Capital, a hall crafted from Dalbergia odorifera wood was enveloped by a vast expanse of white smoke, giving the space a fairyland-like atmosphere.
Two white-haired elders sat on two wooden chairs at the head of the hall, conversing in low voices. Several young women of exceptional appearance and figure stood beside them.
At that moment, a sudden buzzing sound caught the attention of one of the elders.
Seeing the other elder wasn't about to check the messages, he smiled faintly. "Master Mortarion, take a look. Don't miss any important information."
As he spoke, he felt a tickle in his throat and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm into the mouth of the pretty girl beside him.
Master Mortarion shook his head. "What could it be? It's just another family disaster."
He took out his communication device.
But upon seeing the sender, his brows raised. "It's someone we sent."
"Strange."
"Success so quickly?"
But as he carefully examined the message, his expression shifted from confusion to seriousness, and he quickly replied.
After doing so, he let out a long sigh and, with a serious expression, handed the communication device to the elder beside him. "Master Shifu, I think you need to take a look at this, too."
Master Shifu, sensing something ominous, took the device and quickly flipped through it.
After a moment, he abruptly stood up and kicked the girl beside him, his expression grim and terrifying. "Get out!"
Watching the girl hastily retreat, not even bothering to straighten her disheveled clothing, Master Shifu turned to Master Mortarion. "Some old bastards were saying we were making a big deal out of nothing."
"I think we should throw this information right in their faces now!"
The old man muttered a curse under his breath, then continued, "We still didn't take it seriously enough, letting that little bastard become so powerful."
Master Mortarion gave a wry smile, then a hint of venom crossed his face. "What's the point of saying this now?"
"We should think about how to deal with him."
The two men were well aware of the strength of the assassin they had sent out. He was considered above average among Emerald-level assassins.
Combined with their backup plans, a normal Emerald-level Lore Cardian would be no match.
Of course, the most crucial thing was that even in a three-on-one situation, they were completely crushed.
After a moment's silence, Master Mortarion said in a low voice, "Send him. We've been nurturing him for so long, it's time he did something for us."
Master Shifu instantly realized who he was referring to.
After a moment's thought, he shook his head. "Let's gather the others to discuss this first. Sending him out is a bit risky."
"After all, that little creature probably thinks this attack was the work of the Onefold Doctrine."
Hearing this, Master Mortarion couldn't help but feel disappointed. He was the one who most wanted to kill Azrael.
Although everything had been agreed upon, he was the one who had to carry it out. If Azrael and Lucian, who was behind him, learned the truth, he would undoubtedly be in big trouble.
Unfortunately, he couldn't decide on his own whether to use that asset.
Helplessly, Master Mortarion accepted Master Shifu's suggestion. "Master Shifu is right. I was not thoughtful enough."
With that, the hall fell silent.
After a long moment, Master Shifu sighed and said, "Let's go and tell the others about this first."
"If it doesn't work, we'll deploy him."