Jacques' plan had been brilliant, if desperate, use the Corpse Giant's rampage through Gaza to create chaos, distraction, and most importantly, an escape route.
Despite his recent outburst and arrogant posturing, he had to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth. The man pursuing him was a genuine freak who'd severely injured Ruth, a Diamond-level commander. While the Corpse Giant appeared overwhelmingly powerful, having weathered a thunderbolt strike with minimal damage, Jacques knew better than to place all his faith in it.
Instability plagued every aspect of the experimental subject constructed from corpses beneath his feet. It was Experiment Number Three's fundamental flaw, a structural weakness that no amount of spiritual energy could fully compensate for.
But with the data collected this time, I should be able to create something far more powerful and stable later, Jacques thought, his mind already racing ahead to future projects.
As the person leading this experiment, he felt he deserved a personal audience with the Lord Military Commander upon returning to Demon Army headquarters. Perhaps even a promotion. Special Researcher had a nice ring to it.
Of course, those were concerns for later.
The most crucial question now was escaping the man behind him.
Fortunately, he already had a solution.
"Tsk..."
"I won't play with you anymore."
Jacques thought smugly, turning to take one final look at his pursuer.
Then his eyes widened involuntarily.
His voice caught in his throat before he couldn't help but yell, "A Venue Card?!"
In the pitch-black night, a pale silhouette of an enormous palace suddenly materialized, its architecture unmistakable and imposing.
With the appearance of the Venue Card, the already terrifyingly powerful black-and-white figure's aura surged even higher, spiritual pressure increasing exponentially.
With the blessing of [Las Noches]'s [Void] characteristic, Ulquiorra's strength reached new heights.
This was the true preparation a Lore Cardian needed to achieve overwhelming power, stacking characteristics and bonds with numerous cards to amplify a single summon's capabilities beyond their base level, ultimately enabling leaps in combat effectiveness that transcended normal parameters.
This wasn't like when Azrael had simply relied on Artoria's Holy Sword to unleash devastating attacks. That method, while effective, was fundamentally unrepeatable. After all, colored-quality Emerald-grade cards were arguably unique on Earth.
"Can anyone tell me how Cliff managed to survive encountering this freak?" Jacques muttered, irritation seeping into his voice.
He gritted his teeth and prepared to abandon the Corpse Giant entirely, summoning his escape card. In this situation, any notion of completing his mission was out of the question. He feared being trapped if he dragged this out any longer. He could only hope the Corpse Giant could stall the enemy long enough for his retreat.
However, just as he materialized his card and prepared to leap from the Giant's shoulder, he suddenly froze in place.
A strange feeling washed over Jacques, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Then an overwhelming surge of emptiness settled within him, spreading through his consciousness like poison.
What am I doing?
What's the point?
Status, power, recognition...
Everyone dies anyway. What can pursuing these things possibly bring me?
His thoughts spiraled downward, and Jacques felt that everything he had accomplished since birth was fundamentally meaningless. Every decision, every sacrifice, every betrayal, all pointless exercises in futility.
Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?
These three ultimate philosophical questions echoed endlessly in his mind, drowning out everything else.
Gazing at the emerald-green spirit javelin hurtling toward him, Jacques felt not fear, but profound relief.
Perhaps death is my best destination.
No need to do anything. No need to think.
How wonderful...
As the spirit javelin pierced his chest, his body suddenly fell from the Corpse Giant's shoulder and was immediately crushed into pulp by the Giant's massive foot.
From a distance, Azrael watched Jacques' inexplicable death with lingering confusion. This was his first time deploying the Venue Card [Las Noches] in actual combat, and for a moment, he'd been uncertain what would happen.
But he soon realized what had occurred.
The opponent had undoubtedly fallen victim to Ulquiorra's influence, specifically, the [Void] characteristic inherent to Las Noches.
He couldn't help but mutter, "Is the [Void] trait really this terrifying?"
"Doesn't that mean I can instantly kill normal Emerald-level opponents in the future?"
Azrael specified normal Emerald-level opponents because he knew some cards or entities might possess immunity to negative emotional effects similar to Artoria's [Lonely Pilgrimage of Misery] trait, so he couldn't claim absolute certainty.
Even so, [Void] was undoubtedly a powerful battlefield-clearing ability, and unlike many devastating techniques, it caused minimal collateral damage to the surrounding environment.
Contrary to Azrael's expectation that the Corpse Giant would cease functioning after Jacques' death, it continued its reckless charge forward without hesitation.
At this rate, it would break through the no-man's land buffer zone within moments and enter Gaza's civilian districts.
Clearly, the connection between Jacques and his creation had been weak at best. Jacques had likely possessed only limited directional control over the Giant's movements rather than true command.
Just as Azrael contemplated his next move and Ulquiorra approached the Corpse Giant, something bizarre occurred.
As everyone watched in stunned silence, the Giant suddenly stopped dead in its tracks as if someone had pressed an emergency power button. Yet it remained frozen in its running posture, one massive leg raised mid-stride.
"Can [Void] even affect Diamond-level constructs?" Azrael wondered aloud, instinctively attributing this strange phenomenon to the [Void] characteristic.
However, he soon realized his assessment was both correct and incorrect.
The Corpse Giant was indeed affected by [Void], but not because the characteristic could influence Diamond-level entities directly.
Instead,
Thud.
Bang, bang, bang,
The Corpse Giant seemed to disassemble itself, its constituent bodies falling from the enormous framework like raindrops, each corpse separating from the whole as the connections binding them together dissolved.
In a matter of seconds, the once-enormous giant vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a field of eerily serene corpses arranged across the ground like fallen soldiers.
"After all, it's just an experimental construct assembled from ordinary citizens and low-level Lore Cardians," Azrael murmured, gradually understanding what had transpired.
Rather than functioning as a single unified entity, the Corpse Giant operated more like a collection of numerous individual subsets, corpses bound together through necromantic techniques but retaining some measure of individual spiritual presence.
And those humans who hadn't even reached the Emerald level were naturally incapable of withstanding the effects of [Void]. When Las Noches' characteristic washed over them, each component consciousness encountered that overwhelming existential emptiness simultaneously, causing the entire construct to collapse as its building blocks lost the will to maintain cohesion.
At this moment, Pierre, who had been standing beside Azrael throughout the entire bizarre sequence, swallowed hard. "This is truly..."
For a moment, he found himself at a complete loss for words adequate to describe his feelings.
He'd watched the entire battle unfold from the moment Azrael deployed the Venue Card he'd never seen before to the instant the Corpse Giant disintegrated into its component parts.
But honestly, he still hadn't fully grasped what had actually happened. After all, as a designated ally, he clearly wouldn't be affected by [Void]'s influence, leaving him unable to truly comprehend the characteristic's nature.
The unknown was terrifying, and even as a teammate, Pierre couldn't help but feel a tinge of instinctive fear.
"Brother, your Venue Card is incredible," he finally managed, unconsciously slipping into dialect in his shock. "This is the first time I've ever seen anything like it."
Upon hearing this, Azrael simply waved his hand dismissively. "It was a stroke of luck. Just fortunate circumstances."
Pierre couldn't help but glance at the young man with newfound appreciation.
The strength of a Venue Card was intrinsically tied to the strength of the summon that created it, and the power of Ulquiorra and Nelliel was undeniable. At the very least, Pierre didn't think he could create such a devastating card himself, even with similar materials.
Just as the two were conversing, Hubert, the vice president of the Gaza Cardian Master Association, approached them breathlessly. "Master Azrael, Master Pierre."
"This... this..."
She gestured helplessly at the corpses scattered across the ground, momentarily unable to articulate her thoughts coherently.
The woman had naturally witnessed the bizarre sequence of events.
After Ulquiorra had performed Segunda Etapa and unleashed that devastating thunderbolt strike, she'd assumed victory was inevitable, or at least that the battle would continue conventionally.
Hubert had never imagined that one of the two Emerald-level Lore Cardians who'd arrived to support Gaza would possess such an overwhelmingly powerful card.
The aura of Diamond-level power had been unmistakable, momentarily dispelling the gloom that had settled over her heart like a weight.
But after the explosion dissipated and she'd seen the Corpse Giant sustaining only minor damage, Hubert had known something was seriously wrong.
As expected, the Onefold Doctrine's creation had bolted toward Gaza without hesitation, threatening to bring carnage directly into civilian districts.
Although she'd issued evacuation orders beforehand, ordinary citizens and low-level Lore Cardians couldn't possibly match the speed of Diamond-level entities. Without intervention, thousands would die in the initial assault alone.
Hubert had already steeled herself for a catastrophic clash between two Diamond-level forces within the city limits, accepting the inevitable destruction such a battle would cause as the lesser evil compared to allowing the Corpse Giant free rein.
However, what unfolded next had completely shattered her preconceptions.
First, she'd witnessed an unfamiliar Venue Card materializing in the night sky, its pale architecture both beautiful and ominous.
Then the Corpse Giant had simply... disintegrated.
Collapsed into a pile of individual corpses as if the technique binding them together had simply ceased functioning.
The swiftness of the process left Hubert unable to react in real-time, her mind struggling to process what her eyes had witnessed.
Hence her somewhat incoherent reaction upon reaching Azrael and the others.
"Vice President Huo, as you can see," Azrael addressed the woman's unspoken confusion directly, "this was indeed the Onefold Doctrine's stronghold."
"And they'd secretly created something like this," he continued, gesturing toward the corpses strewn across the distant ground with barely concealed disgust.
Upon hearing this confirmation, Hubert's expression darkened considerably.
She took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Thanks to you this time, Master Azrael."
"If it weren't for your intervention, I'm afraid..." She didn't finish her sentence, but the three people present understood her meaning perfectly. Gaza would have suffered catastrophic casualties, potentially enough to effectively destroy the city as a functioning military outpost.
Azrael remained noncommittal, simply stating, "It's just my duty. Nothing more."
"I'll leave the cleanup to you two. I need to head south for additional support."
With that brief farewell, he smiled faintly and vanished, his spiritual pressure rapidly approaching the southern districts of Gaza.
Feeling the terrifying aura departing toward the secret realm breach location, Hubert stood stunned for a moment. "Is Master Azrael always like this?"
There was no doubt he was heading to deal with the secret realm invasion that had been overwhelming their forces before his arrival.
Hearing her somewhat bewildered question, Pierre shrugged philosophically. "That's just how he is, my brother. Vice President Huo, please don't take it personally."
Hubert managed a wry smile.
How could she possibly take it personally? How would she dare take it personally?
Setting aside the fact that Azrael had just resolved the Onefold Doctrine's hidden threat to Gaza, her mere strength as an Emerald-level Lore Cardian wouldn't permit her to complain about a peer who'd just demonstrated overwhelming combat superiority.
After composing herself for a moment, she turned to the large man beside her. "Now, I'll need to trouble you for assistance, Master Pierre."
Pierre grinned warmly. "Don't worry, sister. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly for you."
In just the brief time he'd partnered with Azrael, he'd already identified his optimal role in their dynamic.
While his direct combat prowess might fall far behind the young prodigy's capabilities, he was absolutely confident in his ability to handle aftermath management and comprehensive report writing, skills honed through years of administrative experience.
Besides, putting out fires didn't particularly matter where they occurred. Whether in Mazong or Gaza, the fundamental principles remained the same.
Several days later, at dawn, Azrael and Pierre stood at the Gaza Cardian Master Association headquarters, bidding Vice President Hubert farewell after successfully suppressing the secret realm invasion.
"Vice President Huo, take care of yourself."
"You two are the ones who truly matter. Safe travels, and thank you again."
After brief farewells, Azrael and Pierre departed Gaza.
The only person seeing them off was Vice President Hubert herself. The Association's president remained seriously injured from fighting the demons that had invaded through the secret realm breach, casualties sustained before Azrael's timely arrival had turned the tide.
Fortunately, Ulquiorra's entry into the battlefield had instantly reversed the situation.
The secret realm demons, who'd been relying solely on overwhelming numbers to suppress the Association's Lore Cardians, found themselves facing a natural predator when confronted with the [Void] characteristic.
Even without that particular advantage, they wouldn't have stood a chance against Ulquiorra regardless. After all, with his numerous bond synergies and Segunda Etapa transformation, Ulquiorra could easily dominate ordinary Diamond-level demons in single combat.
Without any Diamond-level entities to anchor their forces, the demonic invasion had crumbled rapidly under coordinated assault.
Azrael's eyes glinted with satisfaction at the memory. This mission's point reward should be substantial.
He'd defeated the Diamond-level Corpse Giant and helped Gaza successfully suppress a significant secret realm breach. The point reward would undoubtedly be enormous.
And if Pierre wrote the mission report with his characteristic thoroughness and attention to detail, Azrael could barely imagine the final tally.
Not to mention the points he'd already accumulated from severely injuring Ruth and recapturing Cliff during previous operations, those rewards alone had been substantial.
Thinking this, he couldn't help but address the burly man walking beside him. "Brother Pierre, I'm counting on you this time."
"?"
Pierre appeared momentarily bewildered, uncertain what Azrael was referring to.
But before he could inquire further, Azrael continued smoothly, "Brother Pierre, my senior brother contacted me about something earlier, so I won't be returning directly to Mazong with you this time."
"Just explain the situation to President Vladimir if she asks."
"If there's any problem with my absence, I'll speak with her personally when I return."
This was partially a fabrication, he was actually planning to return to Pixar to find Alice, his senior sister.
But considering the possibility of exposing his travel patterns to potential enemies, Azrael decided claiming he was meeting Jacob would serve as better operational security.
Pierre scratched his head, looking somewhat confused. "Ah, well..."
But remembering the young man's capabilities and the trust their partnership had built, he simply nodded honestly. "Then be careful, brother."
Since Azrael had explicitly told him to report the truth to President Vladimir, there was no need to complicate matters with unnecessary questions or concerns.
Azrael nodded appreciatively and vanished without a trace, his spiritual pressure disappearing from Pierre's sensory range almost instantaneously.
Although Pierre found the abrupt departure slightly strange, his considerable experience told him it was wisest to avoid prying into such matters unless directly relevant to mission parameters.
"Now then... how should I structure this report?" he murmured to himself, already mentally composing the opening paragraphs.
It was early afternoon in Pixar when Azrael materialized outside Alice's residence.
He looked at his senior sister's expansive mansion, casually producing the key she'd given him and opening the door with practiced ease.
That's right, the young man already possessed unrestricted access to his senior sister's home, though admittedly, physical keys were somewhat redundant given his capabilities. He could have bypassed conventional security measures effortlessly if necessary.
Of course, Alice also had a key to his residence. The exchange had been mutual, a gesture of trust between fellow disciples.
As soon as he opened the door, a Yellow Turban Warrior wearing an incongruous pink bib approached respectfully. "Master, you've returned."
"Is Senior Sister at home?" Azrael inquired, mildly surprised by the timing.
He hadn't expected Alice to be present during normal working hours.
Following the warrior's direction, he soon entered the living room and spotted the expressionless ice beauty who was his senior sister.
"Senior Sister." Seeing Alice's familiar figure, Azrael finally allowed himself to relax fully, tension he hadn't consciously acknowledged draining from his shoulders.
Then he spoke bluntly, dispensing with unnecessary preamble. "The Imperial Court sent assassins after me."
Before he could elaborate further, Alice suddenly stood up with startling intensity, her normally impassive features hardening into something genuinely dangerous.
"I'll go kill them," she stated flatly, already beginning to summon her cards.
Seeing this immediate and violent reaction, Azrael quickly moved forward and gently grasped her slender waist, physically restraining her before she could actually initiate whatever devastating assault she was planning.
"Calm down, Senior Sister. Just listen to what I have to say first."