Azrael had been pondering a question lately: whether Alice's card counted as a dowry gift.
Obviously, he couldn't ask his senior sister directly, so he could only contemplate it in private.
"Speaking of which, it's time for Shiraori to advance," he mused aloud.
With no reliable source of points income, Azrael had barely received any advancement materials recently. Fortunately, he'd already prepared the necessary materials for Shiraori's promotion with Memphis's help.
Shiraori, possessing the [Goddess System] trait, was undoubtedly his most suitable card for advancement. After all, with that trait, she only required a single material to successfully advance. Previously, Azrael hadn't considered it because Shiraori belonged to his Bruce identity.
But now that he'd confessed everything to Lucian, Shiraori had nothing left to hide.
More importantly, Shiraori could advance all the way to Sovereign-level. While Azrael wasn't confident he could reach that tier himself, preparing in advance was definitely wise.
Otherwise, even if he truly became a Sovereign-level Lore Cardian without matching cards, he'd be nothing more than an oversized Master.
With this thought in mind, Azrael retrieved the Emerald-level material [Resurrection Blood] (red quality) from the Shadow Kingdom.
"Make good use of this, Shiraori."
He began crafting the upgraded card.
After evolving into Shadow of Death, Shiraori plotted her revenge against the Earth Dragon Araba.
As she prepared for battle, the Queen Taratect attempted to destroy Shiraori's physical body and eliminate the consciousness that had infiltrated her mind. Unfortunately for the Queen, all the spider troops she dispatched, along with the human forces sent to subjugate Shiraori, were systematically annihilated in counterattacks.
After extensive preparations, Shiraori finally challenged Araba.
To defeat the ancient dragon, she acquired the new Ruler skill [Sloth] as her trump card.
Under the crushing pressure of multiple Ruler abilities, Araba used skill points, something monsters would never normally utilize, in a desperate attempt to turn the tide. But at the critical moment, [Sloth] paralyzed her completely.
Shiraori ended Araba's life, defeating the creature she'd once considered invincible.
After conquering Araba, Shiraori prepared to escape the labyrinth. But while fleeing, the Queen Taratect pursued her relentlessly, driving her to the brink of death.
At that critical juncture, she successfully evolved into the Undead Spider Queen, gaining the passive ability [Immortality].
The storytelling abruptly ended, pulling Azrael back to reality. He tilted his head in confusion. "Huh?"
"That's it?"
Just like the previous time he'd created Shiraori's card, the crafting process had come to an unexpectedly brief conclusion.
He'd originally thought the narrative would continue at least until Shiraori slew the Queen Taratect.
Looking at the card gleaming with brilliant crimson light before him, Azrael couldn't help muttering, "Could it be because I only used one material?"
Confused, he recalled Shiraori's card information to his mind.
[Undead Spider Queen · Shiraori]
Rank: Emerald
Quality: Red
Category: Creature
Skills:
[Syndora] [Spider Race Inherent Skill] [Ruler: Pride] [Ruler: Wisdom] [[Parallel Minds]]
[Ruler: Endurance]: Significantly increases the bearer's defense. As long as Shiraori's magic power remains above zero, she will not die from instant-kill attacks. Possesses the derived skills [Nullify the Outsider], [Conviction], and [Evil Eye].
Note: Due to spiders' unique structure, Shiraori can possess multiple Evil Eyes simultaneously.
[Ruler: Sloth]: Significantly increases the resource consumption of hostile creatures around the bearer, including health, magic, and spiritual energy.
Traits:
[Style Correction] [Administrator's Observation]
[Goddess System]: A planet-wide system constructed by the evil god [D] with the goddess [Sariel] at its core, originally created by [D] for entertainment. Shiraori gains experience points by killing creatures, which she uses to reduce card upgrade costs.
Current upgrade requirements: Three blue-quality or higher Diamond-level materials.
Note: Shiraori also gains a small amount of experience when allies kill creatures.
[Immortality]: Cannot be permanently destroyed while on Earth.
Description: Reincarnated as a spider, so what?
Advancement Path: Iron Rank [Small Poison Spider · Shiraori] → Silver Rank [Scythe of Death · Shiraori] → Gold Rank [Shadow of Death · Shiraori] → Emerald Rank [Undead Spider Queen · Shiraori] → Diamond Rank [Arachne · Shiraori] → Sovereign Rank [God · Shiraori]
Bond Effects:
When appearing with [Queen Taratect] series, activates the effect [Loving Mother and Filial Daughter]. When appearing with [Vampire · Sophia] series, activates the effect [26 Unlucky Guys?]. When appearing with [Demon Lord · Ariel] series, activates the effect [Grandma Loves Me Again].
After reviewing the detailed information, Azrael froze. "The Evil Eye system has been unlocked!"
He'd been confused because Shiraori had generated the [Ruler: Endurance] skill last time, but the corresponding Evil Eyes hadn't appeared yet.
It seemed the materials from that advancement hadn't been sufficient to unlock the full [Endurance] ability, so Shiraori had been using a limited version all this time.
"Too bad I can't customize these Evil Eyes myself," Azrael sighed with regret. He'd have preferred giving Shiraori abilities like the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, the Sharingan, or the Rinnegan, but that was clearly unrealistic.
Setting aside those idle fantasies, he continued examining the card.
"As for [Sloth], it's another aura ability."
"Combined with Ulquiorra, I'll be practically unbeatable in group battles at my level."
With [Nothingness] and [Endurance] working in tandem, Azrael felt confident that even if surrounded, he wouldn't suffer catastrophic losses.
However, he'd considered Shiraori's overall strength merely average, until he saw the trait called [Immortality].
"What do you mean she won't die while on Earth?"
Azrael froze, staring at the description.
As the saying went, the fewer words, the bigger the revelation. He hadn't anticipated [Immortality] having such an incredible effect.
Unlike [Endurance]'s sustained combat benefits, [Immortality] allowed Shiraori to remain active even when Azrael's mental energy was completely depleted.
He couldn't help but grumble, "You're not even pretending to be balanced anymore, are you?"
But Azrael quickly realized this trait wasn't quite as overpowered as he'd initially imagined.
After all, if his mental energy was completely exhausted and he still hadn't defeated his opponent, Shiraori alone probably wouldn't be enough to turn the tide.
"If only I had a card that could redirect damage to Shiraori," Azrael thought quietly. While he couldn't achieve true immortality, he should at least be able to block some fatal damage.
Of course, with [Immortality], Shiraori wouldn't have to worry about being eliminated before Earth's world consciousness could exert its protective influence.
At this realization, Azrael breathed a sigh of relief. He finally understood why Shiraori's story had ended abruptly upon becoming the [Undead Spider Queen].
"So the world consciousness acts like insurance for me?"
He scratched his head, wondering if he was overthinking it.
Since he couldn't reach a definitive conclusion, he temporarily shelved the question.
"Speaking of which, Teacher should be returning any day now."
Several days had passed since Azrael promoted Shiraori.
He finally saw Lucian again.
But compared to their last parting, his teacher looked far more exhausted.
Seeing this, Azrael immediately had the Shadowkhan prepare hot tea for the elderly man.
"Teacher, how's the situation with Lord Lioren?"
Lucian first took a sip of tea, then released a weary sigh. "It's been resolved."
"But Lioren and I have temporarily sealed off that area to prevent any leaks."
Hearing his teacher's words, Azrael's heart sank.
Although he hadn't personally dealt with the Sovereign-level secret realm in Shudoria Province, the thought of such a catastrophe buried deep within the Empire of Aetherlight's heartland weighed heavily on his mind.
He understood the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. If that Sovereign-level secret realm broke containment, as a citizen of the Empire, he would definitely face a terrible fate, possibly even becoming enslaved.
After steadying himself, Azrael immediately asked about their next steps. "What will the court do about this?"
Lucian's expression turned cold and stern. "Lioren will eliminate the court's high-level Lore Cardians. We'll handle the cleanup afterward."
"...?"
Azrael was stunned. He'd never expected the Association's plan for destroying the imperial court to be so brutally straightforward.
Before he could voice his question, Lucian continued, "The only potential problem might be Fujimaru, but with Lioren present, I'm confident he won't cause trouble."
Having never witnessed a Sovereign-level master in action, Azrael couldn't imagine what Lord Lioren's cards could accomplish at full power.
But since Lucian said so, he chose to believe it.
The elderly man seemed to recall something and turned to Azrael. "Azrael, when that day comes, would you like to lead a team to Beijing?"
"After all, once those high-level Lore Cardians are dead, the remaining personnel will need to be controlled to prevent chaos."
Of course, this wasn't limited to Beijing, the same applied to other regions. Lucian had been making secret preparations, which explained his delayed return to Pixar.
His reason for wanting Azrael to go to Beijing was naturally personal.
"My disciple has suffered so much, I can't simply let this go."
He hadn't forgotten the numerous assassination attempts Azrael had endured from the imperial court, starting in Pixar itself.
If Azrael hadn't secretly been a member of the Crimson Oath Society, he would have been murdered by court-hired assassins long ago.
Azrael felt his eyes grow warm. "Teacher..."
He hadn't expected his teacher to even consider revenge on his behalf.
But a question quickly arose in his mind. "Teacher, why not just let Lord Lioren handle them?"
Lucian was momentarily taken aback, he hadn't expected his disciple to be so ruthless. He shook his head slightly and explained, "On one hand, I want to preserve some strength for the Empire. On the other hand, the court isn't entirely devoid of good people."
"That's why Lioren and the others are waiting for my return."
When Lord Lioren took action, he would deploy his card [Dread King Bao, Arbiter of the Fifth Gate].
After Dread King Bao's judgment, those officials and their families would receive their due punishment.
Of course, there were undoubtedly some officials' family members who had committed no evil themselves but had passively benefited from their relatives' positions.
Such individuals couldn't be simply released, but Lucian and the others sought to give them opportunities for atonement rather than treating them as complete criminals.
Hearing this, Azrael nodded slightly, understanding the senior leadership's sentiment.
After a moment's silence, he asked the question that had been weighing on his mind. "Teacher, after the court situation is resolved, will Lord Lioren go to Australia to eliminate Jin?"
Indeed, while City Within City boasted four Master-level Lore Cardians, making it suicidal for Lucian to go alone, now that Lord Lioren had returned, it made perfect sense for the Empire's only Sovereign-level Lore Cardian to eliminate Jin's destabilizing influence.
However, Lucian shook his head slightly. "Lioren..."
"Australia is quite far. It wouldn't be convenient for him to act there."
Azrael frowned, not receiving the answer he'd hoped for.
After thinking for a moment, he took a deep breath and addressed his teacher with a serious expression. "Teacher, I've decided to inform the Crimson Oath Society about the Association's actions."
Lucian's brows furrowed. "Azrael, what do you mean?"
Azrael replied solemnly, "Teacher, I intend to maintain my membership in the Crimson Oath Society for now."
Lucian quickly grasped his intention.
As his disciple, Azrael couldn't have been completely unaware of the Association's actions. Therefore, if he failed to inform the Crimson Oath Society, he would essentially reveal that he wasn't under Jin's control.
The elderly man sighed earnestly. "Azrael, there's no need to take such a risk."
Before he could finish, Azrael interrupted. "Teacher, don't you want to know what Jin is secretly planning in Velkairos?"
Lucian fell silent.
Of course he wanted to know Jin's machinations, but if the price was putting Azrael in danger again, then absolutely not.
He, [Dread King], wasn't that decrepit yet.
"Azrael, you don't need to worry about these matters. I'm still alive."
However, hearing these words, Azrael simply looked at his teacher calmly. "Teacher, you and Lord Lioren probably don't have much time left."
Lord Lioren's poor health was something Azrael had known since his first days in this world.
Ironically, he'd learned that news from Jin himself.
Considerable time had passed since his arrival. Even if the "few years" Jin had mentioned regarding "Lord Lioren having only a few years to live" meant nine years, there wasn't much time remaining.
Based on his observations, barring unexpected circumstances, Jin wouldn't die within nine years.
This was probably why Lord Lioren wasn't in a position to attack Australia, facing four Master-level Lore Cardians simultaneously would exact too heavy a toll.
And as for Lucian's health...
Azrael wasn't blind. He could clearly see that his teacher's vitality had declined significantly since returning from Antarctica, his body visibly withering with age.
Despite his reluctance to accept it, he had to admit that his teacher probably didn't have many years left.
Looking at the composed young man before him, Lucian opened his mouth but found himself unable to refute.
After a long pause, he smiled wryly. "Azrael, you've finally figured it out."
He'd been deliberately avoiding the topic all along.
After another moment's silence, he chose to refuse. "Azrael, your intentions are kind, but forget it."
"I'm not so old I can't walk yet."
He paused, determination hardening his features. "At worst, I'll go to Australia before I die. Perhaps I can take that old bastard down with me!"
Seeing his teacher still disagree, Azrael grew anxious. "Teacher, "
He wanted to continue persuading him.
But seeing Lucian's resolute gaze, he stopped himself.
After brief consideration, Azrael shared Shiraori's card information with Lucian.
Upon seeing the traits [Administrator's Observation] and [Immortality], Lucian's gaze sharpened suddenly.
"Such power exists?"
The elderly man stroked his chin thoughtfully.
After a long pause, he released a sigh. "Let me consult with Lioren. If he agrees..."
"Then do what you think is right."
Hearing this, Azrael finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew his teacher had accepted his proposal.
However, the matter involved a power struggle between the imperial court and the Association. If Lord Lioren felt that introducing the Crimson Oath Society as a variable was problematic, Azrael wouldn't insist.
As for how to contend with Jin in the future without Lord Lioren and Lucian, the solution was simple.
He'd just become Sovereign-level himself!
But having said that, reaching Sovereign-level wasn't easy. This was precisely why Azrael wanted to eliminate Jin while the Empire's pillars still lived.
Before long, Lucian received a reply.
He sighed first, then looked at Azrael with a solemn expression.
"Lioren has agreed."
"He said he'll handle everything and let you proceed as planned."