After sending off Lucian and the other two, both clearly preoccupied with their thoughts, Azrael returned his attention to the materials in his possession.
Unlike the other four Sovereign-tier Lore Cardians on Earth, Azrael's ability to transform power allowed him greater freedom in choosing cards. However, even he couldn't simply do whatever he wanted. Ultimately, Sovereign-tier materials were extremely rare.
[Doomsday Construct·Energy Core] (Color), [Nameless Savior] (Color), [Destruction God] (Color), [Wind Fang] (Color), these were all Sovereign-tier materials stockpiled for future projects.
Of course, he'd also found several Master-level materials: [Origin of Creation] (Red), [Resurrection Blood] (Red), and [Perfect Body] (Red). These were the materials Azrael had determined best suited his needs after searching across the Empire of Aetherlight, Great Britain, Tsarist Russia, and the Indo-American Federation.
He'd considered using Diamond-grade materials to boost his progress, but unfortunately, for a Sovereign-tier card, the progress such materials provided was a drop in the bucket.
'Forget it. Let's get Shiraori to Sovereign-tier first.'
Shiraori, a card Azrael had crafted at Gold-grade, had made significant contributions, not to mention she'd taken substantial damage for him on multiple occasions. She deserved this advancement.
As he absorbed the power from the materials, his progress suddenly shifted.
[God·Shiraori]: Energy: 107% Current Status: Craftable. (1/1)
[Blade King Ten Sacred Blades·Holy Blade Driver]: Wind Sword: 104% Dark Sword: 121% Light Sword: 0% Current Status: Uncraftable. (1/3)
[Hero for Fun·Saitama]: Hero: 101% Physical: 77% Break Limit: 0% Current Status: Uncraftable. (1/3)
[Demon Emperor·Abandoned Heavenly Emperor]: Destruction: 134% Regeneration: 123% God: 0% Current Status: Uncraftable. (2/3)
Looking at the plans on the board, all still far from complete except for Shiraori, Azrael stroked his chin thoughtfully.
'I wonder if I can convince Louis XXIV to trade the surprise for Sovereign-tier material.' His thoughts then drifted to another matter. 'There's also the issue with the Mughal Empire. I can test that once Shiraori advances.'
Thinking of Motian, who had disrupted Lord Lioren's funeral, Azrael couldn't help but sneer. The audacity of that man continued to rankle.
After calming himself briefly, he initiated the card creation process. Information flowed through his consciousness, and he began reading what appeared.
[Reading Information.]
[Shiraori, having evolved into her goddess form, encounters the vampire Sophia and decides to protect her in secret.]
[Ultimately, Shiraori defeats Potimas and his mechanical army.]
Card creation complete.
Without frowning, Azrael stored the newly created Sovereign-tier card within his consciousness. His neutral expression wasn't dissatisfaction with the card itself, but rather the strange sensation he'd just experienced.
It felt like being licked from the inside out. Oddly pleasant, yet deeply unsettling.
'Tsk, I should ask Louis XXIV if he feels this way when creating cards.'
With so few reference cases available, Azrael couldn't determine if this was unique to him or a universal experience for all Lore Cardians after reaching Master-level. The sensation warranted investigation.
Suppressing his concerns, he examined Shiraori's information.
[Goddess Shiraori]
Rank: Sovereign
Quality: Color
Category: Creature
Skills:
[Spider Race Inherent Skill ProMax] [Evil Eye]
[Dimensional Magic]: Despite losing all her System-granted skills upon deification, Shiraori reconstructed her magical circuits and learned dimensional magic from scratch. Now, her dimensional magic surpasses even what she could achieve with the [Dominator] skill's bonuses.
[Cognition Modification]: Can easily alter the perceptions of others, rewriting their memories and understanding of events.
Abilities:
[Administrator's Observation] [Immortality] [Goddess System] [White Scythe]
[Goddess]: After becoming a god, Shiraori's skills were stripped away by the System. In compensation, she gained base attributes far superior to ordinary beings, attributes that grow exponentially with proper application.
Introduction: Reincarnated as a spider, so what!
Advancement: Iron Rank [Small Poison Spider·Kumoko] → Silver Rank [Death Scythe·Spider] → Gold Rank [Death Shadow·Spider] → Emerald Rank [Undead Spider Queen·Spider] → Diamond Rank [Arachne·Shiraori] → Sovereign Rank [God·Shiraori].
Bond:
When appearing with [Queen Spider] and related cards, the effect [Mother and Daughter] activates.
When appearing with [Vampire·Sophia Keren] and related cards, the effect [26 Unlucky Guys?] activates.
When appearing with [Demon Lord·Ariel] and related cards, the effect [Grandma, Love Me Again] activates.
After checking the information, Azrael observed the white-haired girl standing before him with her eyes closed. It was hard for ordinary people to imagine that such a seemingly fragile girl possessed power capable of destroying at least the surface of a planet.
If Shiraori had evolved to Sovereign-tier during the battle with Edley weeks ago, then his [Shinigami Supay] would have posed no threat to Azrael whatsoever. But then again, Edley wouldn't have acted at all had that been the case.
"Hungry?" Azrael asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable watching the silent Shiraori before him. After all, she'd been quite the chatterbox during her spider period.
Watching the white-haired girl walk directly toward the dining room without a word, Azrael smiled and immediately summoned Shadowkhan to prepare food.
"By the way, remember to send some to Artoria later." Azrael certainly wouldn't play favorites. For Artoria, currently stationed in Great Britain, this was all he could do.
Then again, he'd recently heard reports that ordinary British citizens had spontaneously gathered around the Tower of Glory, gradually forming a small town. Artoria had no choice but to dispatch the Knights of the Round Table to maintain order. And the crowds kept growing.
'I wonder what King George VII's expression looks like right now.' Azrael scratched his cheek, remembering the British monarch.
Honestly, he felt no guilt whatsoever. Without him, Great Britain would have fallen. As a Protector of the Nation, it was only natural to show concern for the people.
While Azrael was lost in thought, Shiraori's frenzied eating suddenly stopped, not because she was full, but because she'd run out of food. Since it wasn't dinnertime yet, she'd simply treated it as an appetizer. But even appetizers required proper digestion exercises.
News of Azrael's advancement to Sovereign-tier spread like wildfire throughout the Empire of Aetherlight within days. However, the Empire wasn't alone in receiving this information. Neighboring countries like Tsarist Russia and the Mughal Empire, and even distant Great Britain, also caught wind of the development.
Each nation's response to this news varied dramatically.
Tsarist Russia
Catherine and Nicholas stared at the intelligence reports in astonishment, while Petrovna sat beside them with sparkling eyes.
"He reached Sovereign-tier this quickly? I remember he only became a Master-tier Lore Cardian not long ago," Nicholas muttered in disbelief.
It was no wonder the Grand Duke of Tsarist Russia lost his composure. Not long ago, Azrael had been at the same level as him, but now he'd been left far behind.
Compared to Nicholas, Catherine showed less shock. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that Azrael possessed some kind of secret. However, with his current strength, even knowing about such a secret meant nothing, they'd simply have to endure it. No one could reasonably think of extracting anything from him now.
The Empress took a deep breath, then said, as if consoling herself, "The Empire of Aetherlight and Tsarist Russia are in a honeymoon period right now. Their production of a Sovereign-tier card is good news for us."
"Besides, Sovereign-tier cards aren't easy to create." She paused. "That [Myriad Phenomena] will probably take considerable time to create his first Sovereign-tier card."
Hearing this, Nicholas calmed somewhat, though his agitation remained palpable. He'd been stagnating at Master-level for years, never breaking through to Sovereign-tier, barely even touching the threshold. Comparison truly was the thief of joy.
Just then, Catherine looked at her daughter. "Petrovna, why don't you lead a diplomatic mission to the Empire in the next few days to congratulate Azrael on his breakthrough?"
Hearing her name, the blonde girl startled, then nodded eagerly like a pecking chick. "Yes, Mother. I'll congratulate Azrael properly."
Seeing her expression, Catherine's eyes flickered with concern. She wasn't certain whether allowing her daughter to grow so close to a Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian from a neighboring country was wise.
Could anything go wrong?
But with Azrael's breakthrough to Sovereign-tier, Catherine could vaguely sense that the situation on Earth was deteriorating. More strength meant more security. Even if problems arose, they would have to wait until Earth's crises were completely resolved. Until then, no nation could afford to refuse the powerful assistance a Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian could provide.
Great Britain
Meanwhile, unlike the relatively calm Tsarist Russia, King George VII's expression resembled someone attending his mother's funeral.
With a stone face, he surveyed the assembled princes and princesses, their expressions varied, and asked in a flat voice, "What are your thoughts?"
Silence. Still silence.
Most of the princes and princesses secretly rolled their eyes. What could they possibly think? Their own King couldn't defeat Azrael to begin with, let alone now that he'd reached Sovereign-tier. It was unfortunate for Great Britain, from now on, the nation was likely destined to become a vassal of the Empire of Aetherlight. However, this mattered little to those who'd already lost their chance at the throne. It wasn't their concern.
Seeing no one speak, George VII's eye twitched involuntarily. How could he rule Great Britain with these incompetents?
But when he thought of the Tower of Glory that still stood on British soil, he leaned weakly against the throne like a deflated balloon.
To be honest, when only that strange Knight King had first appeared, although George VII remained cautious, he'd still felt he could slowly eliminate her influence. But shortly after that Empire man returned, the entire Knights of the Round Table appeared in Great Britain.
Was this even reasonable?
George VII felt he'd never been this devastated, not even when his mother died. He even suspected Azrael had planned from the beginning to subtly seize control of Great Britain. Otherwise, how could he have made such thorough preparations?
After another prolonged silence, King George VII looked at Leon, who sat with bowed head, lost in thought. "Leon, you will travel to the Empire on behalf of Great Britain to congratulate Azrael on his breakthrough to Sovereign-tier."
Leon froze momentarily, then a wave of ecstasy washed over him. He'd never expected His Majesty to appoint him for this diplomatic mission to the Empire.
Unfortunately, King George VII's next words sent him plummeting from heaven to hell.
"Charlotte, you will accompany him."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Charlotte bowed her head respectfully, as if accepting a trivial matter.
Leon's teeth nearly shattered from clenching, but he dared not object to King George VII's decision.
Seeing this, King George VII waved his hand wearily, dismissing them all. Looking at the empty Council Chamber, he sighed heavily. "Great Britain cannot perish in my hands."
Mughal Empire
Compared to Tsarist Russia and Great Britain, the Mughal Empire was undoubtedly the most disturbed by Azrael's advancement to Sovereign-tier. Or rather, Motian was.
At this moment, the Golden Emperor stared intently at the middle-aged man prostrating at his feet, his face twisted with fury. "What did you just say? Repeat that!"
"Your Majesty," the middle-aged man swallowed nervously, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "That Azrael from the Empire of Aetherlight recently broke through to Sovereign-tier."
"Damn it!"
Motian couldn't help but curse in his native tongue. He then kicked the middle-aged man away and angrily sat down on the pure gold throne behind him.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man didn't dare breathe, quickly crawling back to his position.
Witnessing Motian's rage, Meiji approached with a seductive smile. "Your Majesty, "
Before she could finish, Motian grabbed her by the neck. At that moment, the Mughal Empire's Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian's gaze was utterly grim. "Don't you understand when to speak and when not to?"
"Ngh, " Meiji's eyes bulged outward like a frog's as her neck was strangled. Her once-pretty face flushed crimson, appearing unbearably grotesque.
"Hmph." Seeing her like this, Motian casually tossed her toward the middle-aged man. "Get rid of her."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty!" The middle-aged man, trembling violently, stood and dragged the now-silent Meiji away.
Motian propped his head up with his right hand, leaning his body sideways, his face extremely gloomy. He now regretted making that bet with Azrael at Lord Lioren's funeral. It wasn't the bet itself he regretted, but rather not killing the other party directly.
Originally, Motian had planned to wait until the situation in the Mughal Empire stabilized before seeking trouble with Azrael. Who would have thought that Azrael would breakthrough directly to Sovereign-tier?
'Tsk...'
'But it should still take considerable time for that brat to create his first Sovereign-tier card. I still have time.'
Thinking about it, an opportunity seemed to appear in Motian's mind, and a sinister smile crept across his face.