Less than six months after Lord Lioren's funeral, the Empire of Aetherlight once again welcomed envoys from foreign nations, though their numbers were considerably smaller than before.
The previous gathering had mourned the passing of a Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian. This time, they came to celebrate the ascension of one.
Since the Empire wasn't planning an official ceremony, Azrael didn't need to entertain most of the remaining diplomats. Only a few familiar faces required his attention.
"Strength still speaks the loudest language," Azrael murmured, unable to suppress a sardonic smile.
The Empire hadn't sent invitations this time. Yet every nation with functional intelligence networks had dispatched representatives anyway.
"The Mughal Empire made no moves."
The memory of the [Golden Emperor] surfaced in Azrael's mind, and his lips curved into a cold smirk.
Motian must have learned of his breakthrough to Sovereign-tier. Yet the Mughal ruler remained conspicuously silent, as though nothing had changed.
What a stark contrast to his arrogant posturing at Lord Lioren's funeral.
"Speaking of which..." Azrael's expression grew contemplative. "Earth's World Consciousness told me to clear as many Sovereign-level secret realms from the planet as possible. How many remain?"
He mentally tallied the threats. "One in Antarctica, I believe. And another in Mughal territory."
As he recalled the World Consciousness's urgent instructions, Azrael began strategizing which realm to target first.
He briefly considered releasing Earthshattering Star to eliminate Edley but dismissed the notion immediately.
With only Shiraori available at Sovereign-tier, the approach felt too risky. And he couldn't ignore the possibility of Motian's interference or sabotage.
Before he could decide on a course of action, a knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Enter."
A Diamond-tier Lore Cardian pushed the door open and bowed respectfully. "Master Azrael, Princess Charlotte of Great Britain requests an audience."
"Send her in."
Azrael tilted his head slightly, watching the messenger depart. He hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly.
Within moments, the British princess stood before him.
Charlotte executed a flawless bow. "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your ascension to Sovereign-tier."
"State your purpose." Azrael's tone was blunt, his gaze piercing through her diplomatic veneer.
Charlotte paused, then abandoned pretense entirely. "Now that Your Majesty has reached Sovereign-tier, Great Britain naturally falls within your sphere of influence."
She raised her head, meeting his eyes with calculated sincerity. "I am willing to lead the way for the King."
Azrael blinked, genuinely taken aback.
He'd anticipated that Charlotte wanted him to support her claim to the British throne. Instead, she was offering to hand him the entire kingdom.
His eyebrow arched. "You're selling out Great Britain just like that?"
Charlotte's perfectly composed smile never wavered. "Great Britain is Great Britain, and I am myself," she stated with disarming frankness. "Besides, Your Majesty cannot remain in Great Britain forever, can you?"
She wasn't playing games. She'd laid her calculations bare.
Azrael shook his head slowly, his expression caught between sarcasm and grudging admiration. "You're remarkably honest."
He understood immediately, Charlotte was ruthlessly self-interested. As long as she personally benefited, Great Britain's fate meant nothing to her.
No wonder Leon never stood a chance against her.
"Return to your quarters. I'll give you an answer in a few days."
"Then I await Your Majesty's favorable response."
Charlotte bowed once more and turned gracefully toward the door.
Azrael watched her departure, his eyes flickering with calculation.
To him, accepting Great Britain's allegiance was inconsequential. He had no interest in playing empire-builder.
But now that Charlotte had made the offer, refusing would be foolish. Of course, with such high stakes, he wouldn't agree rashly. Careful planning was essential.
Just as Azrael was about to summon Lucian and the others to discuss Great Britain's future, his attention suddenly snapped skyward.
His expression hardened.
Through his connection to Earthshattering Star, Azrael sensed an attack in progress. Someone was attempting to free Edley.
"Who?" His mind raced through possibilities. "Motian?"
Without hesitation, he summoned Shiraori, who had recently reached Sovereign-tier alongside him.
"Little Spider, handle this."
In low Earth orbit...
Motian floated before a moon-sized satellite, his expression darkening with each passing moment.
The massive sphere completely blocked his mental detection, impenetrable to his probing consciousness.
"No wonder Edley suffered such a disaster," Motian muttered, bitter realization dawning. "This explains everything."
With his keen perception as a Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian, Motian could identify the satellite's function, it suppressed a Lore Cardian's mental power completely.
Without external intervention, even a sealed Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian couldn't escape such restraints.
Now he understood why Edley remained imprisoned. A Lore Cardian without access to their cards was merely a toothless predator, dangerous in theory, harmless in practice.
"That boy possessed this technique while still at Master-tier?" Relief flickered through Motian's chest. "Fortunately, Edley moved against him first."
But relief quickly curdled into resentment.
"Heh. Let's see how you handle this, Azrael."
Motian couldn't confront Azrael directly, all his Sovereign-level cards were locked in desperate combat against demons within secret realm incursions.
But that didn't mean he lacked options.
Freeing Edley and letting this Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian from the Indo-American Federation deal with Azrael seemed the perfect solution.
He refused to believe any possibility of reconciliation existed between those two.
Motian's expression twitched as he recalled his earlier attempt to recruit the two surviving Master-tier Lore Cardians from the Indo-American Federation.
He'd expected Edley's subordinates to assist in the rescue operation. Instead, they'd all made excuses the moment they learned Azrael had reached Sovereign-tier.
Cowards, every last one.
The Indo-American Federation clearly couldn't be relied upon. However, Motian felt confident he could handle the rescue alone.
"Boy, prepare yourself for my gift."
With Edley properly positioned, Azrael, who'd just achieved Sovereign-tier and likely hadn't created his first Sovereign-level card yet, would be thoroughly outmatched.
This way, he'd simultaneously earn Edley's gratitude and eliminate a significant threat. Two birds, one stone.
Several cards radiating terrifying auras materialized before Motian, immediately launching their assault on the satellite.
Nothing happened.
"...?"
Motian stared, dumbfounded. He hadn't expected his Sovereign-level cards to fail at destroying the sphere.
Just as his cards prepared a second attack, a sudden presence within his perception caused his expression to shift dramatically.
"Another Sovereign-level card?!"
Before rational thought could intervene, a pale scythe gleaming with deathly luminescence slashed past Motian's position.
The next instant, a crack as deep as an abyss split the satellite's surface where Edley was imprisoned.
Motian stood trembling to one side, still processing his near-death experience. Only then did he clearly observe the card that had attacked him.
A white-haired girl with closed eyes, radiating lethal power.
Recognition struck instantly.
"Azrael?!"
He'd never imagined the Empire's newest Sovereign had already created his first Sovereign-level card in such a short timeframe.
Shock and fury warred across the Mughal Empire's master Lore Cardian's features. If not for his hidden life-saving technique, that single blow would have killed him outright.
Motian vanished from the battlefield without hesitation.
Shiraori glanced at the satellite she'd nearly shattered, a hint of embarrassment crossing her otherwise expressionless face.
Then she too disappeared, pursuing her quarry.
Against Shiraori's mastery of dimensional magic, Motian, without his Sovereign-level cards, had absolutely no means of escape.
His face was grim as he desperately summoned Brahma from his battle suppressing the secret realm.
The [Golden Emperor] no longer cared about the Mughal Empire's deteriorating situation. Brahma's arrival significantly eased the pressure Motian faced.
"Damn it!" Motian cursed internally, watching Brahma steadily lose ground. "How could that boy develop so fast?!"
"And something feels fundamentally wrong about his strength!"
More critically, Brahma wasn't at full capacity, he'd been battling a Sovereign-level demon for days. Prolonging this confrontation would prove catastrophically disadvantageous.
Just as frustration threatened to overwhelm him, a voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"Motian, you shouldn't have interfered with my fight against Edley."
Azrael's voice.
Hearing those words, Motian sneered defiantly. "So what if I interfered, you brat?! You think you've got me cornered?!"
True, Brahma was struggling, but that didn't mean surrender!
From the moment he'd attempted Edley's rescue, both sides had been locked in mortal combat.
The four-headed, four-armed deity flipped through his tome rapidly, and brilliant white light representing divine wisdom surged toward the heavens.
In response, Shiraori chose to open her eyes.
Instantly, a cascade of negative status effects crashed upon Brahma like a tidal wave.
However, facing her assault, Motian's expression grew even more ferocious, almost triumphant.
By then, Azrael had already grasped his true intentions.
BOOM!
With a tremendous roar, the satellite in low-Earth orbit suddenly shattered completely.
A furious roar echoed across the heavens, "AZRAEL!!"
Edley had escaped.
A massive circular shadow loomed over the ocean below. Black fog reeking of death silently blanketed the entire maritime region.
A middle-aged man in a dark blue suit glared coldly at Azrael, speaking without turning his head. "Thank you, Motian. We'll discuss proper compensation after I deal with him."
Edley naturally understood that Motian had orchestrated his liberation.
Behind him, the somewhat disheveled Motian grinned with sinister satisfaction. "No compensation necessary. Today, we'll work together to keep that boy here permanently. That's thanks enough."
A hint of mockery crossed Edley's features. "So many enemies for one so young, Azrael. Or do you truly believe a single Sovereign-level card makes you invincible?"
Despite his confident words, Edley, freshly freed from imprisonment, couldn't suppress his shock.
Though he'd been unable to perceive time's passage while sealed, he could roughly calculate that very little time had elapsed since his capture.
Yet in that brief window, the boy before him had somehow broken through from Master-tier to Sovereign-tier.
'His secret is definitely more significant than he revealed before.'
Regret flickered through Edley's mind. If he'd known earlier, he would have used overwhelming force to capture Azrael immediately. The situation wouldn't have deteriorated to this point.
Meanwhile, Azrael stood behind Shiraori, his gaze cold as he assessed Edley and Motian in the distance.
He knew the worst-case scenario had materialized. He was forced to fight two Sovereign-tier Lore Cardians simultaneously.
Furthermore, without a quick victory, the unchecked Sovereign-level demon within the Mughal Empire would undoubtedly invade Imperial territory.
Taking a deep breath, Azrael calmed his mounting anxiety.
Though the situation was dire, he believed he still held a chance at victory. Both Edley and Motian were in compromised condition.
In profound silence, all his cards gradually manifested behind him.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Luffy. Zoro. Naruto. Sasuke. Ichigo. The Soul King. The Shinigami. The Pirate King...
Until finally, a terrifying aura fueled by countless bonds filled the atmosphere.
Seeing this display, both Edley and Motian scoffed dismissively. "Who are you trying to intimidate with these low-tier cards?"
They seemed to have conveniently forgotten, both had suffered losses against these very cards they now dismissed.
The former had been sealed by a Master-level card. The latter had lost a wager in combat against Master-tier opposition.
Azrael didn't bother responding. His hands would speak louder than words.
Just as battle was about to commence, two equally powerful auras suddenly appeared beside Azrael.
"Edley. Motian."
"Two against one seems rather unfair, wouldn't you say?"
Louis XXIV and Catherine had arrived.
Azrael felt no surprise at their intervention. He'd lived on Earth for many years, he wasn't alone.
Perhaps when he'd been merely Grandmaster-tier, they wouldn't have interfered. But now that he'd demonstrated his capability by reaching Sovereign-tier, they certainly wouldn't mind lending assistance.
With Louis XXIV and Catherine's arrival, the atmosphere grew increasingly volatile.
Edley and Motian's expressions darkened considerably. They both recognized they probably couldn't eliminate Azrael today.
But letting a tiger return to the mountains...
Abruptly, Edley's eyes flickered with calculating light, and a strange smile spread across his features.