The person who arrived was, of course, Azrael.
After emerging from the cave, the lingering scent of the centipede kept other monsters away from the mountaintop. With no creatures left to hunt, Azrael had no choice but to descend to the middle slopes and continue gathering materials.
But just as he reached the midpoint, something caught his eye: a tree crashing down through the canopy in the distance. From ground level, such a disturbance would have been impossible to spot through the dense forest. Fortunately, riding Pidgeot gave him the aerial advantage he needed.
When he flew to the scene, Azrael witnessed Cory shoving Gabi directly into harm's way.
However, this wasn't the time for lengthy confrontations. The monster had already locked onto Gabi, who was lying sprawled on the forest floor, completely vulnerable.
"Yoriichi!" Azrael's eyes sharpened as he released his card. Yoriichi materialized instantly.
Ding ding ding ding!
The samurai's blade moved in a blur, deflecting the creature's razor-sharp claws with precise strikes. Only then could Azrael address Cory properly.
"Cory, I could understand if you just ran away," he said, his voice tight with controlled anger. "But using Gabi as a human shield? That's crossing every line there is."
Even cowardice had its limits. Sacrificing classmates was something else entirely.
Cory's response was a hysterical shriek: "They have the honor of dying for someone like me, a future Sovereign-level Lore Cardian! Azrael, mind your own damn business!"
Azrael let out a weary sigh. There was no reasoning with madness like this. Instead, he guided Pidgeot down beside Gabi and helped her to her feet. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head and brushed dirt from her clothes. Apart from some scrapes from being pushed to the ground, she seemed uninjured.
However, when Gabi turned to look at Cory, her expression transformed into something cold and calculating. "My father will hear about everything that happened here today."
Azrael said nothing. How Gabi chose to deal with Cory was her business. Still, he suspected Cory's fate wouldn't be pleasant.
The threat hit Cory like a bucket of ice water. His legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees. Panic replaced his earlier arrogance. "Gabi, I was wrong! Please, I'm begging you, don't tell your father!"
He began kowtowing frantically, striking the ground with desperate thuds of his forehead.
The power dynamic was crystal clear. Cory came from a comfortable but ordinary family, while Gabi's father held the prestigious gold-level Lore Cardian rank within the association. If word of the incident reached Gabi's father, Cory's future would be effectively over.
After all, the Card Maker Association strictly prohibits registered members from harming each other. What Cory had attempted was tantamount to attempted murder.
Gabi didn't acknowledge his groveling. She simply turned back to watch the ongoing battle.
Yoriichi and the monster had reached a tense standoff; neither was willing to make the first move. Both fighters seemed to be measuring their opponent, looking for any opening or weakness to exploit.
Eventually, the creature's bestial nature overpowered its strategy. It lost patience and launched itself at Yoriichi with frightening speed.
"Incredible," Azrael muttered, his expression growing serious. This monster was easily the strongest opponent he had encountered since arriving in this world.
Yoriichi managed to dodge the initial assault but not without consequence: Several deep gashes opened across his forearm, and blood spattered the forest floor.
"Yoriichi, activate the markings," Azrael commanded, his jaw clenched tight.
There was no time for a prolonged battle. Yurek's condition was obviously deteriorating, and every second of delay increased the danger.
Hearing his master's order, Yoriichi drew a deep breath. The reddish-brown markings on his face pulsed and expanded, becoming more vivid and defined.
Azrael felt the immediate drain on his mental energy, his face paltering from the sudden increase in consumption. But it was barely within manageable limits.
In the next instant, Yoriichi vanished from his position. When he reappeared, he was already within striking distance of the monster, moving faster than the eye could follow.
The creature had no chance to react to this explosive burst of speed.
Yoriichi's blade, now wreathed in brilliant flames, carved through the monster's body in a single, devastating arc.
For a moment, everything went still. The monster stood frozen, as if time itself had stopped.
Then it happened.
Thud.
The creature split apart into several pieces. The largest section, its torso, crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.
Gabi stared at the scene in stunned silence. "So this is Azrael's true power," she thought. She realized that during their previous ranking tests, Azrael hadn't even been trying. He'd been holding back the entire time.
Meanwhile, Cory was consumed by a toxic mixture of jealousy and rage. "Why is it always him?" he seethed internally. Azrael's casual display of overwhelming strength made all of Cory's earlier boasting look pathetic in comparison. He had been nothing more than a clown performing for an audience that wasn't even watching.
Though, in Azrael's opinion, that assessment was accurate.
Ignoring the reactions of the spectators, Azrael approached Yoriichi with a troubled expression. The flesh and blood wrapped around the monster began to dissolve like an organic coating peeling away.
As the grotesque covering fell away from the creature's face, familiar features were revealed underneath.
Azrael's pupils contracted in shock.
It was Kent, the same person the Key Class students had encountered when they first entered the secret realm.
Quickly moving to block the view of the others behind him, Azrael knelt down and spoke softly. "What happened to you? How did you become like this?"
In his final moments, Kent seemed to regain some fragment of his humanity. Blood bubbled from his lips as he struggled to speak. "I didn't want to die.
My mother is waiting for me in the hospital."
Tears streamed down his ravaged face as he continued. "Save me, please."
"I'm sorry, Captain."
"Please."
Before he could finish, Kent's body began to fade, dissipating like a card and scattering into particles of light on the wind.
All that remained was a single card pulsing with an ominous scarlet glow.
Azrael's mind raced as he processed what he had heard. "Crimson?" he murmured. "Crimson Oath Society?"
He committed this information to memory as he picked up the card from the ground.
Black Iron Grade [Blood Demon] (Gold).
Azrael's eyes widened in disbelief. He'd expected to find Kent's personal card, but this was something entirely different: a material that had condensed from the demon's death.
And it was gold quality. Azrael had never seen a golden material before, not even on trading websites. Black iron grade gold materials were legendary in their rarity.
As Azrael puzzled over Kent's final words, Gabi approached cautiously. "What's wrong? What did that demon say just now?"
Thanks to her father's position, Gabi knew that some demons in secret realms were highly intelligent and could speak the human language. She naturally assumed Kent was one of these creatures.
Azrael remained silent for a long moment, weighing his options. Finally, he decided to keep his discovery to himself. "Nothing important. It just begged me to kill it quickly."
Changing the subject, he continued. "Secret realms like this usually have monitoring stations. I need to check the station first, and then I'll get out of here to call for help."
Yoriichi will stay here to protect you both."
Gabi nodded, assuming Azrael was worried about the centipede demon returning.
However, she didn't realize that Azrael was concerned about more than just the centipede demon. Yes, he was worried about the centipede demon, but he was equally concerned about Cory. The man had been spiraling into a complete mental breakdown ever since Gabi threatened to involve her father.
Azrael knew better than to underestimate human desperation. Who knew what a cornered madman might do if left unsupervised?
Summoning Pidgeot once more, Azrael flew toward the base of the mountain.
When he reached the monitoring station, he finally understood the meaning behind Kent's apology to his captain.
The scene that greeted him was a nightmare—a headless corpse with a gaping hole in its chest.
Without hesitation, Azrael exited the secret realm immediately.
...
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