"I have received the materials. I'll leave now." Azrael pocketed the items and noticed that Fredrika had nothing else to discuss.
Without looking up from her paperwork, Fredrika waved dismissively. "Go ahead. I'll contact you if anything comes up."
The materials had been a direct order from the Crimson Oath Society, she was merely the messenger. In truth, given her position, the less contact she had with Azrael, the better. Any frequent interaction might force her to fabricate elaborate cover stories about keeping a young lover to satisfy prying eyes.
Though Azrael's keeping her wouldn't be entirely unwelcome.
Seeing her dismissal, Azrael left Velvet Springhouse without further conversation and returned to his hotel.
Cross-legged on his bed, Azrael contemplated his next creation. Since he intended to create a female card this time, Alucard was immediately eliminated from consideration. The vampire's most powerful ability, the River of Death with its countless souls, was impossible to replicate with his current materials. Even if he could afford better components, materials with multiple resurrection abilities weren't available at Bronze level.
Arcueid faced similar challenges. As a True Ancestor, her initial power level would inevitably exceed the Bronze classification. In addition, Arcueid was operating at a near-Divine level, judging purely by lore rather than portrayal. Since Azrael had other viable options, there was no need to force a weakened interpretation.
"Then it's decided." Azrael smiled in anticipation. "Though the materials seem a bit lacking."
Opening his phone, Azrael scanned the current listings on the trade website. With 1.8 million Empyrean Dollars available, he could afford a gold-quality bronze-level material if something suitable was in stock.
"Perfect."
Bronze Level [Succubus] (Gold)
Despite the steep price tag of 1.68 million Empyrean Dollars, Azrael completed the purchase. Pidgeot delivered the material within the hour, a card depicting a stunningly beautiful woman with porcelain skin and shining golden hair.
Azrael entered the mysterious room once more.
[Please begin creating your story.]
[Long ago, in a small kingdom, Princess Acerola was known for her extraordinary beauty. The people called her the Beautiful Princess, but Acerola grew tired of being valued only for her appearance.]
[Seeking change, she found a witch who granted her unusual request. The curse ensured that people could no longer see Acerola's physical form, but instead perceived the beauty of her heart, which far surpassed even her legendary looks.]
[All who saw her inner beauty willingly offered their lives in her service. Her small kingdom perished from this devotion, as the citizens neglected all duties to worship their princess.]
[Desperate to reverse the disaster, Acerola returned to the witch, only to discover that the sorceress had already offered her own head upon first seeing Acerola's radiant soul.]
[As Acerola prepared to end her cursed existence, the witch's severed head miraculously spoke one last time, revealing that those who died for her love might yet be saved in the future. The witch urged them to travel and seek salvation.]
Azrael deliberately avoided adapting the exact storyline of Kizumonogatari. While Utanobu was undeniably adorable, her abilities in that iteration were significantly neutered compared to her true potential.
[During her wanderings, Acerola came upon another small land ruled by the vampire lord Suicide-Master, whose very name proclaimed her eternal fate: "Determined to die, must die, and will die forever."]
[Acerola's presence inevitably destroyed this realm as well. Since the Suicide Master only consumed prey that she killed herself, she planned to devour the beautiful princess. However, the moment she moved to strike, Acerola's inner beauty paralyzed her with overwhelming guilt.]
[Lord Suicide-Master found herself trapped in an endless cycle of attempted self-destruction, unable to escape her nature or her shame].
[As the two tragic beauties grew closer, Acerola expressed her desire to prevent more senseless human deaths. She asked to be turned into a vampire, reasoning that if people were going to sacrifice themselves for her love, she could at least turn them into food instead of letting them die in vain.]
[Suicide-Master granted this wish and gave her a new name:].
[Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade].
With the creation of Heart-Under-Blade complete, Azrael focused on her abilities. Unfortunately, his materials lacked components to eliminate the vampire's greatest weakness: vulnerability to sunlight. Since Heart-Under-Blade would primarily operate as part of his Crimson Oath Society persona during night missions, this limitation was manageable. He could always create additional night-themed cards later to support it.
[As a newly turned vampire, Heart-Under-Blade struggled with unfamiliar powers. Forgetting her vulnerability, she stepped into the sunlight and was instantly burned. Fortunately, her incredible regenerative abilities prevented any permanent damage.]
[The same strong healing factor made Heart-Under-Blade's blood exceptionally medicinal. When applied to wounds, her blood could quickly heal even the most severe injuries.]
Azrael had chosen Heart-Under-Blade in part for her medical abilities. His current roster consisted entirely of close-combat specialists, fine for basic first aid, but inadequate for serious injuries. This was crucial given his identity as a member of the Crimson Oath Society.
If he was injured while on a mission for the organization, he couldn't seek medical attention without arousing the suspicion of the organization. Heart-Under-Blade's healing abilities would eliminate this vulnerability.
[Aside from her regeneration, Heart-Under-Blade remained unfamiliar with her other vampiric powers: flight, stealth, enhanced senses, and matter manipulation.]
Azrael had intended to include her signature ability to create matter, but instinct warned him it would not be approved at this level.
[However, under the guidance of Lord Suicide-Master, Heart-Under-Blade gradually mastered her supernatural gifts before resuming her eternal journey.]
Azrael ended the story there. Further developments, such as jumping from Antarctica to Japan and nearly shattering the continent from the impact, were clearly beyond Bronze-level abilities.
Returning to reality, Heart-Under-Blade's map materialized in front of him.
[Newborn Vampire Heart-Under-Blade]
Rank: Bronze Quality: Red Category: Biological
Skills:
[Superhuman Strength]:The vampire transformation gives Heart-Under-Blade tremendous physical strength, capable of shattering walls with a single blow. [Shadow Stealth]: Heart-Under-Blade can merge with shadows and achieve complete invisibility. [Pressure Gaze]: Her gaze carries a devastating physical power, anything she focuses on can be reduced to powder by her will alone. [Instant Regeneration]: Unless her entire body and heart are destroyed at the same time, Heart Under Blade's terrifying healing factor will instantly repair all damage. Note: Consumes the holder's mental energy.
Traits:
[Mystic Charm]:Bodies below the level of Black Iron cannot resist the lure of Heart-Under-Blade and will willingly sacrifice their lives for her. [Vampire Progenitor]: The blood inherited from Lord Suicide-Master marks Heart-Under-Blade as the highest vampire nobility. When facing lesser vampires, all of her abilities are greatly enhanced.
Introduction: The oddest of oddities, the vampire among vampires.
Progression path: Bronze [Newborn Vampire Heart Under Blade] → Silver [Aberration Slayer Heart Under Blade] → Diamond [Iron-Blooded, Hot-Blooded, Cold-Blooded Vampire Heart Under Blade].
Bond: When used with [Suicide Master] series cards, activates [Vampire Progenitor] enhanced effects.
Heart-Under-Blade's abilities met Azrael's expectations perfectly; the investment in gold-quality materials had paid off handsomely. He wasn't surprised by the lack of specialized anti-monster abilities, since he hadn't included any such materials.
After mentally storing the map, Azrael summoned Heart-Under-Blade.
The vampire before him had gleaming golden hair, tied in a single ponytail with a black ribbon. Her white classic dress revealed an impressive expanse of pale skin that seemed to glow with inner light.
"Magnificent," Azrael thought appreciatively.
Outside of anime, such proportions were physically impossible in reality. Of course, Heart-Under-Blade's [Mystic Charm] had no power over him as her creator, so his admiration was purely an aesthetic appreciation of the vampire's striking figure and beauty.
Sensing his thoughts, Heart-Under-Blade's lips curved into a knowing smile. Her slender legs straddled Azrael gracefully as she leaned in close.
"I never expected to serve a master," she whispered, pink lips brushing his ear as her newly ungloved hand traced patterns across his chest.
Azrael saw no reason to play the stoic saint. Besides, the cards were naturally programmed with favorable impressions of their creators when they were summoned. He wasn't an ascetic monk, and attractive cards had always been part of the appeal.
Compared to that female Lore Cardian at Kyoto University who'd famously summoned muscular male servants, he was practically conservative.
With that justification, Azrael gently pushed Heart-Under-Blade onto the bed, grateful that he'd booked a king-size room.
"Moderation is still important."
The next morning, Azrael stretched luxuriously. Vampires had impressive stamina, and though this was Heart-Under-Blade's first experience, she'd matched his energy throughout the night. Fortunately, his Bronze-level mental fortification had prevented complete exhaustion.
They were evenly matched, all things considered.
"If in the future..." Azrael's mind began to wander to other attractive cards before he shook his head sharply. "Focus, Azrael. You want to become a sovereign level Lore Cardian."
"Though I wonder what Kaguya Otsutsuki would be like."
The thought made him blush slightly. This explained Fredrika's complete failure to seduce him; compared to perfectly loyal card companions, her femme fatale routine seemed transparent and calculating. No need to worry about hidden agendas or poison in intimate moments.
Still, he could distinguish priorities. Recreation was fine, but meditation remained essential. In this world, strength was the only basis for survival.
"Interesting that it didn't work," Azrael mused, remembering the previous night's experiment.
Since Heart-Under-Blade could theoretically turn others into vampires, he had naturally tried the process. If he was successful, he could always reverse it by draining their blood to return to humanity.
Unfortunately, while Heart-Under-Blade's bites were remarkably pleasant, her fangs couldn't penetrate his skin at all.
"Looks like the biological abilities of the cards don't affect their creators."
Azrael wouldn't draw definitive conclusions from a single test, though. He would need more cards to verify this immunity.
The happy times passed quickly. Before he knew it, the first day of the knockout round had arrived.
"How confident are you feeling?" In the stands, Gabi studied the arena layout while asking Azrael about his upcoming match.
The elimination phase had done away with the exclusive seeded sections, everyone was now equal. Azrael had returned to the Silverbrook High School group, where his classmates had gathered to support their lone remaining representative.
"This should be easy," Azrael replied after assessing his opponent's intelligence.
Vali, from Pixar University Affiliated High School, wielding a Bronze-level [Hopping Zombie].
With no hidden trump cards, Azrael expected no significant challenge.
Gabi looked at him knowingly. "Still as confident as ever."
She wasn't surprised by his attitude after half a year of friendship. Besides, Vali's card was an advanced variant of [Green Zombie] called [Hairy Zombie]. Since Yoriichi had easily defeated Green Zombies before, a Hairy Zombie shouldn't pose much of a threat to Azrael's current arsenal.
Unless the opponent had unrevealed cards.
"Your turn," Gabi said quietly as Azrael's name echoed through the arena's speakers.
Azrael nodded and stood to report to the waiting area.
"Go get them, Azrael!" came the enthusiastic cheers of his classmates.
Azrael waved his approval without looking back.
On the battlefield, Vali watched Azrael with intense concentration.
"His last fight ended too quickly to gather any information," Vali thought grimly. He had, of course, observed Azrael's effortless victory over Sasha. "Luckily, I still have my ace."
He took a deep breath and called two cards at the same time.
Vali had dropped all pretense, losing in the first thirty-two meant elimination anyway. Better to show his strongest lineup from the start.
Azrael raised an eyebrow as he studied Vali's dual manifestation. "As expected, hidden trump cards."
"Top thirty-two students should not be underestimated."
"And that seems to be a bond combination."
His conclusion seemed obvious. Vali's cards were instantly recognizable: a zombie with long, matted hair and a Carlxi corpse-holder wearing green robes and clutching protective talismans.
This was Azrael's first encounter with completely original cards. Most of the others drew from established mythology or folklore, but the Carlxi Corpse Herders required the Lore Cardians to develop anything beyond the basic framework on their own.
"In that case..." Azrael called Luffy and Yoriichi at the same time.
Maybe Yoriichi's Utakai and Luffy's Gear Third could handle both opposing cards, but since Luffy's information was already revealed, there was no point in hiding it. Better to use two cards and keep his strongest techniques hidden.
"Round of Thirty-Two: Silverbrook High School's Azrael vs. Pixar University Affiliated High School's Vali."
"Begin!"
The referee's whistle signaled the start of the Top 32 Elimination Battle.