Jacob never dreamed he would encounter Azrael's distinctive form within the heart of the demon army's stronghold.
Despite the intimidating full-body armor he wore, the unmistakable sight of his junior brother's black and white companion with dual pairs of wings made recognition inevitable.
When Azrael heard Jacob's voice calling out above, he lifted his gaze skyward to find his senior brother staring down at him with an expression of complete bewilderment.
The relief that washed over him at that moment was almost overwhelming. "Senior Brother..."
"This situation requires a lengthy explanation. I'll provide all the details once we've resolved the crisis here."
Understanding the urgency, Jacob nodded immediately and transported Azrael back to the safety of Sardinia City.
Inside the fortified walls, Azrael carefully transferred the unconscious Wendy from his arms to a nearby medical staff member before releasing his transformation. "Big Brother, we came here under direct orders from Commander Kageyami to provide support."
"We were conducting harassment operations against the demon army's outer perimeter when a Diamond-level demon named Ruth captured us."
At the mention of Ruth's name, Jacob's expression shifted to one of stunned recognition, followed by a sharp intake of breath. "You encountered Ruth directly?!"
He examined Azrael from head to toe with intense scrutiny.
Seeing only traces of exhaustion on his junior brother's sweat-dampened face, nothing else that seemed unusual, a flicker of doubt crossed Jacob's eyes. "She didn't attempt to drain your spiritual energy?"
Azrael nodded, then shook his head in a complex gesture. "She did attack us, but after capturing Wendy and me, she ordered her subordinates to escort us back to the demon army's base camp."
"That's exactly where you found me, Senior Brother."
Observing his senior brother's troubled expression, the young man found himself equally puzzled about Ruth's true motivations.
Fortunately, Jacob quickly addressed his confusion, "Junior Brother, this marks your first encounter with Ruth, so you're unfamiliar with her typical methods."
"Ordinarily, that particular demon systematically drains a Lore Cardian's spiritual energy reserves."
"Even if you're fortunate enough to survive the initial encounter, you'll essentially be rendered incapable of practicing as a Lore Cardian afterward."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully while studying Azrael's face, muttering, "But why would she capture you specifically, Junior Brother? Could it be because of your remarkable appearance?"
Ignoring Jacob's attempt at humor, Azrael felt a chill of retrospective fear.
He had a strong suspicion about why he'd been taken alive.
After all, if ordinary Lore Cardians served as appetizers, then Azrael represented the main course.
His spiritual power levels were genuinely exceptional.
Of course, it was entirely possible that Ruth had simply been attracted to Azrael's physical appearance.
Ulquiorra's transformation is approaching rapidly, Azrael reflected internally.
If Ulquiorra could achieve his Segunda Etapa evolution during their confrontation with Ruth, even though he would likely remain outmatched, it might have created sufficient opportunity for both him and Wendy to escape.
Despite his recent brush with death, Azrael harbored no resentment toward the Northern Defense Army.
Ultimately, his participation had been voluntary. Could he blame Commander Kageyami for the assignment?
The command structure had simply determined that he and Wendy formed an effective team for harassment missions.
If anyone deserved blame, it would be Jin, who had persuaded him to join the Northern Defense Army in the first place.
Without the hook-nosed elder's influence, Azrael would never have enlisted.
While Azrael wrestled with these overwhelming thoughts, Jacob spoke up again. "Speaking of which, Junior Brother, you don't appear to be under Ruth's influence at all."
"Typically, even a standard Emerald-level Lore Cardian wouldn't be capable of breaking free from her control."
He made this observation because Lore Cardians rescued after Ruth's attacks usually required extensive treatment from elite medical teams to recover from abnormal mental states.
However, considering how energetic Azrael had appeared while moving among the demon army, it was clear he wasn't in the compromised state that Ruth's victims typically exhibited.
"Could it be that Ruth truly has developed romantic feelings for Junior Brother?"
Hearing this speculation, Azrael shook his head slightly. "My newly crafted cards provide some resistance against abnormal status effects. Ruth probably didn't anticipate that I could break free from her control."
This explanation prompted Jacob to recall the full-body armor Azrael had worn before entering the city.
The spiritual aura he'd sensed from that equipment was undoubtedly exceptional in quality. Without Ulquiorra's presence to help identify the armored figure, Jacob might have mistaken him for one of Master Tempest's most accomplished disciples arriving to provide reinforcements.
Though deeply curious about the specifics of the [Seiken Seiken Swordriver], Jacob resisted the urge to probe for details. He simply placed a reassuring hand on Azrael's shoulder and said, "You've endured significant hardship, Junior Brother."
"However, a wise person doesn't position themselves beneath a collapsing wall. Please avoid placing yourself in such danger again."
Azrael nodded silently in acknowledgment.
He realized that in the northern territories, Emerald-rank practitioners served merely as expendable fodder; to possess genuine self-defense capabilities, one needed to achieve at least Diamond-rank status.
Unfortunately, advancement couldn't be rushed. After reaching Emerald level, Azrael could clearly sense a dramatic decrease in his spiritual energy accumulation rate.
If Gold level was comparable to a river, then Emerald level resembled a vast lake.
The difficulty of completely filling their respective capacities was incomparable.
And my promotion didn't follow conventional methods either.
Currently, Azrael's only viable path forward involved transforming Ulquiorra into his ultimate [Segunda Etapa] form and subsequently promoting Nel to Emerald level.
Ideally, he would also upgrade [Las Noches] to its enhanced state.
Once [Las Noches] received its enhancement, Nami would require similar upgrades.
Additionally, cards like Retsu, Artoria, Sasuke, and others remained uncreated.
Azrael paused his wandering thoughts and massaged his temples to alleviate a growing headache. "All of this seems impossibly distant. Let me focus on transforming Ulquiorra into [Segunda Etapa] first."
Jacob then inquired, "Little Junior Brother, are you planning to return for rest now?"
Upon hearing his senior brother's question, Azrael considered briefly before responding, "I'll continue providing support to the Lore Cardians defending the city walls."
He had primarily expended mental energy during the recent encounter, so his physical condition remained adequate. He could still deploy Ulquiorra to join the battle from the city's fortifications.
Seeing Azrael's determination, Jacob didn't attempt to dissuade him, instead leading him directly to the wall's summit.
After sending Ulquiorra out to engage freely, Azrael gazed into the distance, lost in contemplation.
Then he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Did I see that correctly?
Azrael wondered. He had just witnessed several mountains in the distant landscape vanish instantaneously.
Sensing his reaction, Jacob explained, "That's Commander Bear from Sardinia City. He follows the same combat path as Master Tempest."
"He spearheaded the assault against the demon army earlier."
"However, the battle should be concluding soon."
Azrael was stunned and instinctively asked, "Are the Diamond-level demons in the demon army really so weak?"
He had assumed the battle's conclusion indicated Commander Bear had eliminated all opposing Diamond-level demons.
Ruth had previously exerted overwhelming pressure on him, rendering him completely powerless.
But Jacob shook his head slightly after hearing Azrael's assumption. "No, the demon army is likely executing a strategic withdrawal."
"They won't engage us in a fight to the death."
"After all, every Diamond-level combatant represents a valuable asset, regardless of which side they fight for."
He left another consideration unspoken: the demon army held the tactical advantage in this conflict. Even if they couldn't capture Sardinia and Shibuya, they could still secure the territory ceded by the Northern Defense Army.
Although Jacob didn't voice this reality, Azrael quickly grasped the reasoning.
He pressed his lips together, uncertain of what to say.
Just as both brothers fell into contemplative silence, a brilliant meteor streaked across the sky and crashed heavily toward Sardinia City.
However, as it approached the city, the meteor's velocity suddenly decreased, transforming into a human figure that landed beside Jacob.
Seeing this arrival, Jacob addressed the figure, "Commander Bear, what's the current situation?"
The man Jacob addressed as "Commander Bear" spat out a mouthful of blood while grinning grimly. "I've nearly crippled that [Immortal Seed] demon. He probably won't be able to use his [Binding Barrier] technique anymore."
"Unfortunately, they had numerical superiority. I couldn't eliminate him entirely."
"But something must have gone wrong with Master Shi's operation. Ruth retreated prematurely, otherwise I wouldn't have returned so quickly."
As he spoke, several demonic figures materialized in the distant sky.
Azrael's heart skipped a beat upon recognizing the formation.
Ruth was among them.
He instinctively stepped backward, positioning himself behind his senior brother Jacob for protection.
Unfortunately, Ruth had already spotted him.
The alluring woman's face displayed a mixture of anger and confusion as she stared intently at the young man atop the city wall. "Sweetheart, I didn't anticipate you possessing such remarkable abilities."
"I clearly underestimated your potential."
As Ruth's seductive voice echoed throughout Sardinia City, every Lore Cardian glanced around in bewilderment, obviously wondering who this mysterious "sweetheart" could be.
Commander Bear was no exception to this confusion.
The Sardinia City commander naturally noticed Ruth's gaze directed toward their group.
The problem was, he had never had any previous dealings with her.
Could it be Brother Jacob?
He glanced imperceptibly at the unremarkable man beside him, then spotted Azrael, who was hiding behind Jacob.
Meanwhile, Jacob whispered a brief explanation of Azrael's recent experience to Commander Bear.
After hearing the complete account, Commander Bear's expression grew strange before breaking into a wide grin. He then slapped Azrael's back with his palm, which was like a massive fan. "Excellent work, young man!"
"Truly impressive!"
At that moment, Ruth's expression shifted to one of near tears as she declared, "Sweetheart, you're really prepared to go to such lengths!"
Before she could complete her statement, a figure beside her interrupted coldly, "Ruth, I didn't bring you along just so you could indulge your desires."
"Are you truly not concerned about facing the Lord Military Commander's punishment?!"
Hearing this threat, the seductive woman suppressed her emotional display and sneered, "Don't try to intimidate me with the Lord Military Commander. You incompetent fools can't even handle a few Lore Cardians, yet you have the audacity to criticize me?"
"You, !"
Ignoring the several Diamond-level demons beside her whose faces flushed with instant rage, Ruth shed her minimal protective garments.
Her pale, flawless body gleamed brilliantly in the bright moonlight.
Azrael found himself momentarily mesmerized by the sight.
However, a cold snort echoing through everyone's ears snapped the young man back to reality, cold sweat covering his back.
Azrael lowered his head, not daring to look at the female demon hovering in midair.
Observing this reaction, a flicker of disappointment crossed Ruth's eyes.
But attracting her "sweetheart" hadn't been her primary objective.
By this point, the cards deployed throughout the demon army's positions had ceased their movements, staring blankly at the perfect form suspended in midair.
The remaining demons in the army seized this opportunity to execute a rapid withdrawal.
Seeing that most of the demonic forces had already departed, Ruth smiled charmingly and declared, "Sweetheart, I'll spare you this time."
"But during our next encounter, I'll definitely treat you... properly."
"Mmmm!"
With a blown kiss, Ruth and the other Diamond-level demons vanished instantly.
Feeling the intense scrutiny fade, Azrael breathed a sigh of relief and raised his head.
Then he discovered Commander Bear and Jacob staring at him with obvious curiosity.
His body stiffened, and he immediately declared with righteous indignation, "Bah! That demon was merely interested in my physical form. Brothers, please don't read too much into it."
Both Diamond-level Lore Cardians understood that Ruth simply intended to drain the person before them, but they remained curious about what made Azrael different from ordinary targets.
Ultimately, though, they chose not to press the issue, tactfully allowing the matter to drop.
Nearly half a month had passed since Azrael and the others had departed to support Sardinia City.
Around the time Sardinia and Shibuya successfully established contact with Shunagakure, they had returned to Gaza with Jacob.
Wendy, meanwhile, had recovered sufficiently to perform basic activities by the third day after receiving treatment.
At that moment, in Azrael's residence, Wendy bowed solemnly before him in gratitude. "Azrael, I cannot thank you enough for everything you did."
Seeing her formal gesture, Azrael quickly helped the short-haired woman to her feet. "Wendy, you've always taken excellent care of me. How could I possibly abandon you in such circumstances?"
He then inquired with genuine concern, "Speaking of your condition, Wendy, how are you feeling physically?"
Wendy glanced at her pale right arm, bitterness crossing her features. "My hand feels somewhat unfamiliar."
"The real problem lies with my spiritual energy capacity."
Although her right arm wasn't the original limb, thanks to treatment provided by the Northern Defense Army's elite medical team, the replacement functioned virtually identically to the original.
After a pause, she continued, "I'm afraid I'll remain stuck at Emerald rank for the rest of my life."
The woman gave a wry smile. "I might even drop below Emerald level entirely."
If destroying someone's livelihood was comparable to killing their parents, then severing a Transcendent's path to advancement was equivalent to exterminating their entire lineage.
Upon hearing this revelation, Azrael fell silent.
At that moment, he became even more aware of Ruth's truly terrifying nature.
He felt grateful that the alluring woman hadn't drained his energy first, otherwise he would probably have suffered the same fate as Wendy.
However, the knowledge that she had already set her sights on him made the young man feel his future prospects were bleak.
Wendy stood up and prepared to leave. "Then I'll be going now, Azrael."
"Get some proper rest, and don't dwell on these matters."
It wasn't until the sound of the door closing reached his ears that Azrael realized he hadn't asked Wendy about her future plans: would she continue serving with the Northern Defense Army or retire to rear-line positions?
But then he reconsidered, feeling that asking such questions might be insensitive, so he let the matter go.
Azrael remained motionless on the sofa for a moment, then retrieved his phone and began scrolling through his options.
The reward points he and Wendy had earned for their support mission to Sardinia City had been distributed several days earlier, a substantial total of 50,000 points.
Clearly, Commander Kageyami and the other leaders recognized the mission's extreme danger, hence the generous bonus allocation.
This amount was sufficient to exchange for two pieces of Emerald-grade red material.
Azrael's current point balance had reached 73,860.
Fortunately, it hasn't been sold yet.
Looking at the information displayed on his screen, he claimed the necessary material without hesitation.
Emerald-grade [Dark-winged Bat Demon] (Red).