Azrael materialized beside Tempest's bisected corpse, his sudden appearance sending shockwaves through the hearts of the remaining four demon army commanders.
Before the battle, none of them could have imagined that the Storm Lord, considered among their foremost warriors, would fall to a Diamond-tier Lore Cardian.
"Tempest..."
"Actually dead?!"
The darkness-shrouded commander muttered in disbelief, his voice hollow with shock.
Even witnessing it unfold on the battlefield, it felt surreal, like a nightmare that refused to end.
Just as Tempest had gradually come to view Azrael as an equal during their clash, all the demons present finally understood why the Empire of Aetherlight and Tsarist Russia had allowed a Diamond-tier Lore Cardian to participate in this Master-level conflict.
Without question, the young man was a powerhouse rivaling themselves.
Meanwhile, unaware of the demons' stunned terror, Azrael bent down and retrieved the Master-tier ingredient [End - Storm Lord] (Red) that had dropped from Tempest's remains. A faint smile of relief crossed his face as he secured the material.
Then his gaze shifted toward the distant battlefield, where explosions and clashing powers still echoed. "Next, I should deal with them."
"I just hope Master Fujimaru is holding up."
The battle was far from over.
Sensing Azrael's attention, the four remaining Master-tier demons' hearts tightened. After such a prolonged engagement, their condition wasn't much better than Tempest's had been.
Fortunately, the most threatening card belonging to that Diamond-tier Lore Cardian had dissipated. Even if Azrael joined the fray now, his impact would likely be minimal.
However, what they wanted most was to escape this death trap as quickly as possible. They couldn't continue fighting.
After Tempest's death, the scales of victory had already begun tipping decisively against them.
In that case, it would be better to cut their losses and retreat to the secret realm to mount a defensive stand.
That way, the demon army might still have a chance at survival.
After all, the Empire of Aetherlight and Tsarist Russia weren't their only enemies in this world. The City-within-a-City, the Fallen Cult, and even some neighboring nations posed significant threats.
Such obvious intentions didn't escape Catherine and the others.
"What? Planning to flee?" Her Majesty the Tsarist Empress couldn't help but sneer. "Tempest's death was truly unjust, betrayed by cowards like you."
Unmoved by her provocation, the commanders exchanged silent glances and began searching for escape routes.
At that moment, the white-robed commander, who had remained silent until then, suddenly frowned.
He remembered something his colleagues had forgotten.
A charred figure crawled from the scorched earth beside Tempest's mutilated body. An oppressive aura instantly permeated the arena.
Tempest had rejoined the battle!
This time, her enemy was an old acquaintance.
The terrifying being that had perished at Yamamoto Shigekuni's hands had returned to this world as one of the fire dead.
As the demons sensed this familiar presence, a chilling dread washed over them like ice water.
Regaining their senses, they realized their backs were drenched in cold sweat.
"Tempest."
The four commanders practically choked on the name.
Fortunately, they quickly sensed that this revenant Tempest wasn't as powerful as they'd feared.
After all, Yamamoto Shigekuni's Zanka no Tachi, Minami: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin couldn't fully manifest the deceased's former strength.
This weakened Tempest could only be considered a low-tier Master-level being at best.
But a weak Master was still a Master. Under normal circumstances, the four commanders might not have taken her seriously.
The problem was that while they weren't completely spent, they weren't in much better shape either.
Therefore, a revived Tempest definitely posed a threat, not to mention Master Tempest and the others watching closely, ready to capitalize on any opening.
BOOM!
Seeing the reanimated Tempest hurtling toward them like a meteor, the four demons startled.
With Azrael's cards entering the fray, the battle erupted anew.
This time, however, he didn't send out all his summons. Instead, he kept Luffy by his side.
The reason was obvious, there weren't only four Master-tier demons present.
Azrael hadn't forgotten about the Diamond-tier demons lying in ambush in the distance.
"It's time to settle accounts," he murmured, then had Shiraori lead Luffy to clear out the remaining demons.
Because the Sacred Blade Armor's cooldown had refreshed, Azrael wasn't worried about being ambushed by beings of the same tier.
The Diamond-tier demons in the distance had already been in a state of panic since Tempest's death.
"Lord Tempest actually fell in battle!" The Corrupted Demon's legs trembled, his face contorted in terror. "I have urgent business at home, so I'm leaving now."
Seeing this, Earl Mirror quickly grabbed him. "Are you insane?!"
"If the commanders knew you were deserting, it wouldn't end well."
The Corrupted Demon's face fell instantly. "Commander this, commander that..."
"It's doubtful whether they can survive today."
"Take my advice and run too."
With that, he forcibly broke free from Earl Mirror's grip, desperate to escape this death trap.
But alas, it was too late.
Shiraori and Luffy had appeared not far from the group of Diamond-tier demons.
Without further ado, the spider and the pirate charged in.
BOOM!
With violent explosions, several weak Diamond-tier demons lost their lives within mere breaths.
Faced with this onslaught, coupled with the devastating psychological impact of Tempest's death, the remaining Diamond-tier demons no longer wanted to fight Luffy and Shiraori.
The only thought in their hearts now was escaping this meat grinder.
However, most Diamond-tier demons proved unable to escape Shiraori's spatial magic.
Soon, only Shiraori and Luffy remained at the scene, surrounded by the corpses of Diamond-tier demons. Only a handful of skilled escapees had managed to flee.
Seeing that the ambushing demons had been largely eliminated, Azrael turned his attention to the fierce battle between the Master-tier combatants.
With his cards now in play, the battle had become largely one-sided.
Looking at the two surviving demon army commanders across from her, Catherine sighed deeply. "A century of shame, finally washed away today."
The Empress thought of the Imperial Lore Cardians who had perished at the hands of the demon army, and of her late husband.
She also reflected on the countless days and nights of anxiety she had endured since assuming power.
Fortunately, from this moment forward, she no longer had to worry about the threat posed by the demon army.
This was undoubtedly thanks to Azrael.
Thinking of this, Catherine turned to glance at the young man watching from afar.
She pondered how to win him over after the war.
'Perhaps I should really let Petrovna have more contact with him.'
The thought made her feel slightly ashamed, but she quickly dispelled the distraction.
As if realizing today would be their death, the two commanders couldn't help but reveal hints of despair.
After barely holding on for another moment, one of them shouted, "Catherine!"
"Are you really not afraid that boy will be promoted to Sovereign-tier?!"
"By then, with two Sovereign-tier masters in the Empire of Aetherlight, you won't be having a good time either!"
He took a breath, his tone softening with false sincerity. "Let me go. From today on, I'll be the Empire's most loyal dog."
Upon hearing this, the other commander beside him suddenly came to his senses and quickly echoed, "That's right! Let us go, and the demon army will be Tsarist Russia's arm from now on."
The commander who had first begged for mercy fiercely shouted, "We?!"
"You and I are not on the same page!"
As a wise being, he knew that even if Catherine chose to show mercy, she wouldn't let all the commanders present survive.
Only one person would live. After all, if all the commanders survived, wouldn't the Empire of Aetherlight and Tsarist Russia have come here in vain?
And if only one person survived, it would be him!
Overhearing the exchange between the two demons, Master Tempest, though expressionless, felt a surge of wariness. He feared Catherine would actually agree.
At that moment, the Empress sighed, then her expression hardened. "Stop embarrassing yourselves with such low-level provocations."
With that, her card attacks intensified.
Catherine was no fool. She knew demons were ungrateful and untameable, and there was no need to offend the Empire of Aetherlight.
Furthermore, she hadn't forgotten that Lord Lioren was still alive.
While she didn't know why the Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian hadn't taken action yet, the key point was that she wasn't yet a complete Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian herself.
Seeing his ploy exposed, the submissive demon commander choked, but soon anger flashed across his face. "Catherine!"
"Master Tempest!"
"And that unknown brat!"
"Don't think you've secured victory!"
The demons looked ready for a final desperate struggle.
Upon hearing this, the other three commanders immediately prepared for a last stand.
Then they fled, their coordination as perfect as if they were one being.
However, Catherine and the others, already prepared for this possibility, would not sit idly by and watch their hard-won success unravel. They immediately gave chase, cards in hand.
Instantly, Azrael was left alone on the battlefield.
Seeing this, he shook his head slightly and prepared to provide support to Master Tempest.
But just then, a bedraggled figure suddenly appeared beside him.
Upon seeing the person's appearance, Azrael was startled and instinctively blurted out, "Master Fujimaru?!"
It was Master Fujimaru, the female Sovereign-tier Lore Cardian who had been trapped at the beginning of the battle.
However, this Empire master had lost her usual gentle demeanor and looked like a beggar.
She asked weakly, "Azrael, why are you alone?"
"Where are His Majesty and Master Tempest?"
Azrael didn't immediately respond to the woman's question, instead having the Shadowkhan fetch a chair.
Seeing Master Fujimaru slumped against the back of the chair, he spoke up. "They went after the surviving commanders."
"But Master Fujimaru, how did you end up like this?"
Azrael asked, sizing her up.
He could see one of Master Fujimaru's eyes had vanished without a trace, leaving only an empty socket. A terrifying hole had opened in her stomach, and the young man could even vaguely see her beating heart through the wound.
Before his time travel, this would have been a medical miracle that would make doctors question their biology training.
Upon hearing this, Master Fujimaru gave a wry smile. "I was transported to a secret realm where a demonized Master-tier Lore Cardian lay in ambush."
"Fortunately, I finally self-destructed Kunlun Mountain, and that's how I defeated him."
"But you saw the price, Azrael."
Azrael didn't question her words. After all, based on his own experience, Kunlun Mountain, as a Master-tier Venue Card, was absurdly powerful.
Only now did he understand the exact tactics the demon army had employed to contain Master Fujimaru.
Azrael felt a surge of complicated emotions at this thought. After all, he was partly responsible for the demonization experiment's success.
But the young man's thinking was mistaken. Even if he hadn't handed over the experimental information to Jin, the old man would likely have joined the demon army eventually, it was simply a matter of sooner or later.
Unaware of Azrael's complex emotions, Master Fujimaru took a breath and asked with concern, "Azrael, how's the situation over there?"
The woman believed that without the support of her Venue Card, the frontline battle would have been extremely difficult.
After all, it had gone from five-on-five to four-on-five, and that was assuming Azrael could hold off a Master-tier demon.
Honestly, the fact that Catherine and the others had been able to hunt down the surviving commanders was surprising.
Wait.
Surviving commanders?
Master Fujimaru noticed the discrepancy, her remaining eye widening. "Azrael, did you successfully kill a commander?"
"Who was it?"
Just as Azrael was about to speak, Master Tempest and the other two returned to the battlefield.
Seeing the mountain of a woman's miserable state, Catherine sighed. "Master Fujimaru, thank you for your hard work."
"From now on, you can rest for a while."
With that, she used her cards to perform simple healing on the woman. Even if it didn't do much, it would at least make her feel better.
Upon hearing this, Master Fujimaru instantly realized something and opened her mouth to ask.
Seeing this, Master Tempest nodded, confirming her unspoken question. "Indeed, all five commanders have been killed."
"From now on, there will be no more demon army in the world."
At this moment, although Master Fujimaru had guessed the outcome, she was still confused.
She had a feeling that something unexpected had happened during her time trapped in the secret realm.