Upon hearing Marcus's words, Jin felt a sweet, metallic taste flood his mouth. A thin trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his lips.
It wasn't anger that caused it, though fury certainly burned within him. Even with his contracted members of the Fallen Cult shouldering most of the damage from that devastating attack, the old man still had to pay a heavy price. After all, if it hadn't affected him personally, Jin would never have chosen to attack Marcus in the first place.
As his aura gradually weakened, an extremely unstable spatial rift suddenly tore open across the sea's surface.
Such a massive disturbance naturally attracted the attention of Lucian and Fujimaru.
"Jin," Fujimaru said without hesitation, summoning Kunlun Mountain.
"They're trying to open the third secret realm," Lucian said, his face darkening as he watched the rift in the distance scatter spatial debris in all directions.
Considering the newly revealed secret realm, they already faced five Master-level beings. If Tempest and Azrael hadn't gone to Korea to annihilate the unknown Master-level demon, it would have been manageable. At the very least, it would have been four against five. Relying on the Empire's resources, even if they couldn't win, they wouldn't lose.
But the reality was that only Lucian and Fujimaru remained in the Empire of Aetherlight.
No matter how difficult it was, they had to fight.
"Ji, attack that rift directly. We must prevent the arrival of the third secret realm," Lucian said calmly to the woman beside him.
Of course, even without his instruction, Fujimaru was already prepared to act.
Whoosh!
A thick beam of light tore through the air, shooting straight toward the dimensional rift that was beginning to stabilize.
Unfortunately, just before the blazing beam could impact the rift, a dark figure blocked its path.
It was Marcus.
Facing Fujimaru's attack, he remained motionless, letting the beam wash over his body. At that moment, the black man's dark skin shone with a metallic sheen. The blazing energy barely left a trace of blackening before being reflected back onto the ocean's surface.
The water instantly evaporated, and a cloud of scorching white steam filled the air above.
"We can't let you ruin our plan like this," Marcus said, tearing off a piece of charred skin from his own body and chewing it with a creepy smile.
At this moment, Lucian and Fujimaru also noticed something amiss in Jin's aura.
"Sure enough, there's a price to pay."
Though they didn't understand why the calculating Jin was willing to pay it himself, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. After all, the enemy had lost half a Master-level warrior, which was barely good news.
But soon, their hearts began to sink uncontrollably into the abyss.
In just a short time, the newly appeared spatial rift had essentially stabilized and begun transforming into an entrance to a secret realm. This was undoubtedly unnatural. But those present from City Within a City understood the reason for this outcome.
After all, Jin had already paid the price, how could he allow this secret realm to form slowly any longer?
Just when they thought the day was over, they suddenly noticed the rapidly rising temperature and the sea beginning to boil like a cauldron.
"Be careful, it's Lord Lioren!" Jin shouted, his voice shrill with fear.
Even without warning, Marcus and the others realized the identity of the newcomer.
But it was too late.
The sun descended from the heavens, its endless radiance spreading across the sea.
At that moment, everyone present felt a scorching heat that burned deep within their souls. The Empire's Lore Cardians in Velkairos, fighting off the invading demons, watched in stunned silence as their enemies rapidly dehydrated into dried corpses.
"Lord Lioren," they whispered.
None of them had witnessed anything like this, even in the previous battle to overthrow the imperial court. In a matter of seconds, the demons within Velkairos were completely annihilated.
The Empire's Lore Cardians instinctively headed toward the coast, and what greeted them was crystallized earth.
That's right, the earth.
The sea was gone.
Even from the farthest reaches of the Diamond-level Lore Cardians' field of vision, they couldn't discern its presence. Burning the heavens and boiling the seas, all so easily accomplished.
A torrential downpour suddenly fell.
In just a few minutes, an unknown amount of evaporated seawater created a torrential downpour powerful enough to affect half of Earth. A terrifying celestial phenomenon capable of altering a planet's climate was easily manifested by the attacks of a Sovereign-level Lore Cardian.
This was why Sovereign-level Lore Cardians from all nations avoided attacking Earth. After all, with their power, the creatures of this planet couldn't withstand repeated assaults.
As high-ranking officials of the Empire, Lucian and Fujimaru were naturally among the few who had witnessed the full force of a Sovereign-level Lore Cardian. The suppressed Sovereign-level secret realm in Shudoria was a vivid example.
Lucian remembered that the secret realm wasn't much smaller than Earth, but in the end, all that remained was a vast expanse of white earth and a sky filled with a constant stream of white ash. It could be said that if Lord Lioren was willing to waste a dozen years, he could easily burn a planet into glass beads.
Compared to that scene, the current spectacle seemed more like a sign that the Empire's Sovereign-level Lore Cardian was holding back.
Of course, there were other possibilities, such as...
"Lioren, how much longer can you hold out?" Looking at Lord Lioren, whose face was pale beyond recognition, Lucian directly asked the most crucial question.
In this situation, asking if the other party was alright was completely useless. Since Lord Lioren had taken action, he was determined to kill all the enemies present.
Hearing Lucian's voice, Lord Lioren raised his eyelids with some effort and said with a weak breath, "One minute? Two minutes?"
He didn't know how much longer he had left. He simply felt a pang of regret that he couldn't seem to reach the end of his journey. But in this world, someone always had to pave the way.
"Sorry, Master Lucian, it seems I have to go first."
Lucian felt a momentary daze as he watched Lord Lioren, who was practically on the verge of death. Unlike Fujimaru, Lord Lioren had practically grown up under his care. He could still remember the young man's high spirits when he had reached the Sovereign level.
But who could have imagined that the imperial court, in order to curb the power of the Association, would proactively descend upon the Sovereign-level secret realm in Shudoria, forcing Lord Lioren, who had just created a Sovereign-level card, to go alone to suppress it?
He had spent most of his time these past few years confronting that Sovereign-level demon. And the forceful suppression of that demon a few days ago had left him with irreversible injuries. Add to that the recent internal and external turmoil, and Lord Lioren's life was on the verge of collapse. His recent attack had only slightly accelerated it.
"Lioren," thinking of this, Lucian couldn't help but purse his dry lips. "Leave the rest to us."
Lord Lioren forced a smile upon his face, then closed his eyes and sighed softly, "That's good. Now... let me rest for a while."
Burning out, he turned to white ash.
Lucian and Fujimaru stared in silence at the Empire's pillar before them, now dulled by its luster.
For a moment, speechless.
Suddenly, they heard a voice filled with relief from the seabed, which had once again gathered some water.
"Alive?!"
It was Jin.
He had survived Lord Lioren's attack, though he looked unwell. The hook-nosed old man was now devoid of any remaining flesh. Golden flames flickered across his body, reducing any new growths to ash.
But he wasn't dead, after all.
Not only him, but also the Skinner and the Flesh King were alive. Instead, it was Marcus, who had tricked Jin, and another Master-level demon who lost their lives under the attack of Dongjun.
It was ridiculous that even though the black man had successfully calculated against Jin, he still couldn't escape the fate of death.
Looking at the two people and the demon in extremely poor condition, Lucian took a deep breath and then said softly, "It's our turn to attack, Ji. Don't waste Lioren's hard work."
Hearing this, Fujimaru nodded solemnly.
However, after seeing the cards of Lucian and Fujimaru, Jin instantly grasped extremely crucial information. His skull-like head revealed an extremely unsightly smile, and the scarlet gums made people shudder. "So that's how it is... Lord Lioren. Dead? Right?"
The torrential rain couldn't stop the demonic whisper from reaching the distant ears of the Empire's Lore Cardians.
Upon hearing these words, everyone's faces were filled with confusion and disbelief.
"Lord Lioren is dead?"
"Impossible, he must be lying."
"I don't believe it!"
Fear spread like a plague through everyone's hearts. But after Lucian and Fujimaru remained silent, most realized this was probably true.
And this was exactly what Jin was aiming for.
"Hahahahaha!"
Seeing this, Jin laughed unrestrainedly, a scene he could only dream of. He believed that no one could stop him from achieving his goal today.
Then, Lucian's words echoed faintly. "Jin, given the three of you in your current state, do you really think you can stop me and Ji?"
Hearing these words, hope rekindled in the distant Empire's Lore Cardians' hearts. True, despite being outnumbered, the three enemies had already suffered heavy losses from Lord Lioren's attack. The outcome was uncertain.
Just as everyone was thinking this, Jin couldn't help but scoff, then said sarcastically, "Lucian... we're not just three of us."
As he finished speaking, a strange, Master-level presence suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
The newly emerged Master-level being surveyed the situation before appearing beside the Flesh King. "Flash, where's Ulrich?"
"Dead."
Hearing this, the unfamiliar Master-level being paused, then turned to gaze at the vast mountain range floating in the distance. "Is that so?"
Gazing at the scene, he had a rough idea of what had just happened.
With this person's appearance, the balance of victory began to tilt once again toward City Within a City.
Lucian and Fujimaru had already recognized the newcomer: the Master-level demon from the newly descended secret realm.
A deathly silence descended upon the battlefield, and neither side immediately engaged.
But in the end, Lucian and Fujimaru couldn't hold back. After all, simply descending a Master-level secret realm couldn't be Jin and his allies' ultimate goal.
Fortunately, despite being two against four, the two, thanks to Fujimaru's Kunlun Mountain, managed to hold their own.
But being evenly matched wasn't enough.
Lucian saw one of Jin's cards, holding a contract, rush into the newly emerged Master-level secret realm. It was clear the hook-nosed elder was attempting to form a contract with the secret realm, just as he had done previously in Velkairos.
"Everyone, attack the newly emerged secret realm at all costs!" Without hesitation, Lucian gave the order to the Empire's Lore Cardians in the rear.
However, attacking is often more difficult than defending, especially in a secret realm as easily defended and difficult to attack. With the help of the demons within the secret realm, Jin and the others only needed to allocate a small portion of their forces to hold off the Empire's offensive.
Seeing this, Lucian immediately retrieved his communication device, preparing to mobilize the majority of the Empire's forces to Velkairos for support.
Just then, an unexpected figure suddenly appeared within Kunlun Mountain.
It was Tempest.
Lucian and Fujimaru were a little surprised by his arrival. "Master Tempest, why are you back? Where is Azrael?"
Faced with the question, Tempest took a breath and calmed his disordered breathing, then explained, "That stupid fox is also in Korea. Azrael and I felt that something wasn't right, so we decided to let one person return to the Empire for support. Azrael said he could handle it alone, so I came back first."
Having said that, he paused, looked at the lifeless Lord Lioren, and whispered, "Lioren died for the country."
"...Yeah."
Fortunately, Tempest quickly sorted out his emotions. He knew that now was not the time to be sad, so he just asked in a heavy tone, "What do you need me to do now?"
"I need you to lead people to break into the newly appeared secret realm and kill Jin's card."
As soon as Lucian's voice fell, Tempest turned into a stream of light and flew to the battlefield.
Jin and the others also noticed the elegant middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared. "Tempest?!" Jin looked shocked by his appearance.
But soon, a malicious smile appeared on his face. "Where's Azrael? Did you abandon him? Still..."
Jin didn't think Azrael and Tempest could defeat Fox Nine and Zero so quickly. And now that Tempest was here, it was undoubtedly Azrael covering their retreat in Korea.
"Two against one? You really trust him!"
The hook-nosed old man couldn't help but sneer. While it looked like he wouldn't be able to execute the traitor himself, this outcome wasn't bad at all.
Facing Jin's taunts, Tempest silently led the Empire's Lore Cardians in their assault on the newly emerged Master-level secret realm.
But after his appearance, Flesh King Flash took the initiative to confront him. Although the Master-level demon was already seriously injured, it would take considerable effort to completely defeat him.
As time passed, the Empire seemed to be falling irreversibly into the abyss.
As if feeling closer to his ultimate goal, Jin's smile grew ever more unbridled. "After more than a decade of planning, today is finally coming to fruition. Lucian, Fujimaru, Tempest, and the now-deceased Lord Lioren. I will mourn you for all the days to come. And this deadline... forever."
Upon hearing these words, a wave of despair welled up within the Empire's Lore Cardians on the battlefield. While they still didn't know what would happen next, anyone with a reasonable degree of wit could sense that today might be the end of the Empire of Aetherlight.
Buzz!
At this moment, three thick beams of light shot straight up from three secret realms into the sky. Then, space began to shatter, and vast cracks, like scars, appeared in the heavens.
A massive blood-red rift stretched from east to west, so vast that even the ordinary citizens of the Empire, already retreating, could clearly see its details.
The two Master-level demons breathed a sigh of relief upon witnessing this scene, muttering to themselves, "Finally."
If they could hold on a little longer, they would be able to help their superior arrive, and then, the world would be no further from collapse.
As for Jin, he was completely captivated by the terrifying, apocalyptic scene before him.
Just when even Lucian and the other two felt that the Empire was beyond redemption, a massive "Ding" character, composed of pitch-black ink, suddenly appeared beneath the rift. Then, time in the sky seemed to stand still, and there was no movement.
The sudden change left everyone stunned.
"What is that?"
Confusion crept into their minds, and both Lore Cardians and demons wondered who had interfered in the battle.
Only Jin suddenly turned his head and looked into the distance. He sensed the presence of the traitor.
It was Azrael.
Jin's actions also attracted the attention of all the Masters present. Lucian followed his gaze and saw Azrael gazing at Jin and his companions with an extremely gloomy expression.
It was the first time he had seen his young disciple with such an expression.
Upon seeing the young man's arrival, Jin's face darkened, but then a sneer of mockery appeared. "Azrael. I didn't expect you to escape from Fox Nine and Zero."
He paused, noticing the absence of the foolish fox behind Azrael. He then said with some admiration, "Or perhaps, you killed Fox Nine and Zero? Given your strength, you did quite well. But it's a pity."
"You were a step too late. If you had been quicker, perhaps Lord Lioren wouldn't have died."
Jin smiled a wicked smile, searching Azrael's face for any sign of a break in his composure.
But sadly, he could only see Azrael's expression grow colder.
The hook-nosed old man curled his lips in boredom, then glanced at the black-bearded monk beside the young man. "Your new card does surprise me a bit. But you don't think this will stop me, do you?"
As the words fell, the giant "Ding" in the sky slowly dissipated, and a terrifying aura gradually emanated from the cracks.
"If that's all you can do."
"You can do nothing."
"Azrael."