The chaos of the ordinary pirates below the stage barely registered in Moore's mind, as something far more interesting had caught his attention. He shifted his gaze to the Night Owl representative, who was leaning back lazily in his chair with predatory ease.
"Tell me what's really going on," Moore said, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority.
The Night Owl representative's face darkened like storm clouds. After shooting a venomous glare at the Rose faction, he straightened and spoke with forced respect. "Boss Moore, we did make contact with Earth operatives, but everything we did was in service of your grand plan."
Moore's lips curved into a cold smile. "Should I be thanking you, then?"
The representative's blood turned to ice at those words. He quickly backpedaled, sweat beading on his forehead. "I wouldn't dare suggest such a thing! We would never betray you, Boss Moore. Every action we took was calculated to advance your future counterattack on Earth."
Counterattack Earth!
Those three words hit Azrael and his team like a thunderbolt. Their pupils contracted sharply, but years of training kept their expressions neutral, betraying nothing of the alarm bells screaming in their minds.
Grey leaned close to Lewis, his voice barely a whisper. "We extract to the Dead Bones base the moment we can. You cover our retreat."
This intelligence was critical. Moore had only recently crossed the threshold into silver-level power, but in the confined space of the Black Flag secret realm, he was still the apex predator. One wrong move would result in casualties among their team, and Lore Cardians were far too valuable to lose carelessly.
The association's resources were stretched thin these days. Secret realms were manifesting across the Empire of Aetherlight at an alarming rate, and there weren't enough qualified Lore Cardians to meet demand. In previous years, a small bronze-level realm like this one would have been cleared within days by a full expedition force. Instead, Grey's team had to proceed with surgical precision.
Lewis gave an almost imperceptible nod, understanding the gravity of their situation.
On stage, Moore seemed to accept the Night Owl representative's explanation, though his casual tone carried undertones of menace. "And what does your boss say about joining our little family? Is he prepared to fly under the Black Flag?"
The representatives exchanged glances; their thoughts were similar: If we could beat you in a fight, why would we become your lapdogs? But survival demanded diplomacy.
"Boss Moore, our boss has given his agreement," they replied in unison, their voices carefully modulated with respect.
"However," one added cautiously, "we'd like to understand our position within the Black Flag hierarchy."
Moore understood the subtext perfectly. Even with their submission, these pirate crews would compete for advantageous positions within his organization. Territorial disputes and power struggles were inevitable, but those concerns paled in comparison to more pressing matters.
A predatory expression crossed Moore's features. "We'll sort out the pecking order later. Right now, we have some uninvited guests to deal with."
The Rose representative exploded with fury, slamming his fist on the table and pointing accusingly at his Night Owl counterpart. "You Night Owl bastards! I knew you were playing a double game!"
Before the Night Owl representative could respond, Moore slowly rose from his seat and gently pressed down on the Rose representative's hand. "This has nothing to do with them. Isn't that right, Moji?"
Moji, who had been contentedly observing the political theater since the meeting began, suddenly found himself thrust into the spotlight. Confusion flickered across his face. "Boss Moore, I don't understand what you—"
The words died in his throat as searing pain lanced through his skull. Memories came flooding back in agonizing clarity.
Azrael and his team realized their cover was blown the instant Moore spoke. Without hesitation, they summoned their cards.
Kaneki's monstrous centipede kagune erupted in a whirlwind of violence, efficiently dismantling the pirates in their immediate vicinity. The grotesque appendage moved with surgical precision, and Azrael couldn't suppress a surge of satisfaction as he collected the spoils:
Black Iron-level material [Rookie Pirate] (green): 11.
We're rich!
Forcing himself to focus past the excitement, Azrael quickly repositioned toward Grey and the others.
The revelation hit the remaining pirates like a physical blow. However, shock quickly transformed into bloodthirsty excitement as they recognized Earth operatives in their midst. Manic grins spread across their faces as they realized the bounty that had just fallen into their laps.
Steel sang as dozens of cutlasses cleared their sheaths in unison.
The pirate fodder never got the chance to close the distance. Multicolored clouds swept across the venue. When they dispersed, the black, iron-level minions lay motionless on the ground.
Grey's card had spoken: [Soaring Sage·Galehart] (purple).
A dignified figure materialized beside Grey: an elderly man draped in pristine white robes with a black ceremonial hat atop his head. Despite his frail appearance, power radiated from him like heat from a forge.
On stage, Moji's recovered memories painted his expression with grim understanding. He turned to Moore with visible shame. "My apologies, Boss Moore. I allowed a rat to slip through our defenses."
Moore waved dismissively, his attention captured by Galehart's manifestation. "So this is what a card looks like in action. Fascinating."
In a display of inhuman speed, he launched himself from the stage and materialized before Azrael's group. The movement was so fluid that it seemed to bend reality.
A whistling arc of snow-white blade energy screamed toward them.
Galehart's expression hardened with concentration. A Tai Chi pattern materialized in the air in front of him, deflecting the deadly strike with practiced ease.
"CRASH!"
The redirected energy carved through the edge of the forest, toppling massive trees as if they were wheat before a scythe.
The three faction representatives leaped down to flank Moore, awaiting orders.
"Boss Moore, should we engage?" Moji inquired quietly.
Moore nodded once. "Take the subordinates. The leader is mine."
"Understood!"
With their roles assigned, Moji immediately targeted Azrael's team. Galehart moved to intercept, but Moore's overwhelming presence forced the elderly sage into a defensive position. Meanwhile, Lewis found himself facing off against the Rose and Night Owl representatives.
Azrael assessed their rapidly deteriorating situation with clinical detachment. "Looks like we're on our own."
"No shit, rookie," Carl snapped, her card already materializing. Despite her harsh words, she recognized the potential of Azrael's red-tier card. "You take point on offense. Marvin and I will provide support."
Carl's primary card was the Shrimp Soldier (Black Iron Purple), and Marvin wielded the Medicine Pounding Monk (Black Iron Purple).
A humanoid crustacean warrior appeared on the battlefield, gripping a wicked spear with practiced familiarity.
Kaneki immediately launched himself at Moji, his centipede kagune weaving through the air like a serpent seeking prey. Azrael kept Yoriichi Tsugikuni close for protection; scattered pirate stragglers still posed a threat, and he couldn't afford to be caught off guard.
The black and crimson kagune stabbed forward with lethal intent.
Moji's weapon of choice was a brutal spiked mace, which he wielded with devastating efficiency.
"BANG!"
The impact resonated across the battlefield as Moji's mace connected with Kaneki's kagune, sending the ghoul staggering backward.
The Shrimp Soldier exploited Moji's momentary distraction, driving his spear toward Moji's exposed torso. The weapon found its mark but only managed to penetrate halfway before Moji's enhanced muscles clamped down like a vise, trapping the blade.
Moji's return swing came with hurricane force. The spiked mace caught the Shrimp Soldier center mass, launching it across the battlefield like a broken doll.
Carl's face turned pale as she felt her card's vitality plummet toward critical levels.
But salvation came from an unexpected source. The Medicine Pounding Monk's copper mortar and pestle worked tirelessly, grinding mystical compounds in his bronze pot. A gentle white light emanated from the mixture and flowed toward the battered Shrimp Soldier.
Gradually, the creature's wounds closed, and its combat effectiveness slowly returned.
"Thank God for you, Marvin," Carl breathed in relief. "Without that healing, my Shrimp Soldier would be ineffective in combat."
Azrael glanced toward the increasingly desperate battle between Grey and Lewis, his expression grim. "We need to end this quickly. They won't be able to hold out much longer."