Azzy was shivering in anger as he found his girlfriend abducted in front of his eyes. More than anger directed at this unknown enemy, he was angry at himself for not protecting her.
For the whole day, he was yapping that someone might ambush them and now, his excuse became true.
Azzy could feel that it is a trap set for him. He doesn't know who the enemy is but the fact that his girlfriend was abducted smoothly indicated that the enemy is well prepared.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a fool to walk into a trap. He could just reverse the time and get them before Claire was even abducted. Maybe, he can just reset the day and go elsewhere?
He had thoughts but needed to know whether his chosen path is right or not. So, he contacted the Reaper who didn't bother to warn him beforehand.
"Chronos, should I go inside or should I reset the day?" He asked.
The Reaper answered, "The result won't change no matter what you choose." He didn't tell Azzy what was going to happen but told him enough that he can make his choice.
"Okay then, it's alright." Azzy made his choice. He summoned the hourglass and turned it upside down, unleashing the soul skill without any hesitation.
<strong>"Soul skill: Rewind"</strong>
<strong>8:30 A.M., Central City, Arcana World;</strong>
Azzy and Claire were lining up at the portal point. The Hourglass suddenly appeared in Azzy's hand but he quickly managed to dismiss it. The people standing behind him weren't experts. How could they have known that it is an Arcana? So, Azzy was fine at the moment.
On the other hand, Supreme Realm experts and Celestial grade Arcana sensed the fluctuations in the timeline, although they couldn't remember the day that was wiped off from existence.
Anyway, it isn't the first time Azzy did it. So, he didn't put too much focus on that and shifted his attention to other matters.
He grabbed Claire who was standing in the front, "Hey, come with me for a second."
As she was dragged out of the line, a trace of surprise appeared on her face, "what happened?"
Taking a deep breath, Azzy said, "Let's not go to Play City. It's been a while since we went on a date. Let's go somewhere else."
"Eh?" Claire was naturally surprised. After all, they had already had a discussion. First, they are going to visit certain theme parks, and have lunch in between. After the horror-themed park, they will go for dinner and finish the date with a movie. They will return to the hotel by 11:30 P.M. and Azzy will go back to the Heavenly Academy, the next day morning.
But, now, Azzy suddenly decided to change the plans. She asked, "Why?"
Azzy then answered, "I think our mood will be spoiled if I remember my date with Leah. You know that I have to see her again tomorrow. If anything goes wrong, things can become awkward with her. What if we lose in Quarterfinals? Let's go there after this tournament is finished, okay?"
Claire was a thoughtful girl. She easily understood what Azzy was trying to say. Not to mention, her mother even gave her permission to live with him at Affea Mansion until she graduates in March.
So, Claire was a lot happier. Not intending to destroy her mood, she decided to accept Azzy's suggestion, which is simple. They will go to a random place without any prior planning and enjoy the date there.
They exited the portal point that is linked to the nations of Tartalonia and Freyles and entered the portal point that is linked to the cities of Llyne instead. The nation from the far south is not much special but at the very least, no one would recognize the two of them.
After teleporting to the city of East Ocean (capital of Llyne), Azzy and Claire spent some qualitative time, trying things like shopping, arcade center, street food, having lunch at a pizza joint, amusement park, then, going to the circus, dining at a luxurious restaurant, and movie in the end.
"Hahaha, I can totally imagine Estella's face." Claire laughed out loud as she heard the story of Gideon and Estella's first kiss.
Azzy defended his action, "I felt a bit guilty for disturbing their moment but Gideon wasn't in a situation where his heart can accept a spike though."
"C'mon, you should have atleast acted like you haven't seen it like coughing out from outside."
While talking about this and that, Azzy and Claire reached a street with almost no passersby. There were a few stray dogs though.
It was then a familiar thick fog appeared in the surroundings once again. This time, Azzy hurriedly grabbed Claire's arm and warned, "Something is strange. Don't get panicked and stay with me."
"What's going on, Rael?" asked Claire in worry. She tried to sense the surroundings but her senses failed in the fog. She then commented, "It feels like Deja Vu."
As soon as her comment ended, a portal appeared out of nowhere and dragged both of them with great suction force. By the time Claire even screamed, she found her surroundings already changed. Fortunately, Azzy, who tightly grabbed her, didn't lose her at all.
Both of them inspected the surroundings. It looked like they were inside a brightly lit hall that seemed like a chapel based on the interior gothic-type architecture.
And when Azzy saw white-robed people surrounding them, he confirmed who his enemies are. Claire also realized the same, "Church of light?"
"It looks like they have been following us for a while and created a trap, forcefully luring us in," replied Azzy calmly as if it was within his expectations.
As the rest of the priests stayed silent, an old man stepped forward. His clothing was different from theirs. Instead of white robes, he was wearing a black plush hat and a scarlet cassock.
Azzy and Claire recognized him. It was the same rank-8 expert who tried to capture Azzy after the Champions League finals. "Cardinal Ophanim," Azzy and Claire spoke out the name at the same time.
But, how is he here? Wasn't he supposed to be serving his sentence in jail?
After being defeated by the Djinn, the Cardinal's soul orb was sealed by WAMO and he was sent to Black Citadel, an invincible prison that is guarded and has a 0% escape in its history of a hundred thousand years.
Ophanim was sentenced to 74 years of imprisonment for neglecting his duties as Cardinal, attempting to kill an innocent child of heaven with the potential to become a Supreme Being, and endangering the lives of several students.
But, it looks like he somehow got spared from the punishment, seeing that it has only been a few months.
Looking coldly at Azzy and Claire, the cardinal spoke, "It's been a while, the spawn of Satan. You have indeed grown stronger in a short time."
Azzy ignored him and put his attention on the hooded figures that are in rank 7, "are you the ones who dragged us, here?"
While Ophanim furrowed his brows, one of the hooded figures opened his mouth, "You might possess the power similar to that of a low-rank-8 but you are still at the Upper Elite realm. It was easy for us to teleport you in."
Azzy calmly nodded in understanding, cursing himself for not trying to just break it with soul energy instead of going in alongside his girlfriend. After all, he only thought of one or two opponents, not this many.
He knew for sure that he might be able to protect Claire for sure. So, he looked at the cardinal and said, "Your enmity is with me. Let her go."
"No," screamed Claire, grabbing his arm with her other free hand.
Before Azzy tried to convince her, Cardinal Ophanim let out a peal of laughter, "You must think of me as a fool. We know that she loves you and both of you are in a relationship. The one who loves a devil is nothing more than a sinner of mankind. She'll have to be executed alongside you. Not just her, but your foster family will also join you in the afterlife. This is the price your loved ones must pay."
Ophanim was a peak-rank-8 expert and was obviously confident enough to kill him. However, he will not underestimate a necromancer who had taken the lives of rank-7 experts.
He was aware that Azzy could summon those undead people. If he let Claire go, Azzy might try to escape by using those powerful skeletons. The cardinal doesn't want to take any chances. In fact, this was one of the reasons he never trapped Azzy alone.
However, because he was too happy with the fact that his plan worked, he unknowingly crossed Azzy's bottom line in an attempt to provoke him.
Azzy was usually a merciful being. He would even leave enemies alive but ever since he had his first kill, he no longer sees it as a sin.
And now that Ophanim threatened to kill his loved ones, Azzy flared up. He right away summoned black lotus and Vajra before speaking to his girlfriend, "Claire, I need you to switch to Agatha, right now."
"But, I can…" Claire tried to speak something but feeling Azzy's emotions by how tightly he grabbed her arm, she closed her eyes.
In an instant, she was possessed by the Sword of Michael.
"You can leave her hand, Azrael. I can protect Claire," said Agatha as soon as she switched places with her host. After a brief silence, she added, "I recommend escaping though. He appears to be stronger."
Releasing his grip, Azzy raised his arm above his head, "You wanted to kill me? Fine, let's see if you kill us or if I massacre everyone and return to my home. Those who love their lives can leave."
<strong>"Soul skill: Rise of the Undead."</strong>
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