Sure enough, it was you

As Lu Su finished speaking, two immense Spirit Pressures, one pink and one green, instantly intertwined and surged skyward, scattering the surrounding clouds.

"Seal it off, Black Wing Great Demon."

"Sing forth, Antelope Knight."

As the male and female voices overlapped, an aura far more terrifying than before suddenly descended heavily upon everyone’s hearts.

The next moment, Ulquiorra and Nylro completed their Resurrección.

Although they had long known from Lu Su’s intelligence that his cards possessed Skills that could change forms, only now, when they truly faced Ulquiorra and Nylro, did the attackers understand what kind of monsters Lu Su’s former enemies had faced.

Not just in appearance, but in strength as well.

Though he knew full well that today’s mission would most likely end without result, he still instructed the two subordinates beside him, "Number Two, you’ll be responsible for holding back the other Card Master here. As for Number One—"

"You’ll deal with the target alongside me. We must kill the target here."

"Yes!"

As he spoke, he took out a communication device, preparing to send Lu Su’s latest intelligence back.

In the field, after Ulquiorra and Nylro underwent Resurrección, the battle officially began.

However, because Unohana Retsu had used up all the souls accumulated in the Seireitei within the secret realm earlier, she currently had no way to activate Soul’s Sanctuary.

Even so, her strength was not to be underestimated.

Considering Lu Su’s upcoming plans, Altria and Ulquiorra had no intention of using wide-area destructive abilities.

Ulquiorra did not even use Second Stage Resurrection.

Clang—

The piercing sound of weapons colliding rang out instantly.

The moment they clashed, the unknown attacker’s cards immediately fell into a disadvantage.

Lu Su was not surprised in the slightest. His cards had always been of higher quality than the other side’s, and with the Apex of Hueco Mundo Bond effect compensating for the lack in numbers, there was naturally no reason for him to lose.

If he wanted, he could even imitate the Saint Lord and say that line.

I lack nothing now.

Of course, Lu Su was not as arrogant as the Saint Lord. He understood that while he might be able to crush most opponents of the same grade, his chances of winning against a Diamond Grade Card Master were still not high.

And whether these people came from the Guiyi Cult or another faction, they had surely done their homework.

The young man did not believe that this was all the strength the other side had shown.

Crack, crack—

As faint freezing sounds gradually arose.

Lu Su noticed his body slowly stiffening, though it was not obvious under the protection of Holy Blade Armor.

Compared to him, Cui Dazhu was in far worse shape. Shivering, he said, "little brother…"

"How about we retreat first?"

The big man was nearly frozen stiff. Only then did he suddenly realize that since the two of them had been intercepted for assassination, there was no need to fight the enemy to the bitter end.

After observing Cui Dazhu’s condition, Lu Su immediately made a decision. "Brother Cui, you go first. I’ll cover the rear."

"Uh…"

Cui Dazhu froze for a moment. What he meant was that both of them should run together. Now it made him look like he was afraid of death.

But after glancing at the battle in the field, he made his decision.

"Fine. Little brother, hold on. Run if you get the chance."

"I’ll bring reinforcements back immediately."

The only reason he said this was because Lu Su’s cards were currently bearing most of the pressure in the field. In addition, the young man still had some trump cards he had not used. Even if Cui Dazhu left, Lu Su would most likely be able to hold out until he returned with reinforcements.

Indecision only invited greater trouble.

Cui Dazhu had that much awareness.

With that thought, the big man flashed and vanished from the spot.

However, after he left, Lu Su noticed something strange.

The other side did not pursue Cui Dazhu. Instead, every card in the field was now facing his cards.

"They want to kill me that badly?"

If the attackers really were members of the Guiyi Cult from Jeju, then logically, they should not have let Cui Dazhu escape so easily.

Could it be that the Guiyi Cult wanted to kill him at any cost because of what he had done to the Demon Army before?

Well, that was indeed possible.

After all, the Demon Army could not possibly sit by and watch a Card Master with at least Master Grade potential grow stronger.

Thinking of this, Lu Su could not help sighing inwardly. "Forget it. Once I capture them, I’ll have Little Spider appraise them and find out."

Since he had already decided to come clean to his Teacher, he no longer intended to stubbornly conceal the cards under Lu Xi’s identity as he had before.

Originally, he planned to find an excuse after capturing the attackers and have Little Spider activate its appraisal ability behind Cui Dazhu’s back. But the big man’s departure had given him the perfect opportunity.

The less effort he had to spend talking his way out of things, the better.

Boom—

Blazing flames instantly swept away the cold in the field.

Because Lu Su rarely participated in battle, many opponents easily overlooked the strength of Holy Blade Armor.

But one should not forget that Flame Sword Rekka · Sacred Swordriver also possessed Hall of Fame Grade potential.

Although being besieged by three people greatly increased Lu Su’s pressure, that was all it did.

Boom—

Amid a dull sound, the already uneven ground instantly sank several inches and became compacted.

Yet immediately afterward, it shattered once more into neat blocks of earth.

On the other side, the attacker leader hiding in the shadows looked grim. The developments in the field had already completely exceeded his control.

"With this kind of strength, I’m afraid only several of the higher-ups personally coming here can resolve this."

That was what he thought.

But Diamond Grade Card Masters were exceedingly rare. If several unknown Diamond Grade Card Masters appeared within Qilu and attacked a Card Master affiliated with the association, Qi Ran, the President of the local Card Master Association, would likely take action personally.

It might even draw the attention of a Master Card Master.

The higher-ups had sent them here precisely because they wanted to conceal their identities. They simply had not expected the other side’s strength to rise so terrifyingly in such a short time.

Of course, there was another possibility: perhaps the higher-ups had never intended for them to return alive.

Perhaps they were merely a vanguard, a suicide squad sent to gather intelligence for the assassination to come.

In a daze, the attacker leader had a thought that many villains before him had shared: This man cannot be allowed to live!

But unfortunately, they alone were probably incapable of eliminating this young man who had already grown into a force to be reckoned with.

After pondering for a moment, he ultimately sent his conclusion back.

A few breaths later, as he looked at the final message on his communication device, an expression of "just as expected" flashed through his eyes.

Putting away the device, he said to the two subordinates beside him, "Get ready."

At those words, the two men’s expressions sharpened. Naturally, they knew what their leader meant.

By now, the battle in the field was essentially nearing its end.

Because of Lu Su’s two cards that exceeded the intelligence report, along with Nylro’s Fracción summoned through the Bond, the entire battle had basically been one-sided.

And as the final card dissipated beneath Nylro’s lance, the battle came to an end.

Lu Su calmly swept his gaze over the deathly silent surroundings and muttered, "Did they run?"

Retreating a thousand miles after failing to land a blow was a basic lesson for assassins.

Just as Lu Su thought the attackers had withdrawn after losing the battle, a faint trace of presence suddenly caught his attention.

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in confusion. "They didn’t run?"

Their sudden exposure made him feel that something was very wrong.

At his signal, Pesche and Dondochakka slowly walked toward the target location.

Naturally, in such a situation, it was most appropriate to send the two Fracción summoned through the Bond to investigate. After all, even if something happened to them, Lu Su would suffer no losses.

Before they could approach, three figures appeared before Lu Su. The leader smiled and said loudly, "As expected of the Ultra-High Risk Target personally designated by the Army Lord. You truly are formidable."

As he spoke, he slowly approached Lu Su.

Seeing this, Pesche and Dondochakka blocked the three men’s path.

At the same time, Little Spider appeared beside Lu Su.

Looking at the ferocious White Spider staring fixedly at him with its scarlet compound eyes, the attacker leader’s gaze flickered. "Another card I’ve never seen before."

"But why is it only Gold Grade?"

Though deeply puzzled, he still said, "Well? Are you interested in joining our Guiyi Cult?"

As he spoke, he extended his right hand toward Lu Su.

Lu Su curled his lip. "Is the Demon Army really that magnanimous? I can’t be absolved of blame for Luster’s death."

"Compared to Lord Lu Su, what is that demoness worth?"

A sincere smile appeared on the attacker’s face. Then, as though he had remembered something, he struck his palm in feigned annoyance. "Oh, right."

"Thank you for not killing us immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three bodies suddenly released a dazzling radiance.

Unfortunately, at the very end of his life, the attacker leader did not see panic on Lu Su’s face. Instead, Lu Su was staring at them coldly while saying something he could not quite understand.

"Sure enough, it was you."

Before he could think it through, terrifying fluctuations suddenly erupted. After swallowing the three men’s bodies, they rapidly spread outward.

But by then, Lu Su had already moved far away from the previous battlefield under Little Spider’s lead.

Feeling the scorching wind batter against Holy Blade Armor, Lu Su curled his lip. "You think you can catch me off guard with a trick like this?"

The reason he had been willing to chat with them for a while was entirely because Little Spider needed some time to appraise a Jade Grade existence.

Although Little Spider had not managed to appraise the complete information before the self-destruction, it was already enough for Lu Su.

Name: Sun Ling

Title: Desperate Death Warrior

Level: ??

Cards Held: ???

With the surname Sun and that title, the other side’s identity was already obvious to him.

"So it really was those people from the Imperial Court."

To be honest, Lu Su was not particularly surprised. The Imperial Court had already been on his list of suspects.

"I need to tell Senior Disciple Sister, otherwise I’m afraid…"

What he feared now was that the Imperial Court had not only targeted him, but had also made a move against Kurumi.

Even if they had not, it would still be good to warn her and make her more vigilant.

As for Senior Disciple Brother and the others, Lu Su was not worried. After all, they were all far beyond the Imperial Court’s sphere of control.

"Another debt. I’ll settle it with you slowly."