Waving It Off Wasn’t Refusal, but a Sign That No More Needed to Be Said

The next day.

Because the entrances to Great Britain’s three Master Grade Secret Realms had only barely been sealed by George VII using special methods, the suppression operation naturally had to begin as soon as possible.

At the entrance to the weakest of the three Secret Realms stood a massive force of Card Masters.

The vast majority were Card Masters from Great Britain, while a smaller portion came from Great Ming and the Indo-American Federation.

Standing at the front of the Card Master forces were, naturally, the three Master Grade Card Masters: Lu Su, George VII, and Apache.

Unlike the two men beside him, who stood at the ready, Lu Su was thinking about his conversation with Charlotte last night.

Charlotte had indeed provided a great deal of useful information, such as the factional divide within the Indo-American Federation.

There were two factions within the Indo-American Federation. One was the Conservative Party, whose members were primarily fair-skinned Anglos—people who had fled there from Europa. That was why Lyon had called them paupers before.

The other was the Radical Party, primarily made up of brown-skinned indigenous Americans. Skin Peeler and Apache were members of one of that faction’s major families.

As for Adley—

He was the current leader of the Conservative Party and was committed to merging the two factions. That was one reason why he cared so much about Skin Peeler.

Besides that information, Lu Su had also learned from Charlotte about one of Apache’s Master Grade cards.

Annihilation Type Mothership · Storm Tlaloc, a colossal warship shaped like a small island.

Unfortunately, that was all the princess knew. After all, she did not dare pry too deeply into the affairs of a Master Grade Card Master.

Still, combining it with the intelligence he already possessed, Lu Su could roughly guess that Apache’s card also followed the Indo-American Federation’s mechanical god route, much like Adley’s Hall of Fame Grade card.

"Storm Tlaloc."

Thinking of Altria, who also bore the title of Storm, Lu Su’s gaze flickered.

But he had no intention of revealing Saber just yet.

As Lu Su’s thoughts continued to wander, George VII spoke in a solemn voice.

"Prepare yourselves, gentlemen. I am about to open the Secret Realm."

Looking at the Space Rift twisting endlessly before him, he took a deep breath.

As a Master Grade card appeared beside the king, the spatial force covering the Secret Realm Entrance slowly dissipated into the air.

The next instant, an incomparably terrifying aura surged wildly out from the Secret Realm Entrance.

There was no doubt about it. It was the Master Grade Demon inside the Secret Realm, which had long been impatient to enter Blue Star and begin slaughtering.

Yet to Lu Su, that aura, which seemed like heavenly might to the lower-level Card Masters, was nothing more than a spring breeze brushing against his face.

Too weak.

The youth murmured inwardly before summoning his card.

Ssshh—!

With a sound like flickering flames, every lower-level Card Master present was draped in a feathered mantle resembling fire.

"This is…?"

They raised their hands and stared at the flame-like energy covering their bodies, frozen in place for a moment.

Seeing this, George VII’s gaze flickered before he said, "Thank you for your consideration, Minister Lu."

Lu Su gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling that the king need not take it to heart.

After all, for Uzumaki Naruto in Six Paths Sage Mode, providing such a small amount of Tailed Beast Cloak was hardly any expenditure at all.

Moreover, he had only done so to reduce any casualties that might occur.

Apache, standing beside Lu Su, silently committed the sight to memory, intending to add it to his intelligence on Lu Su once he returned.

Meanwhile.

After finishing all that, Uzumaki Naruto took the lead and entered the Secret Realm as the vanguard.

The defensive power granted by Six Paths Sage Mode was enough to let him handle any Master Grade opponent with ease.

However, George VII and Apache could not simply stand by and watch Lu Su fight alone. Their Master Grade cards followed Naruto into the Secret Realm.

Yet before long, their expressions turned strange. Both had received information relayed back by their cards.

"Minister Lu," George VII said with some difficulty, "your strength is indeed formidable."

He now understood why Lu Su had said earlier that he could complete the suppression alone.

According to the information relayed by George VII’s card, the Master Grade Demon within the Secret Realm had almost no ability to resist Lu Su’s card.

Its defeat was merely a matter of time.

But unlike George VII, Apache’s expression was far from pleasant.

Lu Su’s strength had exceeded his expectations somewhat.

When Lu Su had faced off against Adley earlier, the youth had not yet created Uzumaki Naruto. Thus, the Indo-American Federation knew very little about this card. The only records were scattered details from when it fought Motiān at Ye Zhou’s funeral.

No wonder Lord Adley reacted that way. Apache secretly glanced at Lu Su. But so little time has passed. He probably has no more than two Master Grade cards.

Apache believed he had already rated Lu Su highly enough. After all, creating a new card was no easy task for a Master Grade Card Master.

Most Master Grade Card Masters were stuck at the materials stage. Finding Master Grade Materials that met one’s requirements was extremely difficult.

Unfortunately, he did not know that Lu Su had a cheat.

The material problem that plagued ordinary Card Masters was no concern at all for Lu Su.

And Lu Su did not possess two Master Grade cards, but three.

It was just that, for this Master Grade Secret Realm, Uzumaki Naruto alone was already more than enough.

After some time passed, George VII’s furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.

His card had sent word that the Master Grade Demon in the Secret Realm was dead. In other words, the Secret Realm before them was no longer a threat to Great Britain.

The smooth progress of the battle made His Majesty the king let out a long breath of relief.

"Thanks to you both, let us proceed to the next location."

George VII looked at Lu Su and Apache beside him, his tone relaxed.

Naturally, the two outsiders had no objections to his arrangements.

After leaving behind some Card Masters, George VII led Lu Su and the others toward the second Secret Realm.

Since Great Britain was not particularly large, they did not take long to arrive before the entrance to the second Master Grade Secret Realm.

Like the first Secret Realm, the second held only one Master Grade Demon.

After all, Secret Realms like the Rebel Secret Realm, which contained multiple Master Grade Demons, were ultimately rare.

Soon, the events from the first Master Grade Secret Realm played out once again.

By then, Apache had gathered some information on Uzumaki Naruto.

"Capable of transforming into a gigantic fox. Both its attack and defense are exceptionally impressive."

"However, its abilities are relatively limited, and it lacks a decisive finishing attack."

Silently reviewing the information relayed by his card, a shadow passed through Apache’s eyes.

In his view, this unknown Master Grade card was already terrifyingly powerful based on what it had shown so far, and it was clearly still hiding abilities.

"Red?"

"No, Color Quality is more likely."

At that thought, an irrepressible curiosity arose within Apache.

He was curious how Lu Su had managed to create a Color Quality card while still at Master Grade.

I need to report this to Lord Adley after returning.

The thought flashed through Apache’s mind.

Meanwhile, the princes and princesses following behind the three Master Grade Card Masters all had different thoughts.

Lyon was so excited he was practically ready to jump. To him, the stronger Lu Su was, the better, since Lu Su stood on his side.

Unfortunately, the boy had no idea that his sister had already made a deal with Lu Su last night and abandoned him.

After all, Lu Su and Lyon were not close. They could not even be considered friends.

As for Charlotte, she felt that her decision had been entirely correct. Bringing in Great Ming to balance the Indo-American Federation had indeed been the right choice.

Looks like I need to find more ways to strengthen Great Britain’s relationship with Great Ming.

That was what the princess thought to herself.

Before long, the group reached the third Master Grade Secret Realm—the most dangerous one.

Although George VII had not yet lifted his seal, strands of chilling aura were already seeping out from the Space Rift.

Looking at the Secret Realm Entrance before him, George VII said with a frown, "This is the most dangerous Secret Realm. Minister Lu, Minister Apache, please be extra careful."

Since he had put it that way, Lu Su naturally could not afford to be careless. He immediately summoned Sasuke as well.

Seeing this, Apache could not help but think, As expected, just as I estimated. He has two Master Grade cards.

Though he felt he had correctly guessed the number of Lu Su’s Master Grade cards, he felt no joy at all.

Just from Sasuke’s stance, he could tell how terrifyingly strong he was.

But unlike Apache, George VII felt a weight lift from his heart. To him, the stronger Lu Su and Apache were, the better.

Apache had also summoned his Master Grade card.

Unlike the unremarkable card he had used earlier, this time he immediately brought out his trump card.

A warship as enormous as a small island appeared out of thin air above the Secret Realm.

Seeing this, George VII immediately lifted the Secret Realm’s seal.

Whoosh—!

The next instant, an incomparably shrill howl suddenly rang out as a massive Western dragon charged out of the Secret Realm.

"So fast!?"

George VII’s pupils contracted. He clearly had not expected the Master Grade Demon inside this Secret Realm to react so quickly, rushing out the moment he lifted the seal.

His Majesty the king had just been about to order the Card Master forces behind him to retreat when a fiery red dragon tail sweeping toward him cut off his words.

Yet before the dragon tail could reach George VII, someone had already blocked it.

A gigantic fox clad head to toe in purple armor had appeared before him at some unknown moment, its hands firmly gripping the massive dragon tail.

Rumble, rumble—!

The tug-of-war between the two colossal beings immediately caused the battlefield to quake violently.

But when Apache saw this, a shadow flashed through his eyes.

He had already determined that Sasuke, whom Lu Su had just summoned, and Uzumaki Naruto were cards from the same series. More importantly, they most likely possessed a Bond.

Tch, this is troublesome.

It could not be denied that Apache had once considered making a move against Lu Su in secret. But upon seeing Naruto and Sasuke, he temporarily abandoned the idea.

After all, taking Lu Su down would already be difficult with Apache alone, not to mention that his cards were not suited to assassination or sneak attacks in the first place.

Meanwhile, the tug-of-war between Susanoo Nine-Tails and the dragon had reached its end.

The gigantic Demon Fox grabbed the dragon by its tail and, like it was throwing a hammer, spun several times before brutally hurling it away.

"Roar!"

A deafening cry of pain rang in everyone’s ears.

Seeing this scene, all the Card Masters present were greatly encouraged. Only Lu Su and the other two Master Grade Card Masters stared solemnly at the Secret Realm Entrance.

They could all sense at least three more Master Grade Demons inside. That number was truly excessive.

Of course, if Lu Su went all out, this level of threat was still nothing to him. But George VII and Apache were here too, were they not?

With that in mind, Lu Su decided to first observe the capabilities of the other two Master Grade Card Masters before deciding whether to summon Altria.

He had no intention of letting Naruto and Sasuke use Six Paths: Heavenly Roar of Almighty. It was better to keep such a powerful move hidden.

George VII and Apache had already sent their cards into the Secret Realm. After all, if they truly fought on Great Britain’s soil, the impact would be far too great.

George VII then looked toward Susanoo Nine-Tails, which was battling the dragon, and asked, "Minister Lu, how is it?"

"Can you handle it?"

Lu Su nodded slightly and replied calmly, "It will take a little time."

To be honest, the strength of this dragon Demon had indeed exceeded Lu Su’s expectations. But that was perfectly normal. Every Secret Realm possessed a different power system, so the disparity between individual upper and lower limits was naturally enormous.

But unfortunately, this Secret Realm had encountered Lu Su.

Under the stunned gazes of all the lower-level Card Masters, Susanoo Nine-Tails gripped the dragon by its tail and refused to let go no matter how it struggled, dragging it step by step toward the Secret Realm Entrance.

This was Lu Su’s professional ethics as a mercenary: minimize the damage to the employer’s property.

George VII had clearly seen through his intentions. His Majesty the king opened his mouth and said, "Minister Lu is truly considerate."

Just as Susanoo Nine-Tails was about to drag the dragon Demon into the Secret Realm, George VII and Apache’s expressions abruptly changed.

At the same time, Lu Su frowned slightly. He sensed the aura of one of his own kind.

"Could it really be such a coincidence?"

But Lu Su soon realized that he had guessed wrong.

Because what appeared was not one of his own kind, but a—

A Master Grade Demon that seemed to have eaten one of his own kind.