My Deck Is Made Up Of OP Anime Characters

Since the elimination rounds were the final stage of the Greenridge Province Unified Trials, they would not begin immediately. Azrael had earned three precious days of rest, time he desperately needed to prepare for the challenges ahead.

Since he was unfamiliar with Pixar as a first-time visitor, Azrael found himself confined to his hotel room for meditation. He couldn't exactly make another public visit to Velvet Springhouse without raising eyebrows among his classmates and teachers.

Ding dong.

The message alarm pierced his meditative concentration, forcing Azrael to open his eyes with mild irritation. Who would contact him at this hour?

Azrael picked up his phone with growing curiosity, squinting at the bright screen in the dimly lit room.

[Fredrika: Are you free, student Azrael? I have something good for you.]

Azrael's expression immediately darkened as he typed a curt reply.

[Azrael: No time.]

[Fredrika: Too bad. I wanted to give you something of value]

[Fredrika: [Picture]]

The moment Azrael saw the attached photo, his entire demeanor changed like a Sichuan Opera master performing a face-lift. His fingers flew across the keyboard with sudden enthusiasm.

[Azrael: What are you talking about, Fredrika? You're my beloved relative, my dear friend, and my trusted ally! I'll be right there.]

The dramatic change in Azrael's attitude could be attributed to one simple fact: the image Fredrika had sent showed a collection of Lore Cardian materials. Although he couldn't understand why she had suddenly decided to offer him resources, the opportunity was too valuable to ignore.

Besides, he had nothing better to do with his time.

Outside the hotel, Azrael no longer needed to maintain his previous disguise. Since he'd already visited Velvet Springhouse once, there was no point in elaborate deception.

He summoned Pidgeot without ceremony and took to the skies, soaring toward his destination with practiced ease.

"Young Master, you've returned!" The heavily made-up madam at the entrance to Velvet Springhouse greeted Azrael with a submissive smile that seemed far more deferential than on his previous visit.

Ignoring her completely, Azrael headed straight for the top floor, taking the stairs two at a time.

Fredrika looked up from her financial statements as Azrael entered her office. "You made excellent time," she observed with amusement.

Azrael sat down on the familiar sofa and poured himself a glass of water from the nearby pitcher. "What did you say to the madam downstairs? Her attitude seemed... different."

Fredrika put down her pen, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "I informed her that you are my kept boy toy."

Azrael stared at her in utter disbelief. "I want to believe you, but given my current status, you wouldn't dare say something so foolish."

And he was absolutely right. Azrael was now guaranteed early admission to prestigious universities. After graduation, even if his talents were diminished, he could still secure a respectable position in the Association hierarchy. Fredrika couldn't possibly be stupid enough to spread such damaging rumors.

Her smile faltered slightly before she replied with obvious disappointment. "You're far too perceptive for your own good. All right, I told her you were the child of a distant relative."

Azrael nodded, accepting this more reasonable explanation. How the madam perceived him was ultimately irrelevant, they would never interact meaningfully anyway.

"Though if student Azrael were truly interested in being supported by me," Fredrika continued with deliberate provocation, "your big sister wouldn't necessarily be opposed to the arrangement."

Azrael's internal reaction was immediate and decisive: Absolutely not. The very thought is repulsive.

Besides, if Azrael ever felt such a need, he was perfectly capable of finding a girlfriend through normal means. Fredrika's persistent advances were becoming more and more puzzling. He didn't believe for a moment that she was really interested in him romantically, there had to be some ulterior motive.

However, Azrael possessed enough emotional intelligence to avoid expressing such suspicions directly. Instead, he deftly changed the subject. "Didn't you mention that you had materials for me?"

The shift to business immediately sobered Fredrika's playful mood. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a thick envelope, sliding it across the coffee table toward Azrael.

"This package is from the Organization," she said simply.

Azrael carefully opened the envelope, revealing three different materials and what appeared to be a strategic guide. His eyebrows raised as he studied the documents.

"This is from the Crimson Oath Society? I assumed you were offering me a personal gift."

Fredrika didn't respond to his observation, instead turning her attention back to the financial reports scattered across her desk with studied indifference.

Seeing that she intended to ignore him, Azrael focused entirely on the materials in his hands. "Is this... a vampire creation manual?"

Azrael recognized the documentation immediately; it was virtually identical to the prototype Cockscomb and Koga had used for their previous vampire cards. However, this version contained only basic settings and a general plot outline.

All the crucial details would have to be developed independently.

The guide specifically noted that providing only basic elements was intentional, in order to maximize the chances of approval by the Mysterious Space's judging system. Apparently, completely plagiarized stories would be automatically rejected.

Azrael had no idea how the mysterious room determined originality, but the implications were intriguing.

"So this explains why no one has ever approached me asking for Luffy's creation formula," Azrael mused quietly. For months, he had been wondering if he would eventually face the classic scenario from other novels, where successful protagonists were forced to share their techniques.

"But why provide this material at this particular time?"

Azrael examined the three components: Bronze Level [Blood Demon] (purple), Bronze Level [Lower Regeneration Blood] (blue), and Bronze Level [Nightwalker] (purple). The timing seemed very suspicious to him.

He seriously doubted that the Crimson Oath Society had suddenly developed charitable impulses toward him. Logic suggested only one possibility: they were preparing him for an upcoming mission.

Given the trial schedule, any mission would likely occur after the completion of the Greenridge Province Unified Trial. These materials were probably intended to expand the capabilities of his Iron Man persona.

"But they clearly want me to maintain deep cover, yet they're also planning active missions," Azrael thought grimly. A shadow of unease settled over his mind.

This contradiction revealed an uncomfortable truth: the Crimson Oath Society didn't really care about his survival. If he could successfully maintain his infiltration, fine. But if he was exposed during a mission, they wouldn't lose sleep over it.

After all, an untapped genius was only potential, not realized power. The Organization had always intended to use him as a disposable asset, borrowing a chicken to lay eggs, as the saying went.

Azrael's exposure might even serve their purposes by creating additional chaos and complications for the Association.

As for the concern that future recruitment would be affected by such callous treatment, Azrael now understood that membership in the Crimson Oath Society was not voluntary. Jin controlled everyone through mystical contracts, making loyalty and reputation irrelevant.

Combined with Azrael's previous deductions, Jin had probably been working with secret realm entities for years, making him indifferent to conventional organizational concerns.

"The irony is delicious," Azrael thought with dark amusement. "They plan to use me as a disposable tool, never realizing that I am doing the exact same thing to them."

The Crimson Oath Society intended to use him for their benefit, but Azrael was simultaneously bleeding them for materials and intelligence while planning his eventual escape. It was a fine example of mutual parasitism.

This latest gift of materials was simply another step toward his ultimate goal, the palace of power he intended to build.

As for future missions, Azrael would evaluate each one on a case-by-case basis. If they proved too dangerous or morally questionable, he could simply feign incompetence or failure. Thanks to the existence of the Mystic Contract, the Crimson Oath Society operated under the assumption that their agents couldn't betray them, resulting in minimal supervision during operations.

Who would suspect that someone could cheat right under the nose of the master card [Hermes, God of Commerce]?

Still, Azrael assumed that the organization wasn't completely stupid. They wouldn't assign him missions that were literally impossible to complete with his current abilities.

"But I'm definitely not using their vampire template," Azrael decided immediately.

He had seen Koga's vampire cards in action in previous encounters. The Crimson Oath Society's approach produced functional but uninspiring results, essentially cannon fodder with basic blood manipulation abilities.

Fortunately, vampire mythology offered numerous superior alternatives. Alucard from Hellsing Ultimate, Utanobu Oshino from the Monogatari series, or even Arcueid Brunestud from the Type-Moon universe all represented far more powerful interpretations of vampiric potential.

"Time to create my first female card," Azrael realized with genuine anticipation.

As a normal heterosexual male, he had grown tired of being surrounded by male cards. With the materials available and the opportunity presented, this seemed like the perfect time to diversify his deck.

The question now was which specific vampire archetype would best suit his long-term strategic needs, while remaining within the limits of the materials at hand.

Azrael leaned back against the leather sofa, his mind already racing through the possibilities. The bronze-level materials were of respectable quality, if not exceptional. However, with creative storytelling and the right mythological foundation, even modest materials could produce remarkable results.

He'd proven this principle repeatedly with his previous creations.

The real challenge would be to create a story that maximized the vampire's potential while maintaining enough originality to satisfy the mysterious space's judging criteria. Simply copying an existing character wholesale would not work, but drawing inspiration from established archetypes remained perfectly acceptable.

"Thank you for the materials," Azrael finally said, carefully tucking the components into his jacket. "I'll put them to good use."

Fredrika looked up from her paperwork, the familiar predatory smile returning to her features. "I'm sure you will. Just remember that when you become powerful enough to matter, your big sister was one of the people who helped you along the way."

Azrael nodded noncommittally. The implied future debt was obvious, but he would worry about managing such obligations when they became relevant. For now, he had materials to experiment with and a vampire to design.

The elimination rounds could wait, he had more pressing creative work to do.