My Deck Is Made Up Of OP Anime Characters

"This should be manageable," Azrael muttered, surveying the demons wandering in the valley below from his elevated position.

His assembled cards stood ready beside him, a formidable gathering that would have intimidated most Bronze-level threats. At this moment, Artoria gripped a sturdy branch she'd picked from the ground, her [Mana Burst] ability coating the makeshift weapon with crackling blue energy that transformed it into something approaching a proper sword.

"There are definitely more than I expected," Azrael observed, his analytical mind cataloging the threats below.

Whether due to the [Night Banquet] secret realm's inherent properties or simple neglect from the stationed Lore Cardians, at least twenty demons roamed through his selected hunting ground. Their guttural calls and bestial movements painted a picture of chaotic aggression barely contained by instinct.

According to his mental energy reconnaissance, only two of the creatures possessed Silver-level spiritual pressure. The rest were Bronze-tier or lower, dangerous in numbers, but manageable with proper tactics.

Card makers usually serve as their own reconnaissance specialists when they don't have dedicated scouting cards, Azrael noted, filing away the tactical observation for future reference.

"I wonder if these demons retain any intelligence," he mused, watching their seemingly random movements below.

His experiences in previous secret realms had taught him not to underestimate demonic cunning. The entities in [Black Flag] and [Sword Lake] had displayed sophisticated reasoning and even emotional complexity. Some had been indistinguishable from humans until their true nature was revealed through combat.

These creatures, however, seemed driven purely by base instincts, mindless predators operating on hunger and territorial aggression.

"Retsu, I'll leave the initial cleanup to you," Azrael commanded, recognizing the tactical advantages of her long-range capabilities.

Rather than commit his cards to a chaotic melee from the start, better to thin the enemy numbers through precision strikes. Unohana's Kidō mastery made her ideal for such operations.

The gentle captain's voice carried clearly across the corrupted landscape as she began her incantation, each syllable precise and measured despite the impending violence.

"Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō."

The massive azure lightning beam erupted from her position with devastating brilliance, instantly illuminating the realm's perpetual gloom. The concentrated electrical discharge crackled through the air like the judgment of heaven itself, its intensity forcing even Azrael to shield his eyes from the overwhelming radiance.

The demons below had barely enough time to look upward in confusion before the merciless thunder descended upon them.

BOOM!

The deafening explosion shattered the oppressive silence that had dominated the realm, sending shockwaves rippling across the landscape. When the smoke finally cleared, more than half of the gathered demons lay motionless on the scorched earth, their forms blackened and twisted by the supernatural lightning.

Azrael caught the distinct aroma of charred flesh rising from below and wrinkled his nose. "Smells surprisingly appetizing," he muttered with dark humor.

Despite the devastating carnage, the surviving demons displayed behavior that immediately set off warning signals in his tactical mind. Instead of fleeing in terror as most wild creatures would, they clustered together and began emitting synchronized roars that carried an unmistakable pattern.

"Something's wrong," Azrael frowned, studying their coordinated response with growing unease.

The remaining demons weren't simply expressing pain or fear, they were calling for reinforcement. Their unified vocalizations carried across the corrupted landscape like a primitive communication system designed to summon assistance.

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the distant shadows, each impact creating minor tremors that spoke of tremendous mass approaching their position. The rhythmic sound grew steadily louder, accompanied by the scraping of claws against stone and the wet sound of saliva dripping from massive jaws.

"As expected," Azrael sighed, his suspicions confirmed as a enormous figure emerged from the realm's twisted geography.

The newcomer stood twice the height of the smaller demons, its grotesque features dominated by yellowed fangs and malevolent eyes that glowed with predatory intelligence. Thick streams of acidic drool continuously fell from its mouth, hissing as they struck the ground and left smoking craters in the corrupted soil.

This was clearly the alpha predator that the surviving demons had been summoning, a Silver-level threat that would require coordinated effort to defeat.

Recognizing the escalation in danger, Azrael immediately summoned Pidgeot and took to the air. From an elevated position, he could provide tactical oversight while avoiding the limitations that ground-based positioning would impose on his cards' maneuverability.

The moment Azrael achieved airborne safety, Artoria released a concentrated burst of blue magical energy that enhanced the branch in her hands to near-sword quality. Without hesitation, she launched herself toward the massive demon with explosive force, her enhanced physical capabilities carrying her across the battlefield in a single bound.

THUD!

The demon's enormous right fist collided with Artoria's improvised weapon, creating a shockwave that rippled outward from the point of impact. The collision generated tremendous pressure, but both combatants remained locked in position, neither giving ground despite the tremendous forces at play.

"Fighting without Caliburn really does affect her combat effectiveness," Azrael observed from his aerial vantage point.

If Artoria had possessed the Sword of Promised Victory, the demon would have lost at least one limb in that initial exchange. The current stalemate demonstrated the critical importance of proper equipment for even the most skilled warriors.

However, direct combat wasn't Artoria's primary objective in this engagement. Her role was to buy time while Unohana prepared a more decisive attack.

"Turbulent crest of murky waters, tainted mark of arrogance," Unohana's voice carried across the battlefield as she began another lengthy incantation. "The tide, denial, paralysis, for a moment, hinder the long slumber."

The massive demon's primitive cunning recognized the growing threat emanating from the serene captain. It abandoned its cautious approach and began launching a furious barrage of attacks at Artoria, its enormous fists creating craters with each missed strike.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The continuous impacts shook the ground beneath their feet, but Artoria responded to each assault with calm precision. Her [Instinct] ability allowed her to anticipate the demon's movements with uncanny accuracy, while her enhanced branch served as both weapon and shield against the overwhelming physical assault.

In the next moment, Artoria's supernatural awareness screamed warnings about incoming danger. Using the kinetic energy generated by her defensive actions, she pushed off from the demon's massive form and retreated to a safer distance with graceful efficiency.

"Crawling Princess of Iron, clay doll ever-self-destructing," Unohana continued her chant without pause, her gentle voice carrying ominous undertones. "Combine, rebound, stretch to the ground, know your own powerlessness!"

"Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi!"

The enormous black coffin materialized around the ugly demon with supernatural swiftness, its dark walls seeming to absorb light itself as they enclosed the massive predator. Countless ethereal black blades pierced through the coffin's interior, each one carrying the weight of absolute destruction.

When the Black Coffin finally dissipated, the demon stood revealed with countless wounds covering its form, punctures that wept dark blood and spoke of internal damage far beyond what its appearance suggested.

But the creature remained upright, its yellow eyes blazing with hatred and pain as it prepared for a final, desperate assault.

Artoria appeared before the wounded demon in an instant, her improvised branch-sword crackling with concentrated magical energy as she drove it toward the creature's heart with surgical precision.

The demon's death wail echoed across the entire realm, a sound of pure agony that sent the remaining lesser demons fleeing into the shadows. Its massive form toppled backward, creating tremors that shook the corrupted landscape.

Despite the apparent victory, Azrael refused to lower his guard. Experience had taught him that wounded predators often possessed reserves of desperate strength that could prove fatal to overconfident opponents.

Yoriichi stepped forward at precisely the right moment, golden-red flames wreathing his zanpakutō as he activated his Shikai release.

"Incinerate all evil and burn everything to ash!"

The solar-powered slash carved through the fallen demon's torso with devastating efficiency, separating its upper and lower halves in a display of brilliant fire that left no doubt about the creature's final fate.

"That should definitely be dead," Azrael confirmed, extending his mental energy to probe the demon's remains.

His spiritual senses immediately detected a valuable component within the creature's corpse, which he carefully extracted using psychic manipulation.

Silver-level [Ugly Demon] (Gold)

After securing the material and storing it safely, Azrael began systematic battlefield cleanup while surveying the tactical situation. The remaining lesser demons had already vanished without trace, their pack leader's death apparently triggering whatever instincts drove them to seek safety elsewhere.

In the monitoring room far from the combat zone, the facility captain observed Azrael's entire engagement with professional interest and growing respect.

"Master Lucian's disciple certainly exercises appropriate caution," the captain remarked to his young assistant, noting how thoroughly Azrael had confirmed the demon's death rather than assuming victory.

"Much more experienced than when you first arrived," he added with pointed emphasis.

The young technician's face flushed with embarrassment as the comparison highlighted his own early mistakes. "I didn't expect that [Ugly Demon] to feign death so convincingly."

During his initial cleanup assignment, he'd encountered a similar demon and made the critical error of assuming it was deceased after the apparent killing blow. Only the captain's timely intervention had prevented what would have been a fatal counterattack.

"But is that card he just created really Silver-level?" the technician asked, desperately attempting to change the subject. "I feel like I'm a fake Silver-level Lore Cardian after watching that performance."

The captain sighed with the weariness of someone who'd seen countless promising talents pass through the system. "Geniuses like them operate on completely different principles than ordinary people like us."

"What we consider our absolute limit barely registers as a warm-up exercise for their capabilities."

The comparison wasn't even particularly fair, the captain reflected privately. The current strongest Lore Cardian in the Empire of Aetherlight was roughly the same age but had already achieved Master-level status. Such individuals existed in realms beyond normal comprehension.

Shaking off these dispiriting thoughts, the captain continued with obvious melancholy. "Unlike us Lore Cardians who live comfortable but stagnant lives in controlled secret realms, geniuses like him are destined for newly discovered territories where real challenges await."

The technician nodded in understanding. While exploring unmapped secret realms carried tremendous risks, the corresponding rewards were proportionally massive. Once such talented individuals began accumulating advantages, the gap between them and ordinary practitioners widened exponentially.

The same dynamic had already played out during Azrael's high school years, where his rapid advancement had left his former classmates far behind in terms of practical capability.

"Excellent harvest," Azrael concluded with satisfaction after completing his thorough battlefield cleanup.

His systematic collection had yielded Bronze-level [Lesser Demon] (Blue) x11 and Silver-level [Lesser Demon] (Blue) x2, in addition to the Gold-quality material from the pack leader.

"The quality is somewhat disappointing," he observed analytically. "But that's probably inevitable in a welfare secret realm."

Azrael understood the underlying economics perfectly. Secret realms under Imperial control couldn't allow demonic populations to grow without restriction, as unchecked development would eventually threaten the Empire's ability to maintain containment. Regular harvesting operations kept the creatures at manageable power levels.

Still, aside from the venue materials that had been his primary objective, obtaining a Gold-quality Silver-tier component represented an unexpected bonus that more than justified the expedition's risks.

After securing all valuable materials, Azrael mounted Pidgeot and departed immediately for the realm's exit portal. Now that he possessed the resources, his priority shifted to converting raw materials into enhanced combat capabilities.

Following the standard departure procedures at the base, Azrael returned to his apartment to begin the next phase of his development planning.

He already had clear ideas about how to utilize the materials in his possession most effectively.

First, all Bronze-level components would be sold through trading websites, generating approximately four million Empyrean Dollars and restoring his liquid assets to six million total.

However, money had become increasingly irrelevant to his immediate needs. At this point, Azrael could understand why Alice lived in such an extravagant manor, Silver-level Lore Cardians simply had few meaningful ways to spend their accumulated wealth, and the disparity only became more pronounced at Diamond tier.

Of course, his situation was somewhat unusual among Silver-level practitioners. Both of his current Silver-tier cards had been created using materials provided by others, Unohana Retsu through Master Lucian's generosity, and Artoria through Crowley's unwitting sponsorship.

Normal Lore Cardians faced months or years of financial struggle after each advancement, saving desperately for the materials needed to create same-tier cards that would restore their competitive capabilities.

Suppressing the impulse to purchase more luxurious housing, Azrael focused on strategic resource allocation for his remaining materials.

The two Blue-quality Silver-level components would remain in reserve rather than being exchanged for other materials. Their quality fell short of his standards for card creation, but they would serve perfectly as handling fees for future material exchanges with Wolfgang's trading network.

As for the [Ugly Demon] material, combined with the [Two-Faced Being] component from Master Lucian's original package, he was developing some intriguing possibilities that required further refinement.

But most importantly...

"This is the real prize from today's expedition," Azrael murmured, examining the [Return of the Dead] venue material with growing anticipation.

Red-quality venue materials were extraordinarily rare, and he was eager to discover what kind of battlefield environment such premium components could generate.

Azrael's consciousness shifted as he summoned both [Yoriichi Tsugikuni] and [Unohana Retsu] into physical manifestation. As his mental energy slowly enveloped the venue material and both cards, brilliant darkness erupted throughout his apartment, shadows that somehow blazed with their own inner light.

After what felt like an eternity, the supernatural radiance faded and normalcy returned to his living space.

The [Return of the Dead] material had vanished completely, replaced by a new card that seemed to pulse with barely contained power.

After returning his other two cards to mental storage, Azrael carefully examined his first venue creation.

The card's illustration depicted a massive circular wall surrounding numerous traditional buildings, an almost perfect representation of the Seireitei from his memories of the Bleach series.

Drawing the card into his mental space, Azrael immediately accessed its comprehensive information through direct interface.

[Soul Society]

Rank: Silver/Diamond

Quality: Red

Category: Venue

Effects:

[Gotei 13]: All Shinigami cards deployed within this venue receive moderate enhancement to their overall capabilities.

[Soul's Sanctuary]: When eliminating non-soul type demons, extract a fragment of spiritual essence from their destruction. These fragments can be used to strengthen Shinigami cards. (Sealed, requires Emerald-level advancement to unlock)

[Squad Zero]: When four captain-level Shinigami cards are simultaneously deployed, enables summoning of [Squad Zero Captain·Monk Who Calls the Real Name]. (Sealed, requires Diamond-level advancement to unlock)

[Three Realms]: When possessing venue cards [Soul Society], [???], and [???], and all three venues have reached maximum development, activates the effect [Soul King's Revival].

Note: [Soul King's Revival] effect duration: 10 minutes

Note: Activating [Soul King's Revival] triggers a 30-day natural cooldown period for all three venue cards

Azrael stared at the card specifications with undisguised amazement, his analytical mind struggling to process the implications of what he'd created.

Unlike biological cards with fixed capabilities, venue cards could be continuously upgraded through material investment, with their maximum potential determined during initial generation by the mysterious space's evaluation.

The early effects were impressive but expected, [Gotei 13] provided tactical advantages he'd hoped for, while [Soul's Sanctuary] offered long-term development potential similar to legendary artifacts from his previous world.

But the final effect, [Three Realms], raised questions that sent chills down his spine.

Based on the naming convention and his knowledge of Bleach mythology, the missing venue cards were almost certainly Karakura Town and Hueco Mundo, the realm of Hollows that served as counterpoint to Soul Society's spiritual order.

The problem was that neither Yoriichi nor Unohana had any connection to the Soul King in the stories he'd crafted for their creation. Yet somehow, these three venue cards could activate an effect involving the Soul King's resurrection.

"Am I actually the mysterious space's biological child?" Azrael wondered with dark humor, though the question carried serious undertones.

He was increasingly certain that this world possessed fundamental connections to his previous existence. The mysterious space's behavior toward him felt too targeted, too specifically designed, to be coincidental.

Perhaps they chose me simply because I'm familiar with two-dimensional media? he theorized, though the explanation felt inadequate for the scope of what he was experiencing.

Regardless of the cosmic forces at play, gaining additional powerful effects was undeniably beneficial. Even if Azrael couldn't predict when the [Soul King's Revival] would become relevant, having access to such capabilities provided strategic options that transcended normal limitations.

The practical challenges were daunting, Karakura Town and Hueco Mundo would likely require Gold or Emerald-tier materials for creation, while developing all three venues to maximum potential would consume resources that made his current wealth seem insignificant.

Moreover, his card collection extended far beyond the Bleach series. Pursuing venue synergies for every system would require decades of focused material accumulation.

"One step at a time," Azrael decided pragmatically. "No point forcing development that isn't sustainable."

After storing the [Soul Society] venue card in his mental space, his immediate priority became more pressing concerns.

Since he hadn't spent excessive time in the [Night Banquet] secret realm, Azrael managed to return in time for Monday's theoretical classes.

The day's lectures focused on advanced Kidō theory and practical card maintenance, subjects that proved far more engaging now that he possessed direct experience with high-level spiritual techniques.

After class, Azrael consulted his academic schedule for upcoming obligations.

"Is Wednesday's practical training course going to involve actual secret realm expeditions?" he asked Harold, noting the ominous designation on his timetable.

Harold nodded confirmation. "You'll probably be entering Silver-level secret realms for combat training."

"These realms aren't particularly dangerous since they're under university control, but we still have to sign liability waivers."

"Since you applied for the Card Making Department, I assume you don't object to such risk acceptance."

Azrael nodded thoughtfully. The requirement wasn't surprising, despite their freshman status, students pursuing Lore Cardian careers needed realistic preparation for future dangers. The university couldn't accept responsibility for injuries sustained during voluntary participation in hazardous training.

Many students would eventually choose positions as stationed Lore Cardians in controlled secret realms following their junior year internships, making such experience invaluable for career preparation.

"It seems Shinobu Oshino's upgrade isn't urgent," Azrael mused privately.

He'd originally planned to use the Crimson Oath Society's materials for enhancing the vampire, but upcoming practical courses suggested a different priority. Since Shinobu Oshino's current role was primarily recreational rather than combat-focused, her advancement could wait.

Instead, he should consider upgrading Pride's symbiotic capabilities using the materials he could attribute to his [Night Banquet] expedition. The symbiote's biological nature made it difficult for outside observers to determine what components had been used for enhancement.

"If I had sufficient materials, Pidgeot would need replacement as well," Azrael reflected with mild frustration.

His Black Iron-level mount had become completely inadequate for his current advancement tier. Following the completion of his practical training requirements, finding a more appropriate transportation solution would become a pressing necessity.

The gap between his rapidly advancing capabilities and his supporting infrastructure was beginning to create tactical vulnerabilities that needed addressing before they became critical limitations.

But for now, those concerns could wait. The [Soul Society] venue card represented a foundation for future growth that would serve him well in the challenges ahead. Whatever cosmic forces had arranged his arrival in this world, he intended to be ready for them.