Death Heir’s Devouring System

Just when Azrael mentally prepared himself for his evolution, something unexpected happened.

His consciousness was flooded with memories—ones not belonging to him—they assaulted his mind, freezing him in place.

'What—' He could barely form the thought before everything went black.

*****

Lands ravaged by all kinds of beings lived in harmony between the two gods.

One provided precious heat, allowing the population to warm their bodies and souls. Useful for body regulation and energy production.

The other one, the important cold, was for when the soul needed rest. Useful for preservation and health.

Countless wars were waged in the center; everyone wanted to be in the middle. The benefits were simply too grand to let go.

Just when people began to lose hope, fearing the never-ending war would end them all, a man appeared.

The first in history to ascend to Champion.

With his newfound strength and diplomatic power, Auren became the new king to rule all and bring the populace to prosperity.

With time, the kingdom grew, and so did his will.

No one dared question him, for he was Auren. The Champion King, he who was never wrong.

On one fateful day, he met a woman that stole his heart from a simple glance.

It didn't take long. He proposed, and they married.

A child was born to the mighty King and the beautiful Queen. A child destined for greatness.

The most joyful day in the kingdom's history. One to be celebrated for eternity.

Or… at least that's how it should have been.

On the same day, two stars, not ones that lit up the path, but ones that devoured the light in their wake. Hit the prosperous lands.

Slowly, a change appeared in the gods' behavior; they grew bloodthirsty. The hot became boiling lava, and the cold became a brainwashing storm.

Millions fell in mere minutes under the god's might.

"To arms!" Auren, the Champion King, couldn't allow that to continue. He had to fight for the future of his child and his kingdom!

Yet waging war against the gods was more costly than one could have expected.

Bodies—so many—that just to be rid of them, they were forced to throw them down the bottomless canyon.

The kingdom's forces grew thin; they had to recruit from the civilians.

No surprise, public outrage spread, but it didn't take long for it to be put down. The order had come from the King. Who could question it?

The child grew slowly, not knowing of the peace they spoke of. It remained silent, learning.

It was for the honor of their nation! Bleeding and dying for it was the only right thing to do!

As the war progressed, it turned out that the bottomless canyon hadn't been so bottomless after all. You just had to throw enough bodies in it.

"What is honor?" The child asked its mother.

She answered, but he didn't remember. Why should one die for something as pointless as that? As long as he had her, he was fine.

The Corruption of the gods spread, the lands changed, and so did the people.

Once mighty forces were now reduced to simple ash.

"Recruit all the civilians!" Auren ordered. This was a war fought for vengeance. Until the gods were slain. The kingdom shall never rest.

Yet even that was meaningless; everybody perished.

Auren began to twist, slowly. The Scalded Crown was born.

So did the King's once beautiful wife.

"We… can use her," the Scalded Crown decided, before throwing her in the bloody lake, forcing her to evolve.

The child protested, but it lacked the strength to save her.

Left with no choice, it grew stronger, killing every monster it saw and hiding it. Before they could be thrown in the bloody lake to aid his mother's evolution.

'Death is the true equal of all,' the child thought, looking at the withered land.

Decades, centuries, millennia passed. The child grew stronger, its vision turned black, and madness took hold—only a single goal remained.

Stop mother from evolving—kill her before that happens.

The Death Knight was born.

But no matter what strength it gained, it always fell short of its goal.

Until—

On one fateful day, while on a hunt for another monster, it felt a gaze.

One of something familiar, yet never seen before until now.

A pale man with snow-white hair and bottomless black eyes.

'Death?' The Death Knight attacked at first sight. If it could slay the man, it could grow stronger.

It didn't take long for the knight to fall before the Death Heir's blade.

*****

'Was this supposed to be the history of the world?' Azrael attempted to groan, but with a missing lower jaw, he couldn't.

The best he could do was wait for his evolution to end.

Blood seeped from his countless wounds, staining the ground.

'I have to move,' he thought. 'Even if I evolve now, I am exhausted. [Blood Manipulation] will not help me in this case.'

In desperate search for a healer, he moved towards the cathedral.

Along the way, he found a familiar figure. Victor lay with a dry laugh escaping his maw, barely conscious; his skin had become snow-white. He was soon to die from blood loss.

With a flick of his finger, Azrael called forth the miracle cigar and stuck it in the man's mouth. The item wasn't working on him anyway, not to mention that with a missing lower jaw, using it was impossible.

Wordlessly, he gripped the man's hair and began to drag him along, leaving a crimson trail in their wake.

'I killed the boss monster, didn't I? How long until we are sent back?' He cursed internally, vision starting to fade, cold creeping in.

The little blood that had remained running in his veins had turned black, still in the middle of ranking up.

At some point, he tripped and fell to the ground.

His limbs felt weak, and so did his heart. The strength to get back up wasn't there.

A feeling of helplessness spread all over his body.

'I am going to die?' He wondered, resting his head on a ruin behind him.

No healer, no help. That was as far as he went; he would perish here.

Or so he thought until, from the rising smoke before him, a familiar figure appeared.

Seraphina.