Death Heir’s Devouring System

[Ascension commencing…]

A deep change began to take hold of Azrael's body. One much more significant than the other ones. When he Ranked up he felt a change in his state of being, more power rising deep within him.

But this… raising his Ascension Level was something greater.

He was in some kind of incomprehensible form; as such, his fatal injuries vanished in a flash. The unbearable exhaustion that he had been suffering a few moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

A euphoria no mortal was ever meant to feel, greater than any mundane pleasure a human could know, flowed through his soul.

It lasted for a brief second, yet that second seemed to stretch for an eternity.

'This is power.' Barely did he manage to form a single thought before being flooded with overwhelming strength.

Slowly his heart and brain materialized, and his spine appeared next, ensuring their connection; across it ran veins that stored his precious blood. Next, hardened bones granted him support, muscles grew, and an even more flawless skin that before was stitched over it all.

Every part of him grew stronger, better, and closer to perfection. Azrael would need time to adjust to his new improved senses, but immediately he knew. He was able to utilize the Purity and Corruption lingering in his soul with a precision he never could have until now.

He was Marked no more.

Now he was Proven.

[Body reconstruction completed.]

[You have won against the Abyss.]

[Prepare to be returned to the Rift location.]

The words of the system echoed in his head, yet he barely paid them any mind.

Knowing his luck, as soon as he went back to the human realm, he was going to be assaulted by monsters lingering close. So he made use of the few peaceful moments he had to scan his progression.

Name: [Azrael]

Race: [Human]

Inborn Trait: [Heir of Death]

Ascension Level: [Proven]

Purity Rank: [Cleansed]

Corruption Rank: [Tainted]

Skills: [Inspect], [Blood Manipulation], [Ghostwalk]

Items: [Document], [Gravebloom], [Frostflare Flint], [Maiden Skin], [Mother Needle], [Teapot], [Gray's Cigar], [Truth Devourer], [Ring of Eternal Vengeance]

Remembrances: [Ashfeather], [Death Knight]

The fact that he had gained a skill, an item, and a Remembrance by simply killing the Death Knight filled him with joy. But with not enough time to inspect them, he focused on the two most important things.

Ascension Level: [Proven]

Ascension Description: [Marked no more, you have gone against the Abyss and achieved victory. Your devotion has been proven. From now on you shall strive for glory, one that only a champion could hope to grasp.]

It felt surreal; he had been looking at the Proven from afar for so long, yet he was now one of them.

'Don't get distracted.' He reminded himself.

Corruption Rank: [Tainted]

Corruption Description: [The taint within your soul has deepened. Your mind, yet to submit, shows unshaken sanity… or concealing a madness that may have been with you from the very beginning.]

The time he had to inspect his newfound powers was far from enough. But he wasn't about to complain.

The instant he finished reading the information, he was back.

Immediately, a thick stench of death—so potent it would unsettle even him, a person who had grown accustomed to horrors beyond human comprehension—entered his nostrils, forcing him to tense his body.

A heartbeat later, his eyes sprang open.

Considering in what sort of place the Rift had opened—in the middle of the Moon Breakers during a terrorist attack—he had assumed he would be met with numerous Proven corpses.

Even if months had passed since then, during the attack there had been countless Reaver monsters and even one Apex, monsters that even with his newfound powers Azrael would struggle against.

That was why once he saw the scene before him, his heart skipped a beat.

Ruins of the once-known Moon Breakers base. Among these ruins, thousands of abominations lay on the ground, blood having run from their lifeless bodies for so long that it had hardened.

The stench of blood and fear hadn't come from humans. It had come from what humanity had left in their wake after clashing with the monsters.

Azrael's eyes scanned the area, finally stopping on a corpse—once much larger than the others.

Several kilometers in length at the very least. And that was only after it had been torn into numerous pieces.

"The Apex monster…" Azrael couldn't help but mutter. That cursed day when he had been forced to enter the Rift, he had only done so because an Apex monster had appeared in the far distance, threatening to reduce him to nothing should he not escape.

A monstrosity on a level equal to the Apex Queen that had been born from his actions in the Rift. So powerful it had laid waste to the Golden Land in her approach to the kingdom, likely reducing the knight's army to dust.

A being that should have held such immense power, now reduced to a lifeless corpse resting on the battered ground.

And the reason for the monster's demise…

With a gulp, Azrael raised his gaze, stopping at a silhouette sitting calmly at the top.

A tall, topless figure showing battle-hardened muscles, with white hair and a short beard that rippled gently in the wind.

Both eyes were closed, yet the large scar running from the man's lip to his right eye made it clear he was partially blind.

That power, that unshakable aura of authority, was something Azrael had never forgotten. His opinion of the man had remained the same. When he met him for the first time, he knew he could be killed with a flick of his finger, and now—even after everything he had gone through—the feeling he got was the same.

"Principal Arthur." The words came out naturally from his mouth.

Why was the principal here? Had he been waiting for their return all this time? Was he the one who had slain the Apex monster? Had he done so single-handedly, or had he received help?

Countless questions ran through Azrael's mind; however, one took hold over the others.

'I am stronger now…' he thought, eyes narrowing as he used [Inspect]. Last time he had failed to perceive the man's power, but with his new and improved senses, would that change?

Name: [Arthur Gray]

Race: [Human]

Ascension Level: [Sentinel]

Purity Rank: [Radiant]

'No wonder the aura he gives off is so intense.' A subtle smile tugged at Azrael's lips—only to disappear a second later as Arthur's body shuddered before he opened his eyes. One was completely white, unable to perceive the world around him, while the other locked onto Azrael immediately.

The principal looked emotionless, yet under the mask of indifference, clear signs of regret could be seen. No doubt he was sorrowful about how early this branch of Marked had been forced to challenge the Rift and how few had returned as a consequence.

Several seconds passed in silence; only Azrael had regained his senses from the euphoria all of the Proven had experienced upon ascending.

Once Arthur was done surveying the other Proven who had survived. His attention returned to Azrael.

"Welcome back," The man spoke from afar, yet his voice carried a weight that passed through the distance effortlessly. "You have done well, young one."

Azrael's eyes narrowed slightly, a warm feeling spreading across his body.

'Ah,' he realized. Now he didn't have to be constantly on guard—worrying about what his next actions should be, always looking behind his back, where he was stepping, and what could devour him before he had the chance to fight back.

This was the privilege of safety.

"I am back," he said, a rare warm smile spreading across his tired face.