Death Heir’s Devouring System

"I can see it. You are getting slower!" Azrael shouted with all his might, gripping the bloody scythe with his only whole arm.

The Death Knight remained deadly silent. The monster simply adjusted its grip on its sword before shooting forward at Azrael.

The Heir of Death met the knight unfazed; the ground beneath their feet shattered once their weapons clashed.

The monster had the upper hand. But just when it seemed that Azrael was going to be pushed back, he changed course.

Moving as swiftly as the wind, not producing even the faintest echo of sound thanks to [Ghostwalk], he moved behind the Death Knight.

The abomination spun about to react, but it proved to be too slow.

The crimson scythe blurred through the air, beheading the knight in a graceful arc.

Immediately Azrael dropped to his knees, panting in exhaustion. Eyes going over the options the VR simulation provided him.

Without hesitation, he selected the option to heal.

Just like that, his severed arm grew back, all his injuries vanishing in a flash. Even the simulated exhaustion was nowhere to be seen.

"I won again," he sighed. At the beginning the duels had been one-sided. But that slowly began to change. Now out of ten fights, Azrael would win three.

Sure, he would have won more had he called forth Cinder. But then there wasn't going to be any point in the fight.

When he would face the Remembrance of the Death Knight, he won't be able to call forth his items or his summons. It would be only him and his skills against the monster.

That was why he made the decision to fight the monster only with his skills; [Blood Manipulation] proved invaluable, since it allowed him to shape his own blood into weapons, giving him a fighting chance.

The idea of increasing his control further to make an armor of blood to shield himself crossed over his mind. But to do that, he would need to use too much blood, impacting his fighting ability. So he dismissed the idea.

"I feel like the simulated version is slower and weaker than the original. Maybe I will have to make more adjustments to bring it closer to the real deal."

Just when he was about to tweak the difficulty of the abomination to make it harder, his vision blacked out momentarily.

Seconds later, his eyes sprang open—he was back in the real world. Seyra had removed his headset, bringing him back to reality.

His confusion didn't last long. Quickly getting his senses under control, he glanced at Seyra, who was looking at him with an unreadable expression.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, getting up from the bed.

She took a deep breath before parting her lips.

"How many times did you die?"

He blinked once, twice, thrice.

"I didn't keep count."

There was no point in guessing, so he spoke the truth.

"78 times." She spoke slowly. "Knowing that, how do you feel?"

Throwing a glance at his palm, he closed it into a fist before relaxing it several times in quick succession.

"Great," he admitted. "There are still many things I have to test, but in my life I have never felt stronger and more confident than I am now."

Seyra observed him silently, her lips curling upwards in a twisted smile.

"I am not sure if this is your talent or your insanity. Whatever it is, I judge that you have passed the mental examination."

Azrael was surprised to learn that this had been a test. Whether that was the case, today he learned how beneficial it was to use VR gear to train his senses.

"With you being ready, you would soon be sent to help with the subjugation of a Rift. Your task would be to subdue the monsters that came out of it. Not entering it. You would be aided by other Proven in the Moon Breakers."

Azrael's eyes widened at the mention of the name. Hadn't the military school been destroyed?

Seeing the confusion on his face, she sighed.

"I guess it's normal to be confused, since in your eyes we moved so fast it appeared like you had teleported to an unknown building."

She cleared her throat before explaining.

"After the school was destroyed, it was quickly relocated and rebuilt with even stricter security. This is where we are now. The buildings and the way things function are mostly the same, so you shouldn't have a hard time adjusting."

'So this VR test was to determine if I was ready to return to society or if my mindset should be corrected,' he figured.

It wasn't surprising there were countless Marked—many could be discarded, and with time even more would emerge. Proven, however, was a different matter: already a rare and valuable resource, capable of being deployed in countless critical situations. The government, and by extension the Moon Breakers, spared no expense to ensure that these assets neither perished needlessly nor grew too fearful to face real-world monsters.

Some could consider this a cruel method, but in reality, this was the bare minimum in order for humanity to not just survive but in the future to thrive against the vile Corruption.

"I see," he nodded.

"Before I go, I want to ask. Seraphina told me that you have given her a Radiant armor. May I ask why?"

Seyra's smile widened further.

"I am simply investing in promising individuals. Even if she has ties to the great clans, she has too much potential to not try to maintain positive ties with her."

Satisfied with the answer, Azrael expressed his thanks, bidding her farewell. And exited the building.

Just like she had said, the new base looked just like the last, albeit with improved defensive measures.

Allowing himself to enjoy the greenery around the area, Azrael rested his mind.

After enjoying the pleasant scenery and clean air, he began to walk with purpose, searching for Principal Arthur.

He figured the man should be here by now, so he was going to fulfill Champion Frederick's last request.

Deliver the Gray's Cigar to its rightful owner.