Death Heir’s Devouring System

Outside of the military school, a large green militarized pickup truck was waiting. With several Chosen waiting next to it.

Azrael didn't hesitate; his eyes narrowed briefly using [Inspect].

What he saw made him frown.

Ascension Level: [Proven]

Purity Rank: [Blessed]

Five men and four women, all with the same power parametrics.

'They must be newbies.' He figured. Not that he wasn't technically one as well, just that his Purity was one Rank higher than theirs.

'I just hope that they will not hold me back.'

Silently he went to them.

"And just as I was saying—"

A bald man was busy chatting with a disinterested woman.

"—We are going to be a team from now on. So it will benefit us if we exchange contract information—"

Unfortunately for the bald man, his attempt at courting ended in failure as Azrael suddenly appeared, making him recoil backwards.

"Gods! I didn't hear you at all!" The man spoke loudly, bringing the attention to him.

'Ah,' Azrael realized that his new skill [Ghostwalk] worked on Proven even better than he could imagine.

"What can I say? I am silent." He shrugged nonchalantly.

The moment the squad noticed a new figure among them, their attention shifted one by one to him. They quickly realized that he was to be part of their team. As such, they instinctively narrowed their eyes using [Inspect] to gauge his power.

The feeling of being probed rubbed Azrael the wrong way. He now understood why some people hid their stats from prying eyes.

"You look so young, yet you are Cleansed already?" The bald man exclaimed in genuine surprise.

It was obvious that he judged befriending Azrael as a top priority. Extending his arm for a handshake, he spoke even louder than before.

"Nice to meet you, I am—"

His words halted mid-sentence as the woman he had been trying to get to exchange contact information moved toward Azrael.

"My name is Clara." She spoke, unbothered by the gaze the bald man was giving her. Almost like a predator, she wrapped her arms around Azrael's torso, pressing her cleavage tightly against him.

"Do you think we can—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the edges of her vision blurred. The air left her lungs in an instant, and her blood ran cold as she was flung to the side like a ragdoll.

With a simple gesture of his arm, Azrael threw her to the side like disposable trash.

Clara skidded around the hard ground before coming to a stop.

"You dare—"

She began to shout only to see his silhouette casting a shadow of death before her. His scythe was about to strike before a third figure appeared between them.

A middle-aged man with emerald eyes. Raising his hand, he caught Azrael's weapon barehanded. The impact of the strike was so powerful that the ground beneath their feet broke, yet they remained unfazed.

"I leave your side, and you already cause trouble." The man complained, giving off a powerful aura that made Azrael take a cautionary step back.

Name: [Alexander]

Race: [Human]

Ascension Level: [Champion]

Purity Rank: [Cleansed]

'He must be the leader of the squad.' Azrael noted immediately.

"Can I ask why you are attacking one of my subordinates?" Alexander spoke calmly while simultaneously unleashing his aura.

Remaining unfazed by the wave of dread, Azrael answered nonchalantly. "She attacked me. I retaliated, simple as that."

Clara coughed loudly, slowly rising to her shaking feet. "No, I didn't! I simply—"

"Silence."

Before she could finish, Alexander cut her off.

"You say that she attacked you. Do you have proof?"

Wordlessly, Azrael raised his hand, showing the Ring of Eternal Vengeance.

"If someone harms me, my next attack deals double the damage it would normally cause to my attacker. That's why she was sent so far—because of this effect."

Whatever Clara had used, her Inborn Trait or skill, she had done so with the intent to harm him and activated the ring, making it shine crimson.

This was enough of a reason for Azrael to kill her.

"Are his words true?" The squad leader spun. His eyes were getting more menacing by the minute.

Under his gaze the woman's ego shattered.

"I… I didn't do it with ill intent, I swear! I just wanted to charm him and maybe have a bit of fun with him later."

'A bit of fun? Did she just try to use a seduction skill on me?' Azrael was surprised this was the first time something like this had happened to him.

Yet, Alexander didn't seem surprised.

"All the credit you will earn from the mission we will undertake today shall be confiscated as a punishment."

The woman bit her lower lip in regret but didn't dare bark back.

"I am sorry, Mister Azrael." The squad leader bowed slightly.

"I shouldn't have left the squad alone while the last man had not yet arrived. I hope you can accept my apology."

He studied the squad leader for a few seconds, then his gaze shifted to Clara.

'Maybe when Victor said I look like a model and that girls would start clinging to me, there was more truth to his words than I thought… I suppose I can overlook it. Causing a scene before my first mission would be foolish.' He figured.

"As long as this incident doesn't repeat itself." Azrael waved off his hand dismissively, going towards the militarized pickup truck.

With him being the last one to arrive, all of the Chosen took a seat and fastened their seatbelts before the driver took course.

As a consequence of his treatment of Clara, the atmosphere was tense. Some of the women threw him glances. It was unclear whether it was out of admiration for resisting Clara's charm or simply fear of him and his strength.

"Now that we are all here, let's first introduce ourselves."

One by one the Chosen spoke out loud their names, Purity Rank and for how long they have been Proven.

A standard procedure meant to familiarize the team with one another and allow them to reallocate who would handle the more dangerous tasks.

There wasn't a problem until it was Azrael's turn.

"Wait, did you just say you returned from a Rift yesterday? And are already being sent on a mission?"

Alexander asked with a clear suspicion in his voice.

Azrael nodded.

"Let me make this clear." The man's voice hardened.

"Anyone that lies about things that could negatively impact the mission is liable for termination."

He stopped momentarily, studying Azrae's expression.

To his disbelief, he didn't show the slightest trace of fear or hesitation.

"Who is your teacher?" Alexander sighed, sensing a lengthy report ahead.

"Seyra." Azrael spoke calmly.

Upon hearing the name, the man's gaze froze. Not just his but the entire squad of Chosen.

"Did he just say Seyra?"

"The one that is rumored to break any Chosen before they even reach the Proven Level?"

"What kind of monster is he to survive her training methods?"

"Now it makes sense why he looks so detached… Poor boy must have been broken countless times by her training methods."

Whispers echoed in the vehicle, which Azrael naturally noticed.

'Why is everyone afraid of her? Her training methods are effective, that's all… Or maybe the problem is my own twisted perspective—after all, my first teacher was a Skinwalker.'

"I see." Alexander nodded, dropping the matter entirely.

"The Rift we are required to take care of has formed on the outskirts of the city." He read the mission details aloud from his tablet.

"There are no reported civilian Chosen in the area, only Forsaken… They are not our priority to defend. The important things are the infrastructure, especially the HQ building that is dangerously close to the Rift."

This wasn't surprising—before stealing his system, Azrael had been one of the Forsaken and had lived in their territory. The idea of not prioritizing the Forsaken's safety was nothing new.

After all, the system hadn't chosen them to become its users. If even the entity rumored to be created by the gods themselves didn't spare them a second glance, why should humanity?

Eventually, the vehicle reached its destination. The reinforced doors creaked open, and the squad exited as a unit.

"Why do I get a deja vu?" Azrael mused, observing the Rift in the far distance.

A second later he cracked his neck, taking a step forward.

"Whatever, let's see what this Rift has to offer."