Death Heir’s Devouring System

Upon waking up, they immediately soared into the skies once more.

Azrael observed Victor silently. After close to 24 hours of continued use of the miraculous cigar, it had caused most of his injuries to close. The man wasn't in top shape. But should the worst happen, he would be able to defend himself.

He observed Isolde as well. She wasn't one that displayed emotions often, mostly unbothered by what was going on around her. However, there was a faint change—her hands trembled slightly as she took shaky breaths. Her white hair was messy, and she seemed to be fidgeting nervously.

"Are you okay?" Azrael asked using the mental connection she should have established, but no answer came.

Whatever had gotten her so shaken caused her to entirely stop paying attention to the things around her. She was experienced and should have known doing something like this could spell her doom…

With a frown, Azrael took her palm and traced his question, asking her the old way.

She was startled by his actions, another thing she rarely did.

After a few tense seconds of silence, she replied.

[South. Something has awakened there. Something that I wasn't able to feel before… And it's coming.]

Azrael blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice.

"Faster!" he urged Cinder, causing the Remembrance to pick up speed.

Of course, he knew what Isolde was referring to when speaking about the south. This was where the Blood Lake was. And if something powerful had appeared—something that she hadn't felt before—it could mean only one thing.

The Queen had evolved. She was now Apex.

Taking Isolde's palm again, he asked,

"The ones to the east and west—what are they doing?"

Her shoulders shook.

[They are moving… Towards us.]

Azrael's face paled. Then he took a steady breath.

'An Apex monster is behind us, causing two Calamities to corner us from both sides. It's fine. All this is within my expectation.' He calmed himself down. 'Even if things are progressing faster than expected, we still have time. Isolde is with us, and Victor has joined in as well. Until the monsters reach us, we should be able to ambush the Death Knight and kill it.'

Not to mention, he was now Cleansed, meaning should the worst happen and he was left alone against the Death Knight, he could afford to deal the final blow and devour the monster's Corruption without going mental in the process.

He analyzed the area carefully. Unlike before, the lava tide and the Taintstorm were no longer locked in their usual struggle—where one would retreat as the other advanced. Now, both were pushing forward together.

The two corrupted 'gods' were moving forward, so it was only natural that their domains would follow after them.

"Why do you look so shaken?" Victor asked with a beaming smile across his face. He had yet to be informed of the full scale of what was going to happen. But thanks to his Inborn Trait that made him happy when danger was near, he must have figured something dire was coming.

Azrael quickly informed him of what was going on, and as expected, that caused Victor's smile to widen.

"Ah," he exhaled, taking a final breath from the cigar before giving it back. "We are pretty much screwed."

Azrael frowned. "Speak for yourself. No matter what happens, I am surviving at all costs."

"Yes, yes," Victor shrugged. "You sure will do."

Ignoring Victor's remark, Azrael ordered Isolde.

"Stop looking at the things that are coming. Once we begin to fly over the Ruined Kingdom, focus on searching for Seraphina."

Tracing the name caused Isolde's shaking to lessen.

[Seraphina?]

'That seems to calm her down somewhat.' He thought, his eyesight scanning the horizon from where the Calamities were soon going to appear.

A chill ran down his spine, a warning not to stare too much, lest he want something to stare back.

Deciding to follow his own advice, he focused on the things below.

After several hours of flying, they passed over the destroyed walls of the Ruined Kingdom.

And just as Azrael had feared, Nightfletch—who had been stationed to guard the area—spotted them and rained down a volley of deadly arrows their way.

'Come on, I'm Cleansed now. Cinder has more power at its disposal to use. Dodging these must be a breeze now!'

Taking firm hold of the Remembrance, Azrael guided Cinder past the volley of arrows.

Many flew past them by a hair's breadth. Azrael's airborne skills had improved after spending so much time in the Rift.

However, every defense has its limit—one arrow shot from his blind spot remained unseen until it was too late.

"Shit!" Azrael cursed. "We're about to be hit in the rear!"

Before that could happen, however, Victor rose tall on his two feet. In a flash, he brought down both hands and took firm hold of the black projectile. His biceps, bigger than an average man's waist, bulged with effort, managing to stop it in place.

In truth, this wasn't made possible by his raw power alone; Isolde had applied pressure to the arrow, slowing it down enough for Victor to catch.

"Focus on the front, we've got your back!" Victor roared, getting ready to catch the next one.

It felt strange having to rely on someone else for his own survival. But now wasn't the time to ponder. Azrael nodded silently, eyes narrowing, focusing his senses to the limit.

To increase the time he had to react, he soared higher, which—while effective—also had the side effect of increasing the gazes locked onto them.

The volley of arrows turned into a storm as dozens of Nightfletch, too slow to catch them, fired everything they had their way.

Azrael's forehead dripped with sweat, his nerves barely holding together under the onslaught of so many monsters.

Eventually they passed the walls of the kingdom. The arrows lessened in number until they finally stopped altogether.

"Good," Azrael analyzed. They had run away safely, but they were far from safe. The kingdom was massive, and they had to find Seraphina and the members of her camp before facing the Death Knight.

Even with his Cleansed Purity Rank, which enchanted his senses, he would have major trouble locating them. The place was simply that massive, and the numerous structures as well as the mist weren't helping at all.

[I sense her.]

Just when he thought they would have to waste more time searching for her, Isolde's words echoed in his head.

[She is fighting something…]