Death Heir’s Devouring System

"One monster? Not many?" Azrael immediately noted her choice of words before asking.

Isolde nodded.

With a sigh, he changed Cinder's flight direction.

"How strong is it?"

She shrugged.

[With an Apex behind us and two Calamities on our sides, it's impossible to gauge its power.]

Not surprised by the answer, he took a glance at Victor. The man's lips had curved upwards, but it wasn't as extreme as when he had learned about being cornered by two Calamity monsters.

'At least the danger isn't that severe.' Azrael judged.

Still, he knew better than to underestimate an enemy. This was the greatest sin one could commit. Even after growing stronger, he wasn't going to allow himself to become arrogant.

Cinder dipped its altitude lower; since the thick mist hid most of the features of the land below, they needed to take precautions to increase their visibility.

It didn't take long for them to see the first sight of a Chosen.

A skinless hunk, one that stood without any indication of life. The eyes of the man had enlarged, and blood was seeping from his mouth. Chest neither rising nor falling.

No movement. No purpose. Only a haunting message.

Like a scarecrow.

Upon seeing the scarecrow pinned on the house's roof, a haunting memory resurfaced in Azrael's mind. When he had been traveling towards the Blizzard Region and had passed through the Ruined Kingdom territory as a deuter, he had witnessed the death of a Blessed Proven. Death that had come faster than he could blink.

'I hoped, whatever that thing was, to never have to encounter it again,' he thought bitterly.

Sadly, life rarely went the way one wanted it. The experience was the same for everyone regardless of their strength. Life would throw countless hurdles their way, forcing them to adapt accordingly lest they want Death to claim them.

This was just one of the many trials he would have to overcome on his path to power.

Steeling his resolve, he urged Cinder faster. Each time he passed a body of a Chosen, positioned like a scarecrow, the more the situation worsened. The fewer Chosen there were, the less bait he could potentially use.

Figuring out what they were about to face was of utmost importance.

The best guess he could make right now was that the being was of the Rook-named variety of monsters, the same type as the Death Knight. This was the only way to explain why it was in the kingdom and how it had managed to slay so many members of Seraphina's camp.

Still, speculations were just that—he couldn't draw conclusions from nothing.

Not long after, a particular scene entered his field of vision. On an empty street, dozens of Chosen had positioned themselves into a circular formation. Seraphina stood in the center with a raised sword. The weapon being made out of light, coupled with the flames she had commanded to swirl around it, had created it into a type of beacon, illuminating the surroundings and ensuring a clear view.

"Descend," Azrael said, surveying the area. Despite the light Seraphina used to illuminate their surroundings, he found no trace of a monster—nor any sign of hostility. Just the same eerie silence he had witnessed before the death of a Blessed Proven.

The tension on the Chosen's faces lessened once they laid eyes on the ashen Remembrance and the one who was riding aboard.

They weren't happy to see Azrael or Victor unsurprisingly. Their attention was locked onto the one they considered an angel.

"Isolde!" Seraphina was the first to act, rushing toward her and pulling the girl into a tight embrace.

"What's going on?" Azrael directed the question to one of the few people he knew by name.

"Things were going fine," James answered a second after recovering from the shock of how quickly Azrael had managed to rescue Isolde.

"That changed abruptly. One of our members vanished in thin air only to find him positioned like a scarecrow on a nearby roof," James explained, his expression darkening. "We didn't feel a monster's presence nor any hint of danger, yet several people disappeared in quick succession. We attempted to run as far away as possible, but the result was the same. The only thing that seemed to work was bright light that dispersed the mist."

Azrael listened carefully. Even now his instincts were eerily calm, which only made him more concerned. Whatever they were up against was able to slip past his senses.

"What about the buildings? Tried taking shelter in them?"

James laughed dryly. "Oh, that we did. Several people had the idea, actually."

"What happened to them?"

James didn't answer; he didn't need to. A simple glance at a few scarecrows in the distance told Azrael all he needed to know.

'Whatever the monster is, it must be traveling in the mist, making it impossible to perceive. Two ways to deal with it: either wait for the night when the torches light up, getting rid of the mist almost entirely, or try to use Isolde to find it.'

Of course, the chance that the abomination would lose interest was also there, but Azrael was certain they wouldn't be that lucky.

And with an Apex and two Calamities about to clash soon, he didn't want to waste time.

"Isold—" Just when he was about to ask her if she could locate the being, he felt warmth spread all over his body.

By recoil, he attempted to pull away, but he wasn't let go. The foreign feeling startled him momentarily.

A second later, realization hit him. 'This thing… Hug, did they call it?' Azrael, being raised by a Skinwalker, had never received any amount of affection in his life. Survival and power were always the only things on his mind, so it was understandable, to some extent, why the gesture left him confused.

What was even more unfathomable was the one embracing him!

"Thank you… so much." Seraphina's voice trembled, lips inches away from his ear. "When I learned that a Radiant Proven had kidnapped Isolde, I thought… I would never see her again. Thank you so much for bringing her back to me again."

Wasn't it ironic, in a way? When Isolde had been lost in the middle of a basin meant for a lava ocean, Seraphina hadn't shown much concern. But now, when humans had been involved, she had been terrified of the worst.

In this world, people often overlooked the fact that humans could hide behind the mask of a monster just as easily.

However, Azrael didn't have time for philosophical questions, as he was in quite a predicament. Never having been embraced before, he didn't know how to react. Should he hug back or pull away?

What would be the correct choice that would lead him to the most gain? Was there even a correct choice in the first place?

At the end, he stated his opinion. "I simply did what I said I would. Nothing that special."

She took a deep breath, slowly letting go as if nothing had happened.

The sight of her hugging him would normally have caused quite a commotion. However, since everyone was too focused on staring into the mist, no one had paid them any attention.

"How did you bail Isolde out of Raven's grasp? I doubt she let her go easily," Seraphina spoke in her usual tone.

Azrael shook his head slowly. "Well, no matter how much she didn't want to let her go, once her head hit the ground, she didn't have much of a choice."

She blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice.

"You… killed her?"

"Had a little help." Azrael shrugged, pointing toward Victor and Isolde.

There was no point in stealing the credit for the kill. Not that anyone would have believed him if he claimed he had bested her in a duel. If the news that a Marked had killed a Radiant Proven got out, it could cause a national frenzy.

Seraphina's eyes narrowed as she used [Inspect] on him. Instantly, her lips parted, seeing he now rivaled her Purity Rank.

"Now it makes sense why you look so…" She muttered, eyeing his face carefully.

Before he could ask what she was referring to, a scream jolted them out of the conversation.

Another Chosen had disappeared amidst the mist.

[It's near, but its soul is hazy. I can't locate it precisely.]

Isolde's words echoed in the minds of the Chosen, drawing deep frowns across their faces. Panic quickly took hold, shattering their formation as most broke into a desperate sprint for their lives.

If even she didn't know when and where the monster would appear, what hope did they have of surviving this mess?

Azrael's mind raced. A second later, his eyes snapped to Victor. With the man's Inborn Trait, there was still a chance!

Just as expected, Victor had figured it out too—his smile widened when he gazed directly at the location of the being.

A heartbeat later, he raised a finger.

"It will appear there."

Unfortunately, Victor was pointing directly behind Azrael.