Death Heir’s Devouring System

Exhausted, Azrael collapsed on his knees. The blood that seeped from his skinned face blurred his vision, forcing him to keep his eyes downward.

'This was a close one,' he thought bitterly, trying to ignore the pain soaring through his veins.

'A single Rook monster almost killed us all. If Victor didn't warn me in time and if the others didn't pounce on the Lost Soul like there was no tomorrow, we would have all been dead.'

It was good that they had bested a Rook monster. The bad part was that the Death Knight was of the same Danger Level and Corruption Rank. The idea of Azrael killing it alone now seemed nothing more than a delusional dream.

'It's good that I joined in defending Seraphina's camp. The more alive Chosen the more bait I can use. Monsters such as this are fought in groups, not solo,' he analyzed.

A chill went down his spine. If a mere Savage monster was that powerful, what about the King of the kingdom that the Proven were supposed to beat if they wished to go back?

A dry chuckle escaped his lips. He was glad he wasn't in their situation.

From the side, he looked like a madman chuckling to himself, with a skinned face that gave off so much blood he couldn't even stop it using [Blood Manipulation]—the best he could manage was to slow it down enough to survive until a healer came to his side.

"Hold on!" Azrael heard a familiar voice. It was of the once timid healer Logan. Now, after Seraphina's merciless beating, he didn't have a problem making choices on who was more important to save and who wasn't worth the time.

Placing a hand over Azrael's shoulder, healing light moved from one to the other.

Gradually, the exposed tissue on Azrael's face got covered by skin that grew over it.

By the end, Logan had used all of his power reserves, leaving him panting with trembling limbs.

The Heir of Death was of higher Purity Rank now, so he needed more energy to be healed fully. This was why he didn't use Gray's Cigar. Even if it was of the same Cleansed Rank as him, its effects were halved because he wasn't Gray's heir—making it useless for him.

"Are you okay—"

Logan was about to check up on his patient until he stopped mid-sentence, eyes opening wide.

With the death of the Lost Soul, the mist had lessened in the area, improving visibility. That, coupled with the threat of death now gone, decreased the pressure the Chosen were feeling—leading them to spot something different.

Azrael's white hair had gotten even whiter, his bottomless eyes darker. No imperfections were visible on his face, not to mention his jaw had gotten slightly more pronounced.

The stark difference from a bleeding, skinless face to model-like features stunned everyone around—not just because of his beauty but also because of the implications.

Even if disliked, everyone knew him and how he looked before. If he had gotten even more breathtaking than before, it could mean only one thing.

Azrael had advanced his Purity Rank, making him Cleansed—the same as their angels Isolde and Seraphina.

"The madman ranked up?"

"Forget about that—he can now rival Seraphina easily! Maybe even surpass her!"

"Look, he was skinned alive, yet I didn't hear him scream even once. He isn't normal."

Rising to his feet, Azrael spared the crowd an emotionless glance before turning to Seraphina.

"We need to go. We are on a time clock. The monsters are coming closer, and the Proven from now on are a wild card. We can't predict their next actions, so we must make as much distance as possible."

Her eyes narrowed briefly; the idea of asking him how he was crossed her mind. But his indifferent expression stopped her.

"You heard him. Let's move!" She urged the Chosen.

No one dared to argue—not just because Seraphina was the one who gave the order, but also out of fear of Azrael. Before, he had threatened to kill every Chosen if they got in his way of saving Isolde. At the time, it sounded absurd for him to think he could do such a thing.

Now it didn't seem such a far-fetched declaration.

Silently, they moved farther north, keeping their senses open for the Death Knight that was hopefully in the area.

'Does she sense anyth—?' Azrael's thoughts were interrupted as he saw how much Isolde was trembling.

"Are they getting closer?" He traced the question on her hand, since she looked like she wouldn't be able to keep their mental connection.

[The Apex Queen is getting closer. Very fast.]

Azrael would have scoffed if he hadn't expected that to happen. After all, she had been disgraced by her home and forced to evolve. Now, once she had done so, wasn't it only proper to return to the ones that had forsaken her?

'Still, it's faster than I thought.'

Even if the Queen was coming closer, it was still impossible to see her since the cursed lands were so vast.

"I actually have an item that can look very far."

Just when he was thinking about what to do, Rachel's words echoed behind him.

With an arched brow, Azrael extended his hand forward. A second later, the girl gave him binoculars adorned in gold.

Without hesitating, he called forth Cinder and soared high into the air.

Once he went past the mist, he used the binoculars to see into the distance.

Whether it was because the Queen had only recently evolved or because Azrael himself had become Cleansed, the crushing mental pressure was nothing like what he'd felt the first time he faced an Apex Danger Level monster.

The sight that greeted him wasn't pleasant.

A black eye, surrounded by crimson leaves in a circular formation. With four bloody wings that allowed it to fly with staggering speed. Below it dangled hundreds of pitch-black roots that embedded themselves deep in the ground, draining the life out of the Golden Lands wherever the Apex Queen passed.

It took less than a second for her to sense his gaze. The black eye shivered momentarily, then narrowed, locking onto Azrael in the far distance.

He gulped audibly.

"I kind of regret looking at it," he muttered bitterly.