Death Heir’s Devouring System

It was silent to an eerie degree. True to its title, being a follower of Death, the Death Knight passed the distance that separated them in a flash, swinging in a wide arc.

'Its Corruption Rank still surpasses mine,' Azrael reminded himself, raising his weapon to block.

'Still, I am far stronger than before!'

Coming down like a guillotine of death, the monster attacked overhead. The ground beneath Azrael's feet cracked into a spiderweb pattern under the monstrous weight.

Yet, unlike last time, Azrael held, stopping the abomination's strike.

If it was thanks to him being stronger or the fact that the knight wasn't using its dominating hand was unknown. But the details didn't matter; only the end result did.

Instantly unfazed that its attack had been blocked, the Death Knight changed tactics. Raising its right leg faster than Azrael could react, it delivered a devastating blow to his side.

Azrael's Radiant armor held, but the same couldn't be said about his bones. The staggering shockwave was so devastating it caused his ribs to cave, managing to break a few of them.

'This monster is still beyond me. Principal Arthur's words about how one shouldn't face a Rift alone seem to get more and more true as time passes. No Marked can beat that monster in a fair fight alone.'

Azrael thought, a smile curling up his face.

"Good!" He roared. "That just means by doing the impossible once more I will grasp even greater strength!"

His words were washed out by the Proven and their battle against the King. Since Azrael had his hands full, he wasn't able to witness their battle in its full glory. Which was a shame since he could have learned a thing or two.

All he could see were the flashing lights that would enter his field of vision from time to time.

'Forget about them. I have my own foe to worry about.' He reminded himself, getting ready to meet the charging Death Knight.

But before that could happen, a Proven that had judged killing Azrael was more important than facing the Scalded Crown appeared.

"You—"

Before Azrael could react, he was blasted from the side. The attack scarred a part of his face and sent him flying.

'Ambushing is my specialty, for godsake!' He cursed in annoyance as he used [Blood Manipulation] to stop his internal and external bleeding.

Facing a Death Knight or a Proven was hell in itself, and now he had to face both!

The Death Knight, enraged by the Heartroot Azrael had revealed, considered killing him its top priority. Meanwhile, the few Proven, driven by rage, attacked as well, seeking revenge for Raven.

"Do you have no honor, allying with a monster in order to kill those considered beneath you?" Azrael shouted nonsense he didn't believe, hoping that his words would trigger some hesitation in his foes.

Sadly, it didn't have the desirable effect. The Proven didn't halt their charge even for a second.

The Death Knight's sword loomed overhead once more. The Proven next to the monster tried to pierce Azrael on the spot.

Being attacked from all sides by beings far more powerful than themselves would make any warrior, no matter how experienced, rethink their strategy and options.

But finding himself in a pinch, with no time to react, Azrael did the only thing that came to mind.

He gritted his teeth, unable to dodge or deflect. He was ready to take on several life-threatening injuries at the same time.

'This is going to hurt, but I've lived through worse. If I can survive being skinned alive and thrown next to a lava tide, I can survive anything.' He calmed his nerves, unwilling to panic.

But, defying his expectations, the strikes that should have left him half-dead never connected.

At the last moment, a large figure appeared between him and the Death Knight.

Raising his axe, Victor met the knight's attack head-on, unfazed.

"Now this is some action I like to see, brother!" Victor roared, a menacing smile plastered all over his face.

At the same time, Seraphina appeared on his other side. With graceful movements, her sword stopped the Proven's assault.

"You seem to be in need of assistance," she said, stating the obvious with a calm explanation.

Before Azrael could speak, James appeared behind him and pulled him away from the battle to where Logan was waiting. Without uttering a word, the once timid healer used his magic to heal his injuries to the best of his ability.

"You are alive! Thank God! For a second, I thought that you really sacrificed your life for us," James stated, gripping his spear firmly, getting ready to enter the battle.

"Me? Sacrifice myself?" Despite his injuries, Azrael couldn't contain his laughter. In all his life, he had never heard anything funnier.

"Never in a million years."

The Marked had finally reached the cathedral. They positioned themselves between the Death Knight, which was being held back by Victor, and the Proven, who were halted by Seraphina and Isolde.

"We will keep them busy. Can I rely on you to take down the Death Knight?" Seraphina shouted, her voice barely restrained.

After fully recovering, Azrael rose. "Of course! Who do you think I am?"

The second he uttered the words, Victor lost his footing, resulting in him being sent forward past the cathedral walls, away from the fight.

The Death Knight didn't hesitate, charging through the rising smoke, ready to slay the man.

"Go!" she urged, about to descend once again into the battle.

Before she could, however, Azrael appeared at her side and gripped her hand, holding her in place.

"What?" Staggered by his strange actions in the middle of the chaotic battle, she glanced at him.

Azrael threw a brief glance at Thandor and the King monster he was barely keeping in hold with the help of the dozens of Proven by his side.

Azrael was no fool. No matter how powerful a Marked was, when faced with beings of such overwhelming force, their chances of survival were slim.

"Among all the Chosen, you are the one I can't afford to lose." Azrael said.

He was telling the truth. Her ability to cleanse him of his Corruption had saved him and his sanity several times up until now. Losing that precious ability would be catastrophic.

With a flick of his finger, he called forth Heartroot. Without hesitation he placed it behind Seraphina's right ear.

For a moment, her eyes narrowed, a flush of pink spreading across her cheeks, surprised by his action.

[You have transferred an Item.]

The next second her eyes widened in disbelief as she read the item description.

"You are too precious to lose… So don't die."

Azrael said, vanishing from Seraphina's sight, leaving her stunned. Unable to utter a single word.

Exiting the cathedral from the newly created hole, he glanced at Victor. The madman was staring down the Death Knight with an unnatural smile on his face.

"Good for you to join me, brother! Now let's slay this monster once and for all!"

Azrael sighed.

'When did we become brothers?' He wondered.

A second later, he took a step forward, gripping his scythe firmly.

"Sure, let's kill the boss."