Primordial Lust System

"Hmph." Aurelian inhaled sharply, his fingers trembling from the aftermath of the power he had just unleashed mere seconds ago. The blades thrummed under his grasp, buzzing with excitement at the sheer force infused into their being.

Snapping out of his thoughts, his eyes trailed to a dungeon wall in the distance where the remnants of the crimson runes had slammed, tearing a massive hole through it. More mystical still, the runes hadn't dissipated on impact, they continued drilling forward, the hole expanding at a terrifying pace. The dungeon trembled violently for a moment before the runes finally died down.

"Close call," he muttered, imagining what would have happened had the runes struck him. He doubted even the armor conjured by his SS-rank Aegis of Illusion could have blocked such a blow. Regaining composure, his gaze tilted toward the kneeling figure in the distance, the cause of it all. A smile lining his face. The figure was far from simple, and to wield such power at mere E-rank spoke of monstrous potential. Enough to intrigue even him.

Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, he strode forward. His blades dragged alongside him, burrowing trenches into the ground as his eyes scanned the battlefield's aftermath.

Cracks stretched across the dungeon floor for nearly a thousand meters, some sections collapsing into pits. Yet, as time passed, the cracks began to erase themselves, rubble filling the pits as the dungeon self-repaired. A common trait of dungeons, though Aurelian didn't fully understand the core mechanics. He simply summed it up as dungeon fuckery.

Shifting mental gears, he crouched low, eyeing the kneeling youth before him. A smile stretched his face. "Any moves you haven't shown yet?" he murmured, a glint of greed flickering in his eyes.

If he could form techniques by observing others under his Sphere of Soul Detection, it would be a waste not to try again.

"Huh?" Azrael groaned, regaining his bearings. Wiping the shocked scowl off his face, he glared at the youth before him. His lips twitched. He, Azrael Chaos, reduced to a puppet for another's advancement?

His fists clenched so tight that drops of blood dripped to the floor. An emotionless glint surfaced in his eyes as a bitter smile colored his lips. "Yeah... I do have moves left," he growled. His will latched onto the remaining crimson runes still flaring at the dungeon wall, boring holes into it. He synced with them, lips cracking into a malevolent grin.

"Draw inspiration from this, brat!" he spat. The crimson runes streaked through the air at astonishing speed, aimed straight at Aurelian's back.

Blood sputtered from his mouth, the strain of channeling their power slamming into him.

"Hmm, that again?" Aurelian mused. The runes were instantly detected within his Sphere of Soul Detection, as though he were watching them with his own eyes. A smile cracked his lips.

His obsidian eyes darkened into an abyssal hue as he issued a mental command: Activate Metaphysical Vision. His fingers extended, pressing against a glowing orb that appeared at Azrael's torso.

"Huh? W-what... have you done to me?" Azrael groaned. A foreign sensation invaded his body as his connection to the crimson runes was severed. His limbs froze; fear rooting itself in his chest. He was...defenseless. If the youth before him chose to kill him, this would be the end.

Questions swarmed his mind in a frenzy. Had Aurelian always possessed this ability? Why hadn't he used it earlier? Had he been toying with him all along? Most importantly, why did this so-called E-rank possess powers beyond any mortal?

Realization crept in like ice down his spine. T-this youth... he wasn't just a genius.

"Oh, nothing much," Aurelian breathed. In Azrael's ears, the words ringing like the devil's own decree. "What you should worry about... is what happens if I do it again."

"What do you want?" Azrael rasped, struggling to rein in his emotions but failing miserably. Always the one holding the blade, he had never truly been cornered before. "I can give you power... far beyond your imagination," he began, only to be cut off.

"Power that couldn't stand against mine?" Aurelian quipped with a playful smile. "I'll pass. But I do have a proposal for you."

Azrael froze, his words trapped in his throat. The truth of Aurelian's remark struck like a hammer. His breath grew ragged. If not power, then what did he want?

"I have a proposal," Aurelian continued. His gaze bore into him, his tone steady. Based on what he'd seen, this youth was easily the strongest he had encountered at their rank.

Leaning forward, his words rolled out in a low whisper.

"How about... you follow me."

"Y-ou… you… want me to be your… lackey?" Azrael breathed, his form shaking with rage at the inconceivability of the thought.

"Well, more like a right-hand man," Aurelian muttered, watching Azrael's mouth froth in anger.

"I'd rather die than follow somebody's path to power!" Azrael yelled, slamming his fists into the ground and sending micro-fractures radiating outward, his breath ragged from the outburst. The color drained from his face as his strength waned.

"An immutable will," Aurelian said, eyeing Azrael with raised brows. It was expected from a figure such as him, but that hadn't been his goal, his objective was already accomplished.

He mused as he clenched his fist in satisfaction.

His figure straightened, then he turned away.

"Wait… you're leaving like that?" Azrael growled, frowning. Something wasn't adding up. After assessing his level and the skills he'd used, he must have had questions, at least one. "Don't you want to learn my skills… my physique… how to cultivate one?" he blurted, genuinely confused.

Aurelian remained unfazed; a smile split his lips. "I forge my own path to power," he muttered, flicking his wrist as he scooped the remaining red origin stones. Everything was going as planned. As for leaving Azrael alive? Given his recent discovery about the latent ability of his Sphere of Soul Detection, Azrael would play a huge role in that path. He had a feeling they would meet again soon.

Pausing at the blue-swirling portal, he tilted his head back, a devilish smirk stretching across his face. "One last thing... I wouldn't be so certain I was immune to illusions if I were you," he murmured before stepping into the portal, his figure blinking away.

"Huh?" Azrael snickered. What was that supposed to mean? Given his monstrous soul, even if part of it was locked away, he considered himself invulnerable to illusions. So what was Aurelian blustering about? He groaned, stretching out his hands to push himself up.

Before he froze, his eyes widened as he realized something was missing.

"My interspatial storage ring! My goddamn—freaking space ring!" he muttered, lips twitching as the implication of Aurelian's words sank in.

"Argh! I'll find you, little brat," he growled, the loss of the ring making his face fall. He clenched his fists. "Just you wait, Aurelian. I'll make you pay for all of this!"