Death Heir's Devouring System
Chapter 49: The Savage Battle

Chapter 49: The Savage Battle

Azrael’s scythe moved with staggering speed, aiming directly for the Unworthy Knight’s head.

Since the abomination resembled a human, the Heir of Death assumed it shared the same weak points. Or at least, he hoped so.

That hope was quickly dashed. The instant his blade neared the knight’s head, the black flower blooming from its skull lunged. Its stem twisted around the weapon, halting Azrael’s strike mid-air.

’It’s harder than a rock!’ he thought grimly, moving once more.

James reached the Unworthy Knight’s rear and struck. His green spear tore through the monster’s right shoulder.

The wound wasn’t fatal by any means; however, it served its purpose. Since the Unworthy Knight they were fighting was right-handed, they had to take care of its ability to strike. James’s strike wouldn’t stop the knight completely, but it gave Azrael a moment of opportunity.

And that moment was all he needed.

’If Blessed weapons can’t hurt you, what about a Cleansed one?’

Calling forth Mother Needle, Azrael stabbed with his left hand.

The thin blade slid past the shattered armor, piercing deep into the creature and drawing black blood.

Had this been a monster of the Feral Danger Level, the fight would have been long over... Sadly, it was Savage, and Azrael knew a monster like that wouldn’t fall so easily.

His eyes squinted momentarily, his vision growing hazy. The Unworthy Knight had produced a chilling roar, one that bored deep into the skull of every nearby Chosen, freezing them briefly.

Taking advantage, the knight grabbed Azrael’s shoulder with its left hand. Then it raised a knee and slammed it into his gut.

Without hesitation, James lunged again. His spear pierced cleanly through the knight’s neck, emerging from the other side.

Yet, the Unworthy Knight didn’t falter.

Turning around, it slashed with its wounded arm. The attack lacked strength, but it was enough. James was forced back; his spear wasn’t meant for such close combat.

His focus broke momentarily. His control over the golden grass faltered, and the knight capitalized on the opportunity as it tore its foot free.

Shattering the ground, the abomination was already before the man with a raised sword, ready to carve him in half.

No Marked System User could have reacted to such speed and acted accordingly...

With the exception of the swift ones.

Gravebloom had moved faster than the knight could charge. The blade severed through the corrupted air, stopping just before the monster’s legs. Using it like a lever, Azrael pulled with all the might he could muster, the veins under his skin bulged as if about to burst any second from the sudden pressure.

The knight’s balance shifted, and it crashed to the ground.

Gritting his teeth, James stepped on the monster’s sword. A heartbeat later, his spear came down and impaled the abomination’s head, locking it to the ground.

The Unworthy Knight tried to use its ear-piercing screech once more but was unable to with its head pinned down to the ground.

"It seems this worked."

Azrael stepped upon the monster, ensuring it was pinned to the ground, and used Mother Needle, unleashing a series of rapid stabs.

The monster they were fighting wasn’t human, but its anatomy bore a resemblance. As such, Azrael stabbed its head, neck, and where the human heart should have been.

With every strike, he felt a dull pain going across his ribs. The Unworthy Knight had clearly managed to crack, if not break, several of them. But he didn’t yield to the pain. Instead, he used it to fuel his determination further. With each stab, his eyes grew colder, fiercer, and more dangerous.

James imitated his actions, pulling out his spear. He tried to thrust it inward into the abomination’s body but found it much harder. Both because he was physically weaker and his weapon was of the Blessed Rank, while Azrael’s Mother Needle was of the Cleansed Rank. Despite that, he attacked with everything he had.

Black blood flew outward, drenching the two Chosen in blood. After what felt like an eternity, the body of the Unworthy Knight shuddered before going limp.

[Corrupt soul has been devoured. The taint in your soul grows darker.]

Corruption Progression: [1/100]

Azrael allowed himself a sigh of relief upon hearing the system echo in his head. Now that he was of the Twisted Corrupting Rank, it meant killing Twisted monsters would reward him with one Corruption Progression, not ten.

’Well, that should delay the madness... for now,’ he thought, eyes drifting toward James.

The man was panting, his hands shaking, clearly exhausted, yet his eyes remained unshaken and full of determination.

Upon seeing that their foe was defeated, he immediately turned around and went to the heart of the battle with the intent to help.

’Show off,’ Azrael mused, following after the man. He truly didn’t care if the Chosen here died. He wasn’t close to any of them. But the fact that he had to rely on them to some extent if he wanted to increase his chances of survival as much as possible forced him to act.

Surveying the battlefield, he was surprised to find they had done better than anticipated. Four of the Unworthy Knights had fallen, while he saw only a few dead bodies of Chosen.

The reason for that was more than clear.

Seraphina danced between the strikes of two knights. Her crimson armor remained spotless as always. Her light sword moved like the wind, cutting deeply into her foes.

Isolde was no less impressive; an Unworthy Knight knelt before her. From the way its limbs were shaking, it looked like there was a mountain of weight atop its body.

The so-called angels held off a third of the enemy force by themselves.

’I admit it now. Their title fits.’

He wondered if he would be able to take out an abomination of that level on his own without the element of surprise.

’Maybe if I use Cinder, but even then I will not come out unscathed.’

The two women were powerful, and it was in his best interest to work with them. Maybe even make them indebted to him—that would be most beneficial.

So he decided to help.

Seraphina clearly wasn’t in need of help; however, the blind, deaf, mute girl was a different matter entirely. Her focus was on the enemy kneeling before her, seconds away from being reduced to gore. She wasn’t able to sense the bloodied knight approaching from behind, blade raised to take her life in one clean motion.

Isolde’s body trembled, taking a step forward. She had sensed the threat, but it was too late. The black sword had already been slung, its blade blurring as it neared her delicate neck.

Seraphina sensed what was about to happen too—her eyes ignored the two foes she was fighting and locked onto her companion.

"ISOLDE!"

Her scream fell on deaf ears. Her eyes blazed with fury. The ground beneath her cracked, her figure blurred, moving faster than an arrow trying to intercept the knight’s attack.

She was fast, yet she wouldn’t be able to make it in time.

"Hey now... attacking from behind? Ambushes are kind of my specialty, you know?"

Before the ambushing knight could claim another life, a figure cloaked in Maiden Skin—its stealth increased several fold—appeared between the Unworthy Knight and Isolde.

Gravebloom flashed through the air, stopping the deathblow.

If Isolde and Seraphina were able to take care of such abominations on their own, then Azrael would do so as well. Not because of something as meaningless as pride. He wanted power before everything else. And to get it, he had to challenge himself more than any other Chosen.

A subtle smile spread across his face, several of his ribs ached in agonizing pain. The injury caused adrenaline to flare across his veins.

And that adrenaline only made him stronger.