Death Heir's Devouring System -
Chapter 53: Half a Minute
Chapter 53: Half a Minute
Sadly, the force from being launched off the ground was nothing compared to when Azrael had leapt from a great height. He was using both hands to strike, while the rider fought with only one. Yet the moment their blades clashed, the victor was clear.
Azrael was hurled back to the ground, just a heartbeat away from being trampled beneath the hooves of the horse-like beast.
A subtle smile tugged the Death Heir’s lips. "It seems... taking on a monstrosity like this is still too much for me."
Despite the desperate situation, his face betrayed no fear. No hesitation.
Just as he’d planned, an arrow struck the horse’s head, nudging its charge off course. At the same time, the earth beneath it trembled, then surged upward. A stone pillar burst from the ground, slamming into the creature’s chest.
The two Chosen he hadn’t even bothered to learn the names of had saved him—exactly as he’d expected.
It wasn’t that he trusted them in the slightest. But during their short interaction, one thing was made painfully clear. He was superior to them in every way. The only chance to defeat a monster like this... was if they supported him with everything they had.
’Me dying is the same as them dying. So even if they had to sacrifice a part of their bodies, they would do it just to keep me alive.’
It wouldn’t have worked with average fighters. But these were Chosen, either from the Moon Breakers or the Elite School. That alone made it a safe assumption.
"Rear!" he shouted, charging once more.
Following his command, an arrow hit the back left leg of the horse, while the earth beneath its right one collapsed, causing it to stumble sideways.
"Let’s see what happens when I separate you two," he muttered, his scythe blurring as he moved.
Rather than attacking, he used his scythe like a hook. Positioning it behind the torso of the rider, he pulled. The combined forces of the sides caused the rider’s legs to slip, losing contact with the horse.
At last, the two beings were separated.
Ignoring the menacing roar that escaped from the horse behind him, Azrael swung at the knight.
However, it seemed that rather than at a disadvantage, the abomination found itself with the upper hand. Now on its feet, it was able to attack faster and harder than before.
Azrael found himself barely managing to block all the strikes going his way. Some managed to hit his body. The crimson armor he wore clanged from the attack but held regardless.
"Half a minute..."
Just when he was about to be overwhelmed, a figure appeared right behind the knight.
"Not so high on your horse, huh?"
With the miraculous cigar still lit in her mouth, the Chosen had fulfilled her end of the deal. Her injuries were far from healed, but the blazing rage in her eyes spoke enough of her determination.
Before the knight could react to the ambush, she struck—her gauntlet hitting it square in the face.
The creature staggered backwards, but the woman wasn’t done. Taking another puff of her cigar, barely managing to hold her body together, she struck with her other hand.
Each strike was stronger than the last, even as her open wounds deepened and more crimson poured from her arms.
The Chosen had clearly proven herself in battle. The only reason she had been reduced to such a pitiful state was the limited reach of her weapons—she couldn’t strike the rider while he remained high atop the horse.
Thanks to Azrael’s intervention, that weakness no longer held her back.
’It looks like we would win,’ Azrael mused, attacking from the rear. He focused on keeping the abomination off balance by attacking its legs and head.
Several arrows were let out by the archer, each of them embedding themselves between the gaps in the knight’s armor.
On the other side, boulders larger than grown men slammed into the creature’s body.
The knight was surrounded.
Slowly, cracks began to appear around its armor. It was going to be shattered soon.
But this was no lone enemy, they were still fighting two.
A roar reminded Azrael that the horse was going to be unpredictably variable; someone needed to keep it busy while they dispatched its rider.
He grimaced. ’Well, I can’t keep hiding it forever.’
"Cinder."
The horse shattered the ground beneath its wake, charging towards Azrael with the intent to protect its master. It was seconds away from reaching him, but before it could, a giant bird with silver feathers and crimson eyes appeared between the two of them.
Cinder screeched, a moment later descending on the horse-like being.
’I doubt Cinder will be victorious,’ he thought grimly, dodging another strike from the knight.
’But it doesn’t need to. It just has to stall.’
Azrael struck with both Gravebloom and Mother Needle, driving them into the creature in a relentless flurry. The Chosen on the other side of his foe that wielded gauntlets, hit with everything she had; each hit was seemingly more powerful than the last, slowly causing the armor of the monster to crack.
The arrows being fired from one side entered the cracks, sinking deep, while the boulders being sent caused the cracks to widen even more.
The knight roared, becoming enraged. It swung as wildly as it could, threatening to behead the gauntlet-wielding Chosen. However, Azrael wasn’t going to allow that. Using his scythe like a hook, he redirected each swing that threatened to harm his momentary ally.
In the end, the accumulated damage proved too much. The body of the knight shuddered and collapsed, going limp.
The moment it did, the horse that had been dueling Cinder in the far distance disappeared as well.
Duskguard had been slain.
Since Azrael wasn’t the one that had delivered the last strike, he hadn’t advanced his Corruption.
"We won," he breathed out a sigh of relief. These three Chosen had proven to be a precious asset; they could handle themselves in combat.
’Seraphina better be happy,’ he thought, his gaze following Cinder as the beast approached.
The beast looked battered and broken, with numerous wounds all over its body. Most of its form had been painted crimson, soaked in its own blood.
"Dispelling you means I’ll have to wait for you to heal before I summon you again... But so be it. You’ve earned the rest."
A heartbeat later, Cinder disappeared from sight.
’Now that this is done, let’s deal with them.’ His gaze swept to the three surviving Chosen—specifically, the one who wielded the gauntlets. She had been the key to their victory; her strength had been surprisingly effective against the tough armor of the monster.
His eyes enlarged due to the approaching darkness as he searched for her.
Rather than sitting on the ground, taking into account her injuries, she stood tall before the body of the fourth Chosen. When Azrael had come to their aid, he had made the decision to help the less injured Chosen so she could assist them in battle.
That meant the more injured one wasn’t going to get the help she desperately needed.
She was dead.
Blood-covered and barely standing, the gauntlet-wielder gently lifted the fallen warrior into her arms.
Her lips parted.
"Sister..." She whispered, her voice cracking as blood dripped from her chin.
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