Death Heir's Devouring System
Chapter 59: Death versus Death

Chapter 59: Death versus Death

Snow exploded outward in every direction, revealing the blackened ground shattered beneath the Death Knight’s relentless charge.

Faster than a heartbeat, the abomination had reached the Blood Knotted, with a black sword already slashing through the air.

The Blood Knotted staggered for a brief moment. Even its Reaver Danger Level couldn’t keep up with the movements of the being that should have ranked beneath it in the hierarchy.

In the next instant, the towering monster’s lower left arm collapsed softly onto the snow, blood staining the ground beneath it.

With a roar, the Blood Knotted lashed out with its other three limbs.

Unfazed, the Death Knight raised its sword and tilted it sideways. The ground beneath them cracked as the blade met two powerful fists. Simultaneously, the knight’s free right arm intercepted the Blood Knotted’s third punch.

A shockwave passed over the area; Azrael was swept off his feet, and the tree that he had been using to hide behind broke into chunks.

The Blood Knotted a monster five times bigger than the average male, a being of Reaver Danger Level. Had lost in a contest of raw power.

Its hand shattered, the bones of its forearm broken beyond repair, unable to match the Death Knight’s overwhelming strength.

With a mighty roar, unwilling to show even the faintest hint of fear, it tried to lunge at the knight. However, it was unable to, as its two legs were cleanly cut with one strike of the knight’s sword.

Its body toppled to the ground like a lifeless husk. Before it could collapse fully, however, the knight gripped its head with its free right hand.

The Profane monster swung again, severing the two whole arms of its foe.

Blood Knotted’s eyes bulged, veins enlarging all over under the pressure that the Death Knight applied by clenching its grip.

A heartbeat later, the head of the mighty abomination exploded, sending brain matter flying outward everywhere.

The Reaver monster was no more.

Silently as death itself, the knight let go of the lifeless body, allowing it to topple to the ground fully.

The Death Knight’s gaze lingered on the fallen monster for several long seconds before its helmet slowly turned, stopping on Azrael.

The Heir of Death smiled faintly at the absurdity of it all.

’So Maiden Skin’s stealth boost is useless against this one.’

In a flash, the silk robe disappeared, being replaced by Truth Seeker. The crimson armor shimmered slightly, demanding its hunger for blood be quenched.

"Cinder."

Not daring to hold back, he called forth the deadly bird. Due to the cold, it wasn’t going to be able to fly, but it could still provide some support.

’A Savage monster at the Profane Corruption Rank, I don’t like my chances one bit,’ he thought grimly, gripping Gravebloom tighter.

The world around him blurred as his mind raced. When he entered the Rift, he’d heard the words. ’Your most loyal follower awaits your return.’ It was the only clue to find the monster that had opened the Rift. The very abomination he was meant to slay to sever the connection and be sent home.

Now a being of the race ’Death Knight’ stood before him, he who was the Heir of Death. This was the thing that he was supposed to slay, no doubt. Should he manage to, he would be sent back.

Usually the boss monster of the Rift was supposed to be challenged by numerous Chosen working together, but he didn’t have that option at the moment.

"I am the Heir of Death." He spoke coldly, scythe pointing toward the Death Knight.

"I command thee, kneel before your master."

The Death Knight studied its supposed master for several long seconds, then slowly tilted its head to the side.

’Please tell me this worked,’ Azrael prayed inwardly, hoping to avoid a fight with the abomination.

The next second all of his hopes were dashed; the figure of the knight disappeared from his field of vision.

"Troublesome." With a curse he raised his weapon in a defensive stance. He didn’t know where his foe was going to strike from since he was unable to follow it. The best thing he could do was guess.

Thanks to his countless hours of combat practice, he had been able to guess correctly, a second later, the Death Knight appeared to his left, sword halfway across, reaching its mark.

Gritting his teeth, Azrael met the attack; a shock passed over his whole body. His blood ran cold. His bones ached; his tendons threatened to snap.

Truth Seeker was of the Cleansed Rank, yet even the invaluable armor found itself struggling against the Profane Corruption the knight was radiating.

The edges of Azrael’s vision blurred as he was flung to the side like a ragdoll.

With a screech, Cinder moved, beak opened with rows of black fangs about to snap shut on the Death Knight’s head.

But it never got the chance. The knight turned and struck the head of the deadly bird with its fist. The skull of the Remembrance shattered and fell to the ground.

Before it could be killed fully, Azrael dispelled the beast, already fleeing with everything he had.

His breathing was ragged, his body drenched in his own sweat, yet there was no fear or hesitation in his gaze. Giving in to panic was the same as death. He was never going to make such a stupid mistake; he had been taught better.

With a screech, the Death Knight shattered the ground behind its feet once more, shooting forward like an arrow.

’Persistent!’ Cursing inwardly, Azrael turned and met the attack coming his way.

Once more he was swept off his feet, being sent to the side.

’Defeating it is impossible,’ he thought, coughing blood, eyes scanning for an escape.

Once victory was impossible, strategic retreat was in order.

His eyes snapped to the cliff on his right. At full speed, he sprinted toward it. He had better chances of survival if he fell from a great height than battling the Death Knight.

He barely made a few steps before the crawling sensation of death crept over his back.

Once more he turned, barely managing to stop the overhead slash of the knight. However, he wasn’t prepared for his foe’s next move. The knight struck with its free right hand at his chest. Truth Seeker shattered from the power of the blow, sending him flying over the edge of the cliff.

With head pointing downward, Azrael realized just how large the drop was going to be.

If he failed to act quickly, he would be reduced to nothing more than a pile of guts.

’Think fast.’

Ignoring the blood that had begun to seep from the corners of his eyes, he swung with Gravebloom. The scythe embedded itself in the cliff’s rock.

The Blessed weapon left a trail, managing to slow down Azrael’s fall significantly but not entirely.

The Heir of Death tensed his body a second before reaching the ground below. The snow beneath, coupled with his use of his weapon to slow down his descent, allowed him to survive, even if just barely.

Silently the Death Knight loomed over the edge of the cliff, staring at the man that had fallen below. A second later it turned and walked away, losing interest in the Chosen.

"I... am alive. That’s all that matters." Moving his broken body to the side so he doesn’t drown in his own blood, Azrael called forth Gray’s Cigar and used Frostflare Flint to light it up.

The blue flames made the surroundings even colder, threatening to freeze him to death. But he didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that. The possibility of dying by blood loss was much higher.

Even the power of [Blood Manipulation] failed to stop the inward bleeding in his chest.

Straining his lungs, he breathed from the miracle cigar as deep as he could, desperate to heal from his deadly wounds. That was his only salvation.

The healing rate was fast, but not fast enough. His vision began to blur, slowly turning black, yet his lungs didn’t stop breathing the healing air. He was unwilling to die.

Just before Azrael blacked out completely, he heard the faint echoes of footsteps, as well as a familiar beaming voice full of laughter.

"Man, you look like shit."

That was the last thing Azrael remembered before losing consciousness.