Death Heir's Devouring System
Chapter 62: Bloodstained Horizon

Chapter 62: Bloodstained Horizon

"Taintstorm," Azrael repeated, his eyes fixed on the vast lands soaked in blood.

Veins bulged across his body as his eyes narrowed, several seconds passed in silence. Then he stood up, taking slow, measured steps towards the edge of the colossal tree.

’Blood... is a precious resource,’ he thought, the crimson armor he was still clad in—Truth Seeker—shimmered in demand to have its thirst quenched. The Cleansed armor didn’t care where the blood came from, all blood was going to do the trick.

’If I enter the snow, then the armor would rank up. There is no way I am missing out on that opportunity.’

He reached the edge, ready to jump, when a firm hand stopped him by the shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Victor’s voice was calm but laced with concern, contrasting the unnatural smile on his face.

"Pursuing strength. The blood will make me stronger," the Death Heir replied calmly, gaze still locked below.

Victor shook his head. "Like I said, Taintstorm must not be underestimated. The blood gives off a kind of mental haze, making you want to enter it. It tricks you into believing strength awaits on the other side."

He stooped momentarily before continuing. "But whether Marked or Proven, once you enter the snow, you never come out. Blood Knotted—sound familiar? That’s what you become if you fully enter the snow."

Upon hearing the name of the Reaver monster, its image appeared in his mind, five times taller than a man, with four hands and a body made of crimson blood.

It was a powerful being indeed, but Azrael wasn’t about to let go of the little humanity within him to allow his form to transform into a mindless monster with no will of its own.

Azrael’s eyes narrowed even further as he let out a shallow gasp. A weight lifted from his mind. ’Yes... he is right. This thing is dangerous—not to mention, was I just planning to jump from so high up? Even Cinder will not be fast enough to appear and break my fall.’

Taking a few steps back, Azrael stared at his hands in disbelief. For just a moment, he had lost control of himself, a mistake he could never afford to make again if he wanted to survive.

"Thank you." He nodded towards him, grateful that Victor had broken the mental haze for him.

"Don’t mention it. The first time is the hardest. Once you survive the first mental attack, the others become easier."

’So this is why the ’Observatory’ room sits at the crown of the hollow tree. By exposing the Chosen to the Taintstorm, it helps them build up resistance to its mental haze.’ Azrael felt his respect growing for the one who had designed the place.

Victor opened the door and stepped inside the hollow tree.

"Let’s go back. We don’t want to be exposed to the blood’s aura for too long."

Entering the tree once more, Azrael followed Victor until they arrived at what was supposed to be the cafeteria.

The place was crowded. Since the rooms carved into the hollow tree weren’t enough to house many Chosen at once, they had to eat in shifts.

"The stronger you are, and the more you contribute to the tree, the better your rewards. Proven eat first, then Marked," Victor explained calmly as he sat at a table.

Azrael only half-listened, eyes focused on the food before him. This was, without a doubt, better than what Seraphina’s camp offered. There, the Marked prepared the food, doing their best to remove Corruption. Here, it must have been prepared by a Proven, judging by its pleasant appearance and smell.

"I was meaning to ask—why are you here and not in the Golden Lands? There the cold and Taintstorm won’t threaten you."

Victor scratched the back of his head. "Because, luckily, the Proven share our goal. Like us Marked, they want to reach the inner parts of the Ruined Kingdom. We’ve been working with them since they make our job easier."

He spread a primitive map on the table. It lacked the usual details, only simple borders and the names of lands on the cursed planet: the Lava Ocean, Golden Lands, Blizzard Region, Ruined Kingdom, and Blood-Filled Canyon.

"The reason we are in the blizzard area and not in the Golden Lands," Victor spoke, pointing towards the kingdom, "is because of the patrols of knights. They head south to take care of the Blood Knotted and other monsters that entered the area, leaving the western border of the kingdom unguarded. Then we slip under their noses and begin the investigation."

Azrael scratched his chin. ’So this is what the Proven I saw was doing before being skinned alive. He must have been sent to scout the area far ahead and survey what monsters they could face. However, he must have pushed his luck and taken on something that had been far beyond his league.’

Azrael’s thoughts turned to Seraphina and Isolde’s camp. He was meant to send Chosen their way, but wouldn’t it be better to have them come here instead? Concentrating their manpower at one point would increase their chances of clearing the Rift.

As he debated the best course of action, the cafeteria doors opened. A man with an air of superiority entered and observed the room.

’He is Proven,’ Azrael noted immediately.

"Once you are done, gather at the meet-up. Thandor requests the presence of all the Chosen." The man spoke confidently. Once done relaying the message, he turned back, not sparing the Marked another glance.

"Thandor is our leader," Victor answered, seeing the confused look on Azrael’s face.

Once the two were done eating, they descended to the lowest floor. There, unlike the others, only a single door was placed; it led to the largest room in the hollow tree.

Inside, Azrael counted the Chosen present: dozens of Marked and even more Proven. Since his aim was always to be the strongest, he focused primarily on the latter.

Most were of the Blessed Purity Rank, a handful were of the Cleansed Purity Rank, and only two were of the Radiant Purity Rank—Raven, the woman that had healed him when he had been at the brink of death.

And the other one was a tall male in his early twenties, he had black hair and blue eyes.

Name: [Thandor Wavecrest]

Race: [Human]

Ascension Level: [Proven]

Purity Rank: [Radiant]

’Powerful indeed,’ Azrael wasn’t surprised that the man had been chosen as their leader.

"I thank you all for coming," Thandor spoke calmly without any hint of aggressiveness, yet the room got unnaturally quiet when his lips parted. As if no one dared to speak at the same time as their leader.

Thandor unveiled a giant map of the explored lands, unlike the map that Victor carried, this one was much more detailed.

’To have something so detailed... How long have these Proven been trapped here before we arrived?’ Azrael wondered.

Observing the eyes of the Chosen gathered silently, Thandor let out a sigh and put something else on the big circular table.

It wasn’t what Azrael expected for a strategic discussion, a chessboard with pieces.

"Now that we are all gathered," Thandor smiled gently, picking up the king piece and placing it atop the Ruined Kingdom on the map.

"Let’s talk about how we kill the King."