Death Heir's Devouring System
Chapter 63: The Board Is Set

Chapter 63: The Board Is Set

The gathered Chosen exchanged uneasy glances, while Azrael’s thoughts raced.

’Of course we are just Marked on our way to becoming Proven, so we have to slay the monster that had created the connection to this and our world. Since the abomination has to be one Level higher than us, it would be of the Savage Danger Level. It’s a similar story for the Proven who are on their way to becoming Champions; they have to beat a Reaver Danger Level monster to advance.’

He thought of the knights he’d been forced to fight. ’There are knights... and a kingdom. So it’s only logical there would be a king leading them. That must be the monster who opened the Rift the Proven entered from.’

He was beginning to see the larger pieces of the puzzle. But one thing still eluded him—why Thandor had taken out a chessboard. Since Azrael had never experienced a normal upbringing, raised by a Skinwalker and all, he wasn’t familiar with the game or its rules.

"I believe most of us know what these pieces are called," Thandor said, arranging the pieces in a row, "but for those who don’t, let me refresh your memory."

"If we rank them by strength, the weakest is the Pawn, then the Knight and Bishop that are roughly equal. Then comes the Rook, followed by the Queen—the strongest piece—and the King, the one that commands them all."

Azrael’s breath hitched at hearing the names. ’Now that I think about it... The Unworthy Knight, the weakest of them all, was labeled a Pawn. Then there were Duskguard and Nightfletch—the Knight and Bishop, equal in strength. And finally, the Death Knight—the one that nearly ended me—was called a Rook.’

The resemblance was uncanny. And the most terrifying part? The Queen and King were still unaccounted for, the two that were supposed to be far stronger than the rest.

Thandor continued, summarizing the known Rook-named monsters and their distinct traits. Unlike the other abominations, these were unique, each one was different from the others. So far, only four have been proven to exist.

By the time he finished, Azrael’s eyes were wide.

’They don’t know about the Death Knight.’ He realized.

The thought of keeping it secret—the monster he believed the Marked had to slay in order to be sent back—crossed his mind. But he quickly shook it off. Telling them the full truth would mean revealing his Inborn Trait. He wasn’t ready for that. He would simply share the encounter, nothing more.

"There is one more." His words echoed around the silent room, drawing every gaze to him. Even Thandor and Raven turned their eyes on him, their attention sending a wave of dread through his body. But Azrael didn’t flinch. He’d endured Seyra’s overwhelming aura before. The stares of a few Proven weren’t enough to rattle him now.

"What do you mean?" Thandor asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I met a Rook-named monster. One you haven’t mentioned."

Subtly, Victor, who stood at his side, smiled at his companion’s words but remained silent.

Still skeptical, Thandor motioned for Azrael to continue.

The Death Heir recalled the encounter, how he had faced the Profane creature and nearly died in the process. He carefully avoided sharing his theory that this was the very monster the Marked were meant to defeat.

A few scoffs and sneers rippled through the room. Clearly, many found the idea of a Marked surviving a Rook encounter laughable. But Azrael ignored them. He wasn’t the kind to concern himself with the contempt of others.

By the end of his retelling, Thandor fell into silent thought. Then finally, he spoke.

"Only Raven and I have faced a Rook-named monster and survived... You expect us to believe you, a Marked, fought one alone—and lived to tell the tale?"

Azrael nodded nonchalantly; he hadn’t mentioned Cinder since he wanted to keep the Remembrance a secret for now.

When people lied, their eyes would always betray them, but his didn’t shift an inch. He was as calm and open as anyone could be. Seeing his calmness, Thandor sighed.

"Good work, Azrael. It seems that the new recruit has brought us some valuable information."

’I might as well tell them about the so-called angels too.’ Azrael thought and informed them of Seraphina and Isolde’s presence in the Rift.

At the mention of their names, the eyes of the gathered Marked visibly shifted—even the Proven had a strong reaction. The girls’ fame clearly stretched far and wide.

"Once the Taintstorm passes, we should go and recruit them as soon as possible!" One Chosen, exclaimed.

"They’re legends in the making! With them, our chances would increase severalfold!" Another added.

Before the room could fall into chaos, however, Thandor silently raised his hand, cutting through the whispers effortlessly.

"I admit, the idea of recruiting more Chosen is tempting, but doing so would pose many risks. Namely, they would have to move through the western side of the Golden Lands. The knight patrols there are at their strongest—many would die if we attempted such a maneuver."

"I agree," Raven said coldly. With both Radiant Proven in agreement, the idea was quietly dismissed. The matter was settled.

The Chosen then began planning their next moves. Some would venture into the blizzards to uncover the source of the Taintstorm. Others would head for the Golden Lands, hoping to find more lost Marked to recruit. But most would travel toward the Ruined Kingdom—some to investigate the ancient ruins, others to scout ahead in search of the King and the monster the Marked would need to defeat.

"Since you are our newest member, and as thanks for bringing valuable information to us, I grant you permission to go wherever you desire," Thandor said, turning to Azrael.

Instantly, Azrael’s gaze dropped toward his crimson attire, the armor that demanded its thirst for blood be quenched—the one that could Rank up should he satisfy its hunger.

’I have to defeat the Death Knight... No—I want to. And for that, I need power. All the power I can get.’

Raising his head, Azrael spoke without a hint of hesitation.

"I am going to the Blood Canyon." He declared.

— A/N —

I would greatly appreciate it if you support the work with Powerstones and Golden Tickets. It helps boost the visibility of the novel, which is vital in the early stages for its success—and it also serves as my motivation.

There are goals for extra Chapters when certain milestones are reached! For more details, check out the Auxiliary Chapter titled "Mass Releases."