Death Heir's Devouring System
Chapter 64: Crimson Hunger

Chapter 64: Crimson Hunger

Azrael stood atop the crown of the hollow tree; since he was stuck there due to the Taintstorm, he figured he might as well train his mental resistance to its attacks.

His eyes observed the gathered Chosen; a few Marked and even Proven were by his side, eager to train their minds as well.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one that put a great value on his mental resistance. Even Raven, one of the only two people in the base with Radiant Purity Rank, was in the ’Observatory’ with eyes closed in a meditating position.

Despite her relaxed posture, Azrael didn’t feel even the faintest hint of weakness radiating from her figure.

It was the opposite—in fact, he was quite sure she was able to see him even with her eyes closed.

No matter what tactics he could hope to employ, they would be meaningless before her.

’Is that because of her Ascension Level or high Purity Rank?’ he wondered.

A moment later he shook his head.

’No matter. Sooner or later, I would reach her power and surpass her. It’s only a matter of time.’

Once he was done observing the gathered Chosen, his eyes shifted to his system interface.

Name: [Azrael]

Race: [Human]

Inborn Trait: [Heir of Death]

Ascension Level: [Marked]

Purity Rank: [Blessed]

Corruption Rank: [Twisted]

Skills: [Inspect], [Blood Manipulation]

Items: [Document], [Gravebloom], [Frostflare Flint], [Maiden Skin], [Mother Needle], [Teapot], [Gray’s Cigar], [Truth Seeker]

Remembrances: [Ashfeather]

It was a far cry from before; his power as well as his arsenal had grown considerably.

With a flick of his finger, he summoned the first item he had ever been given. The document Seyra had made a copy of after he officially agreed to join the Moon Breakers.

It wasn’t that long ago, yet he had already managed to accomplish so many deeds in just a few months.

What would he be able to do in a year? What about several?

Peaceful moments like this were rare in the deadly Rift, so he chose not to ruin the moment.

Once he was done reminiscing about the past, he extended his hand and tried to use [Blood Manipulation], yet just like all the other times before, the blood-soaked snow showed no reaction. It either meant that it wasn’t real blood but a cheap imitation... or the blood was under control of something so unfathomably powerful that he couldn’t shake off its influence.

Finally, after several days of waiting, the Taintstorm retreated backward, similar to how the lava ocean did.

Making use of the opportunity, Azrael shot south towards the Blood Canyon.

Thanks to the help of several Proven that had explored the area before, he knew what was the best route to take to reach his destination.

He ignored the cold that seeped into his bones. If he felt the temperature was too low, he would simply increase the exertion on his body to warm himself up.

In a single day he successfully slipped past the blizzard regions and entered the western parts of the Golden Lands.

Without hesitation, he dismissed Truth Seeker and called forth Maiden Skin. Since he wanted to remain unseen, the stealth boost was necessary.

At a quick pace he moved; at night he would sleep atop branches of trees. As soon as the sunlight would show itself from the horizon, he would naturally wake up and speed off towards his destination.

’The Death Knight.’ Due to the creeping boredom, his thoughts began to shift towards the being that had almost killed him.

The most dangerous part was that it held the Profane Corruption Rank, making it extremely hard to kill. Its Corruption was so high it equaled the Radiant Purity Rank, and he had neither skill nor item with enough saturated power to match it.

If he were to face the boss monster again, the result would be the same. Azrael would lose, unable to do any real harm to it.

"The only thing that could aid me would be Truth Seeker if I managed to Rank it up." He muttered. The item he had received from Seraphina was going to turn out to be much more helpful than he initially thought.

Once he had judged that he was far away from any potentially lurking Nightfletch that could shoot him down mid-flight, he called forth his Remembrance.

"Cinder."

Upon his command the Ashfeather bird materialized next to him. Following the command of its master, the beast lowered its head, allowing Azrael to seat himself upon it.

A second later they soared high in the sky.

The Heir of Death flew low, trying to remain unseen while leaving himself some room for maneuver should something unforeseen jump out towards him.

One could never be too careful inside a Rift.

Eventually, the smell of iron reached his nostrils, the air grew heavy, and the horizon was painted crimson.

Descending smoothly, Cinder landed on the edge of the canyon, allowing Azrael to get a good view of the area down below.

It was just like he remembered it. A large drop, approximately 100 meters (~330 feet), ending in a colossal blood lake.

The canyon’s edges were unnaturally smooth, offering no grip for anyone trying to climb back up; it meant, should one fall, they would be doomed for eternity there.

Unless they had the ability to fly or had a Remembrance that could.

Azrael put his hand over Cinder’s head as he gently stroked it. Just like Isolde had petted the beast the first time the two met.

Cinder was taken by surprise, its head tilted silently to the side. A moment later, it ruffled its feathers and let out a playful screech.

"Do you sense any enemies below?" the Heir of Death asked, his gaze not moving from the lake.

The bird was silent for a few moments, head sweeping across the whole area.

Once the beast was done, it let out another screech—this one, however, much more fearsome than the last.

"Figures." A subtle smile tugged at Azrael’s lips as he commanded for the beast to descend.

As per command, the beast did so.

Azrael was forced to squint his eyes; the problem wasn’t the wind that hit his face head-on but the weight of the surrounding area.

Even Azrael, a man used to the weight of death and silence, felt an unnatural pressure crawl beneath his skin. Causing goosebumps to rise all over his body.

Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and kept going.

At last Cinder stopped, hovering just a few inches from the blood. Azrael surveyed the area. Once he judged that no imminent threat was near, he called forth Truth Seeker, allowing the armor to clad his body.

Once the crimson attire embraced his body, it shimmered, practically glowing.

It was starving.

And now it wasn’t able to contain its hunger. It began to affect Azrael physically and mentally; his eyes enlarged, and his veins bulged, as several words began echoing inside his head.

’Blood is a precious resource.’

However, thanks to his experience with the Taintstorm, he had some knowledge on how to ignore mental attacks.

’But to think that my own armor would influence me to such a degree. It better be worth it once it evolves,’ Azrael mused.

Once the echoing in his head passed, signaling that the mental attack was over, he took a deep breath.

And jumped in the blood lake.