Death Heir's Devouring System
Chapter 65: Lake of the Unworthy

Chapter 65: Lake of the Unworthy

Azrael’s senses were instantly overwhelmed. The scent of death hung heavy in the air, making his chest tighten.

’I am the Heir of Death. A little blood will not make me falter,’ he thought bitterly, stepping firmly onto the ground below.

From its uneven and soft texture, he realized it was a pile of freshly discarded bodies, likely thrown from above, not the canyon floor itself. But it would do.

A heartbeat later, Truth Seeker shivered and began to glow.

The blood surrounding Azrael’s figure stirred, drawn toward him, absorbed by the Cleansed Armor.

His attire had absorbed blood before, but never in such vast quantities.

A wave of pleasure surged through him, making him gasp involuntarily.

"This is power." He spoke, a smile creeping upon his face. His eyes locked forward; all he could see was precious blood.

All for him to take.

His gaze flicked to his system interface.

Item Blood Progression: [8.001/1.000.000 (cubic meters)]

Several seconds passed in tense silence, his attire continuing to absorb blood at an unnaturally fast rate, making the liquid level dip slightly around him.

Then he saw the number change.

Item Blood Progression: [8.002/1.000.000 (cubic meters)]

It was slow... But it was working.

Once Truth Seeker evolved to the next Rank, he would have a chance against the Death Knight.

Azrael wasn’t one to hold grudges. Survival was all that mattered.

But the fact that he—Heir of Death—had been nearly killed by something meant to follow his command had rubbed him the wrong way.

"Just wait," he whispered. "Soon I will come for your head."

He took several steps forward; despite the continued pleasure the armor was giving off, his focus remained unwavering.

It didn’t take long for Cinder to screech; the beast had remained flying next to his master a few inches away from entering the blood lake. The Remembrance was there to both bail him out should the worst come and to warn him if something began to approach since its vantage was higher than Azrael’s.

’That was faster than expected,’ Azrael thought grimly. With a flick of his finger, he summoned Gravebloom, fingers tightening around the deadly scythe.

Before charging the abomination heading his way, he glanced at Cinder.

"Don’t interfere."

It wasn’t just because he wanted to ensure that the Remembrance remained whole, but he also wanted to train himself in the unfamiliar environment.

A blink of an eye later, he bore witness to his first foe.

Or rather, its fin. For better or for worse, the first abomination he was going to confront was going to be a shark-type corrupted monster.

’I can’t tell if my next step will land on a body... or drop me into a bottomless pit,’ his mind reasoned.

It seemed he was going to have to rely on the fin that was showing itself from the blood to locate the beast; to his horror, however, the next second the fin dipped under the blood.

The shark monster was still coming towards him, but now it was impossible to perceive.

Deadly stillness spread around the lake; Azrael stood motionless, his mind racing. Cinder circled silently above.

’If it were any other Chosen... They’d already be dead.’

Azrael thought, closing his eyes and calming down his pounding heart.

’However, right now I am in my domain.’

Without hesitation, he activated [Blood Manipulation].

Instantly his senses spread. He felt the blood and every ripple within it. The twisted bodies beneath his feet, stacked into makeshift hills, and the bones and guts that were floating all around him.

He ignored it all. Only two things mattered.

He and his foe.

’There!’

His eyes sprang open, twisting his body to the side, he swung with Gravebloom, ready to meet the abomination head-on.

A massive maw burst from the blood, lunging straight for him with the intent to swallow him whole.

Its slick, crimson skin shimmered unnaturally, adapted to this grotesque lake. Its insides were pitch black, absorbing light like a void. Rows of fangs, white as snow, matched the color of his hair.

Azrael’s eyes narrowed, using [Inspect] out of instinct.

He didn’t bother reading his foe’s name or race—only two things were important.

Danger Level: [Savage]

Corruption Rank: [Twisted]

Azrael noted that the shark was equal in power to the Unworthy Knight.

This wasn’t going to be an easy battle.

But he would win.

The scythe sliced through the air and buried deep into the creature’s side. Swiftly, he raised his foot and stepped on the edge of the monster’s maw.

Before it could snap shut, he jumped. The scythe, still embedded in its flesh, acted as leverage; he landed atop the nose of the deadly creature.

For a second, both of their eyes met.

Both black, blazing with unwavering determination.

Azrael let go of the scythe handle with his left hand and called forth Mother Needle. He didn’t think twice before burying it deep in the shark’s left eye.

The fight, however, wasn’t going to be this easy. The shark roared and moved its body abruptly to the side, sending Azrael flying like a ragdoll.

To his misfortune, he didn’t land on bodies, but on open blood. In an attempt to not drown, he spread his limbs.

He had a few lessons about swimming. But as it turned out, swimming in clean water and blood was vastly different.

One offered no resistance and even helped if there was enough salt in it. The other was thick and slowed down his movement significantly.

But that wasn’t going to cause Azrael’s death. Using [Blood Manipulation] once more, he perceived the area around him, sensing a nearby pile of corpses, he propelled himself toward it.

He barely reached it, planting his feet firmly.

A second later, the shark leapt again.

’Let’s test the armor,’ Azrael thought, raising his arm.

Once the abomination sensed that something had caught in its maw, it closed shut.

Azrael cursed, a wave of agony unlike anything he had ever known washed over him.

However, the armor held. Being bathed in the precious substance empowered it.

The force of the shark’s leap carried them both below the surface.

Eyes shut, Azrael was left relying on his skill [Blood Manipulation] to perceive the world.

Exactly as planned.

His trapped arm still in the creature’s maw, he reached with the other. Gripping the sword that he had embedded in its eye, he sank it deeper, piercing the brain.

[Corrupt soul has been devoured. The taint in your soul grows darker.]

Cinder remained airborne, crimson eyes fixed on the calm blood lake below it.

It was ready to dive into the liquid at a moment’s notice to help its master, however the order it had received stopped it.

Silence stretched.

Then a figure emerged from the bloody lake.

Azrael’s body was unrecognizable, battered in the crimson liquid, his attire continued to shimmer and absorb at an alarming rate.

"Ah." He smiled, seeing the progress of the armor.

Item Blood Progression: [8.120/1.000.000 (cubic meters)]

Who would have thought that fighting in such circumstances would make him feel so... alive?

Cinder screeched, making Azrael’s gaze move forward. Several more fins, just like the last, were racing toward him.

His smile widened, calling forth his scythe once more.

"Come."

His eyes grew cold.

"Let me devour your power."