Death Heir’s Devouring System

Since each Nightfletch Azrael killed increased his Corruption by ten points, he now found himself burdened with a staggering amount of it in his body.

'It's actually a real disadvantage how easily I can tip it off the edge. This is the only way to keep it under control,' he figured, staring into Seraphina's eyes.

A flicker of suspicion passed over her face, but in the end she took his palm.

The words of the system echoed in his head, announcing that she had upheld her end of the deal.

Corruption Progression: [0/100]

Instantly Azrael's vision cleared. He was still severely exhausted, but at least he now had control over his own mind.

After checking that his Corruption was still at the Twisted Rank, confirming his theory that once it ranked up, there was no going back. He pursed his lips, about to speak.

But before he could utter a word, Seraphina raised her finger elegantly.

"We can speak later; it's clear you are barely standing on your feet. Go rest."

Azrael's eyes widened momentarily; with a nod, he headed for the camp.

'I really pushed myself,' he thought, seeing the way his hands were trembling.

Reaching the gates of the camp, he made eye contact with the guards, instantly recognizing one of them.

It was the Chosen he had sent towards the camp after allowing her to bury her sister.

"It's good to see you back."

To his surprise, the woman recognized him as well; she lowered her head in respect.

He nodded once more and stepped inside.

Despite his fatigue, he still paid attention to the improved condition of the camp. In just a few short weeks, sturdy walls and houses had risen, and even the roads had been paved with stone.

A testament to how quickly humans can adapt, even in the most hostile settings, and reshape the environment to fit their needs.

He quickly located the bathhouse, which had once been no more than a simple shower room.

Dispelling his bloody attire, he took a dip into the warm water, washing away the grime that had accumulated on his figure.

With a flick of his finger, he called forth Gray's Cigar, lit it up, and enjoyed the healing effect it provided.

"Um, I'm sorry, but you can't smoke here."

Since the bathhouse was public, there were a few other Chosen in the same place as him.

Not willing to bother himself with pointless chatter, he threw a hostile glance to the Chosen, shutting him up.

Once dried, he devoured as much food as he could manage. Only after confirming that his body had replenished the nutrients it needed did he finally collapse into sleep.

*****

Once awake, he made his way to what functioned as the strategic structure of the camp.

As expected, Seraphina and Isolde were already there. Other than them, he saw several other familiar faces—Logan, one of the healers the camp had; James, the Chosen that had helped him when he struggled against an Unworthy Knight; and several others, ones that he had personally informed about the camp's location.

With all eyes on him, Azrael took a seat, as nonchalantly as ever.

He quickly summarized his experience in traversing the cursed land.

Much to the surprise of no one, he was requested to go into as much detail as he could when speaking about the Proven, their leader—Thandor—and what the boss monster they had to slay was.

They were especially surprised to hear that there were two Proven with Radiant Purity Rank.

A feat so grand that it elevated the image of the Proven to the angelic status Seraphina and Isolde had.

"That is pretty much all," Azrael sighed, leaning back in his chair. Today, he realized how much he hated public speaking. Being unnoticed was definitely preferable to being in the spotlight.

"I think it will be the wisest if we go to them," James suggested.

While Seraphina fell into deep thought, Isolde's blind gaze locked onto Azrael.

[How many would survive the journey?]

He slowly shook his head, his voice as cool as ice.

"Most would die. Very few would make it across."

James furrowed. "But if we make the Proven escort us, then we should be fine, no?"

"What guarantee do you have that they will help us?" Seraphina's voice cut through, freezing the room.

"They've taken other Marked like us, yes. But from what I gathered, they're just using them for mundane tasks or suicide missions. At the end of the day, we have come to this planet from different Rifts, so we have different goals. Different targets."

'Why am I not surprised?' Azrael mused. He had expected that she would not want to receive outside help. She was both quick in her assessment of the Proven and too prideful to rely on others.

[Seraphina is right.]

Isolde's voice echoed in the minds of the Chosen present.

[Besides, the Hollow Tree they're using as a base is far too dangerous for us. We'd be wasting precious time traveling there, when in the end, our path still leads toward the Ruined Kingdom.]

"Actually, this is the thing I wanted to talk about," Azrael spoke, making all gazes turn to him once more.

"When I traveled through the blizzards, I met one abomination, classified as a Rook, similar to a chess piece. I strongly believe this is the being we are meant to slay. The reason I think that way is because the moment my eyes landed on it, I felt the same pull, like I was staring at a Rift."

Since he would have to use their aid, if not to slay it, then at least to reach the Death Knight, Azrael decided to make them aware of its existence while carefully narrating the details of his tale to avoid revealing how his Inborn Train had played a role in it.

He expected to spin great lies just to make them believe him, but to his surprise, there was no pushback at all. The Chosen took his words at face value.

"This… now this explains it all," Seraphina muttered, everyone in the room mirroring her thoughtfulness.

"Mind filling me in?" Azrael asked, sensing that he was missing a crucial piece of information.

"You don't know because you were away," she replied, meeting his gaze, "but we had a great breakthrough, one that might even give us an edge over the Proven, if we need it."

She explained.

"There is a path that gives us access to the center of the Ruined Kingdom. We even suspect that today's attack was the Kingdom's way of pushing us back."

After a momentary pause, she continued.

"There, we saw many monsters with the Rook classification—just as you described, each one was unique. We believe that the place is their hub of sorts and that all of them eventually pass through there. In other words, this Death Knight you encountered must be somewhere within. This is how we can find it."

Azrael's eyes widened in amazement as he leaned forward.

"That's… incredible. How do we use this path? Where is it located?"

Rather than responding, Seraphina shifted her gaze, landing on Logan—the timid healer.

The man fidgeted, scratching his chin, clearly uneasy under the sudden attention.

After several seconds, he spoke.

"Well… to be honest, it's not just one. They're numerous, and they've been under our noses this entire time. We just… never thought to try and use them until now."

He cleared his throat, his cheeks growing redder.

"When you were exploring the lands, more specifically, the Ruined Kingdom territory, did you perhaps come across a well of sorts?… Well, after a certain incident, we discovered that if someone were to descend—or fall—into one, they'd find themselves in an underground tunnel."