Death Heir’s Devouring System

'Troublesome.' Azrael cursed internally, thinking. He stayed silent for a moment, suppressing the rage building up inside him.

"How many?" Seraphina immediately asked upon hearing Isolde's words.

[One… Strong.]

Instantly, the image of Raven and Thandor resurfaced in Azrael's mind. There was no way in hell he alone, nor even if the whole camp teamed up, would be able to kill them.

"What we just discussed would remain secret. We would see what the Proven wants. Only once the coast is clear, we would rally the camp," Seraphina spoke, her gaze shifting across the squad. "Am I clear?"

"Yes!" The Chosen spoke loudly, courage building in their hearts.

Finally, after several days of nonstop running, the camp entered their field of vision.

It hadn't changed much. There were Chosen with ranged skills at the top of the towers overlooking the area. They were the first ones to notice the return of their leaders and alerted the others.

"The angels are back!"

"Miss Seraphina, Miss Isolde, just like you commanded, the camp hasn't fallen!"

The people dropped what they were doing and rushed to welcome them in high spirits.

Azrael was momentarily stunned when his gaze landed on Logan. Against all odds, the timid healer had managed to reach the base and heal himself, even after Seraphina's merciless beating.

Logan didn't seem scared by them in the slightest; he even approached them and officially apologized with his head lowered.

'I guess he grew a pair,' Azrael noted, seeing the way the Chosen was looking fearlessly at the two girls. It seemed that a good beating could toughen everyone up.

Keeping a few steps back, he listened to the reports by the Chosen. One part particularly caught his attention.

"There have been a few attacks in your absence, but they were less fierce than the last, so we managed to subdue them," the man that reported halted momentarily. "Thankfully, unexpected help came to our aid when we least expected it!"

There was no need to announce who it was. The aura changed in the air, causing Azrael to squint his eyes.

'This Divine power. There is no mistaking it. A Radiant Purity Rank.'

With calm, unbothered steps, Raven stepped into view, leading Azrael to clench his jaw. He had managed to kill one Proven, but that was only because the man had been severely wounded and didn't expect Azrael's betrayal.

At the time, he had used every dirty tactic he could think of, and even then, it hadn't been a guarantee to succeed in finishing off the wounded Proven.

And the woman that now stood before him was significantly stronger than the one he had slain.

A single mistake would lead to his doom, no doubt.

"Azrael, fancy meeting you here. I thought after exploring the Blood Lake you would've returned to the Hollow Tree."

Instantly, Azrael's grim mood vanished. "When it was time to return, I figured Taintstorm had come to the Blizzard Region once more. Not to mention I was tired and hungry, so I had no choice but to go toward Seraphina's camp instead."

Raven's eyes narrowed momentarily before she nodded. "Good, well, you can rest up. The next day, I will escort the gathered Chosen here to the Hollow Tree."

Azrael fired back, "Isn't that jumping the gun? Why come here at all? I thought you and Thandor agreed that moving the Marked through the blizzards was a bad idea."

Despite her exhausted state, Seraphina stepped forward, agreeing with Azrael. "I am confident in members of my camp, but even they would find it impossible to cross the western side of the Golden Lands and pass through the cold."

Raven's gaze shifted to the angels, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Oh, forgive me. Where are my manners? I, Raven Wavecrest, greet Seraphina and Isolde of the Flameborn Clan." She bowed her head respectfully.

"You see, my intention wasn't to appear disrespectful, but we have recently made a shocking discovery. One that forced us to change our plans abruptly."

The Chosen formed a circle around the two. The ones that hadn't been in the exploration team looked with curiosity, while the ones who knew about Azrael's theory were having a bad feeling.

"Thandor Wavecrest, the leader of our base, decided to investigate the cause of the Taintstorm. Pushing farther than anyone else before, he managed to locate and use [Inspect] on a towering being visible even from hundreds of kilometers away."

Raven spoke, raising her head.

"He has discovered a being with a Danger Level of a Calamity. If there is one, there could be more. As such, we judged that we would have the best chance of survival if we gathered all humans at one place."

Whispers began to echo around the area.

"Calamity?!"

"You mean a being that could wipe out all of humanity on its own?"

"She is right! We must go towards the Proven base. There we would have the best chances of survival!"

It was an unfortunate situation. Listening to Raven's words didn't just confirm Azrael's theory; it also drove the Marked to seek refuge in the Proven base.

Seraphina's expression darkened, which prompted Raven to add.

"Please don't be alarmed. There are already a lot of Marked in our base. I can assure you that we are taking good care of them. Even the missions we assign them take their strengths and weaknesses into account."

Raven managed to stir the public opinion to her will; the Chosen seemed to beam in excitement. They not only would be with stronger people than them to ensure their safety, but also not be forced to risk their lives in dangerous missions.

Only Azrael and a few others could see the hidden meaning. While they would be safer temporarily, they would work to help the Proven in their goal of slaying the King, not their own goal of slaying the Death Knight.

And with the soon-to-appear deadly monsters, they couldn't afford to waste time.

Seraphina knew this, of course, yet struggled to come up with an argument against Raven. Both because of the gap in experience and because she was tired.

Just when the matter seemed settled, a person raised their voice, which led the Chosen that had gathered around him to step back.

"That is seriously a tempting offer. Sadly, we would have to decline."

With a raised brow, Raven turned, fixing her gaze—

On Azrael.