Two figures moved with staggering speed, their bodies smeared with the blood of both kin and monsters.
Azrael was silent as an arrow, eyes scanning ahead making full use of the fact that he had yet to be discovered. While Victor remained some distance behind, both because the Heir of Death was becoming swifter and because his giant frame had a large chance to alert their new foes.
As for why Azrael was sprinting with everything he had, it was pretty simple.
He was slowly freezing.
He had planned to avoid bloodshed. Unfortunately for him, however, after the fiasco with him almost losing his sanity, that plan was now out of the window. His attire was long soaked in blood, the liquid caused his body temperature to drop more quickly. The only way to keep the cold at bay was to keep moving.
Yet he liked to think of himself as an optimist, while he was drenched in guts it seems that he didn't have a hard time finding Chosen around the Rift.
There were no doubt many that had realized that there was a monster of the Tainted Corruption Rank in the area. That left them with no option but to sooner or later team up and slay it. For it not only would give them big rewards — instantly ranking up their Purity, as most were still at the Chosen Rank — but also net them more points for their respective schools.
'If my theory is correct the members of both schools will create subjection teams trying to defeat it. There is no way I will be allowed to join the Elite school… so might as well thin out their numbers before they unite' he concluded.
It didn't take long to find the next prey: a group of four, two men and two women.
Azrael wouldn't have attacked under normal circumstances… however the party was in the middle of subjugating a monster, one of the Twisted Corruption Rank.
Name: [Unnamed]
Race: [Cryothane]
Danger Level: [Feral]
Corruption Rank: [Twisted]
Its visible appearance was the similar to the Icethralls Azrael had fought earlier, this one however was two times bigger and had a bluish flame coursing across its body.
Crouching low he made sure to observe before charging in.
'The way things are looking the humans are about to win,'
But he wasn't letting the opportunity slip past his grasp, the moment he sensed a weakness in the party formation he attacked.
Victor, somewhat accustomed to moving on his whim, matched Azrael's moves perfectly.
With the Chosen fully focused on the beast, they never saw the attack coming from behind. The woman turned—just in time to see Azrael's blade hurtling toward her eye. As for Victor's target, he didn't even realize he'd been struck before he was obliterated.
[Pure soul has been devoured. The flicker in your soul grows brighter.]
The next second, the two lifeless Chosen collapsed on the ground.
Without a pause Azrael moved towards the melee.
The close fighter he had set his eye on was too preoccupied with the abomination before him to sense death approaching.
"Strike true,"
He would never be able to know what killed him as he was beheaded on the spot.
The Cryothane, wounded by the party of Chosen it had been forced to fight until now, shifted its gaze to Azrael—as did the last surviving Chosen.
Azrael hesitated—should he go for the monster or the last human? Thankfully, he didn't have to decide. Victor had his back. Victor understood Azrael wanted to kill Chosen for some unknown reason, so the behemoth of a man pounced on the Cryothane, drawing its attention.
With a silent nod Azrael pounced the last foe of the enemy party. It was the woman and the most daunting threat for there was ice all around her—one that she had created herself.
'She has offensive skills, but Chosen like us don't have much Divinity in us, so now that hers is exhausted, she can't use her powers,' he figured, seeing that the woman materialized a weapon in her hand.
She was proficient in close combat,
But not enough.
Azrael dodged and parried her thrusts, slipping into perfect range. Without hesitation, he slashed—his scythe carving through half her torso in a single blow. The woman's eyes widened. Her lips parted, perhaps to beg, or to curse. But before a sound could escape, the light in her eyes faded
[Pure soul has been dev—]
Purity Progression: [6/100]
Azrael's mind cleared; the Purity in him didn't rival his Corruption, but it was enough to no longer hinder him.
Sadly he couldn't enjoy the moment, Victor was still locked in combat so he had to help his companion.
With silent steps he flanked the monster, his strike aiming for its throat.
'I'd prefer not to kill monsters since my Corruption is already high, but I can't afford to take it easy in a real battle.'
Corruption Progression: [50/100]
The haze in his mind appeared once more, though it was less intense than before. He would have frowned, but the monotone voice of the system echoing in his head instantly brightened his mood.
[You have gained an item: Frostflare Flint]
With his interest piqued he checked the item stats.
Item: [Frostflare Flint]
Item Type: [Mundane]
Item Rank: [Chosen]
Item Description: [One of life's wonders is warmth, yet only when it becomes too abundant does it become clear how precious the cold truly is.]
With a raised brow Azrael materialized the item. A basic piece of flint and steel that felt unusually smooth and slightly chilled appeared in his hand.
'I guess this makes a fire that cools its surroundings useless… for now.'
He sighed and dispelled the item.
"Any injuries?" he directed the question to Victor if the man had been wounded it would severely impact their hunts.
Victor cracked his neck, eyes fixed coldly ahead , "Wounds? Not enough to kill me. But that thing…" He jerked his chin toward the swirling portal. "Feels like it's calling, doesn't it?"
Azrael's eyes drifted on their own until they stopped at the Rift close to them.
'I… have to enter it,' the thought entered his mind as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The gains he could get if he cleared it would be immense.
A fraction of a second later, he caught himself and shook his head. The closer he got to the Corruption, the worse he felt.
He was about to suggest keeping some distance, but to his surprise, Victor's gaze was still locked toward the Rift. A hint of hunger evident in the man's eyes.
'At least I'm not the only one being tempted to enter it,' Azrael realized.
He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was drowned out by an explosion ahead of them. Someone had dared to engage the monsters near the Rift.
Azrael gripped his scythe tightly. He knew it was a bad idea to get closer—the memory of the Tainted monster that had caught his gaze still lingered in his mind.
'It's too risky…' he thought, eyeing the dead bodies of the Chosen beside him.
It wasn't just risky, it was suicidal. Killing the Chosen while they were in the middle of quelling the strongest monsters in the area, wasn't going to be an easy feat. The rewards however tempted him. Logically speaking, all of them were Marked—the only difference between them was their Purity Rank. For a person to dare engage the mightiest beings close to the Rift, must mean their Rank is higher than Chosen, probably Blessed…
'Killing one would net me 10 Purity Progression,'
It was alluring. If he managed to kill a few individuals with the Blessed Rank, his Purity and Corruption would balance out. Minimizing the risk of him going insane.
It was a dangerous gamble, and the price they might be forced to pay could be high. Yet in this world, there was no such thing as free power.
"Let's go,"
Azrael said, taking a step forward.
Victor glanced at him, a large smirk appearing on his face as he followed.
The two blood-soaked figures vanished into the creeping fog, drawn toward the heart of Corruption.
Behind them, the battlefield lay silent—except for the cracking of frozen earth.
Beneath the corpses Azrael had left behind, the frost began to break. Then something impossible happened. Thin blades of grass pierced the ice, growing upwards despite the lack of real sunlight.
Just as Gravebloom's description claimed, even in the harshest places, life would always find a way to sprout.