It wasn't that Azrael wasn't afraid, he was. But in moments like this, when death loomed close, fear was a deadly mistake. Panic and hesitation were fatal.
So he did neither.
He swung his scythe once more, the blade cleaving deep into the monster's skull.
A stench fouler than rotting eggs flooded his nostrils as the creature's wound opened wider. But the beast didn't falter. Azrael's strike hadn't reached the brain, his foe remained alive and dangerous.
He barely managed to put the scythe between himself and the Molgrin before taking its massive claw.
The surroundings blurred, his eyes narrowed as he was hurled to the side like a ragdoll.
By pure chance, the force of the hit flung him into the nearby river, water crashing into his lungs.
'Troublesome,' he thought, trying not to give in to the panic. He forced himself upright, coughing violently, trying to clear his lungs.
'If we were inside a Rift, this would've been my end,' he thought grimly. The water there would've been toxic, poisonous to the touch let alone the lungs.
Letting that cold realization sink in, he didn't waste another second. He sprinted toward the abomination, hoping he wasn't too late to support his companion.
"You are one annoying dog," Victor cursed out loud, axe raising in defensive stance, barely managing to block the attacks.
'He really is a born tank,' Azrael thought, positioning himself beside the deep injury Victor had carved into the monster's rear leg.
Tendons and muscle had been torn, while the bone remained intact—barely—with several spiderweb cracks running through it.
Azrael struck again, his scythe flashing in a crimson arc as it dug through flesh and broke the bone in large chunks revealing the marrow inside it.
Having one of its rear legs sliced in two caused the monster to lose its balance momentarily. It fell to its side, eyes still locked onto Victor.
With a menacing grin, the giant man brought down his injured arms, delivering a devastating strike on the creature's head. Its eyes exploded, skull shattering in countless pieces.
In normal circumstances, it should have been long dead.
However, both Chosen knew that this wasn't the case. Their bodies were still tensed, instincts screaming at them, alerting them of the danger.
And the most damning of all, Victor hadn't said that the system had announced his kill.
With a low growl, the monster used one of its paws to sweep Victor off his legs.
Its movements accelerated, fueled by both rage and hunger, the Molgrin lunged onto him, broken maw halfway open, trying to tear him apart.
"Too persistent!" With a curse, Azrael slammed the blade of the scythe at the creature's side, diverting its course just enough to miss his companion.
"Stay down!" Since the axe had slipped from his grip, Victor was left with no other choice but to wrestle with the giant monster.
While the monster was about the same size as a horse, the man too was of a staggering height and weight. His two arms managed to wrap around the being's neck, holding it in place.
Ignoring the burning sensations both in his lungs and arms, Azrael climbed on the monster's back and unleashed a relentless storm of slashes.
Each strike dug deep in the abomination's brain, releasing more of the foul stench.
Under the constant attacks, the enraged monster felt its soul leaving its body, being devoured by the Chosen on its back.
Azrael didn't stop until he heard the monotone system echo in his head,
[Corrupt soul has been devoured. The taint in your soul grows darker.]
Panting heavily, he got off the corpse and collapsed on his knees, exhaustion taking over his body.
"Running a hundred kilometers has nothing on this," he muttered, eyes moving towards Victor.
The man had numerous shallow cuts on his arms, but nothing fatal.
He would live.
"Now this was a bit too close for my liking," Victor admitted, moving the corpse off him, managing to stand on his two feet.
"Agreed," Azrael nodded, "but still, if there was a time to fight something stronger than ourselves, it would be now."
Victor threw a glance at the pile of guts, the only thing left of the Chosen they had used as bait. Then he took a gaze at his body and grimaced; he was covered from head to toe in monster's blood. With a sigh, he went towards the river to clean himself, hoping to take off the scent.
The Death Heir meanwhile took a peek at his system.
Corruption Progression: [13/100]
'It increased by ten?!' he frowned, trying to rack his brain. It didn't take a long time to come up with a possible explanation.
'So, when a monster with a Corruption Rank higher than my current one dies by my blade, I gain 10 Corruption Progression instead of 1? Does this scale with higher ranks, and does the same apply to my Purity Rank?'
His eyes darkened; it seemed keeping his Corruption under control was going to be harder than he thought. He would either have to slow down his monster-killing spree or begin his slaughter of Chosen soon.
'But how am I supposed to find 99 to kill? No matter how I rack my brain, I can't find a way to kill that many and remain undetected.'
It wasn't just about avoiding trouble. He had signed a document, and its content had been made clear—Seyra, the person that had recommended him to the Moon Breakers, would be held liable for any crime he committed.
A shiver went down his spine. 'While I am pretty sure she finds me valuable, I can easily imagine her changing her mind on a whim and getting rid of me should I cause her trouble…'
He fist-palmed,
"And even worse, I didn't even get a skill or an item!" he groaned.
Had he known this would have happened, he would have let Victor take the kill.
The frustration was evident on his face, yet his focus was still there. He didn't miss the way the slain monster's body twitched in the corner of his eye.
Raising his guard, he got ready for an attack, but instead something unexpected happened. A small wound opened on the corpse, and something red and long came out.
'A parasite!' he realized. Now it suddenly made sense why the monster had been so enraged and refused to die even after having its brain shattered.
The parasite began to wiggled on the ground, trying to reach the dead body of the Chosen they had used as bait.
Azrael used [Inspect]
Name: [Unnamed]
Race: [Bloodleech]
Danger Level: [Feral]
Corruption Level: [Warped]
'Killing it will increase my counter by one…'
He sighed and eyed the being. The maggot had caused him enough trouble, so he wanted to kill it on his own.
Besides, turning his back to it just to call Victor didn't sound like a very enticing idea.
Without hesitation, he stomped it, killing it on the spot.
[Corrupt soul has been devoured. The taint in your soul grows darker.]
Corruption Progression: [14/100]
Pinching his nose, Azrael took a few steps back. Now he understood why the monster had smelled so bad.
'I guess I will follow Victor's example and take a plunge into the river,' he thought, only to stop mid-step.
Because the monotone voice of the system wasn't done.
[You have devoured a skill: Blood Manipulation]