After the Bestowment, Azazul thought they would be sent on plenty of missions… and man, he was right. Over the past three months, he and Rin had completed 2 A-rank missions, 10 B-rank missions, 60 C-rank missions, and 48 D-rank missions. Most of them were assassinations, which Rin handled most of the time. Out of the 120 missions, Azazul beat everyone to a pulp, and Rin delivered the killing strike to all 120 targets.
They completed every mission flawlessly. And now… Azazul and Rin were currently on a dragon's back, flying toward their first S-rank mission. According to Sylvia, they had to eliminate one person. She didn't say who he was—only what he could do. Apparently, he was a "special threat."
B-rank missions already required a lot of experience. A-rank missions were nearly impossible to complete alone. And yet here Azazul and Rin were—twelve and fifteen years old—on their way to an S-rank mission.
Rin's voice sounded in his ear:
"Azazul, are you okay? You're oddly silent."
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you worried about… still being red stage?"
Azazul was still stuck at the red stage, while Rin was already in the beginning phase of Silver.
After a moment of hesitation, he answered:
"Yeah, that's part of it. I'm physically getting stronger, but my elemental magic is still the same. I don't know… it's like I can't purify my core. Every time I use the Eye of Darkness, my elemental magic gets stronger—stronger than a Silver mage's—and sometimes I feel like that's my true power."
Rin paused, then replied,
"Yeah, you're not wrong… but Azazul, haven't you realized that each time you use that eye, your core turns pitch black? And you seem distant. And think about it—red core mages are too weak for B-rank missions, let alone S-rank missions. And yet Sylvia insisted you join. Her exact words were, 'I'm afraid you can't complete this mission without Azazul.'"
Azazul looked over his shoulder.
"How did you notice my core turning black?"
"To be honest… I don't know if it's your core that turns black or if it's your mana. But unlike all the other deities, your core doesn't give off radiant light. It's almost like you're dead."
After their conversation, Azazul and Rin enjoyed the view and the wind blowing through their hair and scaled armor. The air at this altitude felt just like the Azaroth Mountains.
But the peaceful ride ended abruptly.
Azazul's Shapeshifter was struck hard from the side, knocking them off the dragon's back and sending the dragon crashing toward the ground. As they scrambled mid-air, Azazul searched for Rin and spotted her free-falling a few feet away. He looked up, searching for their attacker, but saw nothing.
When the massive dragon slammed into the ground, a cloud of sand exploded upward. As Azazul and Rin plummeted, Rin used her wind magic to cushion their fall… but falling from that height still caused damage. Rin landed head-first; she broke her right forearm, shoulder, and part of her skull. Azazul landed the same way—fracturing his skull and snapping his neck.
Within moments, Azazul's neck popped back into place. Rin healed shortly after. Azazul looked up, searching for their attacker—when a masculine but elegant voice spoke behind them:
"Wow… she must be desperate if she's sending kids after me."
Azazul was disoriented, and when he looked up, he saw a man hovering above him and Rin. The man had dark black hair, high cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and alabaster skin. His eyes were a striking vermillion red.
He appeared in front of Azazul and kicked him in the face. Azazul felt the full force—the blow shattered his nose behind the black wood of his mask. He flew back several meters, crashing onto his back.
Crap… this is so unfair…
The man attempted to grab Rin, but she lunged back and sent four wind-element slashes toward him—but he vanished. She scanned the area, and when she looked toward Azazul, the man was already standing on top of him, one foot on Azazul's chest, the other on his mask.
"Oh wow! Your mask is tougher than the last one's."
Rin sent more wind slashes at the deity, who was fully focused on Azazul. The deity's right arm and the right side of his neck were cut—his arm hitting the ground like a wet sack, his head hanging loosely by skin on the left side of his neck.
But his arm popped back into place instantly. He slowly lifted his left hand, tilted his head to the center, then let go. His neck healed instantly.
He floated a few centimeters into the air, grabbed Azazul by the mask, and threw him straight toward Rin. Rin caught him—his back to her—but as she did, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.
When she looked down, Azazul's sword was buried in her stomach. The electric blue blade had pierced Azazul's armor, gone through him, and impaled her.
Rin cursed internally:
Damn it…
Azazul commanded his serpent to attack. It lunged, but the man dodged easily.
Azazul's eyes widened.
When did he get my sword? And how did he unsheathe it? And how can he even use it with its weight?
With a quick slash, the deity beheaded the massive serpent. Azazul only had enough mana to summon it one more time—after that, he'd be unable to summon it again. He needed to choose the moment wisely.
Azazul realized the situation had become far more dire. Their target had come to them… and he was a one-man army. Well, what did he expect? He was a special threat, after all.
Azazul stretched out his hand, commanding his sword… but the blade didn't move.
"I don't want to kill children," the deity said. "So you might as well leave. But I'll be keeping this sword."
Azazul looked down at his wound, then over to Rin's identical injury. Suddenly a demonic voice replaced his own:
"Give it back… or I will come and take it."
The deity laughed, his voice echoing across the sand plains.
"You might have possessed this sword, but it doesn't belong to you. Come at me with everything you have—this sword doesn't even want to return to you."
Azazul took a deep breath, relaxed his muscles, raised his hands, and took a stance. A firm demonic voice spoke:
"You chose this."
The vermillion-eyed deity smiled.
"Show me what you can do, half-breed."
Azazul lunged forward; the deity did the same. Azazul threw a right hook and left hook combo—both missing. The deity countered by stabbing the electric-blue blade into Azazul's abdomen again. Azazul looked down, only to be struck by a right hook, then a left combo, and finally a kick to the chest. His ribs cracked under the force. He flew back and landed on his feet a few meters away.
He yelled over his shoulder:
"I would really appreciate it if you came and helped!"
Rin summoned her spear.
"Hey—catch!"
"What? …Oh."
He unsheathed the dagger Rin threw him. It looked so cool—the green hilt shaped like a dragon's tail fit perfectly into his hand, and the blade was a pristine white dragonsteel.
The two masked figures stepped forward.
The silver-haired one wielded a spear.
The jet-black-haired one held a dagger.
Azazul lunged, Rin close behind him. He and the deity exchanged blows, each of Azazul's attacks blocked. The deity delivered a devastating backhand to Azazul's mask, but Rin was already behind him. She and the deity clashed—her spear giving her enough reach to keep up, especially since the deity wielded Azazul's shorter sword.
But she quickly realized every attack was perfectly blocked. His technique was elegant and flawless, not staggering even for a second. Soon she, too, was overwhelmed by his strength and speed, and she jumped back.
A masked figure rushed from behind—the dark-masked deity leaped, dagger raised to stab the man's head—but the man caught his forearm as if he already knew Azazul would attack from behind. He slammed Azazul into the ground, forming a crater.
Azazul let out a horrible scream, agony ripping through him. His armor kept his bones from breaking.
The deity lifted Azazul by the forearm, looked at Rin, and spat,
"If I may ask… where did you get this sword?"
Rin shouted, interrupting him,
"Let go of him, you monster!"
The deity gave her a smile.
"If you interrupt me again, I won't hesitate to kill you both."
He leaned close to Azazul and whispered:
"Are you… her son? That serpent of yours is one of them… right?"
The demonic voice responded:
"What are you talking about?"
"Well… I'm not the one to tell you. You can figure it out while we fight."
The deity stabbed Azazul again—this time through his left lung.
"The legends say the God of Death's lineage has death in their blood. Let's see what you can do… my prince."
He threw Azazul toward Rin. She caught him—even though she knew they could get stabbed again.
Her concerned voice echoed in his ears:
"Azazul, you don't have much time. Your lung is going to collapse!"
Azazul struggled to breathe. Each inhale brought sharp pain. His body felt cold. But he managed to mutter:
"We aren't dead yet… you can at least still kill him."
He stood up, raising the dagger. His legs were shaking, sweat dripping down his face behind the mask.
Through it all, the vermillion-eyed deity smiled menacingly.