The sanctuary trembled.
Ancient pillars collapsed one after another.
Dust filled the air.
The black chains binding Azrael were breaking.
One...
Then another.
CRACK!
The Apostle looked at Noah with genuine interest.
"...She chose you."
The crimson aura surrounding Noah slowly faded into his skin.
His broken crown mark burned like molten iron.
The System chimed.
Bloodline Synchronization: 10%
Status: Stable
Noah exhaled.
He felt different.
Not overwhelmingly stronger.
Sharper.
His senses were clearer.
His mana flowed more smoothly.
Yet he knew one thing.
He was still nowhere near Azrael.
The Apostle smiled.
"Ten percent."
He sounded amused.
"The Second was always sentimental."
The First Successor forced itself to stand.
Its cracked armor groaned.
"Leave."
Azrael didn’t even look at him.
"I’m talking to my successor."
"My successor?"
Noah frowned.
"I don’t remember agreeing to that."
Azrael chuckled.
"You misunderstand."
He slowly began walking toward Noah.
Every step caused another chain to snap.
"I don’t serve the Devourer."
"I survived it."
Silence.
Even the heartbeat seemed to pause.
Noah narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
"The Devourer destroys."
Azrael spread his arms.
"I adapted."
"I evolved."
"I accepted the inevitable."
His black eyes gleamed.
"And that’s why I’m alive..."
"...while the other Successors became ghosts."
The words hit harder than Noah expected.
For just a moment...
He almost believed him.
Then he remembered the First Successor.
The Second.
Both had risked everything to protect someone they’d never met.
People like that didn’t sound like failures.
They sounded like heroes.
Noah smirked.
"You know..."
Azrael tilted his head.
"For someone trying to recruit me..."
"...you’re really bad at selling your side."
For the first time...
Azrael sighed.
"I had hoped you’d be smarter."
His patience vanished.
The sanctuary exploded beneath his feet.
He blurred forward.
Fast.
Faster than before.
Noah’s pupils shrank.
Predator’s Instinct screamed.
DEATH!
There was no escape.
No opening.
No counter.
Only one option.
His hand instinctively reached toward the burning mark.
The new skill answered.
The world slowed.
Crimson flames erupted around Shadowfang.
The dagger vibrated violently.
The System flashed.
Skill Activated
Ruin Strike
Noah roared.
The dagger swept forward.
A crimson slash tore through the sanctuary.
It wasn’t large.
Barely three meters.
Yet everything it touched...
Stopped existing.
The stone floor crumbled into ash.
The air itself seemed to split apart.
Azrael’s smile disappeared.
For the first time...
He dodged.
The crimson slash grazed his shoulder.
Silence.
His black coat drifted apart.
A thin crimson line appeared across his shoulder.
Then—
Blood.
One drop.
Black as ink.
It landed on the sanctuary floor.
Azrael looked down.
Touched the wound.
His fingers came away stained black.
Then...
He laughed.
Not politely.
Not calmly.
Wildly.
Loud enough to shake the ruins.
"Hahaha..."
"Hahaha!"
The laughter echoed through Blackthorn Forest.
Outside...
The Executioner lowered itself completely.
The wolves howled.
The forest itself seemed to recoil.
Azrael looked at Noah with blazing excitement.
"Excellent."
His wound began healing.
Slowly.
Far slower than before.
"You actually wounded me."
Noah’s breathing became ragged.
His knees buckled.
The flames around Shadowfang vanished.
The System immediately warned him.
Mana: 0/28
Warning
Severe Mana Exhaustion
His vision blurred.
He couldn’t even lift the dagger anymore.
One attack.
That was all Ruin Strike had allowed.
Azrael noticed immediately.
"So that’s your limit."
He took another step.
"So disappointing."
The First Successor suddenly appeared between them again.
Though barely standing, it spread both arms.
"No further."
Azrael’s expression became annoyed.
"You never learn."
He raised one finger.
Darkness gathered at its tip.
A tiny black sphere formed.
No larger than a marble.
Yet the System reacted more violently than ever before.
WARNING!
Catastrophic Attack Detected
Evade Immediately
The guardian looked back at Noah.
Its crimson eyes softened.
"Live."
Noah’s heart sank.
"No..."
The guardian smiled.
A tired smile.
"Tell the Eighth..."
"...to do better."
The black sphere shot forward.
The First Successor met it head-on.
A blinding explosion swallowed the sanctuary.