Born In Ashes: The Enigma

When Azrael appeared in the stadium, Mira—the Vice Principal of Slayers Academy turned to look in his direction from a distance.

With her powers, it was a piece of cake for her to keep an eye on the entire stadium, even from hundreds of kilometers away.

When she saw Azrael missing an arm and covered in numerous wounds, she raised an eyebrow. But when she sensed that he had already reached level 10, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

"Not only level 10... The accumulated power in his core is enough to push him to level 12 or even level 13. He just needs to complete his class advancement ritual..."

Mira couldn't help but give Azrael another careful look, wondering what exactly he had done inside Eonrift to not only reach level 10, but also accumulate enough energy to level up a few more times.

Normally, even if someone enters a Hell-level trial and completes it, they rarely reach level 10—since the higher one's level, the harder it becomes to increase it.

But because Azrael had killed more than one class-level warrior and numerous high-level monsters inside Eonrift, he had not only reached level 10 but also accumulated enough energy to push his level even higher.

Just as Mira was observing Azrael, she sensed something and turned her gaze toward the outside of the stadium, focusing on a rapidly approaching figure.

"She is..." Mira narrowed her eyes, and something immediately came to mind.

She turned back to look at Azrael and smiled slightly.

"So he is the son of those two monsters, huh. No wonder he is already at level 10."

She no longer looked at Azrael and went back to observing others who were emerging from Eonrift.

The moment Azrael exited the stadium, a flash of red light flickered before his eyes, and Ashara's figure appeared in front of him.

"You—" She stared at Azrael, her eyes wide open, especially as they landed on his missing left arm.

Azrael's mouth twitched at Ashara's reaction, and he immediately sensed the rising probability of her dragging him back home without letting him stay at Slayers Academy.

To eliminate that possibility, he showed her a confident smile and spoke in a proud tone.

"See? I told you I'd be back in a jiffy—and I really did."

Ashara's hand itched at the sight of Azrael's grin, which practically begged for a beating.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort she felt after seeing his condition, and spoke in an angry voice.

"Even after all the training, you still got beaten this badly inside Eonrift."

Azrael choked on his breath when he heard her words.

"What do you expect from me after fighting against many class-level beings? To come back in perfect condition without a scratch?"

"Many class warriors..." Ashara's expression shifted at Azrael's words.

She wanted to know what had happened during his trial, but seeing the state he was in, she held back and shook her head.

"Come with me. Let's heal that broken arm of yours first."

Azrael sighed in relief when he heard he could get his arm back.

Just as Ashara was about to take Azrael away, a tall man landed in front of them.

Azrael raised an eyebrow as a bulky man—easily two meters tall—appeared before them, looking at them with a calm smile, as though he already knew them.

Ashara's mouth twitched upon seeing Maelir, but she didn't chase him away and instead asked in a composed voice.

"Do you have a healer in your team?"

Maelir nodded.

"I already called one when Azrael came out. He should be at my house any minute now."

Ashara nodded, and before Azrael could ask anything, she enveloped him in her cosmic energy and flew away, following behind Maelir.

"Mom, who's that bulky guy?" Azrael finally asked after collecting himself mid-flight.

Ashara nearly burst into laughter at Azrael calling Maelir a "bulky guy."

Suppressing the urge to laugh, she answered calmly.

"He is your uncle..." She paused, then added, "My elder brother."

Azrael was surprised to hear that, but knowing her complicated relationship with her family, he simply nodded and didn't ask further.

Within a minute, they landed in front of a mansion.

'Since he owns such a big mansion on Planet Arkanis, his status here must not be low.'

On Planet Arkanis, most of the land was occupied by the academy and training grounds, and it was extremely rare for anyone to own even a normal house here—much less a mansion like Maelir's.

Though smaller than their estate on Planet Veltharia, the mansion was still considered luxurious, given the circumstances.

Azrael followed Ashara and Maelir inside, and as they entered the mansion, they saw a man who looked to be in his forties already waiting for them.

"General," The man saluted the moment he saw Maelir.

Maelir smiled and nodded.

"Thanks for coming, Ron." He pointed at Azrael and added,

"This is my nephew Azrael—your patient today."

Ron looked at Azrael, and when he noticed how calm the boy was despite the battered state of his body, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

'Does he not feel pain?' He wondered silently but didn't say anything aloud.

"Here, take this," Ron said, retrieving a pill from his storage ring and handing it to Azrael.

Azrael glanced at Ashara, and seeing her nod, took the pill and tossed it into his mouth.

Immediately, he felt a powerful surge of vitality rushing through his body.

Ron pointed a finger at Azrael, and a beam of green light shot toward him.

As the beam landed, the pill's energy within him surged even further, and an intense itching sensation spread from the stump of his left shoulder.

He glanced down to see the skin and flesh wriggling and rapidly reshaping into a new arm.

The itching was almost unbearable—like countless ants biting at his nerves—but Azrael merely frowned and didn't make a sound.

'What a monster...' Both Maelir and Ron were stunned to see Azrael remain silent even while regenerating an entire limb.

Under the effect of the pill and Ron's healing skill, Azrael's body was fully restored within a minute.

Even Azrael was surprised by the speed of the healing process.

"Thank you," He said, turning to Ron with gratitude.

"It's not a big deal," Ron replied with a shake of his head, then looked at Maelir.

"General, since it's done, I'll be heading back."

Maelir nodded and thanked him as well.

Once Ron left, Ashara turned to Azrael with a serious expression and asked.

"What did you mean when you said you had to fight many class-level beings during your trial? Tell me everything."