Born In Ashes: The Enigma

"Can you turn me into a Vessel of Corruption as well?"

When Rose heard Azrael's words, her expression turned strange.

"You want to become a Vessel of Corruption?"

Azrael nodded without a shred of hesitation.

Rose stared at Azrael for a moment before a faint smile spread across her lips.

"I can indeed turn you into a Vessel of Corruption. But… why should I?" She glanced at the dying Claudia nearby. "Harris and Alex are already dead, and the last person who could stop me is also on the verge of death. There is no one left in this place who can oppose me. I can do whatever I want for the time being. By the time news of their deaths reaches the other cities of Red Rock Country, I will have already accomplished what I came here to do."

Rose then turned to look at Azrael and asked indifferently,

"Tell me, is there any reason I should waste my time turning you into a Vessel of Corruption when you are of no use to me?"

Azrael's expression remained unchanged upon hearing Rose's words.

"I never said I want you to turn me into a Vessel of Corruption for free..." As Azrael spoke, he stretched out his right hand, and the space around his palm rippled slightly.

In the next instant, an old-looking pocket watch appeared in his hand.

When Rose's eyes fell on the watch and she sensed the ancient aura emanating from it, her eyes contracted to the size of needles.

"A relic," She exclaimed in a shocked voice, her gaze fixed on the pocket watch with greed-filled eyes.

"If you turn me into a Vessel of Corruption, I can give it to you."

Azrael's voice brought Rose back to her senses and when she looked at him again, her eyes were filled with cold killing intent.

"If I kill you, this thing will naturally become mine."

Azrael smirked at her words and shrugged his shoulders.

"Go ahead and try," He said. "This relic is bound to me, and I can destroy it with just a single thought. Let's see whether you can kill me before I destroy it."

Rose's eyes narrowed at his words. Recalling how the watch had suddenly appeared in his hand, she had no choice but to believe that the relic was indeed bound to him.

"Why do you want to become a Vessel of Corruption?"

"For power," Azrael replied without hesitation. "If becoming a Vessel of Corruption can make me more powerful, then why shouldn't I?"

Rose looked deep into Azrael's eyes and saw an insatiable hunger for power—so intense that even she was taken aback for a moment.

"You do know that if I turn you into a Vessel of Corruption, you'll become my underling and have to follow my commands, right?"

Azrael raised an eyebrow at her words as that was something he hadn't known.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he narrowed his eyes.

"If what you're saying is true, then what about Harris? He was someone you turned into a Vessel of Corruption too, but I don't think you could command him."

If Rose had truly been able to control Harris, she would have ordered him to kill Alex and Claudia long ago and taken over New Moon City without resistance.

Rose shook her head at Azrael's question.

"He wasn't a true Vessel of Corruption," She explained. "To become one, a person must willingly accept the power of the Supreme Beings. If someone is unwilling, you have to inject a little of the Supreme Being's power into them periodically to slowly corrupt their mind." She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Harris was like that. He had no desire to become a Vessel of Corruption, so I had to inject my power into him from time to time. After all these years, his mind was on the verge of full corruption. If he hadn't died, I could have turned him into a true Vessel of Corruption within a month or two. Once that happened, I would have gained full control over him."

Azrael had a thoughtful look on his face as he listened to her explanation. However, there was still one more question he wanted to ask.

"Was there a special reason you chose not to become a Class Warrior for so long and instead spent all that effort trying to turn Harris into a Vessel of Corruption?"

From what Azrael had heard from the people of New Moon City, Rose had reached Level 10 Warrior Apprentice a few years ago. But after reaching Level 10, her advancement stagnated, and she remained at that level for a long time.

Even during the recruitment event, she was still at Level 10. But now, she was Level 11, meaning she had finally become a Class Warrior.

Azrael didn't believe her stagnation was due to poor talent. There had to be a reason she deliberately held back from becoming a Class Warrior.

If she had chosen to become a Class Warrior right after reaching Level 10 years ago, even with average talent, she should have been at least Level 15 or 16 by now. And as a Vessel of Corruption, she wouldn't have had any trouble dealing with Harris and the other Tower Masters herself, instead of going through all this trouble.

Rose showed a surprised expression at Azrael's question, then smiled.

"There was indeed a reason I didn't become a Class Warrior until now…" She paused, then turned to look at the spot where Harris's body had vanished after Azrael killed him.

"My dear husband found a Class Change Item a few years ago. That item was extraordinary, and the class it could grant was unlike any ordinary class." Rose's smile turned cold, and she sneered.

"I wanted to use that item to complete my Class Ritual. But that bastard treated it like his life depended on it and never let me even touch it. The reason I married him in the first place was because I found out about the item and wanted to get it for myself. I was planning to turn him into a true Vessel of Corruption and once he came fully under my control, I would've used that item to change my class," Rose said, continuing her story.

"But for some reason, today, that guy left home without taking the item with him. I don't know what agitated him so much that he didn't even bring the one thing he always kept close to him. But it turned out to be a golden opportunity for me, and I used that Class Change Item to finally become a Class Warrior."