Born In Ashes: The Enigma

The moment Azrael had saw Rose approaching while dragging the almost-dead Claudia, his instincts screamed that he wouldn't stand a chance against her in a head-on confrontation.

Although she was weaker than Harris, Azrael himself was completely exhausted after using the Tyrant's Intent to kill Harris.

In his exhausted—completely powerless state, he wouldn't last even half a minute against Rose before his body gave up.

Moreover, even if he were in perfect condition, it wouldn't have been easy for him to face her.

He was certain that the reason Rose had been able to injure Claudia so severely without receiving any injuries herself was because she must have launched a surprise attack on her.

Since Claudia was familiar with Rose, she likely hadn't expected the attack and was caught off guard, resulting in her serious injuries.

Even though Rose eliminated Claudia without getting even a single scratch was because of surprise attack, Azrael knew she wasn't an easy opponent.

In his current state of exhaustion, if he wanted to kill her and complete his trial, the only option was to catch her off guard.

To make her interested in him— and prevent her from killing him immediately, Azrael used his relic as bait.

Relics were items that stood at the pinnacle of the world, which was why Rose immediately showed interest when she saw the pocket watch.

And by telling her that if she killed him, the relic would be destroyed along with him, he managed to delay his death... at least until Rose was certain she could secure the pocket watch.

Before handing over the pocket watch, Azrael had secretly planted the small mosquito sized military scouting orb to its back.

Due to its tiny size, and despite Rose's cautious attention, she didn't notice it.

And the moment she brought the pocket watch closer to inspect it, Azrael detonated the scouting orb.

Boom!

A small explosion erupted, releasing a cloud of black smoke that instantly covered Rose's face.

Without a second of hesitation, Azrael used his connection with the Fallen Star and summoned it back.

To summon the Fallen Star, he had to use a portion of his spiritual power.

The spiritual cost depended on the distance, and since he was only about ten meters from the sword, it consumed just a small fraction.

However, because he had already depleted all his spiritual power during the battle with Harris, even that small cost felt like someone was drilling a sharp needle into his skull.

Despite the pain, Azrael didn't flinch and the moment the Fallen Star appeared in his hand, he slashed toward Rose's neck without holding back.

As soon as the scouting orb exploded and her vision was obscured by the black smoke, Rose realized she had been tricked.

Her eyes flashed with cold killing intent, and without hesitation, she attempted to form a barrier around herself while simultaneously slapping out at Azrael, who stood directly in front of her.

Rose possessed the power of lightning, and just as sparks of electricity began crackling around her, her instincts screamed in danger.

Swish!

The thick cloud of smoke was suddenly split apart by a greatsword, and like the scythe of the Reaper, a glossy black blade appeared, enlarging in her widened eyes.

Azrael also saw Rose's lightning-coated hand coming directly for his head.

Sensing the destructive power crackling from her palm, Azrael knew that if her hand struck his head, he would almost certainly die.

A cruel glint flashed in his eyes, and despite the fact that a terrifying attack was coming at him, he didn't halt his movement. Instead, he raised his left hand to block her attack and continued his slash.

As the blade neared Rose's neck, a thin barrier of lightning rapidly formed to stop it.

But a barrier conjured so hastily was no match for the Fallen Star—imbued with the abilities of Sword Domination and The World.

The lightning barrier was instantly torn apart, and the blade sliced through to her neck.

Rose's eyes widened in horror and confusion as the glossy black sword cleanly severed her head, sending it flying high into the sky—her final thoughts consumed by the confusion of how the sword, which had been lying a few meters away just moments ago had returned to Azrael's hand in a split second

Even after Rose's head was severed, her body momentum did not stop immediately and her lighting coated hand struck Azrael's raised left arm.

Crack!

A violent burst of lightning exploded outward, and Azrael was blasted away on the spot.

While in mid-air, his left arm bent, then twisted at an unnatural angle before finally exploding into a mist of blood despite the protection of armor he was wearing.

Like a rag doll hit by a truck, he flew nearly twenty meters before crashing into a row of trees, knocking down around five of them before finally coming to a halt.

His left arm was completely gone, and several of his ribs were broken.

The lightning had even traveled through his body, injuring his internal organs.

Azrael's condition had already been terrible after using Tyrant's Intent, and now, after taking such a devastating blow head-on, his consciousness began to fade.

His breathing was shallow, and his entire face was covered in blood.

His left shoulder was entirely gone, and blood was pouring out of the wound without stopping.

But even in this condition, Azrael's eyes remained utterly emotionless, as though nothing was wrong.

'Not now...' He screamed inwardly, and at that moment, the Cold Blooded trait came into effect—immediately numbing his mind and barely allowing him to cling to his fading consciousness.

Azrael could feel many notifications flashing before his eyes, but he couldn't even register them.

It was as if his mind had no interest in anything other than staying awake.

With trembling hand, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a healing potion, then brought it to his mouth with great difficulty.

He knew that if he lost consciousness in his current state, death by blood loss would be inevitable.

Gulping down the potion, he lay there motionless, trying to gather whatever strength he could.

Azrael's eyes were becoming heavier by the second, but he forced himself to stay awake—hoping to hold on until his body regained at least a little strength under the effect of healing potion.

Around ten minutes later, Azrael finally felt he could move slightly.

He pushed himself upright and dragged his broken body over to a tree, leaning against it and gasping for air.

'I already killed her, then why am I still inside Eonrift and not being sent out...?'