The first stage of becoming a powerful being in this world is the Champion's level, where people begin forging themselves into powerful figures capable of standing alongside the Gods.
These Champions were followers of celestial beings, blessed with power by specific Gods they worshiped, and willing to lay down their lives for them.
The Champion's path was divided into five layers to perfect.
Each layer was an indication of the years spent strengthening their foundation and abilities.
The higher the layer, the more powerful the Champion. But to Azrael, they were just ants.
Although Azrael could only use ten percent of his power due to the weakness of his current body, he knew he could easily crush these Champions with his might.
He couldn't use his full potential—why? Because the moment he drew more power from his soul, the body he possessed would explode.
However, Azrael had hope of regaining his strength with the system's help.
But the question remained: how?
As soon as Azrael entered the hut, a large sword impaled him through the chest.
[You have sustained heavy damage]
[Warning]
"No shit. Ah!"
Blood trickled down his chest as he vomited a large amount of red liquid.
Azrael stared at the golden sword embedded in him and glanced at the culprit with intense killing intent.
[The title 'Undying God' has been activated]
[However, your wound is unable to heal.]
[You have 30 minutes to live unless the object is removed.]
The title *Undying God* was something he had perfected with his abilities. He was practically immortal with this title, but with a human body, there were restrictions.
[28 minutes remaining]
"Elder Kim!! What are you doing?!" Evan screamed, as her fingers grew into claws.
She knew that if she attacked, she would be considered a traitor to the White Wolf Clan and hanged as punishment.
The Elder had white hair shaped like wolf ears and wore a white robe that was now stained with Azrael's blood.
He ground his teeth in anger as he glanced at the unfazed Azrael, expecting him to crumble and succumb to death.
Two more Elders in white robes, with the same goofy hairstyles, nodded in agreement, convinced that this was the right approach.
"This bastard killed my son, Israel!" Elder Kim shouted, pointing at Azrael.
'Oh, I remember Israel now. He was the one who sent those delinquents to kill the former owner.'
Israel had been a great thorn in the former Azrael's side.
Ever since they were kids, whether it was pushing him off a cliff or putting scorpions in his underwear, Israel wasn't satisfied.
He was arrogant because his father was an elder of the village, and no one had the guts to go against him.
As they grew up, Israel began to detest Azrael's presence even more, especially because Evan showed more interest in Azrael than in him.
So, Israel planned to end his life during a hunt, hiring people to do the job when he found out that Azrael was going to profess his love to Evan.
Unfortunately, during the pursuit of the fleeing Azrael, Israel kicked a stone, stumbled down a cliff, and broke several bones.
He cracked his head on a boulder, which ended his life.
The guys he hired were oblivious to this fact since Israel had been lagging behind.
And with Azrael being the only one left alive, he became the prime suspect.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You humans are quite insensitive. You intend to kill me without even knowing what truly happened," Azrael said with a smirk as he pulled the sword from his chest without flinching.
Blood dripped off the blade as it slid out of his chest.
"What the..." The scene left everyone in the room shocked. Azrael had been stabbed through the chest with a sword that could easily kill Champions, yet he pulled it out like it was nothing.
[Object removed. Body healing in progress.]
Almost instantly, the large hole in his chest closed up and healed.
In a split second, Azrael kicked off the floor, propelling himself forward, and with the momentum, punched Elder Kim.
Elder Kim had no choice but to block the attack with his palm, but the force was too great, sending him flying.
"You dare stab me?! I might be in a weak body, but that doesn't give you any right!" Azrael shouted.
Elder Kim managed to land on his feet, skidding until he hit a wall, which stopped his momentum.
'What? How did this cursed child get this powerful?' Elder Kim thought.
His arm was covered in a purple aura with white blade-like claws, yet his wrist had wounds inflicted simply by the punch.
'Damn it! Why isn't it healing? What is this?'
Azrael smirked. "You know, the power of Darkness might be corrosive and deadly. However, with perfect mastery, one can use it in many deadly ways."
"Either by strengthening the body, performing skills, or just straight-up blasting someone. It's quite versatile, I must say."
Suddenly, an evil aura—black as ink and dark with an eerie feeling—gushed out, shrouding the surroundings.
[Body capacity can only sustain 10% of output. Any more, and the body would be damaged.]
'That's more than enough to slaughter these fools,' Azrael grinned in the most chilling way possible, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
'This is definitely not the old Azrael. Who is this monster?' Evan thought, backing away.
"Shall we begin?"
....
Meanwhile, outside the village, a group of men could be seen clad in Ops suits, armed with firearms and gadgets, ready for combat.
They moved through the forest, each step almost silent and in perfect synchronization.
Their helmets projected the path to their destination, and after they reached the outskirts of the village, they halted at a signal from their leader, who wore a helmet marked with a red star.
"Chhh!, We've reached the destination. We need to proceed with capturing the Champions from the White Wolf Clan," the leader spoke, his team hearing him through the telecoms embedded in their helmets.
"Remember, force is necessary, and the only ones to be left alive are the Champions."
"Yes, sir!"
****