Chapter 9
The air did not feel right.
Azrael stood still in the middle of the street, the scythe resting in his hand, his eyes scanning the darkness around him.
The city had gone quiet again.
Not normal quiet.
This silence felt deliberate.
Like something had forced everything else to stop.
"…I don't like this," Azrael said.
The scythe pulsed faintly.
"You should not."
Azrael turned slowly, trying to sense where the presence was coming from.
"You said a Hunter," he said.
"Yes."
"And not alone."
"Yes."
Azrael exhaled slowly.
"Great."
A sound echoed from the end of the street.
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Measured.
Azrael's grip tightened.
"…There."
A figure stepped into the faint light.
Then another.
And another.
Azrael's eyes narrowed.
"…That's more than one."
Three Hunters walked forward.
Each of them carried the same dark armor and glowing eyes, but something about them felt stronger than the one he had fought before.
More stable.
More controlled.
"They are not scouts," the scythe said.
Azrael let out a breath.
"Of course they're not."
The Hunters stopped a short distance away.
Their eyes locked onto him.
Then one of them stepped forward.
"You have begun to reap," it said.
Azrael tilted his head slightly.
"…I didn't have much choice."
"You resist your role."
Azrael nodded.
"Yeah. Still do."
The Hunter's voice lowered.
"That will end tonight."
Azrael tightened his grip on the scythe.
"…I don't think so."
The Hunter raised its weapon.
The others followed.
Azrael stepped back slightly.
"Okay," he muttered. "This is already worse than before."
"They will not hold back," the scythe warned.
"I figured."
The first Hunter moved.
Fast.
Azrael barely reacted in time.
He raised the scythe, and the impact sent him sliding backward across the pavement.
The second Hunter attacked immediately after.
Azrael turned and blocked again, but the force pushed him off balance.
The third came from the side.
Azrael twisted his body just enough to avoid the strike.
"…Yeah," he said under his breath. "This is bad."
The Hunters did not give him time to recover.
They moved together.
Precise.
Coordinated.
Azrael stepped back again.
Then again.
Each attack pushed him further.
His breathing grew heavier.
His movements less steady.
"I can't fight three of them," he said.
"You must."
"That's not helpful."
One of the Hunters lunged.
Azrael swung the scythe.
The blade shifted into a sword mid-motion.
The strike landed.
The Hunter staggered.
But did not fall.
Azrael's eyes widened.
"…That didn't finish it."
"They are stronger," the scythe said.
"No kidding."
The second Hunter struck.
Azrael blocked, but the force drove him to one knee.
Pain shot through his arm.
The third Hunter raised its weapon.
Azrael reacted instantly.
He rolled to the side just before the strike hit the ground where he had been.
The pavement cracked.
Azrael pushed himself up quickly.
"This is not working," he said.
"You are hesitating."
Azrael clenched his jaw.
"I'm not hesitating."
"You are holding back."
Azrael froze for a brief moment.
"…I'm not trying to kill them," he said.
"They are already dead."
Azrael tightened his grip.
"…That's not the point."
The Hunters attacked again.
This time, Azrael did not step back.
He stepped forward.
The movement surprised even him.
The scythe pulsed.
The blade shifted again.
A spear formed.
Azrael thrust forward.
The weapon pierced through one Hunter's chest.
It staggered.
Cracks spread across its armor.
Azrael pulled the weapon back.
But before he could finish it,
The second Hunter struck him.
Hard.
The impact sent him flying backward.
He hit the ground and slid across the pavement.
Pain spread through his side.
Azrael coughed and forced himself up.
"…Okay," he muttered. "That hurt."
The Hunters advanced again.
Relentless.
Azrael steadied himself.
His breathing slowed.
His grip tightened.
Something inside him shifted.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Focus.
The world around him seemed to narrow.
The movement of the Hunters became clearer.
Slower.
Predictable.
Azrael frowned slightly.
"…Why can I see that?"
"You remember," the scythe said.
"I don't remember anything."
The first Hunter attacked again.
Azrael moved.
This time, he did not react late.
He moved before the strike reached him.
The spear shifted into a sword mid-motion.
Azrael struck.
Clean.
Precise.
The blade cut deep.
The Hunter staggered again.
Azrael followed with another strike.
Then another.
The movements came naturally.
Too naturally.
"…No," he said quietly.
The Hunter collapsed into fragments.
Gone.
Azrael stood there for a moment.
"…I did that too easily."
"You are beginning to accept it."
"I'm not."
The remaining two Hunters attacked together.
Azrael turned.
He blocked one.
Dodged the other.
His body moved faster now.
Smoother.
But not enough.
One of the Hunters broke through his guard.
The spear pierced his shoulder.
Azrael gasped.
Pain exploded through his body.
He stumbled backward.
The weapon pulled free.
Azrael dropped to one knee.
"…That's bad," he said.
The Hunters approached slowly.
"You are weakening," one of them said.
Azrael forced himself to stand.
"I'm still here."
"Not for long."
Azrael tightened his grip on the scythe.
Blood ran down his arm.
His breathing was uneven.
But his eyes were steady.
"…I'm not done."
The scythe pulsed.
"You are close."
"Close to what?"
"Something more."
Azrael shook his head.
"I don't want more."
The Hunters attacked again.
Azrael moved.
But slower this time.
One strike grazed his side.
Another nearly reached his chest.
Azrael stumbled again.
His strength was fading.
"…This is not good," he muttered.
The Hunters closed in.
No hesitation.
No pause.
Azrael raised the scythe again.
But his arm felt heavy.
Too heavy.
"…I can't keep this up," he said.
"You must."
"I said I can't."
The Hunters moved.
Both of them at once.
Azrael braced himself.
The scythe pulsed violently.
The blade shifted again.
But this time,
It did not stop.
The weapon began to change beyond what he had seen before.
Azrael's eyes widened.
"…What is happening?"
"You are reaching the threshold."
"I didn't ask for that."
The Hunters were almost on him.
Azrael tightened his grip.
"…I'm not ready."
"No," the scythe said.
"You are not."
The world seemed to slow again.
The attacks came.
Closer.
Azrael forced his body to move.
One last time.
And then,
Everything changed.