Strongest Demigod System-Chapter 80: E-Rank Core

Sunny turned with a glare to see who would dare to enter the room to stop the fight, and his eyes widened when he saw Cleopatra looking around the room with a small smile on her face.

Azrael also turned to look at the older girl in surprise, and Cleopatra met Azrael's eyes with an amused grin.

"So this is what was more important than your meeting with me. I heard from a little friend of mine that you boys were having a fight over some girl and I simply had to come and see for myself."

"Miss Cleopatra."

Sunny's voice was respectful, and he even gave a small bow to Cleopatra. Cleopatra only glanced at him for a moment and nodded before returning to Azrael.

The Larkson family was seen as one of the highest authorities in the mortal plane, so even the Gaye family which Sunny was a part of showed them the highest form of respect.

Cleopatra, meanwhile, only had eyes for Azrael.

Azrael looked angry about her interruption, and his deep frown only made her smile widen.

Cleopatra had already heard everything about what was happening from one of the second-year boys who was in the room when Sunny and Azrael were discussing earlier.

It turns out that they were having a battle over Maddison, and this fight would determine whether or not Azrael would be able to come to the party that Sunny was holding on Friday.

It was such a boy thing to do, and Cleopatra couldn't help but find it endearing, even if it was also foolish.

But this isn't how they were supposed to do things.

"Aren't you both using your brains at all?"

Cleopatra looked from one boy to the other with that smile still on her face, but now, the smile was no longer the amused one she had before. It had a more dangerous twist to it.

"You both are captains of your respective classes, and this is how you decide to have your first battle? In a solitary arena over some girl? I've seen foolishness before, but this truly beats all of that."

Sunny closed his eyes and sighed before taking off his gloves as he realized Cleopatra was right.

Sunny had allowed Azrael to pull him into this stupid battle without thinking.

Sunny shouldn't have been so close-minded.

Azrael, meanwhile, was pissed!

What the hell was Cleopatra doing!? This was his plan that she was fucking up!

He was only a moment away from getting the invite, and she just had to come here and stop them!?

Why didn't she just speak up after they were done!?

Cleopatra sighed while putting her hands on her waist.

"Let me give you a bit of advice as your senior. Your two classes are rivals, regardless of how the school tries to make it seem like you are all allies. Your ranking and scores at the end of the year depend on how well your class does against the other. So if you want to have a battle like this, then have it in front of your classmates so that it would have more impact. That way, the winner will boost the morale of their class and draw in more support while the loser will boost the competitive spirit in their classmates and make them want to fight more. Is that understood?"

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Both captains nodded in understanding, and Cleopatra smiled before she turned to leave.

But before exiting the room, she turned and spoke to both boys.

"And as for the party, I think it'll be great to have Azrael there. He brings a freshness to things that I haven't seen before, don't you think so, Sunny?"

Sunny's brow furrowed in confusion as he simply stared at Cleopatra for a few seconds. Cleopatra raised a brow at him, and Sunny closed his eyes and released a tense breath before he spoke.

"Of course, Miss Cleopatra. I'll make sure you're not disappointed."

Cleopatra smiled kindly.

"I'm sure you will, Sunny."

And then she left.

Sunny clicked his tongue in irritation as he threw his gloves to the ground and walked out of the training room.

[Student, Sunny Gaye will have one point deducted for rough treatment of school property. It is advised that the students return the equipment to the locker after use.]

The simulation AI spoke up in reprimand for what Sunny did, but Sunny ignored it.

Meanwhile, Azrael just stood there with his head tilted in utter confusion.

'What the hell just happened?'

…

[The Government-funded Dorms]

That night, Azrael sat on top of his bed once more and allowed his mind to empty of all distractions as he meditated on the Hymn to the Divine Immortal Soul.

As he dived deeper into his subconscious, Azrael found his mind going towards the events of the day as he tried to come to terms with what happened.

What could Cleopatra possibly be playing at?

Azrael didn't remember ever having anything to do with Cleopatra before they met in the gym after the Divine Potential assessment.

There was nothing that would tie him to her to make her do what she was doing to him now.

So then, why was she trying so hard to get involved with him?

Azrael shook his head as he felt the Hymn slipping from his mind and he decided to forget about Cleopatra and focus once more.

This time, Azrael removed all thoughts of what happened that day from his head and he repeated the Hymn calmly:

That in the midst of turmoil and carnage.

In the uncertainty of the future and despair of the past.

I fear not the corruption of my own spirit.

For I know who I am.

And I am who I am.

… Who was Azrael?

Azrael had asked himself this question many times over the past few days.

It was almost an entire week since he began reciting the hymn, and in that time, Azrael had discovered more about himself from the meditations than he was able to in all the sixteen years of his life.

… The Divine essence in Azrael's core began to swirl faster.

Azrael discovered the things that he was willing to do for power.

… The Essence slammed against the wall of the core, tearing a large hole in one side.

Azrael discovered the lies he was willing to tell to ensure his survival.

… The Essence slammed against the other side, and another hole appeared there.

Azrael discovered the people he was willing to manipulate to carry out his plans.

... More impacts created more holes, and Azrael grimaced as he felt a heat rising from his chest. But he held onto his concentration as his subconscious continued its mantra.

The things Azrael had done brought a sense of self-awareness to him that he never had before. It made him understand that he was not a good person.

He wasn't kind, and he wasn't worthy of kindness.

Azrael was a creature of greed who had thrown his humanity away for power.

He understood this.

He accepted this.

He could not run away from who he was and what he could become.

Instead, he would continue to move forward through the twisted road he had carved for himself, leaving the bodies of his victims as the only remnants of his passing.

That is who Azrael was at his very core.

The divine Essence finally swirled into a rampaging tornado and slammed into the core wall, breaking through it and surging out in a wave of pale blue!

The Essence gathered at the bottom of a new core that had constructed itself outside the previous one, and the new core grew and formed from the Essence until it created a perfect sphere that was larger than the previous core.

The new core shone with a brighter blue light, and only the bottom part of the core was filled with Essence, signifying that this was now an E-ranked core that needed to be refilled before it could rank up.

Azrael slowly opened his eyes.

In his gaze was a wisdom and deep understanding of himself that hadn't been there before—like a monk witnessing Zen for the very first time.

Azrael had completed the Hymn to the Divine Immortal Soul and taken his first step in the Litany of Ascension.