The Slayer Ascension: Cursed and Blessed.-Chapter 80: Common manners

"Your mission is just beginning."

The three grinned.

"These three are only the beginning."

The darkness shattered.

It did not fade. It split open.

And suddenly there were thousands.

Everywhere.

Humans. Children. Adults. Shurals. Demons. Creatures Gazel had never even seen before. Animals. Beasts. Things that did not belong to any world he recognized.

They surrounded him.

An endless sea stretching into infinity.

The three corpses spoke again as one.

"All of them are your mission."

Their voices overlapped, heavy and distorted.

"Kill them."

"Kill them."

"Everyone."

"The child. The young. The old."

"Kill them all."

Gazel's breathing turned shallow.

The pressure was suffocating.

Then Rasno's severed head tilted slightly.

"After all… death will consume all."

Crain and San repeated it.

"Death will consume all."

The words burrowed into his skull.

Without realizing it, Gazel found his lips moving.

"Death… will consume all," he echoed faintly.

The trio laughed.

Not warm.

Not human.

Cold.

Empty.

Unnerving.

The world collapsed.

The crowd vanished.

The darkness swallowed everything.

And Gazel vanished with it.

He jolted awake.

His body shot upright from the bed, drenched in sweat. His heart was racing wildly, slamming against his ribs like it wanted to escape.

"What the hell was that…" he muttered, breath uneven.

His chest quivered with fear.

That place.

What was that place?

And that statement.

Death will consume all.

His fingers trembled.

It was the same thing.

The same words the devil had spoken in his first nightmare, before everything truly began.

Is this connected to him?

It had to be.

After all, he was the devil.

But…

Did the devil want everyone dead?

Was that his end goal?

For some reason, Gazel could not believe that.

It did not fit.

The devil was ambiguous. Calculating. Twisted.

But this…

This felt wrong.

Everything about that dream felt wrong.

Unnatural.

Unsettling.

As if killing three people was not enough to break him, now he was being told he would have to kill everyone.

Gazel let out a hollow chuckle.

"Just how cursed am I…"

A loud knock slammed against his door.

He nearly jumped out of his skin.

His body was still in shock from the nightmare. His nerves were raw.

He forced himself to breathe.

Calm down.

He looked around.

His room.

The Bulwark.

Reality.

He was fine.

He walked to the door and opened it.

A stranger stood there.

He wore the standard Shural uniform. A bronze badge with two stars pinned to his chest.

"I've been knocking for several long minutes now," the young man said irritably. "Did you not hear—"

He stopped.

The irritation on his face faltered.

Gazel stood there pale, almost sickly. His eyes were swollen and red from crying. His hair was messy. His body was slightly fidgeting, even if he tried to hide it.

The Shural had been ready to lecture him.

To scold him.

But the words died in his throat.

Instead, he frowned.

"Are you okay?"

Gazel looked at him.

His swollen eyes held no emotion.

They looked distant.

As if he was somewhere far away.

"What do you want?" Gazel asked, tone cold.

The young man did not answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer and placed a hand on Gazel's forehead.

Then he frowned.

"Your body is burning up. You need to see the healer. Now."

Gazel slapped his hand away.

His expression darkened instantly.

"If you can't state why you're here, then just leave." His voice rose, sharp and loud.

He knew he was being harsh.

The young man was clearly trying to help.

Most people would have been annoyed.

But the stranger only smiled and patted Gazel's head again.

"It is normal to be temperamental when you are sick," he said gently. "If you do not want to see a healer, I can bring you a healing potion instead."

Gazel stared at him with a deadpan expression.

"No. I don't need one. I will be fine on my own. Just leave."

The young Shural frowned slightly.

Cold child, he thought.

Still, he reached behind his back and brought out a small box.

"This is from Sir Ashiro. He asked me to give it to you."

Gazel accepted it and gave a short nod. "Thanks."

"You are welco…"

Bam.

The door slammed shut in his face.

The young man blinked at the wooden door.

"Kids and their tempers these days," he muttered with a helpless shake of his head before walking away.

Inside the room, Gazel dropped the box onto his bed.

He opened it without ceremony.

Inside lay a neatly gleaming white dagger.

Beneath it was a small note.

"That is your reward for passing the test yesterday."

Gazel remembered.

Ashiro had said something about a gift if he proved he was blessed and not cursed.

He had somehow managed to do that.

Yet none of it changed how he felt.

Blessed?

Right now he felt anything but.

He closed the box and pushed it aside.

Then he lay back down, staring at the ceiling, trying to sleep.

He could not.

The entire Bulwark was alive with activity.

The blessed were preparing for their trial. Basic training had begun. Weapons practice. Aura control. Formation drills.

Everyone was moving forward.

Everyone but him.

Gazel turned to the side.

What if I lose control again?

The thought tightened around his chest.

What if I attack my friends?

What if I kill them?

Or worse.

What if they have to kill me?

Neither outcome was something he could live with.

Minutes passed.

His mood did not lift.

Not even a little.

With a sigh, he stood, washed up, and stepped outside.

He walked through the massive Bulwark, passing people busy with their tasks.

For a moment, he thought he might catch a glimpse of Blaze somewhere.

Maybe training.

Maybe laughing.

Maybe just being normal.

But Blaze was nowhere in sight.

Gazel did not slow down.

He left the crowded sections behind and headed toward the small patch of forest near the outer edge. Just a few meters wide, barely a forest at all.

There was a smooth lake there.

Quiet.

Still.

He climbed onto a boulder and stared at his reflection.

Pale face.

Red, tired eyes.

"I look miserable," he muttered.

The boy in the water looked just as broken.

"Why me?"

The question slipped out before he could stop it.

Why do I have to carry this weight?

Why do I have to feel like this?

And that voice from his nightmare echoed again.

Death will consume all.

The words felt wrong.

Too heavy.

Too vast.

It was not just about dying.

It felt bigger than that.

Like something inevitable.

Something crawling closer.

Gazel clenched his fists.

"What does it even mean?"

Frustration boiled over.

Gazel clenched his fist and slammed it into the lake.

Water exploded upward, waves rising high before crashing back down in violent ripples.

"Stop being lousy, you moron."

The voice was calm.

Irritated.

Gazel froze.

He had not sensed anyone.

Not a single presence.

And his instincts were sharper than most grown warriors, let alone boys his age.

Slowly, he raised his head.

There, lying lazily across a thick tree branch, was a young guy who looked about his age. Same build. Maybe a little taller. Lean frame. Relaxed posture.

But the confidence rolling off him was ridiculous.

Impeccable.

Untouched.

"What did you say?" Gazel asked, voice low.

He was already in a foul mood.

And this stranger had just called him a moron.

The boy on the branch did not even open his eyes. His blond hair fluttered softly in the wind.

"I said shut the hell up, you moron. You're disturbing my peace."

Gazel's jaw tightened.

"Don't you have any sense in your damn skull to know when someone is frustrated?"

Rage bled through his tone.

He was unstable.

He knew it.

He could snap at any moment.

The boy finally opened one eye.

Blue.

Almost the same shade as Gazel's.

But different.

Gazel's blue was cold. Icy.

This one was warmer. Brighter.

Sharp.

"Let me guess," the boy said lazily. "You either had no parents to teach you manners, or your brain is too dead to process what I'm saying."

Gazel's face twitched.

"I think your parents were the unlucky ones," he shot back. "Giving birth to an absolute waste like you. Looking down on others and talking high and mighty."

The boy opened his second eye.

This time there was no laziness in them.

Only disgust.

"What did you say?"

"I said you're nothing but a waste of space," Gazel shouted, rising to his feet.

His chest heaved.

His fists trembled.

"If you want to prove you aren't, get down here and prove it. I'll thrash you so badly you won't have the energy to ever speak wrongly to anyone again. I promise." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

His whole body tensed.

Every ounce of pent-up emotion, every fear, every doubt he had been choking on all day was clawing to get out.

The boy on the tree remained calm.

Unmoved.

He slowly stood to his feet on the branch.

"Did you just say you want your ass whipped?" he asked in a steady, undisturbed tone.

Gazel sneered.

"No. I said I'll beat the crap out of you and make you wish you weren't here."

His teeth ground against each other so hard it almost hurt.

The blond boy tilted his head slightly.

"I don't mean to burst your bubble," he said calmly, pride laced through every word, "but you are not worthy of being my opponent."

The young man jumped down, his gaze calm, his posture relaxed.

"I don't have much to do, but it seems your parents never taught you common manners or sense."

He paused, sliding his left hand into his pocket while his right hand extended, beckoning Gazel forward.

His face remained calm, his body relaxed, as if he simply wanted to show a rattling his worth.

He continued, his blue eyes glowing faintly. "I will help them teach you… by beating the crap out of you."

To be continued.

Author's Note:

Alright, warriors of this story, this is where you step up.

Every vote. Every review. Every bit of support. It is not just a number. It fuels the chaos. The battles. The explosions. The insane twists you love.

Here is the deal.

200 power stones unlock an extra chapter.

100 collections unlock another extra chapter.

Every 10 reviews unlock one more extra chapter.

Yes. Extra chapters packed with carnage, revelations, and moments that will hit you right in the chest.

If you want faster updates, more action, more tension, more raw unfiltered intensity, this is your moment.

Do not just read and vanish.

Vote. Review. Collect. Comment.

Your energy becomes mine.

And together, we push this story beyond limits.