The Slayer Ascension: Cursed and Blessed.-Chapter 36: New trouble

Chapter 36

Gazel stood tall, his grin widening, looking nothing short of devilish.

Honestly, he should have been grateful the two demons attacked him. That force, mixed with his own stubborn will clawing at his dark core again and again, finally did what he had been waiting for.

His dark core flared once. Dimmed. Then pulsed.

Dark waves of energy ripped through his entire body, flooding his veins, crashing into his bones, dragging him straight into his demonic form.

Transforming was tricky. Not painful like people imagined. It felt warm. Natural. Almost right. And that was the problem. The demonic form always tried to drown his mind. Even though he was still Gazel, it never felt that way. Something inside him always pushed, always tried to take control. Every single time he transformed, the same struggle began.

Stay in control.

If he lost control, he didn’t even want to imagine the outcome. He didn’t want to find out.

Still, compared to moments ago, his situation had flipped completely. From desperate to deadly. From bleeding to overwhelming.

He clenched his fists, then unclenched them. Brutal strength surged through him, raw and unrelenting. Every dark core he had devoured, every demon he had ruined, their essence was fused into him. In his human form, he could only touch a fraction of that power. Now, in this form, it was fully his to use.

The strength was crushing. intoxicating.

He smiled. A dangerous smile.

Looking at the two demons, he spoke in a casual, almost friendly tone.

"Tell me. Which one of you is willing to die first?"

The demons stiffened. Nervousness flashed across their faces. But it vanished almost instantly, replaced by confidence as they felt his aura. Mid-rank. Just like them. Two against one. Common sense said they had the advantage.

They didn’t hesitate.

They attacked first, believing speed would win them the fight.

In seconds, they were on him.

Gazel stood there calmly, as if they weren’t even there. Both demons struck at the same time, using the same tactic as before. One aimed for his head. The other went low, targeting his abdomen. They assumed he would protect the weaker point.

Their fists stopped.

They couldn’t move them. Not even an inch.

Gazel’s hands were wrapped around their wrists, gripping them in place. And the worst part was this. He wasn’t straining. He wasn’t shaking. He wasn’t even trying.

Before they could react, his hands moved.

Too fast. Too brutal.

The larger demon was smashed straight into the ground. The impact cracked the earth, carving a deep crevice beneath it. Blood sprayed across the rubble. Gazel didn’t bother checking. He knew it was still alive.

That meant he had to move fast.

This form burned through dark essence like fire through oil. He had to end it now.

His attention snapped to the second demon, the one he had faced first. His fist blurred. The demon only caught a glimpse before the blow landed. The punch tore through its face, launching it into a nearby building. The structure caved in on itself and collapsed in a thunder of debris.

Gazel didn’t stop.

He leapt onto the ruins, landing atop the crumbling wreckage. His hands plunged into the broken concrete. He lifted, ripping something free.

When he pulled his arms back, he was holding the battered, blood-soaked body of the demon.

Dust settled around him.

Dark energy rolled off his body in waves. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

It opened its mouth, about to speak.

Before a single word came out, another devastating boom erupted as Gazel slammed it down into the wreckage of the building.

The force parted debris like air. The demon smashed deep into the ground, carving another brutal crevice. Blood splurted everywhere. Half of its body sank unnaturally into the cracked earth.

Pain flooded it.

In all its years fighting demons of the same rank, this was the first time it felt completely overpowered. Completely helpless. It was like fighting something from an entirely different class.

Gazel stood over the broken demon, staring down at its twitching body. He didn’t bother with words anymore.

His hand shot forward.

The speed was savage.

His arm tore straight through the demon’s upper chest and closed around something hard, pulsing, alive right beside its heart.

The demon’s eyes widened.

Gazel ripped it out without hesitation.

The body stiffened. Then went limp.

Dead.

In Gazel’s hand was a dark crystal. The demon’s core.

Without wasting time, he devoured it.

Power surged through him. Dark. Heavy. Addictive.

He almost missed it.

Almost.

A presence moved too close.

Gazel turned at the last second.

A brutal fist smashed across his face, snapping his head sideways. The larger demon, the one buried earlier, grinned as it landed, convinced its sneak attack had worked.

Then it froze.

Gazel turned his head back slowly, casually, as if his neck had not been bent at an unnatural angle a moment ago.

The demon swallowed.

Maybe it could do the same thing. Maybe.

But not that fast.

Gazel spoke calmly as he drew his fist back.

"My turn."

Bam.

Boom.

The demon was ripped off the ground, flung wildly through the air, then launched straight through a building. Gazel walked after it, calm, deliberate. He pulled the demon from the rubble just like before.

This time, he didn’t slam it down.

He punched it again.

Another devastating blow.

Then another.

And another.

Again.

Again.

Until the demon was no longer a body, only shattered flesh and blood scattered across the ruins.

If there was anything left, Gazel destroyed it.

He walked through the remains, his steps slow, almost bored. He picked up the final dark crystal lying nearby.

"Devour."

The energy flowed into him.

He let himself feel satisfied.

It wasn’t every day he fought mid-ranked demons. It was even rarer to do so in his demonic form.

Nearby, a harsh cough broke the silence.

Gazel turned.

The young woman lay on the ground, blood seeping from her mouth, pain written across every inch of her body. Her injuries were severe. Saving her felt impossible.

Normally, he would have walked away.

But she had taken that blow for him.

He owed her.

As he stepped toward her, he forced the demonic form down, shifting back into his human body. The power receded reluctantly.

The demon form felt stable.

But it wasn’t.

If he stayed like that too long, he might lose control. He might tear apart the very person he was trying to save.

That would be ironic.

Gazel knelt beside her, reaching out.

And then he felt it.

The dark core inside him stirred again.

Hungry.

Unstable.

Kneeling beside the heavily wounded young woman, Gazel asked in a low voice,

"Do you have any healing tonic or item that can restore you?"

She looked at him, really looked at him, as if studying what he was beneath the blood and shadow. Her face was pale, tired, in pain. After a moment, she shook her head.

"My heart vessel is already crushed," she said weakly. "I’m only holding on this long because of my Azura. It won’t save me for long."

Her breath hitched.

"And I need to deliver something. Something important."

Her voice was so thin Gazel only caught it because of his heightened hearing.

So she was dying. No way around it.

But she had mentioned an item. Delivering something.

It was a hassle. He knew that. But she had saved him earlier, and that debt sat heavy in his chest.

"Where is this item," Gazel asked. "And who are you delivering it to. Maybe I can help."

Her eyes were closed now, like she had already crossed the line. Honestly, she almost had.

Then suddenly, they snapped open.

Something flickered inside them. Wariness. Hope. Desperation. Maybe all of it.

She smiled.

She nodded.

She had no idea if giving something like this to a demon was the right choice. But if her instincts were right, then this demon was different.

So she would risk it.

Before Gazel could react, she moved.

Too fast.

She grabbed him by the collar and pressed her lips against his.

Gazel froze.

What the actual hell is happening?

Then he felt it.

Warmth. Strange. Gentle. Powerful.

Something flowed from her into him through that point of contact. A golden aura wrapped around an ashen stone, slipping into his body like it had always belonged there. It settled in his chest.

Then chaos erupted.

The golden aura exploded outward, colliding violently with the dark aura flooding his body and soul. The clash ripped through him.

Gazel’s eyes widened as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Pain tore through every nerve.

He staggered back, gasping, his mind spinning as he tried to understand what had just been forced into him.

He looked at her.

The young woman had fallen back, eyes closed, expression peaceful. A faint smile rested on her lips.

She looked... happy.

Like she hadn’t failed.

Gazel swallowed.

At least he helped. That thought barely formed before another wave of agony surged through him. He nearly collapsed, clutching his chest so hard he thought he might rip himself open.

He cried out, forcing the pain down with sheer will.

Slowly, it subsided.

Not gone.

Just quiet.

Breathing hard, Gazel stood. He didn’t know if she had poisoned him. It didn’t really make sense, but nothing about this situation did. Right now, his priority was leaving and figuring out what the hell was happening inside his body.

He took one step.

Cold metal touched his neck.

Gazel froze.

A sharp dagger rested against his throat. The presence behind him was heavy. Dangerous.

Standing there was Ashiro.

White hair fluttering in the wind, his expression calm, unreadable. One of his many daggers was pressed lightly to Gazel’s neck. Ashiro glanced past him at the dead member of the Ery family, the one he had intended to save and add to the number of Blessed.

He was too late.

His gaze returned, not to Gazel’s face, but to his hands.

They were soaked in blood.

Not his.

Meaning it belonged to someone else.

"I have some questions for you," Ashiro said quietly.

His voice was calm. Firm.

Gazel’s body tensed instinctively.

"Note this," Ashiro continued. "Whether you live or die will be decided by your reply."

The blade pressed just a little closer.

"Who are you?"

To be continued.