A new king.

Azrael let out a long sigh, his face displaying an unimpressed and unfazed demeanor as he surveyed the battleground. Suddenly, a familiar aura pulsed within him, beckoning him to approach. "Finally, a challenge," Azrael murmured, his voice low and dangerous.

With purpose, Azrael tracked the source of the aura, and the deeper he ventured into the forest, the more beasts followed in his wake. Eventually, he emerged from the trees into a vast green oasis, with a towering mountain at its center. Halfway up the mountain, Azrael glimpsed the being that had emitted the powerful aura.

To his surprise, the figure was humanoid, draped in a dark robe, with green eyes and a small horn atop its head. "I would have let you live, but you had to cause such a ruckus," the figure sneered.

Azrael eyed the figure warily. "Are you a demon?" he demanded in a low, menacing tone.

"No," the figure replied, standing from where it had been seated. "I am Zaron, a beast who has evolved and now possesses a new form. I am the king of this forest."

Zaron's words were cut short as he suddenly appeared in front of Azrael, stabbing his hand through him. Azrael remained calm "You are fast," he acknowledged.

"But not fast enough," Azrael continued, now standing behind Zaron as the afterimage that was stabbed dissipated.

Zaron was taken aback by this sudden display of speed. "Oh, interesting, but will it—" he began, but was interrupted as he swung his hands to block an unseen attack.

"How did you...?" Zaron trailed off, perplexed, as he gazed at Azrael who had not moved.

"It seems you have some annoying tricks," Zaron growled, rushing at Azrael with his fists raised.

Azrael was quick to draw his sword, blocking Zaron's punch. The clash sent a shockwave through the air, almost uprooting the grass and trees. Both fighters retreated, eyeing each other warily.

Azrael and Zaron stood facing each other, both fighters seemingly ready for a fight to the death. Azrael's sword gleamed in the sunlight, and Zaron's eyes glinted with a deadly glimmer. Suddenly, Zaron disappeared from sight, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

Azrael quickly spun around, his senses heightened as he searched for Zaron. Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy behind him and he turned just in time to block a swift strike from Zaron. Azrael grunted, feeling the force of the punch, but he quickly recovered and launched a fierce counterattack with his sword.

Zaron dodged Azrael's sword strike with ease, his speed almost too fast for the eye to follow. He created multiple clones of himself, and the battlefield was filled with Zaron's images, making it difficult for Azrael to tell the real one from the fake.

Azrael gritted his teeth in frustration as he tried to focus on the real Zaron.

"I controll everything in this forest" Zaron exclaimed as he raised his hands in the air and Suddenly, a barrage of rocks rained down on Azrael from the nearby mountain, and he quickly deflected them with his sword. Zaron took advantage of Azrael's distraction and landed a devastating blow, sending Azrael flying across the field.

As Azrael struggled to regain his footing, Zaron charged at him again, his fists blazing with energy. Azrael knew he had to act fast. He pointed two fingers towards Zaron and unleashed a devastating grey beam , but Zaron was too quick and he dodged the attack, leaving a smoking crater where the beam had hit.

Zaron laughed, and suddenly the ground below Azrael shifted with a wave of Zaron's hand, sending him tumbling down a deep ravine. Azrael landed hard on the ground, his sword falling from his grasp.

Zaron approached the ravines edge, his eyes filled with malice. Azrael looked up, As zaron exclaimed "are you done?, why struggle as though my ability to kill you was in question?". Suddenly, Azrael's eyes flashed with a bright light as the Primordial Spark charged through his body, unleashing a surge of lightning that struck Zaron with deadly accuracy.

Zaron howled in pain as he quickly got out of the strike of lightning. He waved his hands once more, sending a massive rock that smashed into Azrael. There was silence in that moment, maybe one of victory signalling that Zaron had won, but his bask in glory did not last long because soon he felt a great aura emanating from Azrael.

Just then, the dark lightning struck the boulder, destroying it into pieces and revealing Azrael who stood below. His eyes glowed grey as the dark lightning crackled around his body, and his flaring ki emanated an aura that made Zaron quickly retreat. But just as Zaron did this, he heard a voice from behind him, one that sent chills down his spine.

"Why step back?, as though my ability to reach you was in question?" Azrael said as he gave a devastating punch to Zaron that sent him slamming into the mountain.

"This was entertaining, so I'll end it quickly," Azrael said, grabbing the hilt of his sword.

"First god form: Advanced Phantom Blade," Azrael said as he made one slice, and with that, half the mountain and Zaron were decimated.

Azrael walked through the rubble of what was once half a mountain as he absorbed the dark ki gotten from killing Zaron.

"What a great amount," Azrael said as he sheathed his sword and sighed loudly as the great aura that came from him dissipated.

Moments after, a large light shot to the sky from somewhere in the forest. Azrael noticed it and quickly went towards the light. As he reached it, he saw a small shed, and just beside it was a magic circle from which the light shot from.

Azrael entered the small building to see a bag, clothes, paper, and a map. He picked up the paper, which read:

"If you are reading this Azrael, that means that Zaron's ki can no longer be felt, and you have most likely defeated him, which means you have finished your training and are ready to leave this place. You must have noticed that the ki of the beasts in this forest is now insufficient to grow your dark ki. I have thought up a way to solve this.

You will be joining the league of assassins and mercenaries, a well-known group who carry out assassination requests from anybody willing to pay, as long as the person being assassinated has committed provable crimes worth their death or atleast that is what they were hundreds of years ago. I figured this would be a way for you to avoid the dark slumber while still appealing to your moral compass, if you still possess such a thing.

When you join the Assassins League, you must make sure to join as a high-level assassin so as to get a sufficient amount of dark ki from the missions given to you.

By doing this, you not only stop the dark slumber but also grow your strength, so think of this as the next phase of your training.

Along with this letter, there is a map that will help you find your way to the Assassin League's main headquarters what I hear is now a city and there are some clothes also. As you leave here, you must make sure to keep your identity a hidden to the best of your abilities, and these clothes will aid you in doing just that. Also, there is a bag that contains enough money for food and transport.

I will inform you about the next phase of your journey in time. Remember, stay alive.

Lastly, it is extremely important that you keep your aura and power concealed most of the time and make sure to never use your full power. This will only drag dangerous attention to you.

I look forward to the next phase of your journey, Azrael.

Stark Demetriou."

After reading the note, Azrael stood silently for a moment before letting out a long sigh. He picked up the dark cloak and donned it, it had a balaclava covering his mouth and nose while revealing only his eyes. The cloak also had a hood, which he pulled over his head.

Next, Azrael took the bag, which was slung over his shoulder, and placed the map inside. With everything in order, he made his way to the edge of the forest from where he had entered.

When he arrived at the barrier, Azrael placed his hands on it and gave it a gentle tap of his fingers. With that, the barrier crumbled, and he walked out of the forest.

Taking a deep breath, Azrael inhaled the fresh air from the outside world for the first time in almost a year. As he looked at the setting sun, he took the first step of the next phase of his journey.