The aftermath

Amidst the desolation of the valley, where the only remnants were the charred remains of buildings and a sea of lifeless bodies, a lone figure struggled to emerge from beneath the rubble. With trembling hands and labored breaths, the Black Axe leader finally freed himself from the debris that entombed him. He surveyed the devastation around him with a mix of horror and awe before his eyes fell upon the sky. "Euthena's chosen," he muttered under his breath, a twisted smile forming on his lips, "so I have finally found you."

*****

Two days had passed since Azrael completed his mission. After handing over the unconscious Ellie to the people who were sent to retrieve her at Demis Path, he embarked on his journey back to Aml city. The strain of his god form had taken its toll on him, and he fell into an exhausted slumber as soon as he arrived.

Azrael's fists flew with a deadly precision, striking the punching bag with a force that would have knocked out most. Each blow was accompanied by a deafening boom, echoing throughout the training room. Sweat poured down his chiseled body, revealing his toned muscles and impressive six-pack abs. It was hard to believe that this muscular, mature figure was only sixteen years old.

As the alarm sounded, Azrael wiped the sweat from his brow and headed up to his penthouse. Quickly changing into his usual attire, he took the elevator to the briefing room. Upon arrival, he found Li waiting for him, sitting behind his desk.

"Sit down," Li said, gesturing to the chair in front of him. But Azrael shook his head, leaning casually against the wall instead.

"Congratulations on successfully completing your mission," Li began. "The Black Axe was wiped out quite impressively with nothing left of them, so you did quite a good job."

"I didn't do that, actually," Azrael started to explain but was cut off by Li. "Yes, yes, Ellie told us she landed the final blow, but you still took out most of them. Your employer was satisfied with your services, so there is no reason to discuss it further," Li said.

"You have been paid the hefty sum of ten million gold coins," Li continued, searching the drawer of his desk. "The life of an assassin sure is luxurious, isn't it?" He pulled out a paper from his desk drawer.

"Now onto the problems with your mission. I remember informing you quite well about the importance of secrecy when it comes to being an assassin, especially one at your status," Li said, leaning forward on his chair and narrowing his eyes. "So tell me, why does Miss Blueborne know your real name?"

Upon hearing Li's question, Azrael found himself confused and almost dumbfounded as he asked himself the same thing. Why did she know his real name? He recalled telling her at the auction, but that was only after she called him 'Azeel', which meant she already had an idea of his name.

"I remember explicitly telling you that you would only be referred to as A7 by anyone outside the league. But in this letter from Ellie, she uses your real name. Can you explain the reason for this?" Li asked, gesturing to the paper he brought out.

"She mispronounced my name, meaning she might have already known it, and I then corrected her. I was distracted at the time and made a mistake. It won't happen again," Azrael said.

"So that means she might have somehow already known your name? What a weird girl," Li said, leaning back in his chair. "With quite the dark past too," Li added.

"Dark past?" Azrael asked.

"Yes," Li began. "I recently learned she was given the nickname 'the bloodlusting Blueborne.' They said just a couple of years ago, when she was just around thirteen years old, she was a murderous child. She killed people remorselessly at the slightest opportunity she got," Li explained.

"Really, Ellie?" Azrael asked, unable to believe what Li was telling him.

"I know, it's quite shocking after seeing her current personality. Although it's said the reason for her murderous tendencies was a result of the power she possessed. She was Euthena's chosen, a mage granted great power, but along with it, the bloodlust of the fallen mage Euthena. So, as a result, Ellie avoids using this power," Li explained.

"Who is Euthena?" Azrael asked with piqued curiosity.

"It's a long story, one that most don't like talking about. Maybe I'll tell it to you one day," Li said.

"Once more, Congratulations on completing your first mission, The money you earned can be used to purchase anything in AML city by just showing your badge, if you need physical coins you can go to the treasury and retrieve them with your badge aswell." Li said dismissing Azrael.

As Azrael turned around to leave, he was called back by Li "Oh, here is the letter from Ellie" Li gestured to the paper that laid on his desk.

Li watched as Azrael took the letter, but instead of leaving, he sat down on the chair across from him. Li leaned back in his seat, intrigued by Azrael's behavior.

Azrael's gaze was unwavering as he asked Li about the quota that was sold at the auction, his voice clear and steady. Li raised an eyebrow, surprised by the request.

"You want the other quota for the first god's blade retrieval?" Li asked, his tone incredulous.

Li looked at Azrael with a mix of amusement and disbelief. "You must be joking, right?" he said, his voice dripping with incredulity. He tried to contain his laughter as his gaze dropped on Azrael's stern and serious eyes.

"How old are you? Eighteen, twenty?" Li asked as he stood up from his desk and moved towards a table on one side of the room, where some wine and cups were kept. He poured two cups of wine and brought them back to his desk.

"You are quite an accomplished man for your age," Li said, as he sat down and placed one of the cups in front of Azrael. "A prestigious high-level assassin, living in a dream home, making millions on every mission. This is a life that most can only dream of, but you earned it with your strength. However, don't be too greedy," he cautioned.

Li's tone turned serious. "Greed kills," he said, before downing the wine from his own cup.

"Do you know the kind of people that will go for that sword, even among the league? Do you know how many people are more qualified than you?" Li asked, shaking his head. He took a pause, looking at Azrael, who seemingly still had no plans to back down.

"Even if we did send you, you would only die, quite horribly, I might add," Li said, his voice low and grave. "Let's say we send you, and you somehow manage to retrieve the sword among the monsters present there. What do you think? That you would keep the sword? It will be a property of the league, and it will make the biggest auction AML city has ever seen."

Li leaned back in his chair and sighed. "You have quite the sum now. Go to the weaponry tower, and you can get a great sword. Don't speak of this matter again. Dismissed."

Azrael heard and understood Li's words quite clearly, but he had no plans of letting Genesis be taken from him that easily, assuming they even could. As he turned around to leave, his mind raced with strategies to take his blade.