Strogoi.

Azrael had shared a bit of his history with Evan, though he was clearly irritated that his legacy had been erased.

He knew all too well that it was the work of the gods.

The terror and destruction he had unleashed were wiped from the history books, a great insult to his name.

'Zeus and Ventus... hehe, my revenge will be something you'll never forget.'

'I'll cause so much chaos that the celestials will cease to exist,' Azrael thought darkly.

Evan was disgusted by the fact that Azrael had taken so many lives for such meaningless reasons.

The sheer evil that radiated from him was proof of how terrifying he truly was.

He had already demonstrated that, mercilessly killing her elders and causing the annihilation of her village.

'I have to be careful... he's quite unstable,' Evan thought.

The cave they dwelled in was quite eye-catching to the keen observer.

It had a dome-like shape with walls that resembled scaly reptilian skin.

The rough surface was lined with five-inch spikes jutting out at random intervals.

Azrael's attention was immediately drawn to the walls of the cave when he heard something strange—a heartbeat.

His elevated body temperature had dulled his senses when they first entered, but now that he was relaxed, the sound was crystal clear.

"Hmm, I think we should leave this cave as quickly as possible," Azrael said calmly.

"What do you mean—" Evan began, but before she could finish, Azrael grabbed her by the shoulder with one hand and tossed her outside like a ragdoll.

At that moment, a spike from the cave wall shot out with bullet-like speed, extending in length as it moved.

Azrael knew he had wasted valuable time when he threw Evan out, and there was no chance of escaping in time.

He stomped hard on the ground, twisting his body with a powerful motion, breaking a few bones in the process.

He didn't care, knowing they would heal on their own.

Some might call it the 'perfect body,' but for the dark god, it was a curse to endure the pain every time he tried to perform a skill he once mastered as a god.

Syphoning dark energy from his soul, he merged it to create a thick circular shield just as the spike collided with it.

The force was immense, sending Azrael rocketing through the air and out of the cave.

He tumbled backward three times before regaining his footing.

"What a powerful strike. Hehe, I can't wait to see what creature did that," Azrael chuckled, his body screaming for battle.

Evan was on high alert, her claws drawn.

Initially, she wanted to teach Azrael a lesson—something like, *'Don't lay a hand on a lady without permission'*—with her claws doing the talking.

But seeing him ragdolled out of the cave, she realized that danger was lurking.

The once isolated cave, the only structure in the vast desert that stretched for miles, suddenly broke apart.

However, it didn't crumble. Instead, the sections slid alongside each other, revealing more of the structure—a long, slithering form emerging from the earth.

The way the body coiled together suggested that, if fully stretched, it could cover a radius of at least one and a half miles.

Then, a massive head, the size of a school bus, rose menacingly.

Its forked, fish-tail-shaped tongue flickered in and out of its small, hole-centered mouth, sensing any scent lingering in the air for miles.

[Warning: A high-level Strogoi beast has been detected.]

〘You escaped its trap for prey. It will not let you go unless it devours its catch.〙

[Host has two options:]

Option one:

[Subdue the Strogoi with your fists and tame it.]

[Reward: Acquire snake-skin body.]

[+10% Body capacity]

[Option two:]

[Defeat the Strogoi and feed on its flesh.]

[Reward: Size manipulation.]

[+5% Body capacity]

'Hmm, interesting,' Azrael mused.

'It seems the system wants me to choose one of these optional quests, both which would be beneficial to me.'

'Acquiring a new body is exactly what I want, and 10% body capacity is quite a good deal.'

'However, taming a Strogoi isn't something I'm particularly interested in.'

Strogois had a notorious reputation in the celestial realm, whether they were savaging each other or indulging their insatiable urge for destruction and bloodshed.

One would hardly believe they were once beings known as angels—holy and graceful entities.

However, their greed for power led them down the path of blood art, a power forbidden in the celestial realm.

Instead of drawing energy from nature or substance, Strogois harnessed pure blood control, a dangerously unnatural form of power that allowed them to consume blood essence, creating significant problems.

Hundreds would die just so a Strogoi could devour their blood and ascend to the next level.

Even the weakest among them were on par with high-level demigods.

Fortunately, the Strogoi before Azrael was a beast-type Strogoi.

If it had been a humanoid one, they would have been in real trouble.

The humanoid race was by far the most lethal and destructive.

...

The giant python locked eyes with Azrael, its bloodshot gaze bearing down on him.

But Azrael didn't flinch, nor did he break the stare.

Instead, he was consumed with excitement, which seemed to surprise the creature.

"Come on, you stupid creature, show me what you've got.

"Or just stand there as useless as the trap you laid."

'Come on, get angry, you bastard.'

Strogois had an uncanny ability to calculate the outcome of a battle with extreme accuracy.

They could predict their opponent's next move and counter it before the attack even occurred.

It almost felt like they possessed future sight, but it was simply a result of highly refined battle analysis.

However, when their unstable rage was triggered, they abandoned this calculated approach, giving Azrael a crucial advantage.

'I don't know if this will work... I've never fought a Strogoi before, only heard tales. I was too busy plotting the gods' downfall.'

*Hissss!!!*

The python opened its massive jaws, revealing three-meter-long fangs, lined with rows of half-meter teeth.

'Well, it worked. I guess insulting the egos of celestial beings really gets under their skin. Typical celestials.'

"Time for a little fun! I want a new Body!!!" Azrael shouted, taking a firm stance.

†**