The Slayer Ascension: Cursed and Blessed.-Chapter 76: Mistake chap

The moment Gazel's gaze fell on the figure stepping onto the raised platform, his heart went wild.

There was only one reason.

The white freak.

The man who had crushed him with ease. The one who had nearly ended his life and then walked away, sparing him only because of the sudden awakening of the blessed markings. The only stroke of luck Gazel had ever been given.

He did not lie to himself. He felt it clearly.

Hatred.

Admiration.

Both twisted together.

He wanted to reach that level. No, he wanted to surpass it. Only then could he truly prepare. Only then could he put his plans into motion.

He did not know much about the man, but he was certain of one thing.

Blaze would know.

As Gazel turned, his intuition was proven right. When Blaze looked at Nightflash, his eyes had once been full of reverence. But now, as he stared at the figures standing on the stage, his gaze burned with something deeper.

Praise.

Worship.

"Care to tell me something about those guys?" Gazel whispered.

Blaze did not answer immediately. His eyes were still fixed on the five figures now rooted on the stage, looking down on the thousands below with cold, effortless authority.

"Of course I know them," Blaze said.

Then he snapped out of it and turned sharply toward Gazel, almost offended.

"There's ignorance… and then there's this," he said. "Not knowing Nightflash is one thing. He's a rising star. But not knowing the Five Terrors? That's a whole different league of clueless."

Right now, if Gazel had looked like a pumpkin before, he looked even worse. Like someone who had just been born into the world and had no idea how it actually worked.

Blaze forced himself to calm down and began explaining, sticking mostly to what everyone knew.

"Those five are known across the supernatural world as the Five Terrors," he said. "They've shaken this world more times than people can count."

He pointed toward the massive man with the broad frame, his body covered in countless battle scars that seemed carved into his flesh.

"That one is Gauth of the Noan."

Blaze paused.

"Most people say he's a foreigner from across the seas. The moment he stepped into the Ayde Kingdom, demons attacked him."

Blaze expected horror. Fear. That was always the reaction.

Instead, Gazel simply nodded.

With a soft, disappointed sigh, Blaze continued.

"Anyone would think he was saved by Shurals," he said. "That would be the logical answer."

Gazel nodded again.

"But the truth is far worse," Blaze went on. "Every demon that attacked him died. Not just died. They were slaughtered. One after another. He was a blessed human, and none of them even lived long enough to regret it."

Blaze's voice dropped slightly.

"After a lot of trouble, he was recruited into the organization. Now he's known as the training freak. The strongest among the Five Terrors."

Then Blaze shifted his gaze to the woman with long black hair and striking green eyes.

"That's Princess Liora," he said. "And no, she didn't become a Shural out of duty. Or because she wanted to protect the world."

Gazel shot Blaze a questioning look, prompting a low chuckle before Blaze gave the absurd reason one of the strongest Shurals in existence became a Shural in the first place.

"Well, her story is even more terrifying," Blaze said.

"It's said a few demons wandered into her territory and killed several humans. She didn't really care. Not enough to move."

Gazel stiffened.

"But the moment those demons dared to trample her gardens," Blaze continued, voice dropping, "the ones filled with her most precious flowers and herbs, something snapped."

Blaze's eyes narrowed.

"Her pure, unfiltered azura lashed out. Entire swarms of demons were wiped from the region. And beyond it. That was how she caught the attention of the Shural Organization."

He paused, then added quietly, "She only agreed to become a Shural so she could keep venting her anger on demons that crossed her line."

Gazel gulped without meaning to.

If even half of that was true, then she was unhinged. Completely unfit to be called a Shural.

"And yet," Blaze added, his gaze drifting back to the stage, "her beauty is unmatched among the female Shurals."

He took in her soft, full curves and that elegant, cold face that seemed designed to trap the heart of any man foolish enough to stare.

Gazel nodded before he even realized he was agreeing.

"When is this meeting going to start? I have several important parties to attend."

The voice was cheerful, almost annoying. A petite girl, late teens at most, maybe just stepping into her twenties. She sounded lively, even bored.

She looked completely out of place among the monsters on the stage.

Until one noticed the two massive greatblades strapped to her back like they weighed nothing.

"Will you keep quiet, Mira," the golden haired man beside her whispered. "We're supposed to look cool. You're ruining the moment."

The gathering was so silent that almost everyone heard him.

Mira raised an eyebrow, her cheerful anger plain on her face.

"And why should I care about looking cool?" she shot back loudly. "We're demon slayers. We don't care about ego. We care about killing more demons."

She pouted at the end, her expression almost childlike.

Cute.

So cute that a few people in the crowd actually giggled.

Orion slapped his palm to his face.

"What a moron," he muttered. "My shining moment is ruined."

More chuckles rippled through the crowd.

"Well," Blaze said under his breath, "those two are rumored to be a couple. They argue all the time."

He glanced at Mira again.

"That cute Shural there," he continued, "the one whose cheerful smile is actually terrifying if you really know her, is Mira Cromwell."

Gazel listened closely.

"She's called the Battle Maniac," Blaze said. "Rumored to have the highest battle IQ among the Five Terrors. And she loves fighting more than anyone."

Blaze smirked.

"The 'party' she mentioned is probably visiting a few demon dens and gifting them her blades."

He went on listing more horrifying facts about her, but Gazel barely heard them.

He could not reconcile it. Someone that cute. That sweet looking. Someone that made others want to protect her.

And yet she stood on the same level as the white freak.

Gazel forced himself to remember that.

Normal did not exist among the Five Terrors.

"And the golden haired guy," Blaze finished, "that's Orion Sunkeeper."

Gazel raised an eyebrow at that surname.

Seeing his expression, Blaze chuckled. "Just as you guessed, that isn't his real surname. He keeps that information away from the public."

Blaze's gaze stayed on the stage.

"Rumors say he's the most friendly and peaceful among the Five Terrors. In fact, he was once believed to be the prophesied Golden Child."

Gazel's breath caught.

"Only problem," Blaze continued, "he didn't carry the unique mark that was supposed to appear on the Golden Child when they were found."

Gazel wanted to ask. Who was the Golden Child. What prophecy. Was the Lord of Radiance some terrifying Shural or something else entirely.

But he held it in and listened.

"Some say he's the weakest of the Five Terrors," Blaze said. "Others say he's the strongest."

He shrugged. "His accomplishments are vague. Hard to trace. But the fact that the rest acknowledge him tells you enough. He's more than capable."

Gazel nodded, carefully storing every detail Blaze shared.

So far, Orion didn't just seem bright. He almost seemed… normal.

Then Blaze added, "He's also called the King of Gambling. Rumor says he'd even put his life on the line just for entertainment."

The image of him being normal vanished instantly.

Gazel sighed.

Worst place. Worst time.

If the higher ups were already a collection of lunatics, he had no idea how he was supposed to survive here.

Wait.

There's one left.

Gazel's gaze landed on the white haired man standing apart from the rest. Composed. Calm. Eerily still. Like nothing in the world could move him even an inch.

"What about him?" Gazel asked, nodding toward Ashiro.

Something strange caught his attention.

Blaze's smile vanished.

A bead of sweat rolled down his neck.

Wait. Was he scared. Nervous.

No.

Both. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Blaze took a few breaths, steadying himself. When he spoke again, the smile returned, but it felt forced.

"The last one," he said quietly, "is the most infamous among the Five Terrors."

He paused.

"Ashiro Itsuki."

Gazel felt it settle in his chest.

"He's also regarded as the leader of the Five Terrors."

Ashiro Itsuki.

For some reason, Gazel found that easy to believe. Unlike most of what Blaze had said, this didn't feel exaggerated.

He had seen the man's power up close. Even then, he was certain Ashiro hadn't put any effort into crushing him. And yet Gazel had nearly died.

He didn't know the full strength of each Terror, but Ashiro being the leader made sense.

Apart from Liora, he seemed the most mature.

And the coldest.

Blaze continued, his voice no longer cheerful. The softness he had when describing the others was gone.

"He's the most hated. The most respected. And the most powerful among the Five Terrors."

Blaze hesitated, then added, "Also the most loved."

Gazel frowned. "That doesn't make sense."

Blaze exhaled slowly.

"You'll understand when you hear his nickname."

"And what is that?" Gazel asked.

Blaze shrugged, but his tone was anything but casual.

"The Cold Killer."

To be continued.....

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