Chapter 175: Azazel’s Legacy

Luke stared at Samael. He had interrupted the conversation about his demonic bloodline—because, to him, there was something far more important at stake.

“My mother joined a tutorial years ago… and never came back,” Luke said, his voice firm. “The reason I ended up in this tutorial… is because I want to know how she died.”

Samael went silent. His expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes sharpened—focused.

“It’s possible to find out,” he replied. “You want to know if she died because of a challenge—one crafted by a god, or simply at the hands of another human, don’t you?”

Luke nodded. “Exactly.”

“You really want that answer now?”

“I do.”

Samael snapped his fingers. A mirror appeared in his hand. He extended it toward Luke.

“What do you see?”

Luke took the mirror. For a second, he didn’t understand. Then he looked—and all he saw was his own reflection.

“It’s just me.”

Samael stepped closer, his eyes shimmering faintly. “This is who you are now. The real question is: if the version of you from a few months ago looked into this mirror… would he see the same person?”

Luke paused. His mind ran through everything he’d lived since this all began—the battles, the near-deaths, the revelations, the small moments of clarity in a storm of chaos. The boy who had agreed to System integration had been lost, fragile, desperate for answers. The person standing here now… was different. He knew the answer.

“No,” he said quietly.

Another snap. The mirror vanished.

“You made it this far because you had a purpose. A fire. The search for the truth about your mother lit that flame. And that flame… has saved your life more than once.”

Samael crossed his legs again, calm as ever. “If I gave you that answer now, I’d be stealing something from you. Cutting your path short. Robbing you of the fire that still needs to grow. But I don’t decide for you.”

He leaned forward, just slightly.

“I can find out now. And tell you. Or… you can carry that question with you. Let the future you deal with the answer—when you have the strength to face it. What do you choose?”

The words hit hard. Like a hammer breaking through ancient walls. This was the question. The one that had haunted him since he was five. Since the day she disappeared. Now it was here. The truth he had craved, offered to him freely.

Part of him screamed for it—as if he deserved to know. Needed to know. But another part… feared what it might bring. Maybe this wasn’t the time. Maybe he still wasn’t ready to carry that kind of weight. And in the end, hesitation was the answer.

He exhaled. Looked down. “Can I ask you some things about the bloodline?”

Samael smiled. Then nodded—like a man recognizing a good move in a quiet game of chess.

“Ah. Very well.”

A golden coin dropped into Luke’s hand, materializing out of the air. It was warm. As if it had just been forged. A subtle glow pulsed along its surface, though it reflected no light—it seemed to emit it. Soft. Alive. Luke held it carefully, sensing that the small object carried the symbolic weight of a crown.

“Azazel gave you the treasure of his legacy. A unique gift. You and he now share the same blood. But don’t be mistaken—he didn’t give you a path.” Samael’s voice lowered. “He gave you a direction.”

Samael laced his fingers together, resting his chin atop them. “You get to choose whether to walk the path laid before you… or carve your own. A bloodline isn’t a sentence. It’s a tool. A key.”

He paused. “And you haven’t even started opening the right doors yet.”

With a snap of his fingers, the golden coin vanished.

“Why did Azazel give me his bloodline?” Luke asked. “Not that I’m ungrateful—I mean, it did save my life… I just want to understand.”

“Don’t try to make sense of a Primordial God’s decisions,” Samael said, calmly. “Not even I can fully grasp their intent. In truth, I came here for a few reasons… one of them being to deliver warnings—and prohibitions.”

Luke blinked. “Prohibitions?”

His heartbeat quickened. Until now, everything had felt like a path of discovery—layer upon layer of secrets unfolding. But prohibitions? That sounded like a threshold. A boundary. And something beyond it… dark.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Hmm. I might’ve skipped a few steps,” Samael said with a slight smile. “Let’s go back for a moment. Remember what I told you about the chosen ones from the World Government? The individuals who serve the gods?”

“I remember.”

Samael picked up a roll from the tray and began spinning it between his fingers.

“The gods took that bread from the tutorial… and upgraded it. Turned it into a hot dog, or a burger, or spread peanut butter on it.” He chuckled. “What I mean is—through divine orders, humans receive enhancements. They’re offered evolution paths: a unique class mutation, a sacred skill, an item, a blessing, a profession, a philosophy, a direction, a title… countless rewards, tailored for mortals who dedicate themselves.”

He bit into the bread, chewing thoughtfully.

“And the further they go… the more they gain. With enough effort, a mortal can even become a god.”

Luke listened intently. Every word felt like a seam tearing open in the curtain that had long covered his understanding of the world around him. Things were finally falling into place.

“So you cultivate gods too,” he murmured.

“Sometimes. Some apostles are exactly that—mortals who, by following a divine order, ascend and become gods themselves. They act as extensions—tentacles—of that deity within the universe. You see where I’m going? What a god actually earns from this… I can’t tell you. But there are many rewards tied to creating a divine order and acquiring followers.”

Samael crushed the remaining bread in his hand. Crumbs spilled like dust onto the floor.

“Bloodlines are the pinnacle of what a god can give. And even then… there are limits. It’s like a god removing a piece of themselves and giving it to someone. So yes—it’s extremely valuable. In our universe, where my master Azazel reigns… let’s just say, there are people who wanted you dead the moment they found out.”