Rachael was the vice-captain of B Class, so she was strong enough to stand up to Azrael in terms of mortal ranking.
But having a high mortal ranking did not mean that you had the courage to face off against someone else in real conflict.
Azrael was a far more dangerous beast than Rachael, and deep down, on an instinctual level, Rachael could sense the bloodlust and danger present in Azrael's nature. Rachael knew that Azrael was not someone you wanted to face in a real fight.
Rachael took a step away from Azrael and spat out her next few words.
"I don't know what it is that gives you this much confidence, but you better stay out of my way from now on, you reject. I can smell the bloodlust oozing off you from a mile away, and it's repulsive. Just give it a few more years, I'll bet my life that you become a murderer just like all the other children of darkness."
The other members of B Class were watching the conflict silently. Many of them were ready to step in if Azrael went too far, but from the way things were going, they could tell that Rachael was handling things well. They didn't care about what Rachael was saying, and they didn't bother to stop her. Instead, they were prepared to attack Azrael if he tried to retaliate.
Finally, after it seemed like things were going to escalate again, someone stepped up.
"Alright, Azzie, that's enough. You too, Rachael, chill out."
Sunny Gaye walked up to the arguing pair with his usual flair and charisma. He patted Azrael on the shoulder and quickly removed his hand before Azrael could shrug it off, then he headed towards Rachael and pulled her into a hug.
Rachael seemed to melt into Sunny once he hugged her, and she forgot all about Azrael and looked up at Sunny with a wide smile on her face.
Azrael turned away from the two of them and spoke with his arm stretched out.
"Let's go."
Maddison picked up her bag and took Azrael's hand, and a small blush rose on her face when he tightened his grip and began to pull her away, but Sunny spoke up before they could go.
"Hey, Azzie, I know you're at the peak of your hormones and all that, but make sure you use protection! And don't let Francesca catch you like last time!"
The class all laughed as they heard what Sunny said, and Maddison felt anger rising from deep inside her heart.
Azrael didn't show any reaction to the jab, and Sunny's eyes narrowed in anger as he watched them go.
…
[In the gym]
Azrael and Maddison were sitting together on the bench after their workout. There were other students in the gym as well, but most of them were already getting ready to leave since it was getting dark.
Azrael glanced at his system and saw that he got three points in Strength and Agility, with only two points in Stamina. His stats had started to even out recently, and it seemed like he was getting too powerful to still be using the gym.
Azrael already knew that there would come a time when he no longer needed to go to the gym. There was a reason why the third years were never seen in the weightlifting gym. They had gotten so strong that going to the gym would no longer benefit them at all. It was far better for them to work on their God Aspect and kill demons to improve themselves.
At the rate that Azrael was going, he guessed that by the time he got into his second year, he would no longer need to go to the weightlifting gym anymore.
'That'll make it harder to train in school.'
This thought passed through Azrael's mind, and he frowned.
If Azrael no longer needed to go to the gym to improve his mortal body, then he wasn't going to get any stronger. That meant that the school would expect him to stagnate. But if Azrael continued to grow stronger because he was killing Divine Beings, then he might come under suspicion from the higher-ups.
Azrael sighed and decided that he would find a way around that later. He had a year until things got to that point, so he would come up with a solution before then.
"Azrael, what you said earlier – about the demons and demigods."
Azrael hummed and turned to look at Maddison curiously. Maddison was looking down at her thighs with a frown on her face. She looked like she was deep in thought, but Azrael could tell that she had already figured things out.
Maddison turned to Azrael in disbelief and spoke in a low whisper.
"Are you saying we can gain Divine Essence from killing other demigods?"
Maddison sounded like she didn't want to believe it. There was a part of Maddison that already knew that what Azrael was saying made sense. There was no rule that stopped a demigod from gaining Divine Essence from other demigods. After all, Divine Essence could be gained from any creature that possessed a Divine Core.
But in her heart, she just felt like it was fundamentally wrong.
To her, it looked like you were eating your own kind – cannibalism.
Azrael hummed once again to confirm Maddison's curiosity, and Maddison put her hand to her mouth and stared at the ground in shock.
Maddison knew that there had to be some reason for Azrael to be doing what he was doing, but she would've never been able to guess that this was it unless he had given her that clue earlier.
But now, another question appeared in Maddison's mind.
Azrael was someone without a God Aspect.
What in the world did Azrael need Divine Essence for?
Maddison turned to glance at the enigma sitting beside her once again.
A demigod without a God Aspect that possessed the highest Divine Potential ever recorded.
It was already strange enough that Azrael was so powerful even without a God Aspect, and now he was gathering Divine Essence for some reason.
Maddison's curiosity was at its very peak.
And someone like Maddison, who had never felt this curious about anything before, couldn't help herself from asking.
"What are you using all that Divine Essence for?"
Azrael turned towards Maddison calmly.
And then, he smiled.
It was a twisted, cruel thing that sent shivers down Maddison's spine.
Maddison had never seen Azrael look like this before, but she couldn't deny that she found it more attractive than anything she had ever seen in her life.
There was something about the insanity in that look that appealed to Maddison. It made her feel alive.
Maddison pressed her legs together and swallowed.
"I wonder."
Azrael said with a small laugh. It wasn't an answer, and it left Maddison with many more questions.
Maddison decided that this was something she shouldn't have asked. She let go of her curiosity and turned away.
Finally, Azrael brought up the topic that he wanted to talk about.
"You said that Sunny's party was going to be held at the Harold Mansion, right?"
Maddison nodded. She wondered what he was possibly getting at.
"And you're sure that Harold himself will be there?"
Azrael asked this, and Maddison's face scrunched up in thought.
"Well, it's Sunny's party, so I don't think Harold would miss it. Harold Sabastine has a history with the Gaye family."
"What kind of history?"