My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 936: The Emergence of Azazel (Part-1)

Kate smiled casually, toweling her hair as she sat down. "Yeah, i’ll leave at dawn."

"Okay."

The night quieted down. The city lights flickered through the curtains, painting faint glows across the room.

Kate drifted off first, her breathing calm and steady. Orion lay awake a little longer, staring at the faint shimmer of the Prehistoric egg inside his storage card while his natural energy once again began to become restless... "Let’s not do it now. Let’s do it after returning."

Moments later, he too closed his eyes, letting the soft hum of the city fade into silence.

*

A few hours later, deep within the red-light district of Ashenford city, neon lights flickered lazily above the narrow streets where brothels and love hotels stood shoulder to shoulder, their walls echoing with muffled laughter and music.

But inside one such brothel, the scene was entirely different.

A woman was screaming in labor with a glowing scarlet trident mark on her forehead. Sweat drenched her face as she clutched the sheets beneath her. Around her, a handful of sex workers hurried frantically — boiling water, fetching towels, praying under their breaths.

"Push! Come on, you’re almost there!"

"Hold on, just a little more—!"

"I’m telling you. Let’s go to the hospital instead. It’s too risky for natural birth..."

"No..." The woman screamed right away. "I’m nearly there... But listen, the moment the baby is out, you’ve got to kill it."

"What?"

"Kill it?"

"What’s this fool spouting?"

"Forget about her. She didn’t like being pregnant in the first place."

"Ugh... what kind of mom would say to kill her child..."

"This bi*ch..."

"She was fine until a month ago. What happened?"

"She must have met the father of her child, who doesn’t want the child. She must have wanted to use the baby to get with her lover..."

"But, still, she bore the child for nine months. She must have affection for the baby. Which mother in the world would hate her own baby?"

"Hey, stop murmuring... Get another set of towels, bring hot water, now..."

The madam had already cleared the house, sending every client away with refunds and excuses. Her face was pale as she stood near the door, muttering nervously, "What kind of cursed night is this..."

And soon...

With a final, heart-wrenching scream, the baby slid into the world.

*Uwaaa* *Uwaaa*

For a heartbeat, everyone exhaled in relief. Smiles emerged from the women around.

But that breath turned into horror in just four seconds.

The newborn didn’t cry. Instead, its tiny body was enveloped in crimson-black energy as it floated — slowly, eerily — above the bed. The air turned heavy; the walls began to vibrate.

"W-What’s happening?"

"The baby—!"

The madam reached forward — and instantly froze, her body turning pale as her life was drained from her. One by one, the women around her collapsed, screaming as their vitality was sucked into the growing sphere of scarlet light that surrounded the child. Not even the mother was spared.

Their blood turned to mist. Their souls flickered like candles before being devoured. The demonic light expanded, cracking the floorboards, melting the lantern glass.

And then—

A deep, monstrous laughter echoed through the chamber.

"HAHAHAHAHA..."

The light burst apart with a shockwave, throwing splinters of wood and debris in all directions.

When the glow faded, the baby was gone.

Standing amidst the carnage was a towering adult, his body sculpted and naked, skin glistening like obsidian. With black feathered wings sprouting from his back, his eyes burned red, and the air around him warped with power.

"I’m finally reborn..." he growled, his voice deep and resonant. "After centuries in that cursed seal... I, Azazel, have returned at last!"

He threw his head back and laughed — a sound that split the night like thunder.

A pillar of demonic energy shot up from his body, piercing the brothel roof and ripping through the sky, turning the clouds above into swirling blood mist.

At once, the entire city trembled.

At the Eastern District’s Dragon Spirit Martial Arts Dojo;

A group of disciples was in the middle of night training, their wooden swords clashing against one another.

The old instructor barked, "Focus! Your stance must be..."

He stopped mid-sentence as the floor quaked beneath his feet. The lanterns swayed violently.

One of the disciples gasped, "M-Master, the sky... look!"

They rushed outside. Above the rooftops, a pillar of scarlet light pierced the heavens.

The master’s eyes narrowed, his voice turning grim. "That... that’s an intense demonic qi. It isn’t just a demon. A demigod rank demon?"

Taking a deep breath, he ordered. "Everyone, you are all dismissed."

*

At the Western District’s Slums;

Inside a narrow alley, a young thief rummaged through trash bins for scraps. He froze as the ground shook before clutching his chest as a strange pressure made it hard to breathe.

"What the hell is that feeling...?"

Looking up, he saw the sky bleed red. His stolen bread slipped from his hands.

"It’s like... the world’s ending."

*

In a Meditation Hall near the Church of Light, Central District;

Priests were kneeling across the statue of Goddess Theia. They were in the middle of midnight prayer, a time the goddess of light and healing said to be free enough to listen to their prayers and bless them (well, according to their belief). The Head Priest’s eyes snapped open in the middle of the prayer, glowing faintly golden as he sensed the disturbance.

"A rift in the balance... born of sin and despair. Only one being can carry such heavy sin..."

The younger Priests murmured in confusion.

"Father, what is it?"

The Head Priest murmured with a dark gaze. "The Fallen Celestial has returned."

At a Mage’s Tower in the Northern Heights;

A young-looking sorceress scribbled formulas under candlelight, experimenting with runes when her ink quivered across the parchment. Her crystal orb began to hum violently.

"What in the..." she gasped, standing up.

Through her window, the red beam reflected in her eyes. Her lips parted. "That energy—this isn’t mortal mana. It’s... cosmic. Who summoned this existence?" She pushed her round spectacles up and rummaged through her table drawer, taking out her phone. "I don’t think anyone in this city can take such presence on, at least not alone. But, just in case, I need to call the city guardian, Ren Tianyu. We need his Emperor Qilin on our side."

She went on dialing the number, calling once the descendant of the Hidden Clan of Sun, although now a free man who was solving crimes in the city.

A few rings later, the call was picked up and before she gets to say anything, the voice spoke, "I already sensed it. On my way. Try to defend the city until I come there."

Skybridge District in the Downtown, 39th floor; 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Atop a luxury skyscraper, Evelyn, the heiress of Weezmart, the richest family in the country was soaking in her glass-walled bathtub while sipping wine.

The flare reflected off the glass, staining her skin crimson while her AI assistant beeped, "demigod rank threat detected. Coordinates: Redlight District, Ashenford City. Activate Evacuation Protocol?"

The red haired beauty smirked, swirling her wine. "A demigod threat in this city? Now, that’s interesting. Whether the casualties high or not, the civilian structures will be damaged for sure. It would be best if half of the city gets destroyed in the process. This way, when the reconstruction project will fall in my hands, we can profit tens of millions."