Chapter 251: Ruler Of Death

Back inside the rift, moments before it tore open outside, Adam tightened his grip on the Angel of Death. The noise faded behind him as he activated [Analyze], forcing himself to focus despite the pressure building in the air.

The system responded instantly.

[Name: Angel of Death]

[Grade: Epic]

[Property: Place in line for the Ruler of Death]

Adam froze for half a second, his breath catching. Ruler of Death… The words echoed harder than they should, triggering something deep inside him. A strange familiarity crept in.

Then a voice slipped into his mind.

No wonder it felt so familiar.

Adam's eyes widened as his grip tightened slightly around the angel. "It's you…" he muttered under his breath, already recognizing the presence. There was no mistaking it, this was the same entity that had been lurking inside his soul.

You know I have a name, right?

Adam blinked, thrown off for a moment. "You… do?" he asked cautiously, unsure whether to be relieved or more concerned. The entity sounded far too casual for something tied to death itself.

Of course I do, the voice replied smoothly. I gave myself a name. Something refined, Elegant and Fitting.

Adam frowned, brows pulling together as suspicion crept in.

"Alright… what is it?" he asked, bracing himself. For some reason, he didn't trust the tone at all.

A faint sound echoed in his head, like distant drum rolls building anticipation.

It's Bob.

Adam stared blankly for a second. "...Bob?"

No, the voice corrected immediately, sounding almost offended. It's Bob. First name: It's. Second name: Bob.

Silence hung in Adam's mind for a beat before he exhaled slowly.

"You're messing with me," he said flatly, already convinced the entity was playing games.

Ignoring that, Adam narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Wait. Why can I even hear you like this? Could you always do that?" His tone sharpened, suspicion replacing the earlier confusion.

No, It's Bob replied simply.

Adam didn't relax. "Then why now?"

A brief pause followed before the answer came, quieter this time.

Because of that.

Adam's gaze dropped immediately to the Angel of Death in his hand. The energy around it pulsed faintly, heavier than before.

Adam's gaze stayed locked on the Angel of Death in his hand, its energy pulsing heavier with each second. His mind raced, connecting the system's words with what he knew. An Epic-grade natural resource wasn't supposed to exist here.

Those kinds of resources only appeared in level six incursions, and even then, the chances were low. Finding one inside a level five incursion wasn't just rare, it was completely abnormal.

Adam exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts into order as he focused on the line that mattered most. "What does it mean to be 'in line' for the Ruler of Death?"

It means exactly what it sounds like, It's Bob replied without hesitation. You have the chance to become the ruler of the Death affinity.

Adam's grip tightened slightly, his eyes narrowing as that sank in. "That doesn't make sense," he said quickly. "I already control death energy. Doesn't that make me some kind of ruler already?"

For a brief second, there was silence, then Bob burst into laughter inside his head.

Control? the voice echoed, amused. The tricks you magicians use aren't control. Not even close. At best, it's a poor imitation. A sloppy copy dressed up as mastery.

Adam stiffened, caught off guard by the blunt response. Magician? The word stuck for a moment, but he pushed it aside. This wasn't the time to argue labels. There was something more important here.

"So what is a ruler, then?" Adam asked, his voice more focused now, cutting straight to the point.

Bob's tone shifted, becoming calmer, almost instructive.

A ruler is simple, he said. It's someone with absolute authority over a primary affinity. Their will becomes law within that domain. No one surpasses them in it.

Adam's mind sharpened instantly, picking apart every word. Only someone with a primary affinity could even qualify. And more importantly, there could only ever be one ruler for each affinity. No exceptions.

Bob didn't stop there.

And the biggest difference? he continued. A ruler doesn't need techniques to channel or use their affinity… they are it.

Adam's pupils remained tight as the realization settled, but another thought pushed forward immediately. He frowned slightly, refusing to accept things at face value. "Then what about domains?" he asked, his voice steady but probing.

Bob didn't answer right away.

What about them? he finally replied, sounding unimpressed, as if Adam had missed something obvious. The tone alone made it clear, this wasn't going to be the same kind of explanation.

Adam didn't back down. "With a domain, you can already control an affinity without techniques," he said quickly. "Monarch-level martial artists do it all the time. Inside their domain, they don't need structured techniques."

There was a pause, longer this time, before Bob let out a quiet sigh. The reaction alone made Adam feel like he'd said something wrong, even if he couldn't pinpoint exactly what.

You're forgetting something, Bob said at last. Your domain clashed with the lich's domain. You remember that, don't you?

Adam's jaw tightened slightly at the reminder. He did remember. The strain of forcing control against something that refused to yield completely.

Bob didn't give him time to respond.

If you were a ruler, he continued calmly, there wouldn't have been a clash in the first place. To a true ruler of Death, all death answers. It doesn't resist. It doesn't fight back. It submits.

Adam's grip on the Angel of Death tightened unconsciously as the weight of those words sank in. No resistance or contest. Just absolute authority. The difference wasn't small, it was overwhelming.

If you had been a ruler, Bob added, his tone sharpening slightly, you could have shut down the lich's domain with a single thought and It would have ended instantly.

Silence filled Adam's mind again, heavier than before. His gaze lowered to the Angel of Death, its dark energy pulsing steadily in his hand, as if responding to the conversation itself.