Turning back time to a few moments before the Sage appeared in the Silent House, Zatiel's true body containing his main soul was standing before a finished runic formation.
The runic formation contained millions of incredibly thin runic lines. Once it was completed, the formation glowed with a red light before disappearing.
Zitra saw the runic formation disappear but was not surprised since the same had happened with every single one Zatiel had created. The first time it occurred, the Magus became curious and used her consciousness to explore the earth, but no matter how much she searched, she found nothing. It was as if the runic formation had never existed.
"Let's go to the next..." Zatiel had not finished his sentence when coldness filled his eyes, and he stared in the direction where Saint City was located.
The Neo-Demon's aura became extremely cruel and savage, no different from the one of an ancient monster who had found his prey. But that state lasted less than a second before Zatiel's face grew expressionless, and his heart became void of any shred of emotion.
The change did not escape Zitra's perception. Just as she was about to ask what happened, the Neo-Demon turned to her with empty eyes and spoke with an indifferent voice.
"Let's go."
Zitra knew that something important happened, and the fact Zatiel did not share anything meant it involved the enemy she was too weak to handle. The Magus limited herself to nod at the Neo-Demon's command and used her maximum speed to advance to the next location.
Shadows covered the duo, and less than three seconds after that, they appeared close to a river. The Law of Light had already affected the area, so they were hidden, and no one could see them.
Zatiel immediately made an orb of blood appear and started to work. This time, the number of tendrils he generated was seven times greater, and the speed at which they worked was enhanced by a factor of four.
The Neo-Demon was pushing his consciousness, energy, and Mind Force to the limit. The speed at which he advanced in the runic formation was enhanced exponentially.
However, there were severe downsides in using his power in this manner, with the wound on his soul and the state of his life force. Less than an hour after he started working on the runic formation, Zatiel's face became pale, and the blood vessels on his eyes swelled.
Due to the pressure on his soul, the waves of pain came faster, and the agony he endured was greater. The silver lining was that they lasted the same as before.
The Neo-Demon got back control of his body and immediately continued to work. Zatiel was able to finish the runic formation almost ten times faster than previous times. Once it disappeared, he signaled Zitra, and they went to the next location.
Less than fifty hours after Zatiel began to inscribe the runic formations with such an amazing speed, parts of his hair turned white, and there was blood on the corners of his eyes. Even with the help of The Prayer of Horus and his mental fortitude, the Neo-Demon knew he would not be able to keep this up for a very long time.
Zatiel had been working in the runic formation without a break other than to resist the waves of pain originating from his soul. Whenever his energy ran low, he would consume a pill and continue. But he had to stop when he received a shocking piece of information.
'What is this type of Mind Force?.' For the first time in a very long time, Zatiel's mind was filled with confusion and doubt.
He had a great comprehension of the Mind Ruler race and knew that this type of Mind Force was not present even in their Beings of Laws. It was not about quantity but quality. The essence of the Sage's Mind Force was completely superior.
There were very few things that escaped the knowledge of the Incarnation of Death and Destruction, and although some theories came to his mind when Zatiel thought about the origin of such power, he was not sure about any of them.
After a moment, Zatiel shook his head and no longer bothered with it. The Neo-Demon understood that many things could have happened during the millions of years that he spent in The Eternal River of the Afterlife, especially since his final battle in Baator affected the whole universe.
Zatiel was not worried about them mending his fragment of soul since he had made sure any information about his second life was erased, and the memories of his current life were modified. If they had soul searched him, the Neo-Demon would have been more than happy since the soul would have collapsed, and his wound could start to heal.
Although the Neo-Demon was confident in his capacities, the Sage was an enemy he could not underestimate.
'There is no way I will be able to complete my work before the Soul Apple finishes improving the power of that fragment of my soul, but as long I slow it enough, I will give Heinz sufficient time to prepare himself. Even with the strength that my brother will obtain, I am not confident in his chances. The only way to end this, once and for all, is to activate the key.' Zatiel did not care about the damage his soul and body were withstanding. His only focus was to finish the runic formations as fast as he could.
..........
Inside the Silent House, Zatiel and the Sage were sitting in front of a board of go. Oliver and Tomas were standing behind the grey humanoid, and their eyes were still filled with boiling asphalt.
Zatiel was not a gifted strategist when his path to power started, but countless battles commanding unruly hordes of demons helped him develop a mind that could trick Archdevils. Despite that, he had to use all of his abilities to face his opponent.
There was the fact the Sage was a higher life form, and his speed of thought was thousands of times faster than the one of Zatiel, but to him, that was irrelevant. In the Neo-Demon's mind, defeat is absolute, and excuses are worthless.
It took them ten hours to finish the first game, and Zatiel was the winner.
Once the game was over, the Sage remained motionless for ten seconds before waving his hand and starting another one.
The game of Go allowed Zatiel to have a better understanding of his opponents, and he could even deduce their personalities from the way they played. The second game he engaged with the Sage gave the impression to the Neo-Demon that he was playing with a totally different person.
It was not so simple as a change in his tactics. There are small patterns one would unconsciously display that had a connection with your habits and temperament, and even Zatiel had them. The patterns the Sage was showing now were too different from the ones in the first game.
Zatiel chose not to bother too much with the erratic behavior of his opponent and focus on the game. The skills of the Sage did not change too much compared with the last game, and the Neo-Demon was able to win.
After the second game was over, the Sage once again remained motionless for ten seconds before starting the third, and just like last time, his behavior changed.
The Neo-Demon and grey humanoid continued playing. Despite the great difficulties and close calls, Zatiel managed to secure victory every time.
However, it was after the eighth game that instead of ten seconds, the Sage remained unmoving for an entire minute.
Nothing changed on the grey humanoid's appearance after that, and he just waved his hand to start the new game.
Zatiel's mind and soul displayed no emotions, and his eyes remained indifferent, but when the ninth game started, the instincts of the Neo-Demon screamed with such power that they almost made him lose control. He felt as if he was now in front of the most formidable opponent of his life, someone even the most cunning Archdevil could not equal.
As they played, Zatiel realized that the Sage's skill reached a whole new level after this last change. What called most the attention of the Neo-Demon was that as the game advanced, he noticed that his opponent did not attempt to win.
What the Sage wanted, what his actions told Zatiel he desired more than anything was to sow madness. To submerge everything and everyone into a sea of insanity. Normally, those who pursued such goals acted irrationally and sluggishly, but the Sage showed his most meticulous and precise behavior as he wreaked complete havoc on the board of Go.
After thirty-four hours of playing, when Zatiel saw the board, he could not help but give an internal sigh and put the last piece.
The ninth game of Go between the individual who was once the Incarnation of Death and Destruction and the mysterious entity that goes by the title of Sage ended in a draw.
