Once the ninth game was over, the Sage remained motionless for ten seconds. Zatiel felt that the person in front of him had changed again, and some thoughts appeared on his mind.
'Was that his true self, or another entity he was able to channel?. That feeling of danger was something I have not felt in a very long time. If he is a Being of Laws, then even with all my peculiarities, I should have never called his attention.'
Zatiel knew very well how powerful a Being of Law is. The gap between Rank 3 and Rank 4 is so large that even Ezequiel, who had a First Order Law Bloodline and was part of the most powerful race in the universe, could not cross.
And the difference between a Peak Soul Law Domain existence and a Being of Laws was hundred of times greater. A Soul Law Domain existence who had mastered the Law of Fate could greatly increase their power by disturbing the destiny of other Rank 6 life forms. However, the feedback that a Rank 7 life form could obtain by completely changing the fate of a Rank 6 life form was almost null.
The effects that Zatiel's actions would have in the universe were beyond what a normal Being of Law could ever hope to achieve, but that was in the future. His impact right now on the ocean of fate was not impressive compared with other powerhouses inside the Magi World.
'I am currently weak, but my true identity is special, and calling me unique would not be wrong. There is no reason to believe that other exceptional individuals are not roaming the universe as well. I guess I can only blame my bad luck to have been targeted by one of them while I still lack power.'
Zatiel's eyes were still indifference and showed no emotion. The fact he had a powerful opponent did not falter him.
'Once I have reached Rank 4 and earn the title of Doom Bringer, my survival abilities will only be inferior to the ones of a Being of Laws. Only then will I have the capacities and opportunities to handle these pests by myself.'
There was an immense coldness and desire to slaughter inside Zatiel's heart as he faced this individual who had disturbed his plans and attempted to harm his race. Of course, he did not show any of that and just waved his hand to start another game with the Sage.
'It won't be long before the energy of the Soul Apple is finished, and my soul is ready for him to act in it. I hope Heinz can make it on time.'
The Neo-Demon felt mixed emotions about letting other people fight his battles for him. On one side, he was glad that he had friends who would risk their lives for him, but Zatiel's essence was that of someone who handled everything with his own power. He did not enjoy staying on the sidelines, waiting for others to do the hard work.
Zatiel and the Sage continue playing Go. The Sage dispositions kept changing, but nothing similar to the savage and lunatic personality he displayed on the ninth game appeared again. The Neo-Demon won the tenth, eleventh and twelfth game.
After that last game of Go, the Sage did not perform his usual ritual, and the Mind Force that originated from his eyes focused on Zatiel's soul.
"This game has been interesting, but your soul is strong enough, and I don't plan to lose more time." The Sage stood up, and boiling asphalt began to gather on his hand.
Zatiel did not display any emotion or attempted to fight as the Sage prepared to act on his soul. He knew that any resistance would be futile, and he was truly calm. The reason was the message his original body received a couple of hours ago.
As the hand filled with boiling asphalt approached his face, the Neo-Demon thought a word, and the original body outside the Sage's control delivered it.
'Now.'
The Sage's hand froze just as it was about to grab Zatiel's head. The grey humanoid turned to look at the sky above Saint City, and he was not alone since every Angel and Angelic Paragon stared upward. The entire city that was filled with sunshine just a second ago was now covered in darkness.
The reason was as simple as terrifying. A deep red gargantuan monster appeared above the city. His body was so immense that he blocked the sun and transformed the day into night.
The creature had a triangular head, with three eyes on the right side and three on the left side. His mouth was open, and it revealed sets of teeth of different lengths with a throat that appeared to be a portal to an inferno. Every part of his body was filled with muscles that were packed with unbelievable strength. The air around him was being polluted with energy so corrosive that just one inhalation of it could kill a Rank 2 life form.
Saint City, as the headquarters of the Heavenly race inside the Beta Heavenly World, had the space around it sealed. Even Heinz, with his control over the Law of Space, was only able to appear three thousand kilometers above it.
"Demondand?" The Sage was surprised by the unexpected entrance of such a creature.
Even though he could not use his consciousness to explore the world and his control over the Law of Fate was restricted since the body he was using was just an incarnation, he was still able to foretell the destinies of any individual inside the Beta Heavenly World that would enter in contact with him.
However, there were limits to the scrying powers of the Law of Fate. The stronger the opponent, the harder it would be to predict their actions. Things become hundreds of times more difficult if they have materialized their laws, and they have them protecting their True Souls.
The Sage had to act fast, but the creature appeared right at the worst moment. The Deep Dark Dream was a powerful and special spell. Abruptly stopping it could generate a backlash strong enough to destroy his incarnation, and his problems did not end up there.
The grey humanoid was forced to divide his attention since the Neo-Demon had used this moment to attempt to impale his head with his finger. The Sage paralyzed Zatiel's body and stopped his effort to kill himself.
Zatiel was a Rank 3 life form, and the damage his fingers could have provoked would have been too small to kill him. However, any damage to the red runes would have activated them and exploded the head of the Neo-Demon.
Heinz did not waste time. He acted immediately and launched himself at the city as if he was a world-ending meteor. His speed and strength were truly formidable, and the shock wave he generated as he kicked the air, that extended for hundreds of kilometers, was powerful enough to kill a Peak Rank 3 life form.
The control of the defenses of Saint City was in the hands of Tomas and Oliver, and neither of them was in the position of giving commands. Luckily for the Heavenly race, the winged castle was able to act without any order and perform pre-programmed protective strategies.
Twenty percent of the feathers on the winged castle glowed before transforming themselves into giant spears and being shot at the demodand. The next second, a twenty-meter thick white dome formed around the city, and its defensive force was so high that a normal Rank 4 spell would not leave a scratch.
Each feather in the winged castle could be considered a Rank 4 artifact after having accumulated energy for thousands of years.
The demodand showed no hesitation and did not attempt to dodge the spear. His sole purpose was to accumulate as much kinetic force as possible.
The spears reached the immense body of the creature instantly, but space around the demodand acted chaotically, reducing a great amount of their power.
Demodands are known for their defensive abilities. However, the spears were still able to bury deep inside the giant and tear parts of his body.
Unfortunately, they were not able to stop him. With immense momentum, the one hundred thousand meter demodand crashed into the white shield and pierced it.
The moment the winged castle detected that the enemy had trespassed its defenses and became a danger to the members of the Heavenly race inside Saint City, every single one of its feathers became a spear and was fired to the demodand.
Those feathers were the strongest weapon of the winged castle, and now they were gone, the might of Saint City would be greatly reduced. However, the attack it just released was powerful enough to kill a seasoned Law Engraving existence.
Twenty percent of the feather had greatly damaged the demodand's body, and there was no way he would be able to resist this next attack.
Facing the immense danger that was those hundreds of spears, a cruel smile appeared on the creature's face. The next instant, the demodand's body that was larger than Saint City, released a blinding red light and exploded.
