Sigrid and Aren had endured a terrible fate, but when they compared their situation to Gwyn, the difference was like day and night. When they were five years old, the duo enjoyed the full protection of their clan as they trained and safely improved their power. In contrast, Gwyn participated in missions and fought in wars where he could die at any moment.
They could not understand how someone so young, who should barely be able to understand the world, was able to survive in such a treacherous and hostile environment.
Ezequiel gave the duo a moment to understand his words before continuing with the story.
"As you may know, after each mission, the members of the Death Army have a three months rest period before they are summoned again. Unlike the rest of his comrades, who would only participate in missions when they were forced, Gwyn Xinter hardly rested for a week before volunteering himself to duty, specifically to tasks involving World Wars.
Many mocked the boy and thought he was one of those hot-blooded youths who liked to show off, but they could not be more wrong. Even though he was extremely young, his scheming mind was not inferior to those who had lived hundreds of years.
While it was true that the mortality rate of the missions that involved Eye Masters and Eye Lords was the same, the amount that returned alive of the last group would usually not reach the two digits while those of the first could be counted in the dozens.
That was because the number of Eye Masters that were sent in each mission reached the tens of thousands with ease. In such a great number, it was easier for a genius like Gwyn to dodge the real threats and find a path to survival.
As for not training during the rest period and maintaining his power at Rank 1 for several decades, that was not possible, especially for someone with an Emperor bloodline.
The Death Army granted excellent training facilities to its members. There was an unspoken rule in the army that those who did not focus on increasing their power would be marked. The fate of those individuals was certain death.
Gwyn was not the only one who noticed the advantage that Eye Masters had in the army. However, he was the only one with the courage among the Rank 1 life forms to take that opportunity.
There was one more reason why he preferred missions in which there were many Eye Masters. The number of people from whom he could steal inside the army was greater. I don't have an exact figure, but the number of soldiers of the Death Army that died in his hands was above one thousand.
Before his eighth birthday arrived, Gwyn Xinter fulfilled his one-hundredth mission and became the youngest Captain of the Death Army in the history of the Eye Dynasty.
Every powerful clan in the dynasty knew about this, and they all wanted to form a relationship with this young genius. Many of them hoped to marry him into their families and obtain his bloodline.
Unfortunately for them, Gwyn was not interested in forming part of their clans. He no longer needed their protection and could obtain resources with his own hands. He formed his own clan named the Ghost Eye Clan and picked soldiers from the Death Army, with whom he had developed a relationship, to form part of it. " Ezequiel made a pause here, and you could see in his eyes that he was truly impressed with the determination of the five years old boy in the story.
"In our meeting, he got a Path Technique from my Master, similar to the one you have, but unlike you two, he bought it. Before that day, his goal was to achieve revenge on the Blood Eye Clan, but he obtained a piece of information that changed everything.
When he returned to the Eye Dynasty, he once again started to take missions of the Death Army. Most Captains would usually handle the recruits or lead the army from a safe location in World Wars, but Gwyn took a more direct role in the missions, fighting in the front lines.
The dangers he had to face as an Eye Lord were much greater. In every battle, he was forced to break his limits and urge out every ounce of potential inside him. Thanks to his title, he obtained the same resources that we gave to you two.
When he became an Eye King, Gwyn had already touched the part of the Path Technique that transformed his body, meant for Soul Forging existences. The only reason he could not advance more was due to the need to awake his True Soul to start the next level of that technique.
If I compared that level to your techniques, it would be like completing the second level and starting to grasp the third."
When Sigrid and Aren heard that, their eyes widened. The pride they had for finishing the first level of their Path Technique disappeared. Merely entering the second level before reaching Peak of Rank 3 was not something the duo thought possible.
Shame appeared in their hearts. When they felt their power, they thought it would not be hard for them to obtain a Tier 3 completion in the Holy Trial. They even fantasized about following Gwyn's steps and reaching Tier 1.
The Neo-Demon did not want to crush their spirit, but if they entered the Holy Trial without understanding how hard it was, then they would fail.
"Other than my Master and I, I doubt I could find anyone capable of defeating Gwyn Xinter in the same Rank. The reason is not just battle power. His combat experience was honed in battlefields where the most minimal mistake could cost your life, and he is willing to be brutal with his opponents and even more with himself.
In the final task of the Holy Trial, Gwyn burned his life force and ignited his bloodline. This gave him immense power, but the damage he received could not be fixed even with the reward he could obtain with a Tier 2 completion. He was set on either obtaining Tier 1 or dying!."
Ezequiel's words made Sigrid and Aren tremble. Gwyn Xinter was a supreme genius, someone who could reach Rank 6 and live hundred of thousands of years. The will to risk such a glorious future just for the small chance of achieving something greater was the thing needed to become a legendary individual.
The siblings looked at each other, and they saw the conviction in the face of the other. They knew that achieving what Gwyn did was not possible for them, but they were set on risking everything on the Holy Trial.
Ezequiel noded when he saw the behavior of Sigrid and Aren.
"I am not asking you to go to the lengths he went, since I don't think is possible for either of you to obtain a drop of blood from the Holy Mother, but as long as the damage in your life force and bloodline is not irreversible, we can provide with almost every medicine that there is for sale in the Magi World." Ezequiel had told them all he wanted to say, and there was no need for more words.
The Supreme Neo-Demon covered the Eye Holders in red lightning before rising into the sky and flying to the closest magic tower. Ezequiel's speed was impressive, and he reached the tower quickly.
The trio used the teleportation formation and traveled to the 1st magic tower where Sigrid and Aren used the World Gate and left the Beta Heavenly World.
The World Gate in the Sinux Magic Tower glowed, and the duo appeared. The moment the siblings appeared on the subterranean floor, they noticed a man waiting for them and immediately bowed.
Heinz's eyes narrowed as he saw the behavior of the duo. Despite their respectful attitude, he did not detect the fear that most Rank 3 life forms would feel in his presence.
"It seems that I don't need to ask whether or not you two are ready to take the Holy Trial." Heinz limited himself to nodding before covering Sigrid and Aren with his consciousness and teleporting.
Thanks to Heinz's control over the Law of Space and the current strength of his True Soul, the distance he could cover with each teleportation was almost ten times greater than when he was a Rank 4 life form.
He should have been able to reach deep into the Endless Forest with his first teleportation, but instead, he and the Eye Holders appeared inside a room.
Sigrid and Aren immediately recognized their location. They were on the highest floor of the Daybreak Magic Tower. The duo looked at Heinz with confusion since they did not understand the reason they have come here.
They did not have time to ask any question before space broke a few meters in front of them, forming a portal, and from it, a young man with black hair and majestic aura emerged.
The flow of time appeared to change around that young man and adapt to his heartbeat.
