Andras's body stabilized after being pushed more than ten thousand meters into the air. Slowly the purple flaming energy that covered the Magus' body and hid his figure from everyone began to disperse.
The Soul Forging existences of both sides were shocked when they saw the condition of Andras after being hit point-blank for Zatiel's attack.
A third of his head was destroyed, and you could even see part of his brain exposed. The right side of his body was completely pulverized, as was the left arm he used to protect his head at the last moment.
No blood was leaking from Andras's body despite the gravity of his injuries. The reason was that most of his blood was incinerated, and the heat in the attack cauterized his injuries.
However, the most shocking thing was that, despite the fact he was missing a big part of his brain and that most of his vital organs were incinerated, Andras Dragonstone was not only still alive, but due to the light in his left eye, you could see he was still conscious.
This was the might of a body of a Law Engraving existence!.
The moment you engrave the laws into your body, the reality that it can not work properly with a broken heart or brain does not apply anymore.
If the body of a Soul Forging existence were in such a state, they would be forced to discard it and escape with their True Soul. Of course, no Rank 4 life form would have survived a point-blank attack that had the might of Zatiel's Apocalypse Blast.
Andras' stared at Zatiel with the only eye he had left. Despite the extremely deplorable condition of his body, there was no anger on his broken face, only peace, and calmness.
"I must say, you are impressive, a truly unique existence. The physical might of my body is almost two times larger than those at the Peak 1st Engraving Stage who follow the body refinement path. Despite that, you, who entered Rank 4 less than a year ago, were able to surpass me without the need of activating your Law Avatar." Andras could not use his mouth to speak, and there was a problem with his consciousness, but it was very easy for someone with his power to manipulate the vibration in the air and produce sound.
Zatiel did not say a word and only kept looking at the Magus. The raging purple energy in his Rebirth Eye rotated faster and faster.
A small smile appeared on Andras' face when he saw the attitude of the Neo-Demon, and although he did not mean to, due to the condition of his face, it was truly terrifying.
"There is no need to be on guard anymore. You won this battle. I don't know what kind of energy and laws were in that last attack, but they managed to permeate every cell in my body, filling them with a force that is consuming their vitality and rotting them at the same time. The worst part is they also invaded my consciousness, and they are currently destroying most of it and twisting what is left." Andras did not hide his words, and the Soul Forging existences were able to hear them clearly.
Even after awakening your True Soul, your consciousness is very important due to its connection with your personality. Damage like the one Andras described would slowly erode your ego until you were nothing more than a vicious killing machine that could not distinguish friend from foe.
The expressions in the faces of the warriors of the Dragonstone Kingdom displayed the rage and sadness they were filling in their hearts right now.
"Fusing with my Law Avatar will only delay the inevitable. Do this old man a favor and use your Law Avatar to land the final blow in me. I hope to reach The Eternal River of the Afterlife, knowing all the power that your laws can achieve." There was complete peace in Andras' face when he spoke those words.
Zitra, Nero, Totto, and all the other Rank 4 life forms in the Daybreak Magic Tower were surprised by the incredible temperament of this man. Any other Law Engraving existence would have gone mad with rage if they were in his situation and would try to extend their life by any means, no matter the cost.
The group in the magic tower could not help but feel respect for a man with such a will that could remain strong even in death.
However, when Zatiel heard those words, he only sneered, and the coldness in his eyes grew.
"You are too naive if you think you could trick me. The reason you did not use your Law Avatar in the fight is not that you did not have the chance, but because you couldn't do it. You are nothing more than a clone with a special artifact instead of a True Soul."
Andras' was surprised when he heard that, but the next moment his smile became wider, and he began to laugh.
"Hahahaha, you are truly an impressive foe, a very sharp and cunning one. I don't normally use this kind of trick, but hey, you cannot blame me for trying to understand more of your power. This is indeed a clone, but it was made with the body of an Adult Ash Dragon and had a perfect copy of my body and energy pool when I was still in the Peak 1st Engraving Stage. It can even use Soul Origin, thanks to the artifact I used to replicate my True Soul. It should be invincible against Rank 4 life forms, but you still managed to defeat me."
The Magus words surprised everyone, even the people of his kingdom, but soon they were able to accept it. No one could reach the power that the King obtained with his own strength, without having a cunning mind.
Andras knew he was bound to lose the moment Zatiel matched his physical might. Even if he proved superiority in the end, he would still lose the moment the Neo-Demon used his Law Avatar. He felt the resolutions in his opponent's words when he spoke about butchering everything related to his son, so he was set in deciphering as much of his power as he could.
However, Zatiel's goal was the opposite. He could have won this battle much sooner if he had gone all out, but there were still enemies lurking in the shadows, so he wanted to hide as much of his strength as he could.
The enemy you fear the most is not the terribly strong one, but the one whose strength you don't know.
"Well, I guess there is nothing more I can do here. We will meet again, but at that time you will see the real me. Our relationship then will depend on how strong you become." Andras' clone trembled before disintegrating into ashes. The next moment, the ashes combined with golden energy and transformed into a fifty thousand meters Ash Dragon.
The dragon's scales were dark, red and green fire came out from his mouth, and his mighty wings left shadow trails around them as they moved.
"ROOOAAARRR!" The creature roared before launching himself at Zatiel.
Zatiel and the Rebirth Incarnations flashed to the dragon and began a new fight. The Neo-Demon had very little Elemental Chaos in his body and consciousness, but he still had his Astral Origin and Soul Origin so he could fight.
The Ash Dragon was strong and very resilient, but unlike Andras' humanoid body, it lacked dexterity and was slow.
Although it took a while for Zatiel and the Rebirth Incarnations to destroy it, this fight was much easier than the previous one, and they took almost no damage at all.
The clone's body dissolved into nothing once it was defeated, and only then did Zatiel focus on the entrance of Wasteland.
The Soul Forging existences of the Dragonstone Kingdom had used the battle between the trio and the Ash Dragon to escape. None of them thought they could survive under Zatiel's might, even if the battle against Andras' clone had tired him.
The Neo-Demon's eyes narrowed, but in the end, he did not chase after them. With their speed, they must have reached their headquarters already, and even with his full power, Zatiel did not know if he could overcome the defenses of a place built by a Rank 5 life form.
He just shook his head and flew down to the City of the Sun. There were a lot of things he needed to handle.
