The Neo-Demon's action surprised the Magus and everyone who saw his brutal attack. Even Ezequiel was a little confused by the action of Zatiel.
None of them would have cared if he killed Tritus, but they did not understand why he did it after granting him such a powerful Soul Rune.
Tritus could only move his eyes, and he still did not understand what was happening. Just a second ago, he was dreaming about a great future, and now his heart was destroyed along with a substantial part of his lungs.
Although now that he was a Soul Forging existence, this wound was not lethal to him, his True Soul was under the complete control of Zatiel, and there was no reason for him to destroy his body and let his soul run away.
The Magus could feel the pain of having his heart pulverized, but things were not over yet since the next moment, the Neo-Demon slapped the top of his head with such force that it crushed it.
Ezequiel, Nero, Totto, Zitra, and Tyrus frowned after seeing what had just happened. All of them were used to violence, and such a bloody scene could not disturb them. The reason for their expression was the vitality in the Magus' body.
Now that Tritus' heart and brain were destroyed, the vitality of his body should plummet immediately. However, all of them could feel the powerful life in his flesh and how the rest of his organs were still working.
Zatiel showed no emotion as he removed his arm from the Magus' chest. His Rebirth Eye glowed for a moment, and the seal in Tritus' True Soul was broken.
The moment that happened, Tritus' body that had a huge hole in his chest and the upper half of his head destroyed, jumped back more than three hundred meters and adopted a defensive position.
The actions of the Magus shocked all the members of the Daybreak Clan in the ground. Being able to act with your heart and head destroyed was unimaginable for any of them.
Ezequiel and the rest have more experience and know that powerful life forms can indeed achieve such a feat. However, those people have transformed their bodies with the laws or a top tier Path Technique, and the Magus filled none of those criteria.
Their shock was far from over. A second after Tritus moved away from Zatiel, his heart and the part of his head that were destroyed filled with purple flames, and the organs and flesh grew back in an instant.
Tritus' pale face had an expression of utter shock, and he could not believe what was happening. The moment Zatiel's seal was lifted, even though his brain and heart were destroyed, he could still move his body, and the winged eclipse in his True Soul devoured part of his energy to regenerate those vital organs with an impressive speed.
"I guess my hypothesis is correct. The regeneration may vary in other races and Paths of Power that perform alteration or have inherently strong bodies. But to those who follow the Magi Path, other than the Bloodline Magi, this Soul Rune can grant them an Undying Body. As long as your True Soul is intact and your energy pool is not empty, your body will recover no matter how severe the damage it takes. " Zatiel spoke in a flat tone to Tritus as if destroying his heart and crushing his head was nothing important.
The Magus' eyes narrowed when he heard Zatiel's words. The Neo-Demon made clear that he was not sure his body could truly survive those attacks, and he had used him as a guinea pig to test the Soul Rune.
Even though he was angry, the Soul Rune was already a part of him that he could not get rid of. He had two choices, either death or servitude.
'The way this man acts, the total disregard for the lives of anyone who is not part of his clan, the combination of savageness and pragmatic nature. He is a true monster!' After a moment and releasing a sigh, Tritus approached Zatiel and kneeled in the air.
"This servant humbly greets the Eclipse Lord." Tritus did not say anything more. Swearing fidelity or things alike were useless since he did not really have a choice unless he wanted to die.
Zatiel's Rebirth Eye glowed, and not only was he able to perceive the emotions the Magus was feeling but also read his mind and hear his thoughts.
'He doesn't love me or would die for me without hesitation like the members of my clan would, but he understands his place and knows that his life is mine. I guess that is enough.' Zatiel nodded and was satisfied with the Magus' reasoning.
Tritus felt a scanning force reaching his body and soul dimension. He could not figure out its nature but knew that it came from Zatiel, so he did not resist.
"Bip... Scanning of target successful.
Name: Tritus Fonder.
Strength: 0.4
Physique: 1.0
Speed: 0.3
Energy Pool: 0.7
Soul Origin: 1.0"
'Not bad, the Animax Soul Rune was able to make the power of his True Soul and physique equal to the ones of a newborn Archangel. Of course, they are still not a match for them since they had the power of their Law Bloodline, but it is still impressive.'
"Your True Soul will constantly be tempered by the Soul Rune, making your power and perception of the laws top tier, in essence, granting the same talent that a Peak Emperor Bloodline but without any of the limitations or restrictions. Once you reach Rank 5, the help that the rune will grant to your talent and battle power will diminish, so you will have to bring me the True Soul of a Law Engraving existence to improve it. The same will happen when you reach Rank 6." Zatiel spoke with an indifferent tone as if the feat he described was small.
Tritus' reaction was completely different. He couldn't help but tremble when Zatiel mentioned Rank 6. That was the greatest goal in his mind, and right now, there was a path he could follow to the powerhouse level.
Zatiel did not care about the thoughts that passed from the Magus' mind, and he proceeded to speak with a voice full of might.
"You have the Undying Eclipse Knighthood Mark in your True Soul, and that makes you an Undying Eclipse Knight. From this day on, your life's purpose is to serve and protect the Daybreak Clan. Fulfill the reason for your existence, and you will have power and never experience true death. Since you are a Magus, I give you the title of The First Undying Eclipse Magi. Rise, Undying Eclipse Magus, Tritus Fonder."
Those words may sound too arrogant coming from a Rank 4 life form, but those who heard them felt as if a divine decree was being passed down.
A serious and determined expression appeared on Tritus' face. He may have yielded his freedom, but in a universe where only strength matters, following a monster that guarantees you great power and eternal life is something many would be willing to do.
"I will give you two tasks. First, you will return to the Aeternum Empire and take control of the Empire Commercial Association. You will use your position as Head to organize a Soul Rune Convention. The convention will take place in fifty years, and only one hundred people are allowed to attend. In that convention, I will not only sell Rank 4 Soul Runes, but I will also present a Rank 5 Soul Rune."
Tritus' eyes widened when he heard that. He was confident in his ability to take control of the Empire Commercial Association, especially now that he had his new powers and backing. What surprised him was Zatiel asserting he would become a Rank 5 Soul Runemaster in fifty years.
A Rank 5 Soul Rune was something even Soul Law Domain existences would fight to obtain.
"My Lord, what are the criteria to fill the one hundred slots." The Undying Eclipse Magus looked at the Neo-Demon with respect, but he did not hide the greed and cunning light in his eyes when he made the question.
Zatiel knew the reason for his feelings. The people that will want to attend the Soul Rune Convention will definitely be more than one hundred. For a cunning person, each slot is equal to a great amount of money or a favor.
"As long as they are powerful and have a high status in the empire, I don't care who comes to the convention."
A smile appeared on Tritus' face when he heard that. Zatiel was giving him the profits that could be obtained from the slots.
"Your second task is to find more people like you that have a special quality and are willing to accept the Undying Eclipse Knighthood Mark."
Tritus nodded when he heard that command, and no emotion appeared on his face, but the Neo-Demon's eyes narrowed when he detected the thought in his mind.
"Do not let your desire to be the best the Undying Eclipse Knight cloud your judgment. Fulfill your tasks well, and you will gain a reward. Fail, and the punishment will be severe and fast. Remember, I will always know your thoughts and feelings."
The Undying Eclipse Magus trembled when he heard that and felt a purple eye appearing in his soul dimension and throwing his True Soul into a plane where life and death were one and the same.
"I will use all my power to fulfill the tasks Lord has given me!" Fear appeared on Tritus' face, and he made sure to engrave in his mind the last words from Zatiel.
"Go. Don't worry about keeping me posted. I know everything that occurs around you."
Tritus gave a respectful bow to Zatiel before transforming his body into purple flames and fly away with an impressive speed.
