Once the siblings left, Zatiel sat back on the throne and closed his eyes for a moment as he regained his strength. Allowing the consciousness of a life form, whose soul force borders Rank 5 in power, to experience years of training in a little more than ten minutes was exhausting.
Zatiel's most important organs were his Bloodline Heart that held his eclipse, the Elemental Chaos Heart with the Chaotic Core, his brain that contained his soul dimension, and the Rebirth Eye. Excessive pressure on any of them would have dire consequences to the Neo-Demon. Luckily, this time he only needed to rest for a couple of days and would be good as new.
It was only after an hour that Zatiel opened his eyes again. His right eye was opened, but the purple energy in it was rotating very slowly. The Neo-Demon focused on the group that had been waiting for him all this time, and his sight finally landed on the Fallen.
"Nero, you and your kind have remained with my people during this challenging time. You were a layer of safety and stability when they needed it, and for that, I offer my sincere gratitude." Zatiel clapped his hand and gave a small bow to the Fallen.
"You are someone who follows his words, even when it is difficult, and that is very rare. It was thanks to you that my people were able to leave that prison. Leaving while you were in a tough spot did not seem right, and we Fallen know how to repay gratitude. Besides, Ezequiel handled things on his own, and we did not do much." Nero was aware that Ezequiel had a way to secure the safety of the Daybreak Clan.
"I am aware of that, but it doesn't change the fact that you helped. I would offer you to stay, but I know very well that the Magi World was only a stop in your path. Now that I am back, you and your kind would leave soon, am I right?."
Nero only gave a small smile to the Neo-Demon and nodded. He was already used to Zatiel's terrifying perception.
"You are right. My teacher is waiting for my signal to come to the Magi World and bring me and my kind away."
Heinz's eyes widened when he heard the words coming from the Fallen's mouth. After reaching Rank 5 and thanks to his status as a Prince of the Aeternum Empire, he was granted access to some secrets of the Magi World, and among them was the response of the powerhouses to any alien life forms that approached this one from the void.
A peculiar light appeared on the eyes of Zatiel after hearing Nero's words. He was aware of the dangers that hide in the void encompassing Principal Worlds and Planes.
His past life was the perfect example. When the original owner of the Daybreak Bloodline carelessly approached the Abyss, he was killed and his bloodline harvested by the Incarnation of Death and Destruction.
"There is no problem with teleporting you and your people to another world, where your teacher can come and seek you."
"I appreciate that, but there is no need for us to leave. My teacher told me that there were some matters he needed to handle in the Magi World, so this would be like killing two birds with one stone."
Surprise appeared for a moment in the eyes of the Neo-Demon when he heard that, but the next second, he returned to normal.
"As you wish. There is no much I can offer you that you won't have soon, but if there comes a day when you need my help, you just need to ask for it."
Nero nodded with a smile on his face, "Thank you. I will remember those words."
"Ok then, now please leave. There are some things we need to discuss in private that concern my kind."
"I understand. Before I go, can you tell me how you obtained Archangel's wings?" Nero's question was motivated by pure curiosity. The wings of the Heavenly race had become common weapons after the Daybreak Clan began to sell them along with the runes to fuse them with one's body.
That was the main reason why no one was shocked by the fact that Zatiel carried those wings when he appeared. Even Andras thought that they were weapons the Neo-Demon had fused with his body.
However, the most powerful sold so far were the ones belonging to Angelic Paragons, and the ones in Zatiel's back clearly belonged to the strongest kind of the Heavenly race.
"These were a pleasant side effect of an experiment I performed during my time away."
Zatiel's answer was not very concrete, but the Fallen understood that it was the best he would get, so after nodding, he left the room.
Once the Fallen was gone, Zatiel focused on the Lich, The Magus, and the Cultivator, and his eyes glowed with a dense golden light that appeared to be made of solidified will. An extremely imposing and dignified aura could be felt from the Neo-Demon as he began to speak.
The trio immediately adopted a serious expression and concentrated on Zatiel.
"You have followed me to war against one of the most powerful races of the universe, and together we defeated an entity even I considered dangerous. You are a true friend, a brother, and a..." The Neo-Demon stopped his words when his sight landed on Zitra, and a reflective expression appeared on his face.
The Magus' face remained steady as she waited for the words of the Neo-Demon, but she could not stop her heart from beating faster.
Zitra's personality was one born from relentless pressure. She did not resign her freedom due to the desires of others and always pushed herself to the limit.
Although she now had an impressive title as Princess of the Aeternum Empire, the truth was that her status before reaching Rank 4 was nothing special. It was only thanks to her hard work, perseverance, and intelligence that she was able to reach this far.
There were many times in her life where a single step in the wrong direction would have condemned her to a life of sorrow. The number of people that wanted her as a servant to enjoy whenever they wanted was large, but they all fell in front of her.
Solitude was very normal for her, and things like friendships were something she never thought much of. The only ones she maintained a good relationship with were the elder that resembled a bag of bones and the madman who only cared about his swords.
Beyond that, she had no one else. Zitra always thought that she did not need anyone, that she could face everything by herself, and the only thing she needed was to be strong.
It was only after meeting the man who showed disdain and arrogance in front of Soul Forging existences, even though he was just a Rank 2 life form, that her world began to change.
The more she spent with him, the more amazed she was about his nature. A warmonger monster who would not hesitate to butcher an entire continent, and yet, who would do everything to protect his kind.
Before she realized it, her desires changed. She still wanted to be powerful and reach eternity, but she also wanted someone on whom she could rely, a person that would love and protect her.
To Zitra, the only person that could fulfill that desire was the man in front of her.
After a moment, Zatiel shrugged his shoulders, and a smile appeared on his face.
"I guess lover would be the most appropriate term." Things like romantic love were uncommon for the Neo-Demon since before Sophia, he had spent millions of years without even thinking about it. However, he had to admit that the feelings he developed over the years for the Magus were exactly that.
The moment Zitra heard those words, her body trembled for a moment, and the most beautiful smile of her life appeared on her face.
Zatiel's eyes showed kindness to the woman, but the next moment, his dignified aura returned.
"Zitra, Heinz, Totto. Our bond is one formed by the fires of war and transcends blood. I offer you the chance to be part of my race, the strongest of the universe. If you accept, you will forever follow me and sever your connection with the Beings of Laws of the empire."
The trio had special identities in the Aeternum Empire, and if their talent and momentum do not diminish, it won't be hard to solicit the help of the Rank 7 life forms of the empire once they reach the peak of the world.
However, after hearing Zatiel's proposition, none of them showed the slightest hesitation. They all immediately kneeled and bowed.
"We are willing to follow you forever!"
The golden light in Zatiel's eyes grew more powerful, but this time, it gave a feeling of delight to all those who saw it. It was clear that the mood of the Neo-Demon was excellent.
"Great, then let me give you an early welcome to the Neo-Demon race!."
