In a desolate area of the Wasteland was a swamp. The only thing that grows in this place is a type of plant known as a Ferocious Grower.
It didn't have many uses and it had the property of devouring every other type of plant in its surroundings and taking the place they occupy. Due to this, almost no race wants to live in this place, but there was a species that inhabits this swamp, the goblins.
Goblins were some of the lower life-forms in the Wasteland. Their main characteristic was their insatiable lust and rapid growth. So the tribe that habited this swamp had a little over one thousand members.
Although goblins could not pose a threat to a Rank 2 Apprentice, a couple hundred of them could defeat even a pseudo-magus taking into consideration the stupidity of this race and their instincts of attacking without regard for their life.
Due to the little value the corpse of a goblin has and the fact that there was nothing truly valuable in this place, the swamp was usually a quiet place. But today, screams could be heard throughout the entire region.
A shadow-covered figure moved throughout the area and the fate of all the goblins that crossed his path was to end with their bodies shattered.
This was not all. Chains were moving through the swamp. They were like demon snakes that went through every single living form in their path.
All other races would have seen the fate of their comrades, but the goblins that habited the Westland are almost animals controlled by their instincts so they attacked at the shadow without care for their life.
But their acts were useless. When they got within 3 meters of the figure, their bodies were cut in two, as for the ones further away, the chains took care of them.
Sophia was at the periphery of the swamp and she was surprised. This display of power was superior to the one any group of pseudo-magus could make.
She could not really see Zatiel due to his fast movement and the fact he was in his Shadow form, but she could see the chains and the way that they destroyed every single thing in their path was amazing.
'Someday I will also…' She clenched her fist as she saw this display of power and her eyes started to shine. But in the next moment, she was startled by those thoughts.
'Since when did I dare to aspire so high?'
Since her mutation, Sophie has thought herself of someone inferior and her most higher aspiration was going back to normal.
So the idea of becoming so powerful that the lives of hundreds could be decided with a movement of her hands had never passed through his head until now.
As she was thinking about the reason for her changes a person came to her mind.
'It's because of him!'
Her fist gets stronger and the flame of her will burned even brighter.
After a couple of hours, the screams finally stop. The thousands of goblins that once ruled this little swamp were all dead and pieces of their bodies were thrown all over the place.
Zatiel left the swamp with his usual relaxed expression and came to Sophia.
"Ok then, now's your turn. Go and pick the roots of the plants that grow in this place. I just want the red ones, the others have no use," Zatiel didn't wait for the woman to reply before he closed his eyes and sat to meditate.
"Yes, right away. May I ask a question?" Sophia knows she is not very smart so she is trying to figure out the reason why things happen in her surroundings to develop her abilities.
"You probably wonder why I take such a different approach with the goblins than with the kobolds," Zatiel didn't even try to subjugate the goblins when he arrived at the swamp and started to kill right away.
If he was someone who enjoys killing it would make sense, but by his interaction with the kobolds, Sophia knew that this was not the case.
Sophia only nodded, already accustomed to her thoughts being revealed.
"Easy. They were not worth it. If the kobolds use that technique correctly, they would become very useful, but the goblins are too stupid and savages, making use of them, even a temporarily is a huge problem. Since the energy used to kill them is less than the one used to subjugate and make them harvest the materials, it is better just to finish them off."
Although killing just because it saves time sounds cold, for Zatiel that was a normal way of seeing things.
Although his words weren't meant to be hurting, Sophia became afraid.
"So, if someone isn't worth the effort, you will just throw them away," Sophia's voice was trembling, due to the words reaching her most innate fears.
"Yes," Zatiel keeps his eyes closed and it seems like he didn't realize the state of the woman.
Sophia's heart fills itself with crippling fear and for a moment she feels as if it was suffocating her, but unlike before when she let herself be overcome by the fear, this time she fights against it.
'I will prove my worth,' She looked back at Zatiel and her determination was obvious.
"I will go to recollect them now."
As Sophia left, Zatiel opened his eyes and a smile could be seen on his face as he looked at the woman.
'As long your will keeps growing like this, even destroying a world would be worth it.'
Zatiel shakes his head and closes his eyes to start and meditate but in the next moment, his body disappears. He reappeared 30 meters away and with all the strength of his body he threw a punch at the ground.
Zatiel strength was already at twelve points so his fist carrying all the power in his body had an impact that could be measured in tons, making the ground tremble and a crater form at the site of the impact.
A figure could be seen leaving the debris, despite being fast enough to escape the bulk of the impact, his leg was bleeding badly.
"Not bad, you managed to dodge most of the damage, but with your leg like that, I doubt you will be so lucky next time," Zatiel didn't need to ask the reason this person was here, he has been waiting for the people sent by the Magus since the beginning.
"Wait! I didn't come here to hurt you. You and I have a similar problem and we could help each other."
Alan was shocked by the power of Zatiel. After all, he was a very strong body-refinement pseudo-magus and that attack alone had enough power to severely hurt him if it landed on his body.
"There is nothing you can say to stop me. Yesterday your mission was to kill me and now you say you want to help me. If I were to trust someone like that I would be a fool," Zatiel's eyes were cold as he prepared to finish his enemy when he hears someone approaching them.
The one who was closing in was Sophia who came back when he heard the noise made by the fight.
"Are you okay?" Sophia was running to Zatiel to see if he was fine, she knows he is very strong but could not help but feel worried.
Zatiel was going to tell her to stay away when an immense feeling of danger appeared.
From the sky, a ball of light came crashing with shocking speed, it was so fast that before any of three could try something to stop it, it exploded creating a ball of fire that covers all of them.
