After completing the Animax Soul Rune made with Xenia's True Soul, Zatiel rested for a couple of hours before beginning to work in the next one.
Zitu's True Soul was not in a comatose state like that of Xenia, but it was still pretty injured, so after using his Rebirth Eye, Zatiel managed to weaken it enough so it could not put any resistance.
The process went smoothly, and before the day ended, a new pentagram rune appeared in front of Zatiel. However, unlike the previous one, this had a ghargatula sealed in the center.
The Neo-Demon stored the rune in a unique orb, just like he did with the last one.
'This two should be enough for the initial part of my plan in Avernus and Dis. I will gather more once I have established a foothold. I also need to collect a couple of Demon Lord's True Souls. Hunting demons is easier since they are usually more foolish, but it would be dangerous going to Abyss in my current condition. I will wait until I am in peak condition before leaving.'
After deciding his next moves, Zatiel disappeared from the Fornes continent and appeared inside the Garden of Creation.
The Neo-Demon did not waste time and headed to the Sacred Soul Tree's crown and sat in the Soul Throne before closing his eyes.
The Soul Throne was the divine treasure born after the sun cocoon's bloodline had finished its formation.
Zatiel felt how the throne enhanced his perception and understanding of the laws exponentially. Trying to increase his comprehension of all the laws would be a futile task, so he focused on three, the Law of Soul, Law of Creation, and Law of Destruction.
Those with bloodlines do not need to explore the universe and analyze heavenly phenomena to obtain information about their laws. All they need is in their blood.
Zatiel felt like he was in a dream, and different kinds of wonders were occurring around him. There were six kinds of panoramas
in his bloodline, each one corresponding to a unique law.
The Neo-Demon did not pick the Law of Rebirth to study, despite being less developed. The reason was that by pushing all of the other laws to the Initial level, he would have an easier time understanding the one that shared a connection with all of them.
He remained in that dream state, focusing on his bloodline's phenomena for several days, deciphering the mysteries of the laws.
Zatiel left a piece of his consciousness connected to the outside world to receive updates on important events.
The first piece of information that awoke him from his training was that the first Neo-Demon to no longer resist the strengthening of their True Will was his son, Dante.
After ten days, the Neo-Demon with the Daybreak Bloodline fell unconscious.
Although Zatiel was a little disappointed, he was not surprised. The True Will's first test had nothing to do with talent and everything with determination and willpower.
As the son of an entity like Zatiel, Dante subconsciously knew he had a shield protecting him and that no matter how difficult things were, his father would always have a way to fix everything. He may have matured thanks to war's cruelty, but he could not compare with the kobolds born in Wasteland.
They were people who saw their mothers and fathers devoured by monsters, who experienced the agony of seeing their children perish to sickness and famine. Those able to survive that and keep striving forward could not be looked down on.
'I was planning on sending him to Abyss, but I think Baator will be of more help to him. Being able to persevere in a place where he has to suppress his hate and disgust for evil entities will help him grow.' Dante was his son, and he loved him, but Zatiel would not allow someone born of his Primordial Essence to be mediocre.
Zatiel closed his eyes and continued deciphering the laws in his bloodline.
He received another piece of information on the fourteenth day. During that day, all but Rax and Ezequiel succumbed to the pain. Sophia and Kilo were the last to fall unconscious and were only one hour away from reaching the fifteenth day.
Zatiel was satisfied with their tenacity since, by enduring fourteen days, they all obtained an Early Star Defiant True Will. Their achievement was according to his estimates, but someone surprised him, and that was Rax.
The old kobold, who was once a little Rank 0 life form with a foot in the grave and no real power at all, endured seventeen days of strengthening.
'Well done, Rax, you can consider me impressed. It seems I can give you more responsibilities from now on. Seventeen days should give you a True Will at the Late Star Defiant Rank.'
Zatiel was extremely pleased with the achievement of the kobold leader. When he first decided to help that small kobold tribe in Wasteland, he trusted that impressive individuals could arise from it, and Rax proved he was right.
Although willpower was not the same as strength, every member of the Neo-Demon race had divine talent, and as long as they pushed themselves to the limit and always kept striving forward, they would reach eternity.
After some thought, Zatiel decided to use his authority as the Neo-Demon Realm's Ruler and observe Ezequiel's condition.
The Neo-Demon with the Primordial Bloodline was trembling without stop, and you could see from his face that he was experiencing unbearable pain.
After seeing his condition, Zatiel went back to his training.
The Neo-Demon opened his eyes again on the eighteenth day of strengthening, not because the NRAI sent a message, but to check on Ezequiel.
Blood was leaking from the mouth and palms of the Neo-Demon. He was clenching his fist and teeth as hard as he could, with the hope it would help him a little with the pain.
Zatiel's eyes were filled with amazement by the determination of his first follower. He closed his eyes again and opened them on the nineteenth day.
Ezequiel was convulsing on the ground and had lost every ounce of control over his body, but he still kept pushing forward and refused to surrender. This time Zatiel did not go back to training and continued looking at him.
Three hours after the twentieth day began, Ezequiel could no longer endure the pain and fell unconscious.
'Twenty days, one less than me. Without the memories from my past life that helped me develop my willpower, nineteen days should have been my limit, so it can be considered his victory.' As that thought passed through his mind, a smile appeared on Zatiel's face.
'This is the first time I taste defeat in this life. Not bad kid, not bad at all. I guess the name Invictus truly fits you.'
Zatiel was able to see how Ezequiel's True Will took form and opened his eyes, signaling he reached the Peak Star Defiant Rank. Still, it did not end there since an almost invisible dot of light manifested in the eyes of the golden humanoid.
Although the True Will had not truly reached the Star Breaker Rank, it was certainly above the Star Defiant Rank.
'It should only take him a couple of weeks for his True Will to reach Low Star Breaker Rank, just like mine.'
After making sure that all the Neo-Demon were fine, Zatiel went back to train.
The help of the Soul Throne made that every week of training equal to a year. Something very beneficial to Zatiel since each of his laws was incredibly challenging to develop.
After three months of continuous training, his Law of Creation and Law of Destruction reached the Peak Potential level, and his Soul Law reached the boundary of the Initial level.
'I was hoping they would all reach the Initial level, but I guess this is the best I can hope for less than half a year of training.' Zatiel understood that although his talent was unparalleled across the entire universe, his laws were equally challenging, so he felt satisfied with this improvement.
His True Soul and True Will had fully recovered thanks to the rest and the dozens of high-quality origin stones in his stomach, so it was time to travel to Abyss. Before leaving, he read the updates about the type of True Doomsday Body the Neo-Demons had chosen.
Many of the kobolds chose the Absolute Solar Yang True Doomsday Body. They did not do this to copy Zatiel but due to their primary weapon being their flames. The rest chose a True Doomsday Body that perfectly suited their battle style, but Zatiel frowned when he saw the one Ezequiel had selected.
'The Immortal Avatar True Doomsday Body. Why did he choose that one?'
