The bald Rank 6 Magus was shocked by this turn of events. John Erick Rebellion's attack carried an immense power, and he was sure that the King wanted to kill him.
He could only mobilize a small part of his energy into his arms before the fist struck him.
"BOOOM!" Along with that blast, a shockwave that broke space and time originated in the sky.
The shockwave forced the other Rank 6 life forms to scatter, while the bald Magus was pushed away due to the impact, with blood coming out from his mouth and ears.
The wounded Magus felt how a vibrational force infiltrated his arms, and the next second, they exploded. Fear appeared in his eyes when he remembered that the original target was his head.
Without hesitation, the bald Rank 6 life form began to burn his weak life force and ran away, taking advantage of the impulse he carried after the attack to increase his speed.
The King of the Scientia Kingdom saw his prey trying to escape and made all his body's power erupt before chasing after him. He was breaking the space in his path to increase his speed.
The organizations' leaders lost sight of the duo in a few seconds, but they could hear explosions in the distance. None of them doubted that John Erick Rebellion would manage to kill the Rank 6 Magus in a matter of minutes.
Shock and disbelief disturbed the hearts of everybody. They could not understand how Zatiel had ended the life of a Rank 6 life form just with a few words. Even if he was a mighty entity in the past, he was now a Rank 4 life form. It just did not make sense to them.
The Neo-Demon smiled as he saw the fear and doubt inside the heart of those around him. He calculated the impact of every decision and took the path of overbearing might and power.
His lack of strength would not bound him anymore, at least not in the Magi World. He had cultivated relationships, repeatedly proved his might, and he was finally free of the disguise of being a frail and weak man bound to his lifespan.
However, the Neo-Demon was not over yet. There was one more lesson he had to teach them.
"Now that you all know the power of my words, it is time to show the strength of the most exceptional talent of the universe."
An eclipse appeared behind Zatiel and fused with his wings. While his feathers turned white, dense energy began to fill the Neo-Demon's body, and bone spikes emerged from his elbows and knees.
The Neo-Demon looked at the Rank 5 Magus that had yelled at him and saw the terror in his face. However, he only glanced at Craekor before focusing on his real target.
Wrath appeared in Zatiel's eyes as he stared at the person that had dared to try to harm his people while he was absent. His body shinned as Shooting Star End activated.
The next second, thirty-two Rank 4 life forms, and two Law Engraving existences exploded like balloons full of blood.
Other than Gwyn, no Soul Forging existence was able to see what happened.
Only those with Rank 5 battle power could follow Zatiel's movements, and even then, the ones capable of reacting to them were at least at the 4th Engraving Stage!
The Neo-Demon's face was pale, and he had less than twenty percent of his energy remaining, but there was a smile on his face as he squeezed the neck of a blonde man with green eyes.
Salazar Rasputin could not breathe, and a unique Mind Force had invaded his body and soul dimension, making it impossible for him to fight back.
The Magus was strong, and his runes allowed him to display a power above his level, but as a Rank 5 life form at the 1st Engraving Stage, he could not do anything before Zatiel's incredible speed.
"Let this be the second lesson. You mess with me, I kill you, you mess with my people, I will grant you a fate worse than death." Zatiel's Rebirth Eye glowed and numbed Salazar's True Soul, shutting down his defenses and allowing the Neo-Demon to implant runic lines in it against the Magus' will.
"AHHHHH!"
Salazar Rasputin cried due to the horrible agony he endured. Blood leaked from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth due to the alteration done to his brain and soul.
The Magus had a connection with many people of the Aeternum Empire. Some of them were present and had the strength to stop the Neo-Demon, but the fear in their hearts was too great.
In the end, they all silently watched as Zatiel tortured the Origin Runemaster. The screams ended after a few minutes, and Salazar's eyes lost their light.
The Magus stood straight by the Neo-Demon's side, waiting for his command.
"He can see, hear, and feel everything his body does but has no control over it. In essence, he is a puppet that follows my every command without question."
The organizations' leaders saw Zatiel turning to them the next second. They could not stop their hearts from growing cold when they saw his smile, and the words he spoke next terrified even the most vicious of them.
"Salazar, hunt every single person you have ever cared about. I want you to eat them while they are still alive and make sure they suffer."
The Magus' eyes shivered when he heard that. Anyone could see that Salazar was trying to fight back, but he failed in the end. He flew away, heading to the core of his territories to carry out his mission.
The cruelty, talent, powers of coercion, and connections made Zatiel appear like an undefeatable monster in the eyes of those who saw him.
An individual forced to eat his children, seeing and feeling everything, and being incapable of doing anything to stop it, not even killing himself. There was no better definition for misery than that.
"Aren't your actions too evil, even for those like us who understand the truth of the universe?" The one who spoke was the Rank 6 Eye Holder, the little red-haired girl. There was disgust on her face as she thought of Salazar's fate and the fact someone could force another to do that with a smile on his face.
The Magi and Eye Holders could not help but agree with the little girl. The truth of the universe is that power meant everything, but people still have an intrinsic understanding of what is good and evil, and forcing someone to eat his family is pretty fucking evil.
Zatiel looked at the little girl, and he shook his head. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, a sense of ancientness, even greater than that of Ivar, assaulted those seeing the Neo-Demon.
"I am old, little girl, very, very old. I have seen civilizations rise and fall, witnessed races who were once livestock become masters of the universe; worlds have born and died under my watch. I have slept for eons inside black holes and gulped entire suns. I have been worship as a godlike being for billions of life forms and have butchered even more." Zatiel began to rise in the sky until he was above everybody else. His power was far from being the greatest, but none questioned his position.
The Neo-Demon stared at the people beneath him with empty eyes, devoid of any trace of emotion.
"In my eyes, even the oldest of you is nothing but a child. None of you have lived or experienced enough to really grasp how cruel the universe can be. Your conceptions of right and wrong are insignificant, and your minuscule awareness of them is so obtuse and vain that you are ridiculing yourself by trying to use a label so simplistic as evil in someone like me."
Everybody remained silent, and none was able to rebuke Zatiel's words. It was only a few minutes later than someone spoke.
"When does our perception of the universe can be considered authentic and not a mistake due to our innocence?" The one who spoke was not a Rank 6 life form, but Gwyn. The Eye Holder looked directly to Zatiel's eyes, despite the stress generated in his will and heart.
"The moment your souls rise above the Prima Universe's laws, only then can you understand the truth. Before that, you are all blinded by notions engraved in your cultures to give you a false sense of safety and justice."
Everybody's eyes shined the moment they heard Zatiel's words. Before they could make another question, the Neo-Demon spoke.
"I have said enough. All of you should leave. I forbid anyone stronger than Rank 4 to get anywhere near my clan or territories. Those who defy me will face the same fate as Salazar."
None dared to challenge the Neo-Demon, and after bowing, they all left.
Zatiel could not engrave his words into the laws as Ivar did, but a rule that everybody would soon learn spread across the Magi World that day.
