Zatiel did not leave the sky after sending the Eye Holders and the Magi away. As he stood alone, going through the eons of memories in his mind, remembering all the bloodshed, pain, evilness, and sorrow, a sense of indifference began to appear in the Neo-Demon's eyes.
'If I give up on the Prima Universe and allow the countless life forms in it to descend into eternal darkness, I am confident in being able to preserve my life along with that of a few others.' Many times, that thought had appeared before in Zatiel's mind, even when he was the Incarnation of Death and Destruction.
The sense of detachment in the Neo-Demon's eyes only grew more potent as that idea festered in his mind.
'The universe is dark and cruel. What is the point of risking my life to save it? Most of the life forms in it are stupid, sinful, and uncaring, so why should I go through such lengths for them? Besides, everything will cease to exist when this Epoch comes to an end, even if I win.'
Zatiel was not cruel for the sake of cruelty. Killing and harming innocents was not something he enjoyed but questioning his actions or letting morality affect his judgment was not something he could allow since this universe did not permit it.
If he second-guessed a single decision during one of his battles because of the danger his behavior could pose to those weaker, it would be his end.
It would be weird for those who had lived for eternities not to have questions about their choices. They can usually control their emotions without a problem, thanks to their mighty souls, but Zatiel's soul was weak right now.
Loneliness could not affect the Neo-Demon, no matter how strong it was. The thing crushing his spirit was tiredness.
He could normally ignore the fatigue by pushing forward and keeping himself active, but now that he connected with his previous nature, all that weariness came crashing down.
Planning and fighting for billions of years and doing all that for a universe where showing mercy, even to those who deserve it, would mean putting you or those you cared about in danger was not a comfortable task.
Words could not express the exhaustion of such a monumental mission. No one could blame you if you chose to take the easy way out, especially if, after all that preparation and effort, you know your chances of surviving are still bleak.
"Ahhhh." The Neo-Deon released a sigh full of burden and exhaustion before breaking space by his side and returning to the surface of the world.
The moment Zatiel appeared above the Daybreak Magic Tower, a humanoid made of energy manifested himself. It had Dante's appearance and was an incarnation the Elder Brain generated to better communicate with his father.
Dante was able to hear all the words Zatiel spoke to the people in the sky, and there was an immense shock in his heart. He always knew his father was a powerful existence who had reincarnated, but he initially thought he was just a Taboo Existence or a Rank 7 life form.
However, it was clear now that his father was not someone who just equaled the laws of the universe but surpassed them. He was "Zatiel's son," and that was a title that exerted tremendous pressure on him.
Having born of the Primordial Essence of such a mighty entity was a blessing and a curse.
"I take it that everybody is in the underground bunker." Zatiel's aura was gloomy, and his voice still carried a sense of immense ancientness.
"Yes, Father." Dante felt how Zatiel's spirit affected him.
Zatiel did not say anything more and used the power of the Daybreak Magic Tower to teleport.
He appeared in an immense field where Dante had brought the Sunlight Champions and Neo-Demons to ensure their safety.
They were in formation, but they could still speak among each other. However, the moment Zatiel appeared, his gloomy aura affected the adults, bringing silence.
'My clan, they are good people. They care for one another despite not being connected by blood. Still, they are not even a grain of sand, compared with the endless desert that is the universe.' A weak smile appeared on Zatiel's face as he felt the tiredness and loneliness grow inside his soul.
Zatiel was about to speak when he noticed how a small child in the front row took advantage of his parents and the adults' lapse of attention to sneak in and approach him.
Unlike the adults affected by the Neo-Demon's aura, he stood in front of Zatiel like nothing. Someone so young that does not even understand the concept of danger or grief was not disturbed by others' gloominess.
The parents were about to move to grab the child since they understood that something was wrong with their leader. It was not fear that motivated their actions since, in their minds, there was no way Zatiel could harm him. They just did not want to disturb him.
The Neo-Demon raised his hand, stopping the child's parents, and focused on him. He was a boy, no more than three years old, with silver eyes and green hair. Sunlight Aura was running through his body, depicting his identity as a Sunlight Champion and his ears revealed his elven heritage.
The boy looked at Zatiel with wide eyes and awe on his face.
"What is your name, boy?"
The child was startled when he heard Zatiel's words. At first, he did not know what to do. It was only after taking a moment that he was able to speak with a nervous voice.
"I am... I am Nihil, son of Jukor and grandson of the great warrior Luro." The boy was almost screaming at the last part.
"So tell me, Nihil, what do you want?"
"I wanted to have a closer look at you, Leader. You are the man my grandfather died following in the battle against the Heavenly race." Nihil still could not shake the nervousness, and his tone was off from time to time.
Zatiel's eyes narrowed when he heard that, and in his mind appeared all the people who died in his quest to conquer the Beta Heavenly World. Nihil resembled a Sunlight Champion whose soul Oliver destroyed.
"I see. So do you blame me for your grandfather's loss?"
The boy was startled when he heard that and immediately shook his head as far as he could.
"Of course not, my grandfather was a great warrior, and there is no better tomb for those like him than the battlefield. Besides, it was thanks to the Leader that mom and dad got together."
Zatiel looked at the parents, and then he understood Nihil's words. The father was an elf, and the mother was a human, one of the many the Neo-Demon saved from the Beta Heavenly World.
A small smile appeared on the Neo-Demon's face, but his gloomy aura was still present.
"Tell me, boy, what do you think of the Daybreak Clan?" Zatiel did not know why he made that question. Maybe to lift his spirit since he already knew the answer.
"I think it is the best of the world!" Nihil almost jumped when he answered Zatiel's question, and it was clear he was excited. However, what he said next drew the Neo-Demon's attention.
"Although I think it is too small."
"Oh, and why did you say that?"
"It is just that I think that if everybody in the world was part of the clan, then we can all be happy."
Zatiel only smiled and shook his head. The reasoning of the boy did not surprise him. After all, he was too naive.
"What you describe is a utopia, and it is impossible. Someone can become strong enough to control all sentient beings, but that would be tyranny. You will have to take away their free will and force them to behave since different races will always find a way to fight against each other."
A doubtful expression appeared on Nihil's face since he did not consider Zatiel's statement accurate.
"I have friends of different races, and we all go along fine, as do our parents and everybody around us." For Nihil, the concept of hating someone just for his race was absurd, not different than eating dirt because you are thirsty.
"That is because you are all under me. I show you a way forward that does not require blood or hate. By granting all of you equity, I erase the notion that you have to harm the others to grow stronger and live forever."
Nihil found it hard to keep up with such profound reasoning, but something was evident in his mind.
"Then if we are all under you, why can't we all be happy and prosper together?"
Zatiel was about to shake his head again when he froze. The words of the boy hit him, and an idea appeared in his mind.
'Crush the madness and erase all that disrupt order. Create a universe so just that the concept of inequality will be forgotten.'
Zatiel's eyes shone with light, and a new sense of purpose ignited his will.
'That is something worth fighting for!'
