In the core of a metallic city inside a secret dimension of the fourth layer of Abyss, there were nine star-size ponds.
Six of these ponds were rusty and appeared they would break apart at any second now. However, the other three were flawless, and the magic matrices that covered them glowed with a power that threatened to overload the artifacts.
Each of the active Blood Ponds contained an ocean of burning blood. The heat could melt weak Rank 5 life forms, and due to the Demonic Bloodlines poured into them, the individuals inside the artifacts also faced the tempering of Abyss's laws.
There were three men inside the Blood Ponds, and the expression on their faces displayed the immense agony they endured. However, none of them showed the most minimal sign of wanting to give up.
The three men displayed unique characteristics. One appeared to be soul force made flesh. The other resembled solidified energy essence, and the last one looked like he had given up both energy and soul.
Despite their difference in their constitution, they all have the same physical appearance, that of a majestic young man with a stoic expression, short white hair, a perfectly balanced body, and a boundless aura full of slaughter intent and resolution.
The three men were Ezequiel's Astral Body Avatar, Nether Spirit Avatar, and Energy Essence Avatar.
The Neo-Demon did not lie to the Demon Marquises when he told them that sacrificing six Blood Ponds could enhance the other three. However, he never planned to share them. They were all meant solely for him.
From the moment he learned about the Blood Ponds, Ezequiel had been planning for this moment. He increased his knowledge about the Slaughter Trial with the archives of the Neo-Demon race and worked with Hades to find a way to enhance the power of the artifacts.
The goals of the Supreme Neo-Demon were three. First, he submitted his Primordial Bloodline to another refinement so its purity would not lag after advancing to Rank 5.
Second, using the power of the Blood Ponds to stimulate the potential of each avatar and decipher the mysteries in their constitutions, increasing the Supreme Neo-Demon's comprehension over the soul, body, and energy.
Ezequiel had reached the limit of how strong his body could become throughout the last fight against the Demon Marquises. However, combining the avatars and the Blood Ponds allowed him to push himself beyond his limits once again.
After two years, the magic matrices in the Blood Ponds finally turn off, as the artifact perceived that their work was over, and the individuals inside them had reached their maximum peak.
The avatars opened their eyes after they felt the energy pushing their potential forward turn off, and the unbelievable agony that came with it was over.
The trio left the ponds and rose to the sky. They stared at each other and roared as they channeled World Strength into their flesh and pushed their battle power to their peak.
Their auras skyrocketed and made the natural energy go crazy, as the power of each reached the Pseudo-Marquess level!
Without warning, the Astral Body Avatar kicked the air and appeared before the Nether Spirit Avatar before throwing a punch toward his head.
The Astral Body Avatar's battle style lacked the countless variations that soul force and spells granted, but the way he employed his physical might allowed that simple punch to reach the Marquess level!
As the punch got closer to his head, the Nether Spirit Avatar's body instantly split into six spheres of blue light, allowing him to dodge the attack.
After that, each sphere transformed into a palm and softly stroke the Astral Body Avatar in six points simultaneously.
The palms carried no strength and did not physically harm the Astral Body Avatar, but the avatar felt a power striking his consciousness and paralyzing his ability to think.
The Nether Spirit Avatar's physical might was the weakest of the trio. Nevertheless, his comprehension of the spiritual aspect of existence and especial constitution allowed him to strike the consciousness of his target and take any form he wanted.
As the spheres of blue light fused and reformed the Nether Spirit Avatar, a flash of light appeared between him and the paralyzed Astral Body Avatar.
The one who appeared between the duo was the Energy Essence Avatar. His speed and dexterity highly surpassed that of the other avatars, and before they could even react, he connected a finger in their chests.
Each finger discharged a blast of pure natural energy enhanced by the laws.
The Energy Essence Avatar's ability to communicate with the world and laws was the highest of the trio.
He could manipulate the universe's energies like no one and express a mastery over the laws much higher than anyone else with his same level of comprehension.
The blast sent the Astral Body Avatar flying away, but there was almost no damage to him. When it comes to resilience and durability, he was the best of the trio.
As for the Nether Spirit Avatar. The blast disintegrated his body into millions of dots. However, they gathered in a second, thousands of meters away from the Energy Essence Avatar, and showed the avatar without any actual injury.
A smile appeared in the Energy Essence Avatar when he saw how that attack that could have annihilated a Devil Counts did nothing to the avatars.
A wave of physical might erupted inside the Astral Body Avatar, allowing him to regain control of his body and dispersing the power affecting his consciousness.
The Astral Body Avatar also began to smile before walking to the Energy Essence Avatar. Each step increased his momentum and the physical might he could express.
Soft blows that could affect a target's soul, blasts of energy with the power of the laws, and physical strikes with the strength to disintegrate mountains happened in the sky as the avatars fought among themselves.
The control over their abilities and perception of the special characteristics that made them unique grow as they battled.
After an hour, exhaustion appeared in their faces, and wounds covered their bodies. While their auras remained the same, their battle power improved significantly, with each of them being able to face a Marquess on their own.
The raging forces in the Astral Body Avatar, Energy Essence Avatar, and Nether Spirit Avatar calmed down, and the trio fused into a unique entity.
The natural energy gathered into the entity and the laws thrived around him as if they were cheering his existence. He opened his eyes, and they carried a force that could make weak life forms fall into an illusion from which they could not wake up.
Ezequiel felt the strength flowing through his existence, and a smile appeared on his face, but he had not finished yet.
The Supreme Neo-Demon used the Primordial Entropy Lightning's radiation to continue the evolution of his atomic matrix.
He had to stop at seven percent due to his atomic matrix not being able to endure more of the Primordial Entropy Lightning's power. However, the improvement of his soul, body, energy, and laws allowed him to push it further while still being at Rank 4.
The pain that the Blood Ponds provoked as they improved his potential was nothing compared with the agony he felt as the Primordial Entropy Lightning forced his existence to evolve.
Despite how much it hurt, Ezequiel only stopped when the transformation reached ten percent and felt that his atomic matrix was starting to lose stability.
A peculiar light appeared in the Supreme Neo-Demon's eyes as he felt the changes that Primordial Entropy Lightning provoked on him. For some reason, he thought that a massive change would occur on him once the transformation of his atomic matrix reached 100 percent.
'I will have to wait and see since not even Master knows too much about Primordials. Now let's find out if my hypothesis is correct.'
Ezequiel nurtured the True Doomsday Body's fourth heaven, the one connected to his Bloodline Heart and Elemental Chaos Heart.
He had already reached the limit of the twin heaven's might before and could not keep it growing. However, after improving his existence, the Supreme Neo-Demon discovered that there was new untapped potential.
The Supreme Neo-Demon fed the fourth heaven and made it stronger and more resilient until it could no longer grow more powerful.
His body trembled when he realized that the Twin Heaven connected to his two hearts was powerful enough to hold a Tier 6 Star!
The third and most important reason why the Supreme Neo-Demon wanted the Blood Ponds was to push the foundation of the True Doomsday Body's Path of Power to a level not even his creator thought possible.
'According to Master, the mightiest Neo-Demon with a bloodline focused on the body and who obtained countless lucky chances had a tiny chance of sealing a Tier 11 Star in his ninth heaven.'
Ezequiel's entire existence unleashed a will that could make even the mightiest Supreme Overlord of the Prima Universe feel awe.
Invictus' goal was not to equal Daybreak's battle power but surpass him!
The Supreme Neo-Demon roared as he injected Elemental Chaos into the fourth heaven and prepared to become a Rank 5 Neo-Demon.
