After a few seconds, Zatiel's eyes were able to see again. He found himself in a beautiful field with nothing but shining azure grass on sight.
Out of nowhere, an old man with an expression of absolute peace appeared in front of Zatiel. He had white hair, green eyes, and covering his body was an ancient robe with a magnificent tree engraved in it.
The old man stared at Zatiel as if inspecting him. Usually, all those who arrive here would bow and bombard him with countless questions the moment he appeared, but the young man in front of him only stared back, displaying the same level of calmness.
A peculiar light appeared in the old man's eyes as he focused on Zatiel. He smiled and remained in silence as he stared at the Neo-Demon.
Days became weeks, but none of them said a word and just kept staring at each other.
Finally, after six months, the old man sighed and spoke. His existence had a purpose, and he could not go against it, just for a whim.
"I am Ancestral Root. My mission is to test the Challengers and see if they are worthy of an audience with the mighty World Tree."
Zatiel's eyes narrowed when he heard that. He remained silent to check some things, and he found many answers after hearing Ancestral Root's words and noticing his behavior.
'If I am not wrong, he must be the abode's Artifact Spirit. I can feel nothing from his aura, but since the old tree created him, his battle power should reach Rank 9. Since this place is his body, not even Law Overlords like the Magi World's leader or the Overgod could fight against him here.'
Despite being in the presence of an existence that could crush him with a thought, Zatiel did not lose his calmness. He signaled the old man to continue.
Ancestral Root found Zatiel's behavior extremely odd. Even Beings of Laws would find it hard to remain composed in his presence. Although he was curious, he did not let that get in the way of his duty.
"Challenger, by crossing the Death Gate Asteroid Field, you have passed the Trial of Courage. Now comes the Trial of Willpower. No matter your talent or background, if your will is not strong enough, you will never rise to the peak of the universe." Ancestral Root hoped to get a reaction from Zatiel, but the Neo-Demon remained calm.
'What an unusual Challenger. All those before him immediately asked what the Trial of Willpower consisted of, but he didn't seem to care.' The old man found Zatiel weirder and weirder.
"The Trial of Willpower divides between Eternal Paradise and Endless Hell. If you fail to complete Eternal Paradise, I will expel you from the World Tree's Abode and erase any memory you have of it. As for Endless Hell and the subsequent trials, it is okay if you don't reach their end. I will rank you according to your completion level."
An idea came to Zatiel's mind when he heard that, and he spoke for the first time with Ancestral Root.
"Can I know the completion levels of the previous Challengers?"
"After passing Eternal Paradise, I can show you the Prima Universe's Champion Ranking. However, everybody used their titles, so you will not know their real identities."
Zatiel nodded after hearing that and adopted a meditative position before signaling for Ancestral Root to begin the trial.
The next second, the Neo-Demon felt a finger touch his forehead and fell into a deep dream.
Zatiel found himself back in the Neo-Demon Realm when he opened his eyes, but things have changed. The hundreds of worlds were now thriving with trillions of life forms, all of them Neo-Demons.
Zatiel was millions of years in the future. He defeated the endless darkness and extended his race all over the universe.
He controlled every corner of the Prima Universe and formed a utopia for every sentient living creature.
His body began to move, and the Neo-Demon's consciousness was transported to the copilot seat. He could see and feel everything but did not have control over his actions.
Everything he needed and everything he could ever want, he had it. The only thing laying ahead was eternal happiness and peace.
As he found himself in this paradise, he felt a power trying to make him give up his past and lose himself in this illusion.
The Neo-Demon resisted and maintained his emotions under control.
Eternal Paradise's trial was not easy, even for an entity that existed billions of years like Zatiel. Luckily, he was part of a race capable of weaponizing their wills, so there was no one better when it comes to resisting illusions.
Time passed, but no matter what he faced, the Neo-Demon never let pleasure cloud his mind, and his will stood firm.
Eventually, Eternal Paradise finished, and the Neo-Demon woke up in the World Tree's Abode.
Ancestor Root noticed the solemn expression on Zatiel's face and gave him a moment to appease his heart. The Artifact Spirit knew that although the Neo-Demon closed his eyes for only five days, he experienced five hundred thousand years inside the illusion.
'Having a hard time adjusting to reality is normal. After all, living hundreds of thousands of years of pure bliss and resisting the temptation to lose yourself in it is very hard. Ninety-nine percent of the Challenger fails to complete Eternal Paradise.'
What Ancestor Root did not know was that the events inside the illusion did not perturb Zatiel. What truly affected him were the similarities he found between Eternal Paradise and another illusion world he experienced a few decades ago.
The Neo-Demon took a deep breath and calmed down before speaking to Ancestor Root.
"Show me the Prima Universe's Champion Ranking."
The Artifact Spirit nodded and waved his hand, making a giant wood plate with ten names written in golden letters appear above him.
"The ten greatest Challengers have the right to place their titles in the ranking. The rest are not worthy." Ancestor Root just finished speaking when he felt bloodlust coming from the man in front of him.
Never before the Artifact Spirit felt something so pure and definitive. It was like even if the entire universe fought against him, he would not stop until annihilating that person.
He followed the owner of that absolute bloodlust's sight and noticed he looked at the name that took the first position in the Prima Universe's Champion Ranking.
Number 1. The Sage (93% completion.)
