Abyssal Lord of the Magi World

From the beginning, the relationship between Zatiel and the Eye Holder siblings was one of mutual use. He used Sigrid and Aren with the hope that they could harm the Sage by disrupting his plan and they used Zatiel to obtain protection and resources.

As for having empathy for their sad fortune. All over the universe, countless life forms endure inhumane destinies. It was not rare for all the people in a world to be forced to butcher each other just for the entertainment of a powerful being, even having to kill their loved ones on many occasions. 

Zatiel had seen fates worse than the ones of the siblings countless times, so why the hell would he go out of his way to help them if they are unable to fulfill their part of the deal?.

He may kill those that behave in a way he found disgusting but that doesn't mean he would waste his time trying to eradicate what those too weak to see the truth of the universe consider evil.

Zatiel coldness did not surprise the people in front of him and the truth was that almost all of them shared that mentality. They cared for and protected those whom they considered family and friends but with everyone else, their attitudes were purely pragmatic.

Even Totto who usually displayed a gentle personality with his subordinates was not different. He would not hesitate to destroy an entire city full of "innocent people" if that meant obtaining his goal.

That mentality was very normal in powerful life forms. As they obtain a life span that can challenge the stars in the sky many start to see those Rank 0 life forms that can barely live a couple of hundred of years, as being no different than ants. Entire generations could pass away in the time they use to perform one single experiment.

There was one, however, that reacted differently than the rest. Dante could be described as a resolute man with a righteous spirit. He did not feel comfortable with getting rid of people who had sided with you because they no longer were of use.

That compassion and consideration for those weaker than one were not wrong and they were fomented in the Neo-Demon race, but they were meant to target the members of the race. Giving it to others could be dangerous and leave a soft point that your enemy could take advantage of.

The young Neo-Demon felt the eyes of Zatiel focus on him and immediately look down. Even though he did not show anything, Dante knew he could not hide his emotions from his father.

Zatiel just shook his head and did not say anything when he detected the state of the boy 'In the end, he is still too young and has experienced too little.'

The Neo-Demon closed his eyes for a moment and then in the mind of Dante, Rax, and Kilo a technique appeared. 

"I have just transmitted The Prayer of Horus to your minds. Build a statue of me inside one of our underground factories, in the Magi World, and lead people of our clan to perform the technique in front of it. They need to have my image in their minds as they perform that technique. You must also make sure everything is done in secrecy and away from prying eyes."

Dante's mind was able to analyze the entire technique in a moment and confusion filled his face. The Prayer of Horus was a Path Technique that allowed one person to gather Faith Power. That was the energy that those who follow the Path of Gods use.

"Father, are you going to train the Path of Gods?" Dante knew the personality of Zatiel and found it very weird for him to use a technique of the Slave Path.

Everybody here understood Zatiel's view of the gods. He considered all of them essentially trash.

"Only cowards and talentless fools take the Slave Path. For me, power's true purpose is freedom. What would be the point of being the highest in the universe if I am shackled to its desires?" The disdain in Zatiel eyes was immense and it was clear he considered gods nothing more than garbage.

"The Faith Power that The Prayer of Horus generates has a quintessential connection with the Law of Life and the Law of Healing. I can use my bloodline to channel that power and mend the damage to my life force. It can not heal my soul but it will extend the periods of time between each wave of pain. It is very useful but I need to be extremely careful when I use Faith Power otherwise it could contaminate my soul, that is why I had never used it before."

What Zatiel planned to do was basically inject poison into his body and use his bloodline to burn it all except for the fragment of useful energy that can heal him. This process is very delicate and he would need the help of the A.I. Chip, his Animus abilities, and all of his knowledge about the Path of Gods to fulfill that mission safely.

"If any of you have questions about your missions ask them..." Zatiel did not finish his sentence since an unimaginable pain assaulted him. His eyes widened and he clenched his teeth as he endured that agony.

Ezequiel and the rest focused on Zatiel. They were unable to help him, but they would not look away as he faced a pain they could not even imagine. It was a little less than a minute before the body of the Neo-Demon ceased shaking from the pain.

Zatiel's breathing was rough and it took him a moment to adjust his posture.

"Leave and start your missions, time is of the essence. I will sleep until Sophia arrives, after that my journey through the continent will start." Zatiel waved his hand and signaled everyone to retire. 

They all stood up and were leaving the floor but Zitra remained standing. The rest looked at her with curiosity. She and Heinz would have to remain in the tower for the time being, but she should stay in her room. 

Zatiel saw the behavior of the woman and he closed his eyes before speaking.

"You can remain here if you want, but you have to stay quiet." As soon as Zatiel finished speaking, he fell asleep.

Zitra walked to Zatiel's side, where she sat and remained in complete silence. A beautiful and radiant smile appeared on her face for an instant but immediately she mimicked the Neo-Demon and closed her eyes.

The group showed several expressions as that happened. Right now Zatiel was very weak and being alone with someone could put him in danger, but since he allowed Zitra to stay with him, the rest had no reason to meddle. 

.....

Sophia was thousands of meters beneath the surface of the Fornes continent. She was swimming through a river of lava inside the magmatic chamber of an active volcano. There was a layer of Styx water around her body that protected her from the lava and heat that could incinerate a Rank 2 life form in a matter of seconds.

The body of the Neo-Demon was full of wounds and scars, a testament to the countless battles she had endured to reach this place. As long as they did not diminish her battle power, Sophia would not waste her energy in them and would allow her body natural regeneration abilities to take care of them.

From the moment she reached the terrain around the volcano she had fought horde after horde of demonic warriors. Sometimes the power of the horde was too great and the Neo-Demon had to use schemes to handle them.

Luckily for Sophia, her opponents were demons. While they may be killing machines that would launch suicide attacks the moment they realize they would lose, they were also very stupid and easy to trick. She sowed discord among them and divided the big groups before taking care of them one by one.

The temperature around her reached levels so high that even with the protection of the Styx water, she started to feel her skin burn but in her eyes, there was determination along with a multicolored flame that it appeared ready to explode at any moment as she continued forward.

Finally, after hours of swimming, she reached the core of the magmatic chamber and the Neo-Demon released an immense killing intent as she focused on the giant black egg in here.