Chapter 356 - Second Apocalyptic Star
Zatiel's eyes were closed as he injected Elemental Chaos into the True Doomsday Body's heaven connected to the liver and relayed coordinates to his Chaotic-Core.
As the Elemental Chaos overflowed the heaven, a white whirlwind emerged inside Zatiel's liver.
In the Neo-Demon Ream's void, a white whirlwind like the one inside Zatiel appeared. Only this one was countless times larger, and it was swallowing a burning star.
The heat in the star was so high that an average Rank 4 life form would found it hard to be near it for a long time, and yet the Neo-Demon planed to seal it inside him.
The distance between Baator and the Neo-Demon Realm was incommensurable.
Thanks to the NRAI and the Incarnation of Death and Destruction's Omega Law, Zatiel teleported a star from his realm's void into his body.
A red marble appeared in the white whirlwind inside the Neo-Demon's liver, and the energy in it increased as the process of crystallization started.
When the sealing of the burning star was fifty percent done, the Star Consciousness woke up. Although it could not form coherent thoughts, it could express emotions.
The Star Consciousness reacted with rage and fear at the prospect of being incarcerated. It attempted to release a blast of fire and break his cage when a giant golden sword appeared inside the dimension containing it.
The sword created by Zatiel's True Will pierced the star with an unbelievable speed, breaking the Star Consciousness into pieces that the True Doomsday Body will soon devour.
Without the Star Consciousness resisting the process, the crystallization finished before compressing itself and finally forming a stellated dodecahedron with a red orb in the center.
A massive amount of dense and heavy energy overflowed Zatiel's body now that he formed a new Apocalyptic Star.
The increase in Astral Origin was not the only benefit the Neo-Demon obtained. The Apocalyptic Star released law's fragments that fused with the tissues around it, granting supernatural abilities to the organ.
The liver had many functions, but the most important ones were the purification of blood, the creation of nutrients for the body, and as a reservoir of glucose that is a biological energy source.
The burning star Zatiel sealed in his liver was a Peak Tier 2 Star with a developed Law of Fire that worked as its core.
Zatiel remained with his eyes closed beneath the ground as the changes on his body were happening.
The Neo-Demon felt how his liver cells were now releasing a burning heat that would incinerate any nocive substance that passed through it.
The proteins created by his liver and released into the bloodstream evolved, generating an overall improvement in his constitution. His blood was now glowing with blazing red color.
The glucose stored in the liver transformed into liquid fire. Not only was it more powerful, but it was also faster, and in a few seconds, it could fill every cell of the Neo-Demon's body with energy.
"A.I. Chip, show me my stats."
"Bip... Scanning host.
Paths of Power: Animus (Rank 4)/ True Soul (Second Origin Cycle)/ True Will (Low Star Breaker)/ True Doomsday Body (Second Heaven)
Strength: 5.7-->6.1
Physique: 7.6-->8.0
Speed: 6.2-->6.3
Astral Origin: 3.0-->3.9."
A smile appeared in Zatiel when he saw those numbers and felt the power in his body.
Every point meant an increase in fifty percent in that respective parameter. Right now, Zatiel's physique was seventeen times stronger than that of a newborn Archangel.
'My physical might can equal that of a newly advanced Rank 5 life form that focuses on body refinement. It is time I take part in this incursion.'
The Neo-Demon rose from the ground and went through the information the seeds of Mind Force inside those Rank 4 Devils gathered.
They advanced through the outer layer with ease. There were traps and defensive systems in that area, but their power was not enough to hinder Rank 4 life forms.
The devils managed to obtain some resources, but they were insignificant for the Neo-Demon. It made sense since the Blood Fortress' outer layer was where lesser devils must have lived.
After a week of traveling, the Rank 4 Devils reached a new wall. It was the dividing point between the outer layer and inner layer.
From that point on, the devils began to have problems and advanced very slowly.
A red fog covered the Blood Fortress's inner layer. It hindered the devils' consciousness even more and clouded their vision.
The inner layer traps had the power to harm Rank 4 life forms, and the devils could not get more than thirty meters away from each other since they would lose sight of their comrades.
Zatiel frowned as he went through the information. The division between the layers, traps, and even the red fog was not a surprise. What bothered him was that the Rank 4 Devils hadn't seen a trace of life in all this time. There was not even a corpse.
Without wasting more time, Zatiel passed through the gates and entered the Blood Fortress. He advanced through the ground since flying would make it easier for others to detect his position.
This place was full of Devil Counts that could threaten his life, not to mention the Devil Marquises that were much stronger than him.
Zatiel had just arrived at the wall that divided the layers when light filled his eyes.
A seed of Mind Force showed him a Rank 4 Devil being blasted out from a building he had entered less than a minute ago. Someone had punched him with so much strength that he broke all the devil's ribs.
The rest of the devils immediately gathered around the injured devil and saw a ten-meter tall faceless humanoid with red skin and raging blood energy coming out from the building.
The creature attacked without saying any word. It flashed to the group, and a sonic boom was formed behind it.
The Rank 4 Devils responded by releasing their Law Avatar. Unfortunately, the alteration in the fortress' laws diminished the help it brought to their battle power.
'I need to go there fast.' Zatiel did not care about the devils, but they were more useful for him alive, not to mention he was interested in the faceless humanoid since he was the only thing that appeared to have life in this place.
The red fog hindered the Rebirth Eye's vision, although not at the Rank 4 Devils' level. He used the seed of Mind Force in them to find out their location.
Zatiel bent his knees, and after charging his legs with all his strength, he fired his body like a cannonball.
A building appeared in the Neo-Demon's path in a second. With incredible dexterity, he adjusted his body to land with his feet in the wall.
Without losing momentum, he bent his knees again before leaping. He did that with all the buildings in his path, increasing his speed with every jump.
The faceless creature had sent a Rank 4 Devil flying away with a kick when it heard the sound of a building's wall shattering.
It had just turned around when the Neo-Demon pierced its chest with the white sword, and both crashed into the ground.
The sword pierced its heart, but the creature still was able to send a fist with immense strength to the Neo-Demon's head.
Zatiel frowned when he saw the punch coming his way. The moment the creature appeared in his sight, he used Soul Eradicator in it, but there was no effect.
A month ago, he would have been forced to dodge the fist, but this time, he had the strength to stop it with his bare hands.
The Neo-Demon felt his arm trembling but stopped an attack carrying a physical might equal to the 1st Engraving Stage without needing the help of his Law Avatar or Doomsday Incarnation.
The next second, his Eye of Death and Destruction glowed, and death force overflowed the creature's circulatory system stopping its body functions.
The Rank 4 Devils looked at Zatiel from a distance and did not dare to get close to him. The creature had almost killed them all, but the Neo-Demon defeated it in a single strike.
In another race, that display of might and the fact he saved their lives would have awoken respect and admiration, but the devils only felt fear and envy.
Zatiel did not care about their emotions and began to analyze this creature.