Abyssal Lord of the Magi World

Icarus, the Aeternum Empire's capital!

According to the empire's historical records, this city was the first Rank 7 Artifact that Ivar the Flawless created. With Icarus, he challenged the nominal leader of a now-forgotten great organization, killing him before marching into the Void and doing the same with the Being of Law behind him.

It was that battle the one that saw the birth of the Aeternum Empire.

While Ivar soon marched into the Void and other worlds and planes, he left Icarus behind to protect his people and serve as the capital of his newly created organization.

Icarus, while technically a city, was almost as large as a Principal World's continent. Its power was so immense that other than the Eye Dynasty and Scientia Kingdom, there was nothing in the Magi World capable of withstanding its might.

Zatiel and Ezequiel did not enter the city immediately. They stood in the sky outside it, and as they analyzed it, they detected the invisible force field covering it and the energy patterns that spread over those giant wings.

The Rebirth Eye glowed, and Zatiel soon got an idea of the city's capabilities..

'Those wings, not only they kept Icarus in the sky, but they are also able to manipulate the Law of Space, allowing the city to move and teleport at will. As for the force field covering it, not even a Peak Rank 6 life form could force his way into this place.'

Usually, Rank 4 life forms would get a magic card allowing them to enter the city. The Daybreak Clan had those items, but the duo did not use them.

If they use the cards, it would be the same as reporting their presence to everybody. Besides, there were more discrete ways to enter Icarus.

Zatiel and Ezequiel did not have to wait for long before receiving a message through their space rings. The duo stared at each other before nodding and separating. 

A cape of pink force with azure runes covered Zatiel, making him invisible for any Rank 6 consciousness. 

His Mind Force had already reached a superb level when he changed its origin to the dimension inside his Rebirth Eye. Yet, his nature obtained a qualitative improvement thanks to the Yin Apocalyptic Rune, so while his Animus Path of Power reached the Middle Rank 5, its power was much greater.

Zatiel soon reached a remote area of the force field covering Icarus and flashed through it. He activated Shooting Star End, and his speed was so immense that the Neo-Demon managed to approach the landmass undetected in less than a second. 

Still concealed from everybody, Zatiel approached a zone in the city's periphery. Anyone else would only see trees in that place, but the Rebirth Eye clearly showed the hidden dimension with three hundred and twenty-three life forms.

All those people seemed to be waiting for something, and when they saw the winged man whose eyes glowed brighter than the sun in the sky, they immediately kneeled.

Everybody was a Magi. Two hundred and nine at Rank 4, ninety-six at Rank 5, and eighteen at Rank 6.

While their levels varied among those at Rank 4 and 5, all the Magi at Rank 6 lacked an Inner Law Dimension. Another thing they had in common was their weak life force, depicting a life span close to its end.

"Eclipse Lord, I humbly welcome you to Icarus. All the Soul Rune Convention arrangements are over, and I am sure my work will please you."

The one speaking was not one of the Rank 6 life forms but a newly advanced Rank 5. His life force and vitality were thriving, and although his path focused on his soul, his body also carried a considerable physical might.

That man was Tritus Fonder, the first person to embark on the Undying Eclipse Magi Path. 

Thanks to the Animax Soul Rune fused in his True Soul, Tritus overcame his original limitations and reached Rank 5 in a record time. 

Zatiel stared at Tritus for a moment and nodded before focusing on the people behind him.

"These are..." Before Tritus could finish speaking, Zatiel's Mind Force exploded and covered every inch of the secret dimension. 

That surprised the Magi, but before any of them could react, they saw the surroundings vanish, leaving them alone with Zatiel.

The Neo-Demon could read Tritus' mind at will, and even if he could not, it would be easy to figure out the reason for these people being here. 

Tritus followed Zatiel's commands with great effort and diligence, generating this group over the last few decades. 

These Magi reached the end of their potential but refused to give up and wanted to keep advancing, so they chose to renounce their freedom and become an Undying Eclipse Magi. 

Some of the Magi were still uncertain about this decision. They had only heard about the feats of the great Zatiel Daybreak but never saw him, so they did not know how much of it was true.

It was only now, as they felt a power so immense that they could do nothing against it reading their minds, from their birth until this moment, that they understood the power of the man.

Tritus was the only one outside the illusion and saw how hundreds of pink tentacles with azure runes invaded the mind of everybody. 

Although he did his best to relax, the Undying Eclipse Magus could not help but feel anxious. If there was a problem with the people he presented to Zatiel, then it could be considered a failure on his side.

"Boom."

Tritus heard a small explosion and saw how one of the Rank 5 Magi exploded before having his soul triturated, leaving only a stream of pure soul force.

The Undying Eclipse Magus' eyes widened when that happened, and soon cold sweat filled his back as more and more explosions occurred.

"Eclipse Lord, please forgive me! I don't understand how so many spies could have infiltrated my troops. I swear this will never happen again." Tritus banged his head to the ground and begged for forgiveness. He was terrified that Zatiel would punish him for his negligence.

"Relax, you did nothing wrong. These people were not spies sent by someone else. My vision of the universe changed, and I will not allow those I consider too corrupted to continue living, even if they are under my complete control."

Zatiel's words shocked Tritus, and as his heart calmed down, a meaningful light appeared in his eyes.

While what he just heard could be considered by some people as Zatiel going softer, the Undying Eclipse Magus' wits have always been superb, and he knew that the man in front of him remained as cold as ever. 

It would have been easy for Zatiel to tell Tritus not to consider wicked people as candidates for the Undying Eclipse Knighthood Mark, but the Neo-Demon did not do such a thing.

Instead, he allowed Tritus to bring these Magi here, knowing perfectly well that their only future would be a horrible death.

'He is using their True Souls as raw material to build Undying Eclipse Knighthood Marks.'

A small smile appeared on Zatiel's face as he looked at Tritus, making the Undying Eclipse Magus tremble. 

"Good thinking."

Tritus said nothing and remained looking down. He already knew that he could not even think without this man knowing it.

Zatiel no longer troubled Tritus and kept working. By the end, he killed almost a third of the Magi, generating all the soul force needed to build the Animax Soul Runes for the rest.