257 Half-Law Engraving

Oliver's rage was so great that at that moment the war between the Heavenly race and the Magi invader force had disappeared from his mind. The only thing he wanted was to kill the person who was responsible for all the pain and humiliation he had endured in the last couple of decades.

When he was about to disregard everything to obtain his vengeance, his eyelids shivered, and once again black tendrils appeared on his eyes. The arm of the Angelic Paragon that aimed at Zatiel and was about to release a jet of lava trembled but in the end, no attack came out.

Those tendrils were so thin that even for a Rank 4 life form, it was impossible to see them with their naked eye. If Pipit and Finibus used their consciousness to explore the body of the Angelic Paragon, they may detect something, but that would be equal to attacking the duke, so neither of them dared to do such a thing. The duo was kneeling in the ground, waiting for Oliver to speak.

Zatiel was different from them. The Neo-Demon still had a smile on his face and his eyes were filled with madness, but deep inside, his mind was extremely calm so he was able to felt it.

It lasted less than an instant but he detected another presence, one that made him feel true danger, looking at him through the eyes of the Angelic Paragon.

'Was he replaced? No, that is not it. The hate he displays against me is genuine so his soul is still there. It should be some type of high-level possession but if he controls a duke, why doesn't he show himself.'

Zatiel was sure that even though the state of his soul made it impossible for him to be soul searched and his runes stopped any attempt to infiltrate his brain or consciousness, unlike the Rank 4 members of the Heavenly race, the Sage would not be powerless against those countermeasures.

'No matter how paranoid or careful he is since he put so much effort into capturing me, he would definitely choose to do the interrogation himself, besides he must know that these people could never make me talk. I don't know his power, but I am 99% percent sure he is not a Being of Laws so the most reasonable scenario is that controlling this duke did not come cheap. He must be recovering and left a piece of his consciousness in Oliver, that works based on preprogrammed commands not unlike my A.I. Chip.'

Although all those thoughts were just assumptions, Zatiel was sure that he was at least ninety percent right.

While Zatiel deduced the action of the puppeteer, the puppet strived to control his emotions.

Just when Oliver was about to kill Zatiel, a voice appeared on his mind that stopped him from disregarding the consequences of his actions. The marvelous of Sage's technique was that even though the Angelic Paragon felt as something affected his judgment, in his mind, that voice was his maturity guiding and stopping him from making a mistake.

His heart still was filled with wrath. The cries of the people around him only increased his rage and after a second, his wings unfolded, and the warehouse was filled with a river of magma.

The only space that the lava did not touch, was the area around Zatiel. Pipit and Finibus felt their skin burn and the heat was unbearable but they did not dare to complain.

If the Rank 4 life forms were affected, then there was no need to say that those people in the cages and hanging from the ceiling were reduced to ashes. To them, however, this was a release since it would be the last time they had to suffer.

Oliver gave one last look at Zatiel, before walking to the door. He moved through the lava and it was only when he was about to leave the warehouse that he spoke.

"Continue working. Either he breaks, or you two break" The duke did not even turn to look at the duo and flew away.

It was only when Oliver's figure disappeared in the distance did the lava vanish and showed the trembling duo, still kneeling in the ground. 

Finibus and Pipit were afraid. Members of the Heavenly race would never harm each other. Some could be colder or distant but deep inside they treated every member of their race like a brother so the behavior of the duke terrified them.

Zatiel noticed this and understood what happened. No matter how perfect a possession technique is, they all had side effects. It was clear that Oliver's coldness and savagery were no longer restricted to beings of another race. 

'I can use the fear and doubts of this duo, but I need to push their minds to the limit' Zatiel's smile grew wider and he started to devise a plan for his torturers.

"My friends do not waste time and get back to work. You two don't want the boss to get angry. Unless, of course, you plan to end up like me."

When Finibus and Pipit heard Zatiel's words, their eyes widened and their bodies trembled. They saw the condition of his body and their fear grew as they imagined something like that happening to them.

When Zatiel saw their expressions, he started to laugh due to the hilarious situation.

'I wonder how many victims of torture are capable of breaking the wills of their jailers?' 

.......

Zitra and Totto rose from a shadow less than one thousand meters away from the 11th tower created by the Magi invader force.

They flew at full speed, so in less than five seconds they reached the first magic tower that was built after the Ten Tower Formation was completed.

This place had a couple of hundred Rank 2 life forms and two Rank 3 Magi. Their main job right now was to harvest the resources in the region around the tower.

There was no need for a Rank 4 life form to be present to protect the magic tower since it's defenses were high enough to withstand the barrage of a Law Avatar for enough time for the Magi to use the teleportation formation and arrive at this place.

Not to mention that the force field of the Ten Tower Formation covered thousands of kilometers around it and it diminished the power of a Rank 4 life form by ninety percent.

In the sky above the tower, there was a man with short white hair wearing a black martial robe. His eyes displayed a will that would not bend or break even if the world shattered in front of him, and they released small arcs of red lightning.

His back was broad and his arms and legs were filled with muscles that contained an explosive force. This men's body could be described as the embodiment of strength and it released a sense of harmony as if the core powers of a life form inside him strived to become a single essence. 

His temperament was born of hardship, constant struggle, and an unwavering thirst for power. Most Soul Forging existences would shame themselves if they compared with this person.

Ezequiel had been waiting here for Heinz, Totto, and Zitra. Behind the Supreme Neo-Demon, there were Dante, Kilo, and Rax.

The moment the Magus and Lich reached Ezequiel, space fluctuated and Heinz's figure appeared. The duo was surprised when they saw the Cultivator since they could not feel his power. It was clear to them that Heinz's strength had obtained a qualitative improvement and the difference with theirs was so high, that they could not even detect it. 

"You say my brother has left a message for us, what is it?" Heinz's face was a little pale due to the backlash of fusing with his Law Avatar but the damage was small this time. His body was very strong due to the Blood Demodand Technique and his True Soul had the assistance of Juntu's soul and his seed made of the Law of Killing.

He went to Saint City but after countless plans, he concluded that he couldn't face that winged castle before reaching Rank 5. Unfortunately, by then he would no longer be able to stay in the Beta Heavenly World.

Heinz hoped that Zatiel had left a plan they could use to help him and it needs to be soon. Thanks to the fact that his compression over the Law of Killing reached the 'Minor Completion' level, his time in this Middle World was running out.

The Cultivator's True Soul was growing stronger with each moment and he was already half a step into the Law Engraving Rank.