The destruction caused by the several magic attacks destroyed the ground and created several craters. Cygnus raised a shield around each of them to save them from the attack before he himself attacked. He started with low tier magic and struck the rhino directly but the black lightning he released did not do any damage to the monster.
The soldiers did not hide behind the young master and took that chance, when the rhino was distracted, to attack. The simultaneous attack was supposed to create an opening for the young master to use his magic but as soon as their blades were about to strike the monster's skin, an invisible force stopped them and pushed them back.
They flew back and landed on the ground, hard. Cygnus narrowed his eyes as he looked at the monster once again. He used his piercing bullet magic but the bullets just bounced off as soon as they hit the invisible force around the rhino. He did not stop though, he summoned all of the elements and combined it into one attack, the color of the mana turned black and it was shaped into a spear. Cygnus stretched his arm back then flicked it forward at the same time releasing the spear of magic in his hands.
The rhino lowered its head and used its horns to stop the spear. The collision of the power persisted for a couple of seconds as Cygnus tried his best to push the spear further but the rhinoceros did not move an inch. Cygnus twisted his hand, pulled it back again before pushing it forward again with additional magic which created an explosion that pushed him back a bit and created a wave of wind.
They covered their eyes and waited for the wind to die down before they removed their arms that were covering their eyes. The rhinoceros was still standing there and it did not move even after the explosion. Cygnus laughed because he now knew why he couldn't wound or even damage the enemy.
"What a handy trick," Cygnus stepped towards where the monster was and stopped a few steps away from it. "I did not expect a deity to be residing in this place and you are even stronger than expected."
The soldiers were baffled at the words coming out from the young master's mouth. A deity would be someone who ascended beyond humanity. Deities were powerful and their magic was comparable to that of a Magus Maximus or it was even stronger. They were usually written in books as legends because no man had ever seen one. All accounts regarding them were either destroyed or hidden from the public eye.
Cygnus only received a stare from the rhinoceros. It did not speak and after a while, it was covered in a gray fog that eventually faded away. A tall man wearing a black robe appeared in the place where the rhino was standing. He has long gray hair that reached the ground and his almond eyes were silently looking at them.
Marcus and the others couldn't believe that they were actually in the presence of a true deity. The urge to bow down and prostrate themselves to the man was overwhelming but Cygnus blocked all of this while staring at the deity. It was surprising that he would meet a deity that was not affiliated to anyone in a secluded place like that.
"This must be the reason why this forest has been thriving even without human intervention and the reason why you still have that much power." Cygnus pointed around him with an eager grin on his face.
"This place has been untouched for centuries because I make sure that no one can enter this place," the deity answered in a surprisingly airy voice. It was cool and soothing to the ear.
"And what happened? This expedition has been going on for half a year now and yet you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing." Cygnus tilted his head to the side because he did not understand why and the deity's mind was completely blank.
"A demon appeared and I have spent my days fighting it. When you came, it got disturbed and now it is on the other side of this place attacking your companions," the deity answered.
Cygnus stepped back and turned around slightly to look at the direction and with his eyes, he saw that the heroes were fighting a tiger with two heads. Its fur was black and it's two pairs of eyes were bloody red. He returned his gaze to the deity and gave him another look.
"You can't defeat it?" he asked. It was impossible for a deity not to defeat a lowly demon. Cygnus could also tell that the deity was not that weak.
"It is not alone," he simply answered without any more explanation. Cygnus guessed that it was not fond of talking. "Now this place has been contaminated with a black miasma that not even my power could purify." He suddenly added as he raised his right arm.
The deity's right arm was tainted in black and it was slowly spreading upwards to his body. The master was fascinated because instead of weakening him, the taint was instead making him stronger. Cygnus grinned because he found a treasure.
It was a deity that could turn into a demon without going mad nor weakening, this one could maintain his rationality and become much stronger. The deity's past played a big role in this characteristic and Cygnus was thankful to that because he found something more interesting. He was ecstatic that this world was giving him so much fun and it felt like fate was helping him.
"What will you do now that this place isn't suitable for living? The miasma will remain and this place has been explored which means humans will start coming here and building houses and buildings," Cygnus asked.
Once humans enter a deity's home and start to develop things, these deities would weaken and they would find a new place where they can stay. Some of them would try to live amongst the humans but they would soon be consumed by the negative energy and would self-destruct. Cygnus looked at the deity again with anticipation on his face.
"I don't know. This place has been my home for centuries and now that it has been breached by filthy things, I can't live here any longer." The deity stared at Cygnus's eyes as he remained silent for a few seconds. "You, can you give me a home?" he then asked, which made Cygnus's grin wider.
"Yes, I can give you a home." Cygnus nodded enthusiastically. This was the question he was waiting for.
"Then you can take me with you," the deity nodded his head. The deity's only reason for staying and protecting that place was because he had been living there and the place was peaceful and clean.
"That's a good decision," Cygnus stepped closer to the man before he asked another question, "by the way what's your name?"
The deity stayed silent for a moment before he chose to answer, "I'm called Nahar."
As he said his name, a magic circle appeared below him and Cygnus. A light came out from the magic circle and then it was replaced by a scroll with his name and the master's name. Nahar read the contents of the paper before he used his fingers to carve out his name on the paper using magic.
"You have an interesting name. It is a name I haven't heard for so many years now," Nahar looked at Cygnus's eyes once again after signing the paper, "and I can't tell if you are still human."
"I did not think that even in this kind of faraway place, my name would be known," Cygnus could only raise an eyebrow at the deity's words. To think that he too would know about his name made it even more convenient for him to keep him by his side. "I am human but not quite human."
