It didn't take long for the team of four to reach the surface, and the moment they did, they became the center of attention of everyone.
The Rank 3 Magus Grigori and the Eye King Meinz had their full attention on the man at the head of the group.
The meaning behind their stares was different, but the reason was the same.
When James' sorry figure exited the cave with a face full of terror and flying with all his strength to the platform of Dynasty, the Rank 3 individuals knew that something important had occurred. Although Grigori could not interrogate the Eye Lord, his partner's absence gave him some clues.
And since apart from Kira, the only other Rank 2 Magus in the cave at the moment was Nimir, he had an idea of what happened.
But when the eyes of the duo reached the crystal on Zatiel's hand, they were shocked, and immediately immense greed appeared on their faces.
The Fallen Star mineral that the members of the empire and dynasty had collected during these months was meant to construct Void Gates. They were the gate that could help you reach any world or plane on the void and from where groups of powerful individuals could use their abilities to overcome their defenses and invade it.
But with the Star Heart that Zatiel had on his hand, you could build World Gates that could transport you directly into a different world, bypassing the world defenses and making any invasion much easier.
Although there is not much difference in terms of transportation to Soul Forging existence, if a Rank 3 individual had the Star Heart, he could begin invading Low Worlds secretly and amass great fortunes.
The desire in the eyes of Grigori and Meinz was immense, but in the end, they could only give up.
Meinz has signed a blood contract that stopped him from attacking any member of the empire, and Grigori thought that the Star Heart was not the property of Zatiel but from the powerhouse behind him. The Magus knew there was no point in having wealth if you were dead.
Zatiel did not react to the stares of the duo and continued flying to the platform. It wasn't that he didn't notice them, but he did not care.
They are too afraid to act, so the Neo-Demon felt no reason to bother with them.
It only took a moment for the four of them to reach the platform. When they did, Zatiel immediately deposited the Star Heart in it before going to a corner accompanied by Ezequiel and Sophia.
On the other hand, Kira went with those Rank 1 Magus under the same powerhouse as her.
The Magus wasn't delusional enough to think that she had formed some connection with Zatiel, but she was not sad for their departure, and there was a smile on her face. After all, securing the help of someone that would surely reach Rank 4 was something exciting and could save her life in the future.
"We will not enter again in the cave since the fallen star that remains is pitiful, so let's focus on recovering. We will wait for the Soul Forging that will come for the platform."
Seeing that there was no objection from the duo, Zatiel made a dome of black flames cover them.
As they waited, both Zatiel and Ezequiel were devouring a great amount of meat from some magical creatures and focusing on regenerating their bodies.
Thanks to the help of the golden flames, Zatiel was able to regenerate his arm and heal Ezequiel's wounds in less than a day.
After resting, Zatiel started to fix the Runic Sets that were damaged during the battle.
The trio continued resting and enhancing their energy pool as they waited and on the thirteen-day was when the empire members felt it.
'He has arrived,' Zatiel made the flames disappear and looked at the distance, to the direction that all the rest were looking.
The presence did not come from the direction of the exit of the Endless Forest, but the core. It seems that the individual that the Empire sent had arrived a long time ago but has been staying in the deepest parts of the forest.
This action already tells a lot of his power, since entering the core of the forest without the power of a Soul Forging was suicide, and even if you reached Rank 4, it was still a dangerous place.
He was flying at an impressive speed and did not take long for the rest to see his appearance.
The man was extremely old, to the point that he had a decrepit appearance and was wearing a brown robe.
His face was dull, there was grey hair on his head, and his nose and ears were big.
Although looking old would not be a clear depiction of the time you have left to live, since there were many people fond of an older appearance, the death aura that surrounded the man was a clear indication that he was in the last years of his life.
But when the empire members saw this, no one thought they could belittle the man. There was apprehension on their faces.
Someone that has reached Soul Forging could generally live up to ten thousand years, and the moment their life starts to vanish, they usually adopt bizarre personalities. They are unpredictable since there is little that can make them feel fear.
Although they hid it immediately, their expressions were perceived by the old man, and as he saw their fear, a smile appeared on his face, but instead of making him seem more approachable, there was a vicious and cruel feeling on it.
The man's eyes seem to not focus on anyone, but there was a person who could perceive that danger was approaching him.
As a Neo-Demon, Zatiel's instincts were extremely keen, so he could feel the man's evil intentions, which made his eyes narrow.
'They can make someone at Rank 4 act. It seems that I didn't underestimate them,' Zatiel's eyes were cold as he turned to Nimir, who was looking back at him with a smile.
When Feiner attacked him, he knew someone powerful was targeting him.
The action of the werewolf could be motivated by different goals, and it may have been possible that he just wished to possess Sophia. Still, the fact that Nimir contradicted Heinz's orders indicated that things were not so simple.
Although Heinz was friendly when he interacted with Zatiel, anyone who had mastered the Law of Killing was not a forgiving person. For an insignificant Rank 2 Magus to disobey him meant that person had someone to rely on.
'At first, they must have wanted just to humiliate me and affect my state of mind, but now that they realized what I am capable of, it seems that they are going for the killing.' Zatiel ignored Nimir's smile and looked at the approaching old man.
Despite having to contend against an individual at Rank 4, a Soul Forging existence, someone so powerful that could kill a Rank 2 life form without having to move a finger, on Zatiel's eyes, there was calm. Still, behind that, there was a coldness and savagery that could only be born from one of the most chaotic and evil races in the universe.