As the old man got closer, the empire members started to feel uncomfortable. The closer he got, the heavier the feeling was. They saw how a brown glow tainted the air around him.
The discomfort that they were feeling was not a psychological response to the nefarious and intimidating aura of the man but a physiological one generated by their bodies due to the immensely high amount of energy to which they were being exposed.
It started as irritation on their skin, but it grew to the point that those at Rank 1 started to feel suffocated, as if the air was too heavy and dust was invading their lungs.
Even those Rank 2 Magus and the three Neo-Demons, were forced to activate their magical defenses.
The cause was simple, the old man didn't contain his magnetic force field, and the power in his body was being released to the outside.
The immense amount of energy on the old man's body is enough to change the environment. Seeing the effect on those Rank 1 Magus, one could imagine the effect he would generate in a highly populated city full of Rank 0 individuals.
That was the terror of Soul Forging existence. Their mere presence could kill tens of thousands.
Of course, the old man would not dare to do this in a city under the control of a powerful organization, like the empire or dynasty, unless he wants to have his soul extracted and tortured until it dissipates.
Seeing the pain and struggle on the faces of those Rank 1 Magus made the old man's smile grow bigger and sinister.
And when he saw how Zatiel was having an easier time overcoming his body's energy compared to the Rank 2 Magus on the platform, his eyes sparkled.
'So this is the one, he was not lying when he said that there was an extremely young and talented man in here. Excellent!' The smile on the old man continued to grow, and it reached the point it became unnatural.
Although Lun became Rank 4, it was only thanks to his strong background. Otherwise, reaching Rank 3 would have been the peak of his life.
But even though he achieved Soul Forging, it was only thanks to a lucky encounter, and even then, he was one of the weakest, and if it wasn't for the thousands of years of accumulation, he could not speak on equal grounds with those in his same Rank.
When he reached the end of his path, Lun began to feel life tasteless, and physical placer was now insignificant to him. Still, there was one thing that brought him a wicked satisfaction even now, and that was to use his power to crush geniuses and rising stars, make them feel despair, and destroy their hopes.
Unfortunately for him, most geniuses are smart enough to put themself under a powerful organization or obtain some sort of backer, so when someone contacted him with the mission of killing a supreme genius, he happily accepted.
As for the statue of the powerhouse of the empire, he will only need to bring a decent excuse and was sure that the man would not offend him just for someone at Rank 1.
Lun reached the sky over the platform. Only when he saw those Rank 1 individuals suffocating and fighting to breathe did he retract his magnetic force field.
To him, those Rank 1 Magus were no different from ants, and killing them brings him no pleasure, and the only thing he would obtain would be a debt to the ones they serve.
When Grigori saw the old man floating in the sky, he silently cursed his bad luck for having him have to interact with such a crazy Soul Forging. Of course, he didn't dare to show those emotions, and after adopting a complacent smile and polite posture, he flew to the man and bowed.
"Grigori Feirr humbly greets the mighty Soul Forging existence. Can I know the Lord's name?" Grigori's speech and performance were implacable, leaving no excuse to move against him.
As someone who lived thousands of years, Lun noticed Grigori acting immediately, but even though it annoys him, killing a Rank 3 individual without cause was a great crime on the empire, so he only sneered.
"I am Lun, The Spirit of One Hundred Mountains, hand over the core of the platform and the record with the deposits made and important events happening during this expedition," Lun's words were harsh and severe, treating Grigori no different than a servant.
But Grigori's smile did not diminish, and he politely handed over the core of the platform and a crystal to Lun before bowing and flying back.
Lun did not waste time and immediately sent his consciousness into the core to gain control over the platform and into the crystal to obtain information about the important events during the expedition.
As he examined the information on the crystal, he obtained a new understanding of Zatiel's monstrous talent, and the smile on his face filled with so much excitement that he was almost trembling.
The more special Zatiel was, the greater the placer he would feel by shattering his will and killing him. As he read more, he paused when Grigori mentioned the Star Heart.
'A perfect excuse, excellent!' Lun's wicked smile grew as he turned to look at Zatiel, and he released a horrendous pressure against him.
Zatiel saw the smile of the old man, and in the next second, a force lashed out on him, forcing him to kneel, and he felt how his bones started to fracture.
The actions of Lun shocked everyone, as he attacked Zatiel without a word, and it was apparent that there was no prior connection between them.
The response of the empire members was varied, but among those at Rank 1, there were smiles. Every one of them was so inferior to Zatiel that they could never challenge him, but now seeing this genius being humiliated by someone at Rank 4 gave them satisfaction.
Those at Rank 2 were better at hiding their emotions, and Kira was the only one showing something.
But there was no such thing as sadness or anger in the woman's eyes. It was resignation and a little regret, possible to the fact that she now thought she should have taken the rings.
A stark contrast was the emotion on the two Neo-Demons beside Zatiel. There was coldness and killing intent as they saw Lun's action, and they would have attacked even if that meant their deaths had not Zatiel informed before that this could happen.
Of course, this was only an emotional response as they understood that they could escape at any moment. Still, even so, the coldness and fighting will in their eyes did not decrease as both Sophia and Ezequiel remained by Zatiel's side.
Zatiel was able to feel the emotions in the duo's hearts, and warmth filled his'. Using all the power of his body, he stood up and looked back at Lun with calm and indifferent eyes.
'Yes! Resist and fight against it. That would only make destroying you more pleasurable.'
Zatiel's resistance made Lun's smile grow so much that all his teeth were visible.
"Zatiel Daybreak, you obtained a Star Heart during your time inside the cave. Due to the immense value of the object, I will search your mind to make sure you are not hiding another piece," There was expectancy in Lun's eyes as he waited to Zatiel's despair.
Although Lun says he will just read his mind, the old man will send his consciousness into Zatiel's soul and forcefully extract his memories, something him to horrendous torture and destroying the soul in the process.
But Lun's wishes were not granted, as Zatiel looked at him with complete calmness even though the pressure the Soul Forging was releasing was making him bleed from every orifice on his head.
"There can only be one Star Heart in any astral body since they are the core of this one. You are just using the power obtained by your age to bully me," There was no indignance in Zatiel's words. It was as if he was explaining something irrelevant to him.
Seeing Zatiel's calmness made Lun's anger explode.
"Yes, I am bullying you. I am using my age to overcome you. Your talent may be great, but you are weak, so I can do whatever I want with you. That is the unfairness of the universe."
With these words, Lun hoped to affect Zatiel, but the answer he got was nowhere near close to what he hoped.
"HAHAHA, you are right, fairness does not exist, just as you are using the power obtained by living thousands of years to bully me, I am using my talent and knowledge to dominate those garbage."
Zatiel's calmness broke as he spoke and pointed to those Rank 1 Magus looking at him.
"The universe is unfair; there is no such thing as good and evil. If you are an embodiment of death and destruction, killing trillions of lives, so what? You are right, and they are wrong because you are the strongest!"
When they heard those words, everyone was shocked, and even Lun was not an exception.
What Zatiel just spoke was the highest truth of the universe.
Power Reigns Above All.
What Lun felt when he obtained this new knowledge wasn't gratitude but hate.
"How dares an insignificant ant like you try to teach me something? I will consume your soul and use my Law to shatter it," Lun's face was filled with anger, and the power he released was increasing.
But even in that presence, Zatiel didn't feel threatened, and he continued smiling.
"You don't let me finish, I have another advantage, and that is my brother!"
The moment Zatiel's words ended, Lun felt as if an ocean of blood assaulted him and paralyzed his body, and before he could do anything, a black sword pierced him from the back, allowing him to see how the sword tip appeared from his chest.