Chapter 14: End of monitoring

Zatiel was venturing deeper into the Endless Forest, heading towards his mission location. As he made his way through the dense trees, he glanced back, aware that a group of formidable pursuers trailed behind him.

"The strongest ones are after me, but the rest won't pose a problem for little EZ. They're certainly cautious," Zatiel pondered, calmly acknowledging the presence of his pursuers.

Although the number of people tailing him seemed to have diminished, their overall strength remained unchanged. Zatiel recognized their constant use of spells to conceal themselves, particularly noting the caution of their leader, Arthur. However, Zatiel remained unfazed, confident that they would eventually reveal themselves.

As Zatiel advanced, he took care not to attract the attention of the powerful magical creatures that inhabited the forest. These creatures posed little threat to him, as they possessed a strength comparable to Rank 2 Apprentices and offered no significant contributions. With his mission confined to the forest's periphery, spanning thousands of kilometers, Zatiel estimated it would take him around five days to reach his destination.

"With my current speed, I'll take this opportunity to practice my spells," he thought.

Chains materialized and dissipated around Zatiel as he honed his proficiency with the complex spell known as Abyssal Chains. As a Neo-Demon, his exceptional talent allowed him to rapidly improve his mastery of the spell.

After a few hours, stronger magical creatures began to emerge, many of them rivaling the strength of Rank 3 Apprentices. Zatiel carefully navigated past them, remaining focused on his objective.

During his journey, he encountered an Earth Rhino, a formidable creature standing at three meters tall. The creature possessed an earth-like armor and formidable strength, though it lacked the ability to cast spells. Recognizing the Earth Rhino as a suitable target for testing the strength of his Abyssal Chains, Zatiel stood before it without unsheathing his sword or adopting a combat stance.

Sensing Zatiel's presence, the Earth Rhino roared, attempting to intimidate him and force him to retreat. Despite normally attacking intruders on sight, the creature's heightened intellect indicated that something was amiss with the human standing before it. Instead of blindly attacking, the Earth Rhino sought to intimidate Zatiel into leaving. Unfazed by the creature's attempts, Zatiel remained motionless.

Witnessing Zatiel's unwavering resolve, the Earth Rhino charged with immense force, causing the ground to crack under its weight. Yet, Zatiel maintained his position until the rhino was within 20 meters of him. In that moment, his eyes focused, and his Abyss Aura erupted as four abyssal chains materialized around him. With incredible speed and precision, the chains launched towards the charging creature.

The Earth Rhino sensed the immense threat posed by the chains but was unable to evade them due to its speed. The chains twisted and struck their target—one piercing its throat, penetrating 50 centimeters deep, and another crashing against its spine, fracturing the first vertebra. Although the chains caused significant pain, they did not pose a fatal threat to the creature. However, they momentarily paralyzed its head, allowing the remaining two chains to strike.

Each chain targeted an ear, piercing through to the brain and inflicting excruciating pain. The Earth Rhino let out a thunderous roar. Although the beast's charge diminished considerably, it still reached Zatiel with considerable momentum. Instead of dodging the now-dying creature, Zatiel chose to gauge his body's strength.

"Let's see how strong my body truly is," he thought.

Adopting a posture and channeling all the power in his body into his fist, Zatiel delivered a powerful punch to the rhino's head.

A resounding boom echoed as their forces collided. The impact was so tremendous that Zatiel was thrown six meters before regaining his stability. He felt his arm tremble and bones crack from the impact. The Earth Rhino, on the other hand, bore a fist-shaped depression on its head and was launched three meters into the air before crashing onto the ground.

Taking a moment to steady himself and ensure the rhino was dead, Zatiel assessed his strength. Despite being on the losing end, the impact had been forceful enough to severely injure any Pseudo-Magus, even those practicing body-refinement. Zatiel, in comparison, had merely suffered some broken bones. Additionally, the creature's momentum had increased the impact's strength.

"Now that my bones are fractured, it's a good opportunity to test Abyss Regeneration," Zatiel contemplated.

With a significant amount of Abyss Aura surging through his body, Zatiel directed the energy towards his arm, mending the fractured bones. Within a minute, the injuries were completely healed. Neo-Demons possessed potent passive regeneration, and any wounds could be rapidly healed by utilizing Abyss Regeneration—an ability that accelerated the body's natural healing process using Abyss Aura.

After healing his body, Zatiel approached the rhino's carcass, dissecting it with his sword and retrieving its heart—the most vital and nutritious part. Leaving the rest behind, he moved away from the area to avoid attracting other creatures with the scent of blood.

"The sound of the fight and the smell of blood are likely to attract other creatures. I should depart. Besides, I already have the most important part," Zatiel thought as he examined the heart.

Before advancing further, he took a moment to ensure no beasts were nearby. Satisfied with the relative safety of his surroundings, Zatiel cooked the heart of the Earth Rhino and consumed it. As he devoured the heart, his body immediately began to digest it, while the Chaotic Core absorbed the accumulated energy to enhance itself.

"It's time to rest for today. Nightfall is approaching, and navigating the forest at night would be both challenging and wasteful," Zatiel concluded.

Although seeing in the dark posed no problem for a Neo-Demon, he recognized the difficulty of maintaining a straight path during the night, and it would consume unnecessary energy. Zatiel leaped onto a tree branch and closed his eyes to rest. Yet, even with his eyes shut, he remained vigilant of his surroundings.

...

On the third day of his journey towards the mission zone, Zatiel continued to practice his Abyssal Chains by engaging with various magical creatures along the way. He used their remains to further enhance his power. That day, he encountered a Raging Hyena—a beast that even some Pseudo-Magi would consider a threat. Known for its exceptional agility, the hyena adeptly evaded Zatiel's attacks.

However, when the hyena became overconfident and pounced on Zatiel, aiming to tear into his body with its claws, it fell victim to Zatiel's Shadow Form. Zatiel vanished from the creature's sight and reappeared beside it. The hyena attempted to create distance but failed to do so before Zatiel plunged his sword into its neck, swiftly ending its life. After claiming the useful parts of its body, Zatiel departed.

It was as the day drew to a close that something peculiar occurred.

"They've stopped following me. How curious," Zatiel remarked.

While he couldn't pinpoint the exact location of Arthur and his team, Zatiel always sensed their presence. However, at this moment, that sensation vanished.

"They wouldn't have followed me for three days only to disappear without taking action. They must have been tracking me to confirm something and are now implementing the next phase of their plan," Zatiel deduced, maintaining a carefree expression as he began to consume the heart of the Raging Hyena, as though nothing unusual was happening.