Chapter 298 - Erased
There was no need to mention the possibility of Soul Forging existences being present in this world since not a single person had ever surpassed Rank 2.
The people who strive for strength in this world follow either the Path of Magic or the Path of Force. These were two Paths of Power that originated in this world, but they were extremely deficient since they completely ignored the soul and consciousness. Even though there were individuals in Zinitus that could be considered Rank 2 life forms, any Advanced Rank 1 Magi could kill them easily.
The organizations that split control over this world had a political structure similar to a mortal kingdom, with the nobility containing all the power and commoners nothing.
Even if you were incredibly talented and extremely hardworking, trying to obtain even the weakest type of Path Technique was almost impossible. However, there are always people that rise despite the restriction their place of birth generated.
In the Gimmer Kingdom, there is a place whose sole purpose is to train powerful warriors and mages, whose name was Royal Academy.
A tall wall surrounded the Royal Academy, and you could see runes inscribed in it. Although these runes were the highest level of rune crafting in Zinitus, they were barely equal to the worst Rank 0 runes you could find in the Magi World.
Dozens of people were coming in and out of the Royal Academy each minute. Standing in front of the massive entrance, there was a group of high-spirited youngsters.
At the head of the group was a young man with a courageous aura and eyes full of fighting spirit. His name was Liker, and although he was a commoner, a combination of destiny, hard work, and lucky chances granted him admission to the Royal Academy.
From the group that followed Liker, a beautiful woman with blonde hair approached the young man and took his hand before showing a smile full of love and adoration.
Liker turned to the woman and displayed a radiant smile before looking at the rest of his friends.
"In this place is where our path begins. We will reach the legendary Sky Walker Realm and explore this great world." Liker\'s words were packed with his determination and aspirations.
His friends smiled, and there was excitement in their eyes. The eyes of each one of them were filled with respect and admiration as they focused on Liker. Many of them considered this young man as the most important person in their lives.
Liker kept smiling, and just as he took a step forward, his entire body exploded as if it was a balloon full of blood. Things did not end there since every single atom of his body and fragment of his soul disintegrated the next instant.
"Liker!" The blonde woman screamed with all of her strength when she saw the man she loved with all of her heart die.
The friends of the young man were shocked and could not understand what had just happened.
There were hundreds of individuals around the entrance to the Royal Academy. They were all surprised by the strange death of the young man in front of them.
However, the next second, whether it was the crying woman, the afflicted friends, or the curious outsiders, they were all filled with confusion.
"What occurred, why am I crying?" The woman looked at the surrounding, but no one appeared to be able to give her an answer.
.....
What transpired in Zinitus was not an isolated event. People from all kinds of backgrounds in thousands of different worlds suffered the same fate that Liker did.
A crown prince of a mortal kingdom leading his army to war.
A beggar picking pieces of food from a garbage can.
A small girl playing with her friends.
A powerhouse from a High World giving lectures about the laws to his sect.
A fox that was running from a hunter.
A magic creature that was devouring a defeated enemy.
Every single one of them was annihilated in body and soul, leaving not a single atom behind. While the people around them reacted with shock to their demise, the next second, they forgot everything about them.
This happened one second after the Sage entrance to the 1st layer. He and everything that had a connection with him were erased from space and time. No one remembered them, and it was like they had never existed.
....
Back in the Magi World, the pressure the Daybreak Clan had to endure just kept growing as attacks from the Eye Dynasty and certain powers in the Aeternum Empire intensified.
There was a gloomy aura in the City of the Sun as people felt the storm that was developing on the horizon. The members of the Daybreak Clan were no longer permitted to enter Wasteland or head too deep into the Endless Forest due to assassins waiting in the shadows.
In the Eye Dynasty, stories about the Daybreak Clan using a Rank 4 Magic Creature to torture and kill ten Eye Kings of the Blood Eye Clan who were hunting in the Endless Forest began to circulate. Those tales were completely false, and anyone who put a little effort would realize it, but the truth mattered little when the only thing that you wanted was to make people angry.
From the Aeternum Empire, allegations about the pills sold by the Daybreak Clan having disastrous side effects appeared. There were many Rank 3 Magi that had been harmed by them, and some Rank 2 life forms died.
A great number of families and clans ganged up and demanded restitution and punishment for those involved in the creation of the pills. What made things worse was that they showed evidence that the source of the illness that affected the Magi indeed came from the drugs sold by the Daybreak Clan.
Sophia\'s name was constantly in the complaints of those clans, and some brazen ones even demanded her to be handed over so they could punish her personally.
On the upper floor of the Daybreak Magic Tower, Ezequiel was sitting on the throne and saw a group of individuals entering the room.
There were five people in total. Three of them were Soul Forging existences, while the other two were Rank 3 life forms.
Two of the Soul Forging existences were having an amicable chat as they walked, and by the attitude they were displaying, people may think this was their home. One of them was a beautiful woman, and the other a refined man. Despite the youthful appearance of the duo, they were extremely old, and their life force was reaching their end.
That was especially true of the man who had a decrepit aura around him and from whom a rotten smell was being discharged. He had a muscular constitution with draconic characteristics. There were scales on his face that released back ash.
Due to the problem with the pills that came from the Daybreak Clan, the people of the Empire Commercial Association requested a meeting to handle the accusations and how to respond to the clans and families demanding restitution and justice.
The Supreme Neo-Demon\'s eyes narrowed when he saw the man with a draconic bloodline. The attitude of the woman from the empire and the fact he brought that man along told Ezequiel everything he needed to know about this meeting.
It was obvious they did not come with good intentions, but Ezequiel did not make them leave. He wanted to know their goals, and they were no threat at all, so hearing what they wanted to say wouldn\'t harm him.
The duo advanced until they were less than ten meters away from Ezequiel and kept talking for a while before finally looking at the Neo-Demon. The expression on the face of the duo was arrogant, and it was clear they did not put the man in front of them in their sight.
Ezequiel couldn\'t care less what two talentless individuals who used magic to hide their decrepit bodies and who would die in less than a century could think of him. He also did not make any effort in hiding the disdain he felt for them.
The man and the woman perceived Ezequiel\'s scorn, and although they did not show anything on their faces, being looked down upon for such a genius with a thriving life force filled them with hate and envy, but they did not lose control.
Before the Neo-Demon or the duo could speak a word, the other Rank 4 life form yelled at Ezequiel.
"How dare a Rank 3 life form not to kneel in front of Sirius Dragonstone, Prince of the Dragonstone Kingdom, and lady Jenner Porter, Head of the Empire Commercial Association." The man who screamed had a dragon bloodline. His face was full of rage, and it appeared he was ready to launch himself at Ezequiel.
Although Rank 3 life forms needed to show respect to Soul Forging existences according to the codes and rules of the empire, kneeling to them in your own territory was a little too much.
Jenner and Sirius looked at Ezequiel, and a smile appeared on their faces as they waited to see how much they could bully this man.