After giving them time so they could understand completely the information and seeing that they were focused again, Zatiel continued.

“Our main advantage is his arrogance and the fact that he will underestimate us. The moment he realizes what we are capable of doing, that carelessness will transform in cautiousness and a defensive attitude so we have to take that window to make the most damage possible, after that you two will follow the plan and carry out my instructions without hesitation.”

“Yes!” Sophia and Ezequiel know that any accident could cost their lives so they were ready to act as a perfect soldier and obey orders without question.

“Let’s go,” Once everything was ready the three of them headed to the first floor to leave the tower.

Once they reached the first floor, they became the center of attention for almost all the apprentices there. To them, they were extremely powerful pseudo-magi and unlike the rest, they had shown no intention of joining any type of family or clan, making them an abnormality.

Among the ones that were looking at them was a man at the corner of the tower. In his hand, there was a small crystal sphere. The apprentice used some of his energy to activate it and whisper at it, “Lord Magus, the target is leaving the tower accompanied by two of his companions.”

At first, there was no response, but a moment letter an old voice was heard from the sphere.

“Well done, I will reward you later.”

….

On the fourth floor, Jhon and Clive were seeing how Zatiel was leaving the tower through a crystal that was floating in front of them.

“Lord Clive, by what I know Erick has been surrounding this place and I think he will attack them,” Jhon didn’t care if Zatiel died, but he knows that the rank 2 Magus has a use for the promised runes, so he was seeing if there is an order to protect him.

“If they are foolish enough to leave the tower and ignore the threat of a rank 1 Magus, then there is no need to continue helping them, and in the chance, they return, we will continue enforcing the contract,” Clive was indifferent to the fate of Zatiel. Although his abilities like a runemaster were useful to him, he will not act as a guardian.

“But still, you have informed Erick about my protection over them, so if he kills them, try to gather some evidence so we can demand compensation,” after he finished, Clive vanished from the floor.

….

Zatiel, Ezequiel, and Sophia were heading to a part of the Endless Forest where there was a frozen lake. This place was close to where the periphery ended and the area where you could start finding rank 1 magical creatures.

Close to the frozen lake was where the laboratory of the ancient Magus that Sophia found was located. She arrived at this place after running from a magical creature and she didn’t dare to enter too deeply.

Zatiel chose to go to this place to hide after the fight, as for Erick following them all the way to the laboratory and finding it, he was not worried about it. At the moment they were far away from any possible witness so he was sure that the Magus would attack them.

As they advanced the three of them had the energy of their bodies ready to act and they had partially activated their most powerful spell.

Around Ezequiel’s body little arcs of lightning were moving encircling him, improving his speed and on Sophia, a small amount of frost was covering her and in her hands from time to time blasts of cold air were launched around her body.

Unlike the two of them, Zatiel had two spells active. One was the Shadow form that was only covering part of his legs to enhance his speed, the other was a thin thread of black fire that was forming a ring at his back.

This new spell was the one Zatiel had chosen for his Rank Spell, and this was a special one. It should be a rank 1 spell but thanks to the chip, he was able to downgrade it to a rank 0 so he could use it but still, it greatly drained his energy, and it was only when he was close to the peak of rank 0 and his physique has got over 19 points that his body was powerful enough to withstand the energies of the spell and he was able to start using it.

‘Even now it is still difficult to control it. As expected from a spell that was previously rank 1,’ As Zatiel was practicing the spell, he remembered the information the chip gave him about the spell.

[Ring of Abyssal Fire: Rank 0 spell ( Downgraded rank 1). It generates a ring of black flames at the back of the user. You can control part of it to launch attacks to the enemy as well as cover a part of your body or weapon in it. This fire has special properties due to his connection with the abyss aura. The flames have a corrosive attribute and when it reaches the target, it can use the energy of the target to increase the power of the flame and continue burning. There is also an effect on the consciousness of the target, harming it. Consumption: Abyss Aura- 2 every minute.]

It was only thanks to his proficiency in the spell that the cost was only two points a minute. When he just started to use it, it could barely be active for a couple of minutes before draining all of his energy. As for having it partially activated, with his basic regeneration of abyss aura, the cost was almost null.

…..

It was on the seventh day of his travel as they were going through the forest Zatiel felt it. It was very subtle but thanks to him reaching the peak of rank 0 and having his consciousness strengthened, he was able to detect the killing intent.

“Now!” As soon he gave the signal through their cores, the three of them ingested a black pill.

Just when they finished ingesting it, a group of flames formed over them and turned into an old man. Erick didn’t waste time and used a powerful spell that covered the three of them.

“Fire Storm!”

A sheet of flames fell from the sky and it was going to consume them, but unfortunately for the old man, instead of the screams of pain he was expecting to get, he only received three raised palms.

“Abyssal Blast!!!”

Three beams of pure abyss aura, one black, one blue, and another light-blue crashed against the spell of the Magus, and although individually the spell was just as powerful as the flames, the three together disintegrated the flames immediately, and the blast continued its way to the Magus.

Normally Erick would have his lava shields to protect him, but to try to make a surprise attack and believing that there is no way an apprentice could harm him, he did not have the defensive spell activated, and the beams were so fast that didn’t give him time to react before they struck him.

Erick blasted away from the attack, and surrounding him was a yellow cracked sphere that originated from a pendant on his neck and over his body was a cloak of flames with some broken parts. 

He was badly injured and bleeding all over his body, and the pendant did not hold on longer and disintegrated taking the sphere with him, but still, it was thanks to it and his rank spell that he was able to survive.

He managed to stop his body and conjured a ball of flames to stay in the air, and his consciousness was inundated with savage and chaotic thought making it difficult to concentrate and it was generating a splitting pain on his head.

“Those pieces of sh*t, I wi..” 

But immediately, the attack continued. From his back, Ezequiel appeared enveloped in lightning with an armor covering his body and a small sword launching an attack to his lungs, and from above, spikes of ice with a dark glow were falling on his head and in front was Zatiel with a ring of flames at his back, covered entirely with chains and armor under it, his hands were covered in dark fire punching his stomach.