Chapter 1028 1028. Old acquaintance
"What"s the occasion?" Noah asked as he ma.s.saged his temples. The hand holding the giant lizard rose as if it wasn"t carrying anything, giving birth to a peculiar scene.
The three armies stared at Noah in disbelief. The experts" eyes went up and down as they followed the movements of the beast"s corpse. Something told them that Noah had forgotten that he was carrying such a large creature.
Noah had come there in a hurry thinking that some significant event had caused the gathering of so many experts, but he couldn"t see anything valuable in the region.
What had once been a poisonous swamp had now turned into a smelly region with brown ground that gave off purple shades. Peculiar and strange plants grew there, and a research structure stood in the distance. Yet, Noah didn"t sense anything worthy of such a ma.s.sive battle.
"It was a strange succession of events," Daniel spoke calmly, even if his expression showed his astonishment toward what he was seeing. "We are at war now."
"What"s the loot?" Noah asked. He couldn"t believe that organizations at the peak of the world would have deployed some of their best a.s.sets over "strange events".
Of course, Noah was one of the few existences that would find it hard to understand the reasons behind the war. He had always thought as a lone cultivator, so topics like honor and face had never crossed his mind.
Daniel showed a complicated expression at that question. He knew Noah, and he was sure that he wouldn"t get what was going on. If he had to be completely honest, he would have never predicted that such small matters could have led to something so big either.
However, no one inside the Hive could deny Noah an honest answer.
"We are fighting for the honor of the Hive," Daniel eventually said.
Noah thought that he had misheard his words, but Daniel"s stern expression confirmed his previous statement. That left Noah speechless. He couldn"t believe that he had delayed his rest over such a meaningless matter.
"Well, I"m here now," Noah thought as he swept the enemy army with his consciousness. He had some unfinished business with the Royals, and putting an end to that façade could only benefit his imminent seclusion.
The cultivators of the Royals" faction shuddered when Noah"s mental waves went over them. They had begun to realize something when they saw the giant lizard, but the direct contact with his consciousness made them sure of his breakthrough.
Noah was a rank 6 mage now. He wasn"t a complete powerhouse, but the level of his mind put him far beyond what they could handle.
"Wait!" Daniel shouted when he understood what Noah wanted to do. "There is a silent agreement to limit the battles to the liquid stage!"
Noah wasn"t in the mood for pointless discussions, and his restraints had vanished when his mind stepped in the sixth rank. He had finally reached the point where he could stop caring about politics and act as he wished.
"Who cares," Noah said as he swung the arm carrying the beast. The battle had already started when he arrived in that region, so the armies had mixed. Still, groups of experts on each side handled the long-range attacks, and Noah threw the lizard at them.
"Retreat," Noah said in a cold voice as he shot after the lizard. He needed the battlefield to be empty of allied troops to unleash his power.
Daniel and Faith"s eyes widened when they saw his sudden action and ordered a full retreat. They knew Noah, so they could understand what was about to happen.
The long-range experts of the Royals dodged the ma.s.sive beast, but Noah suddenly arrived on the spot and grabbed its tail. Then, he swung it in a circular motion so that it would hit the retreating enemies.
Snore took form from the black smoke that hung behind his back and began to launch lightning bolts toward any isolated enemy that it found.
There were only rank 4 and 5 cultivators on the battlefield. The ground was deadly for those in the human ranks, and the silent agreement didn"t allow anyone above the liquid stage to join the battle.
Noah was leagues above them now. A slaughter began as soon as he entered the battlefield, and his enemies could do nothing to stop him.
Many of those experts wore defensive inscribed items, but Snore"s attacks pierced them as if they were b.u.t.ter. Even the protections at the peak of the fifth rank could only crumble when the lightning bolts exploded next to them.
Noah"s blows had the same effects. He swung the lizard as he flew through the battlefield, and someone would either die or end up gravely injured in the impacts.
As the allied forces retreated, Noah gained room to launch more destructive attacks. He didn"t resort to his techniques and spells due to his wounded mental sphere, but he let Snore go all out.
A sea of black flames spread in the sky, lightning bolts flew everywhere, and chilling gales froze large chunks of air. The Blood Companion was enough to take control of the entire area.
Noah stopped swinging the lizard when he saw that Snore could handle the rest by himself. His mental energy spread and gathered the intact corpses and s.p.a.ce-rings near him.
The effort hurt him a bit, and his control over the corpses and items wasn"t as stable as Skully"s. Yet, it did the job, and it gave him the chance to seize all the dantians and resources that he found. Moreover, he even found a ring that could contain the lizard.
Noah ate the dantians that didn"t go through the waters of the Royal pool as he wore the new ring and stored the beast. There weren"t many of them that he could devour, but he still found a couple of edible ones.
Snore continued to unleash attacks, but its offensive wasn"t casual. The Blood Companion smartly avoided June"s area and the part of the sky occupied by an old acquaintance.
Noah turned toward Thaddeus Elbas when he finished his meal. He strolled on the air as he crossed the sea of flames that separated the two of them.
Thaddeus appeared frozen in fear. He had managed to reach the last phases of the liquid stage thanks to the pool, which made him one of the Royal family"s core members. However, he was nothing more than an ant in front of who had once been only a promising disciple.
"It has been a long time," Noah said in a cold tone as he came out of the black flames. Thaddeus couldn"t even muster the strength to nod when those vertical pupils stared deep into his mind.
"I know that some of you did it," Noah continued as he arrived right in front of him. "But I"ve never heard a name."
Thaddeus couldn"t even imagine what was going through his mind. He hadn"t seen Noah for centuries in the end. How could he understand what he was talking about?
Noah placed a hand over his shoulder and spoke in a calm tone. "Who killed Ivor?"