Chapter 1156 1156. Fog Demon
Noah had taken note of the rank 6 magical beasts that he found during his many adventures. He had always known that his body would require them at some point, and that moment had arrived.
Even when his battle prowess had reached the powerhouse"s level, he had decided to ignore those creatures since many of them weren"t in the lower tier.
Still, Noah was on a completely different level now. He firmly believed that magical beasts in the middle tier wouldn"t be a problem with his current prowess, and he wanted to test himself anyway.
Moreover, the world didn"t offer him many incentives. The alliance had resumed its a.s.sault on the Elbas family"s domain, but he had nothing to gain out of it.
Without King Elbas, the Royals weren"t enemies worthy of his time. Yet, Noah loathed spending centuries reclused in his quarters, so a hunting session was the perfect adventure for the current period.
Noah had two worlds as hunting areas, and both of them had a sea with their fair share of powerful creatures. However, tracking those magical beasts would take him a while, so he preferred to take care of those inhabiting the landma.s.ses first.
The new continent"s fauna was a mess due to the many changes in the political borders and the constant expansion of the leading organizations.
Many rank 6 magical beasts that Noah had found in the past were either dead or held prisoner inside formations. Even the king of the snowy mountain had fallen prey to the Copying Technique.
Noah had always known that the seas were more reliable hunting areas, but he wanted to take care of the landma.s.ses first. He immediately thought about the two peculiar danger zones in the old continent once he made his mind.
According to the reports acc.u.mulated through the years, the mystical fog and the mountain chain that divided the old continent into three areas hid rank 6 creatures.
Noah had found one of them inside the mystical fog when he searched for the remains of the Demon Sects, so he was quite sure that even the mountain chain had a creature on that level too.
"The mystical fog first then," Noah thought as he left his quarters to fly toward the old continent.
The last time he traveled there, Noah had required an emblem that stated his peaceful intentions. Yet, the old political borders didn"t exist anymore, and his cultivation level was so high that he didn"t require any permit to fly in countries outside of the Hive"s domain.
The Shandal Empire couldn"t object to anything he did, and the Council would even organize events to welcome him properly if it knew about his arrival.
Noah reached the old continent and entered the mystical fog without contacting nor warning anyone. Only June knew that he had left and why.
The environment inside the mystical fog didn"t change in those years. That danger zone had resisted the war against the Shandal Empire, and the powerful beings that inhabited it had remained the same.
The Fog Demons were still the overlord of the area. Spa.r.s.e packs of hyena-type and wolf-type magical beasts occupied the peripheral regions, but they mostly served as food for the rulers.
Noah ignored every creature in the fifth rank and flew directly toward the old continent"s eastern coast. He had found the rank 6 magical beast in that area during his last exploration, and beings on that level rarely moved from their lairs.
Just as Noah had predicted, he sensed the presence of a creature in the sixth rank when he neared the spot that once featured the entrance to Divine Architect"s separate dimension.
Noah didn"t have the time to a.n.a.lyze the beast in his last exploration, but he could recognize its species even before entering its range now.
It was a Fog Demon that had taken the shape of a giant Three-headed Hyena. A few weaker creatures belonging to that species patrolled the lair, but they couldn"t even notice Noah nearing them.
Noah knew the right approach to hunt Fog Demons. They relied on the fog around them to launch attacks and build protections, so hunters would usually try to get rid of it before launching a surprise attack.
The Fog Demons" actual bodies were weak, and they barely met other creatures" standards on the same level. Yet, they were quite threatening in a foggy environment.
Noah wanted to test himself, so he didn"t rely on his knowledge in the magical beasts" field to face his opponent. Instead, he descended toward the lair while letting his aura run wild in the environment.
The pressure that he generated startled the weaker beasts that began to roar in his direction. There was mostly fear in their minds, but they couldn"t leave their leader alone.
The rank 6 Fog Demon raised its foggy heads to stare at Noah. It had been a long time since someone had challenged it, but its instincts didn"t become dull in that long period of peace.
Noah unfolded his consciousness, and sharp mental waves covered the area, unleas.h.i.+ng a wave of destruction that the old continent"s ground couldn"t endure.
Noah"s mental waves resembled ma.s.sive blades that fell on the area, creating large cracks on the frail terrain and killing some of the unfortunate weaker creatures that had happened to touch his consciousness.
The Fog Demon roared in anger, but Noah could recognize how the cry was only an imitation of the Three-headed Hydras" voice. Still, the creature revealed its real power when it accepted Noah"s challenge.
"Middle tier," Noah thought as the Demonic Sword came out of his s.p.a.ce-ring to fly in his hand.
The Fog Demon didn"t wait for Noah to attack. Part of the fog around the beast solidified to create a series of spikes that flew toward him.
Noah sprinted forward, leaving only a human-shaped crack in his previous position. By the time the storm of spikes reached that spot, he had arrived next to his opponent.
The Fog Demon noticed Noah only when it was too late. He had already completed his slash when the three heads turned toward him.
A tall black line landed on the foggy body of the creature and dug deep inside it. The slash even cut the ground on the sides that cracked and shattered under the might unleashed.
A surprised expression appeared on Noah"s face when he saw that his attack didn"t reach the other side of the foggy body. He expected such defenses from other beasts" actual skin and muscles, but he didn"t think that the Fog Demons" innate ability could be so strong.
The rank 6 specimen"s control of the fog had allowed it to create an armor capable of withstanding Noah"s casual slashes. That achievement wasn"t something that Noah could underestimate.
The Fog Demon threw its heads toward Noah. He could dodge the attack easily, but he decided to face it with his bare body.
Noah let go of the Demonic Sword and punched at one of the heads while using his free hand to stop the other one. His knee rose to land a blow on the third one.
The fog that made the heads shattered under Noah"s blows, but he found his limbs stuck inside that dense gas once they dug through its surface.
Spikes then grew from the foggy body and tried to impale the restrained Noah, but the Demonic Sword slashed at the heads to free him of those restrictions. He suddenly roared too, and a starry sky spread in the area.
The Fog Demon could endure Noah"s blows because its body was on a higher level, but the black flames destroyed many layers of its foggy armor and pushed it back by a few hundred meters.