Chapter 1539 1539. Endless
The army of Rats featured less rank 8 magical beasts than Noah"s group, but they seemed pretty threatening according to his instincts. The main reason behind that danger what that Noah couldn"t find the source of their auras among that horde of creatures.
It was as if they were underground. The countless rank 7 Rats around them hid their presence and allowed them to move freely among their enemies.
Noah quickly resorted to his flames, and the Snakes didn"t hesitate to spit their silver liquid. The other magical beasts and Fergie also activated their abilities while focusing on attacks that could affect large areas.
The joint offensive turned out to be quite effective since countless Rats died during the wave of attacks, but the invaders soon had to change their minds.
There were too many Rats. Even attacks with power in the eighth rank could only kill the hundreds of magical beasts gathered in the external parts of that wave of creatures.
The Rats filled the sky and used their companions" bodies to move through the air. They almost seemed able to fly in that situation. The decent mid-air agility of the Snakes was nothing compared to that offensive.
It didn"t take much before the Rats engulfed all the existences in the sky. They resembled a sea that had taken control of the sky, and the leaders hidden among the rank 7 beasts could even move freely in that situation.
Noah couldn"t see much among the sea of magical beasts swarming around him. Those creatures even affected his consciousness, forcing him to rely on his instincts to sense when something dangerous was about to approach his position.
His previous release of pride had turned him into a target. Noah soon sensed that a threat was approaching his position at high speed, and his ambition promptly began to fuel the draconic armor.
A large chunk of his armor suddenly disappeared as a shadow ran past him. The creature had marched through his flames and its many companions to reach Noah and launch a piercing attack.
"One of the rank 8 Rats is hiding here," Noah quickly concluded in his mind before a simple plan formed in his mind.
Through his many talents and intelligent use of his ambition, Noah could open a path among that furry sea and find the rank 8 specimen. The ma.s.sive a.s.sault would immediately lose one of its threatening aspects at that point.
However, that approach could force the Rats to retreat. Those creatures were willing to sacrifice hordes of rank 7 specimens, but Noah didn"t know how they would react to the loss of one of their leaders.
Noah didn"t want them to retreat. He liked that situation. The Rats were virtually unable to hurt him, and the swarm of creatures provided him with an endless flow of nutrients.
Noah could obtain an unfathomable number of benefits if he managed to stall the situation. He didn"t dream of reaching the peak of the upper tier in one go, but he hoped to get close enough to the breakthrough to advance after the battle in the Crystal City.
"The rank 8 Foolery can"t defeat the stronger Rats in this situation," Noah thought. "The Snakes will freeze the sky around them and slowly defeat the whole army, but that will take time."
The situation seemed perfect for his plan. Noah had the power to inflict a significant loss, but he decided to hold back. He even withdrew his draconic armor to fake a moment of weakness.
His ambition switched its focus. Noah didn"t even need to empower his flames anymore. He only needed to make his law push his body beyond its actual limits, and his innate ability would naturally benefit from that effect.
Noah stood naked among the army of magical beasts. Those weak specimens managed to destroy his robe in an instant, but they couldn"t leave even the faintest mark on his body.
The dangerous sensation appeared again, and an immense force soon landed on Noah"s forehead. Still, the impact only made him turn his head, even if a small cut had appeared there.
"Not bad," Noah thought while inspecting the prowess of his body. "I"m getting close to the raw physical strength of a rank 8 magical beast, and my body has yet to advance!"
There was a difference between an actual breakthrough and the empowerment obtained through his ambition. Noah knew that his law could only imitate his growth, but it couldn"t express the real benefits that the process brought.
Moreover, Noah wasn"t using his ambition to improve his body in terms of ranks. He was only bringing its prowess to the eighth rank without modifying its actual level.
That was the same use applied to his attacks and abilities. His ambition made them able to hurt stronger creatures without actually empowering their raw power.
It was something similar to what Divine Demon did with his Miracles, except that Noah didn"t rely on the world to turn the impossible into possible. His ambition made him realize what his potential believed he would eventually achieve.
That second use of his ambition led to harsher drawbacks, but it also allowed Noah to surpa.s.s what the simple growth of his centers of power could achieve.
Of course, that was only true while his level remained inside the same stage and tier. The first method would lead to greater benefits once his ambition allowed Noah to step into the eighth rank.
His law had yet to become able to do that, but Noah didn"t know how much he desired to experience the drawbacks connected to that empowerment. Forcefully reaching the eighth rank would make him spend decades to recover. He wouldn"t even be surprised if the stress would put him into seclusion for entire centuries.
Noah burned everything around him. The endless flow of nutrients healed all the minor injuries that the rank 8 Rat managed to inflict before sending the remaining energy toward his black hole.
Those Rats were among the weakest species of magical beasts. They founded their true power on their fertility, but that put their leaders at a significant disadvantage.
They would need four to six rank 8 Rats to match the power of an actual rank 8 magical beast, and that ended up working perfectly for Noah. He could limit the amount of ambition used during the fight to maintain his empowerment as long as he desired.
The rank 8 Rat that had chosen him as its opponent soon left. It understood that Noah wasn"t really fighting, and its power alone didn"t make it able to do much against that enemy.
The creature joined its companions only to find out that their situation was almost the same. The rank 8 Foolery was quite resilient, and the Snakes had too many rank 8 specimens to even think about winning that battle.
The Rats had managed to kill many rank 7 specimens, but they became unable to touch them after they hid behind the ice. Even the magical beasts belonging to Noah"s pack and Fergie had to resort to the Snakes" innate ability to survive in that situation.
It was clear that the Rats couldn"t win in that situation. They were only wasting troops to defend an alliance with the humans. They soon expressed their feelings through loud squeaks, and the ground spoke again, telling them to retreat.
The furry sea quickly vanished, revealing the outcome of that long battle. The Rats had lost tens of thousands of rank 7 specimens, but their opponents had also suffered. Most of the rank 7 Snakes had died, and Noah could see that even his army had turned into nothing more than a small platoon.
Only the smartest creatures in his army had survived. White, Greeny, Grey, and Fergie were still alive together with less than a hundred other specimens.
The Rats didn"t immediately return underground. They waited on the surface, staring at their opponents with resolute expressions. They seemed willing to resume their reckless offensive as soon as one of their enemies decided to launch an attack.
Even the Snakes understood that it was time to talk. Noah and the others waited in the sky until a throne made of Rats came out of the ground. A specimen in the middle tier sat on it and adjusted its black crown while nearing its enemies.