Chapter 1688 - 1688. Certain
Worry filled Robert, Rebecca, and Castor. They couldn"t move freely inside the raging black currents, and their abilities couldn"t help them in that environment.
The leaders could destroy large areas filled with dark matter, but they couldn"t find Noah with that approach. They could only search him blindly, but they knew how pointless that was.
Noah also suffered from the destructive waves of power released by Snore"s attack, but his body could endure that damage. He even had access to defensive techniques that used dark matter, so his situation was far better than his opponents.
Moreover, Noah had prepared for the explosion of Snore"s feathers. He was one step ahead his opponents, and that gave him the chance to leave the chaotic area before them.
Noah reappeared under the white sky, but his dark world immediately expanded to hide his tracks. Melissa"s corpse was still in his grasp, and a layer of dark matter above her skin made sure that she never touched Heaven and Earth"s light.
Flames came out of Noah"s mouth and seeped inside the dark matter that covered Melissa. The higher energy replicated his innate ability and burnt the corpse, sending its power back to Noah.
The third attack with the cursed sword had destroyed his body even further, but the energy contained in Melissa"s dantian fixed all his injuries. Noah returned at his peak during the escape, and only his overwhelming bloodl.u.s.t continued to flow out of his figure.
That aspect of the drawbacks would usually make Noah lose his cool. The violent thoughts generated by the bloodl.u.s.t carried an immense power, but his mind seemed partially immune to them after his period as a Devil.
The anger carried by the other world"s will had affected his mental walls. It had modified their structure and made them resistant to that feeling.
Noah could benefit from that transformation since the bloodl.u.s.t carried a similar vibe. His mind thrived among that violence. It even used part of it as fuel for the Demonic Deduction technique.
Robert and the others soon came out of the area affected by the violent dark matter. Injuries filled their bodies, but Heaven and Earth quickly healed them. Still, their worry only intensified when they saw the dark world in the sky.
"d.a.m.ned coward!" Rebecca shouted while pointing her hands toward the dark world.
Robert and Castor imitated her. Ma.s.sive spells shot out of their figures and clashed on the dark world, destroying the technique in a single exchange. Yet, the leaders didn"t find Noah even after the dark matter vanished.
"We must find him!" Rebecca continued to shout, and Castor shared her panic.
Only Robert managed to remain calm in that situation. It was clear that Noah was trying to buy himself some time, and panicking wouldn"t bring the group closer to a solution.
Another black sea suddenly materialized among the sky. Robert could almost see Noah"s mocking expression when his eyes landed on that technique. The dark world was clearly a decoy, but the leaders had to fall for it anyway.
The trio released another wave of spells and destroyed the second dark world, but a third sea suddenly enveloped them. Noah had used their offensive to surround the experts with the technique stealthily. The leaders didn"t even sense him in that situation.
"He is toying with us!" Castor shouted as a large patch of dark matter crumbled and cleared his surroundings.
"Let"s destroy the entire area!" Rebecca proposed. "He won"t be able to dodge an attack at that level."
Robert remained silent. The dark world shattered in his vision, but more black seas appeared in the sky and hid its white radiance.
Some respect for his opponent appeared in his mind. Robert had never met such a canny and ruthless warrior. Noah embodied the very meaning of defiance.
The sole fact that Noah had managed to put four solid stage experts in that situation was a victory. Robert didn"t let his mind feel despair even if he knew which events would unfold in the next minutes.
Noah would continue to buy himself time, and the three leaders wouldn"t be able to do anything against that. They could barely keep up with his offensive. Chasing him through his countless tricks was simply impossible.
Robert remained silent as he accepted that outcome. His companions continued to shout and propose tactics, but he limited himself to turn toward the blinding pillar in the distance.
Heaven and Earth were about to lose a powerful member of their system, but they didn"t do anything to stop the event. They only cared about defeating the other world"s will, but they wouldn"t mind sacrificing entire armies in the process.
Those rulers saw the cultivators who joined their system as nothing more than expendable p.a.w.ns. Heaven and Earth forced experts to give up on their laws, and they offered nice advantages in exchange. Yet, they never really cared for those existences.
"When did I become so weak?" Robert eventually whispered.
Robert had opposed Heaven and Earth during his life. That was the standard path that every cultivator had to travel to reach the higher ranks. However, he had ended up falling for their presents after enduring countless punishments.
That was also normal. Existences far stronger than him had decided to side with Heaven and Earth since they didn"t find a way out of their punishments. Death was the only other available option.
Yet, his belief inevitably destabilized in front of Noah. Robert saw how an existence with a lower cultivation level could freely toy with them without triggering Heaven and Earth"s reaction.
"What did you say?" Rebecca asked as hope shone in her eyes.
Rebecca had accepted that Robert was stronger than her, but she didn"t manage to hear Robert"s words. Her attention had been on the various dark worlds that materialized in the sky. The spectacle of darkness and light had made her unable to mind her companion.
"Nothing," Robert sighed. "Melissa is dead. We need to defeat him as three."
"How can you say something like that?" Rebecca asked.
"Melissa must be among this darkness!" Castor added. "We can save her if we work together."
Robert shook his head, and his companions widened their eyes at that sight. They couldn"t understand why Robert had already given up on Melissa, but part of them silently shared his feelings.
Everything unfolded as Robert had predicted. Noah used the Shadow Domain and the dark worlds to cover his tracks while Night and his law damaged Melissa"s existence.
Noah left the Shadow Domain only to deploy the dark world and create baits for his opponents. He never stopped during his escape, and his energy depleted at a fast pace due to the relentless use of his techniques.
Night kept Noah updated on Melissa"s condition. The corpse had long since burnt in the black flames, but a layer of dark matter still isolated her law from the outside world.
The process didn"t take long, but it still felt like an eternity to Noah. The dark world didn"t consume much energy, but the Shadow Domain forced his dantian to go overboard. The constant destruction of his technique also weighed on his energy reserves, but those details never managed to affect his ecstasy.
"It"s over," Night eventually transmitted through the mental connection.
"Are you sure about that?" Noah asked.
"Completely certain," Night replied.
"Check again," Noah ordered.
"I"ve just done it," Night complained.
"Do it again," Noah ordered. "We can"t allow any slip-ups. I don"t want to see Heaven and Earth resurrecting her again."
"There is nothing left in your grasp!" Night snorted. "What do you even want me to inspect? Your darkness has already eaten the mutated laws."
Noah stopped escaping at that point. A quick inspection confirmed that Night was right. The sack of dark matter didn"t contain any law anymore. Every trace of Melissa had left the world.