Chapter 1431 1431 - Scales

"On your left!" Don shouted as a massive tail swung under him.

Noah turned toward the tail and shot upward. His body transformed into a black blade that released a trail of chaotic dark matter as it flew high in the sky and dodged the attack by a mere meter.

"Don't make me ruin your scales!" King Elbas shouted as he threw a fiery spear on the giant body of their opponent. "Can't we all pay attention to its skin?"

"I swear," Jordan growled as she kept the creature's mouth shut with the raw power contained in her limbs. "I will kill him if he keeps ordering me around."

Noah returned to his normal appearance when he stopped above the massive crocodile-like creature. He held his Demonic Sword above his head, and flares of dark matter shot out of the blade as it accumulated power.

The blade descended, and a thick slash flew out of it. The attack fell on the creature's body, and scales shot everywhere on the battlefield. However, only a long mark appeared on the beast's back.

"You damn brute!" King Elbas cursed loudly at the sight of the shattered back. "I was going to study them! I will deduct them from your share!"

"Shut up!" Noah replied as Snore and Night came out of his fiendish armor. "We are in this mess because you couldn't suppress your damned curiosity!"

"The eggs were hatching!" King Elbas replied as dense flames came out of his palms and created a warm halo on the reptile's back. Its scales began to reform under the healing properties of the Royal's spell.

"You maniac!" Don shouted as sharp gibbers accompanied his human voice. "Stop healing our opponent."

Pieces of the ground rose in the air and gathered around Don's arm to create a massive hand that he swept toward the beast. The golden halo that was healing its back vanished after the attack, and more scales fell from its skin.

The group had continued exploring the magical beasts' domain after the events in the Void Zone. Still, their travel had been quite chaotic due to King Elbas' unstoppable curiosity.

Noah, Don, and Jordan were hybrids. They knew the rules of the magical beasts' world and had an innate understanding of those creatures. They could easily exploit their flaws and adapt to any environment.

King Elbas was different. He was a human that would rather change the environment than adapt to it. His individuality also prevented him from holding back whenever he found something interesting, so he often caused a mess in lairs that the group had yet to explore fully.

Since the beginning of their travel, King Elbas had thrown himself into four different packs of magical beasts that featured one or more upper tier specimens.

Noah and the others could handle threats on that level since Jordan was with them. The trio in the liquid stage had even defeated one upper tier creature by themselves once. Yet, the crocodile-like beast that had attacked them at that time was far tougher than they had predicted.

For once, Noah knew the species of that creature. It was a Mountain Lizard that had grown far beyond his expectations. The beast was three hundred meters long, and its size didn't affect its agility.

Moreover, the Lizard had an incredible defense due to its tough skin. The fact that it was beyond the half-way mark of the upper tier made its scales almost impossible to pierce for the trio in the liquid stage.

The Lizard also had an annoying innate ability. It could spit a sticky substance that would force even Jordan on the ground for almost a minute.

The creature could kill anyone as long as it hit them with its spit. Its great defense made it capable of enduring any attack while it ran toward its restrained prey and ate it in a single bite.

Jordan had the most dangerous role in that battle. She was the only one strong enough to keep the Lizard's mouth shut, so she didn't hesitate to follow Noah's instructions when King Elbas suddenly awakened the creature.

Destroying the scales was up to the trio in the liquid stage, but their offensive proceeded slowly since the Lizard's skin was too tough to crumble after only a series of attacks.

'I want to try the cursed sword so badly,' Noah thought before launching another massive slash and ordering his companions to start their offensive.

Noah didn't want to reveal his cards with King Elbas among the group. He kept most of his strongest techniques hidden since the Royal could become a potential enemy in the future.

Still, his personal arts were performing well. His movement technique had become fast enough to dodge the creature's fast tail, and his slashes could destroy a few shards with each attack.

That outcome was already great since his opponent was a creature close to the last part of the upper tier. His martial arts fused with the Demonic Form, the dark matter, and his innate ability to create attacks that a cultivator at his level couldn't normally launch.

Even Don felt surprised when he watched Noah. Their attacks seemed to be at the same level, but there was a large gap between their cultivation level. Noah had just left the bottom of the liquid stage while Don was approaching the breakthrough to the solid stage.

'The Shadow Domain would also do great here,' Noah cursed in his mind when he thought about the techniques that he didn't allow himself to use.

Noah bent forward and transformed into a blade as he flew toward the Lizard. Dark matter accumulated in his sword as he built up enough momentum to pierce the creature's skin.

Night flew with him, and Snore wrapped its lower body around the creature's head while it launched its dark beam on the beast's back. The gesture relieved Jordan of some pressure and allowed her to keep the Lizard still.

Sharpness exploded in the area when Noah landed on the Lizard's head. Cuts formed in the sky whenever his aura managed to affect the environment.

Noah found himself on the Lizard's head after the impact. The Demonic Sword had managed to make a small cut on the creature, and he didn't hesitate to fill the wound with corrosive smoke and flames.

Night followed right after. It dived into the wound and cut anything it could before the Lizard's innate defenses forced it to retreat. Noah launched another wave of corrosive smoke and flames at that point, but the creature soon forced him to leave its body.

King Elbas eventually gave up on saving those materials and began to attack seriously. He filled the entire area with fiery spears that rained on the creature's back. His assault was relentless, and he also modified the nature of his flames to be more effective in the fight.

Don created massive limbs that he wore as if they were pieces of armor before throwing his attacks. He didn't limit himself to the ground. Giant metallic hands or arms would cover his figure and release shockwaves whenever he swung them.

Jordan helped in the offensive by spitting scarlet flames. She never allowed the Lizard to open its mouth, and her fire damaged its skin often.

The four were making full use of their numerical advantage. They dragged the fight long enough to make the Lizard fall under their relentless assault.