The battle halted for a few seconds. Both sides were reviewing the previous exchanges to find a flaw in their opponents, but the situation appeared quite annoying.
Noah had just found a way to kill his opponents, but the latter wouldn't show openings in their defenses anymore now. Their cultivation level gave them the upper hand in the fight, and their battle experience allowed them to exploit that feature.
On the other hand, the four leaders found it hard to evaluate Noah's power. He continued to show new abilities, and his energy reserves didn't seem to have limits.
Ordinary liquid stage cultivators would deplete their "Breath" quickly to keep up with multiple solid stage experts. The four leaders knew that part of those limits didn't apply to Noah due to his hybrid status, but his power still failed to make sense.
Noah didn't appear tired in the slightest. He could fix injuries inflicted by solid stage cultivators with his flames, and his attacks could put the leaders in danger.
Yet, both sides had found a path toward victory. Robert and the others had learnt to counter some of Noah's abilities, and the latter had discovered that his law could hurt his opponents.
Plans formed in the experts' minds. Both Noah and the leaders developed tactics during those silent moments.
'The drawbacks of the cursed sword are tough to handle at this level,' Noah considered in his mind, 'But the dark world can force my body to stay in one piece.'
The leaders had similar thoughts. Heaven and Earth's light could heal and resurrect them. That would give them enough time to counter Noah's abilities and corner him.
"Shall we resume?" Robert asked while revealing a cold smirk.
His companions inspected him with curious gazes, but they soon understood the reason behind his words. Noah was using that break to recover, so it was better to resume fighting immediately.
Noah understood something different from that question. Robert and the others didn't need to be so polite during the battle. They could directly attack him instead of wasting time with useless conversations.
'They are also waiting for something,' Noah concluded in his mind.
Even King Elbas and the rest of Noah's team were unclear about Heaven and Earth's trump card. They didn't know what the world had planned to vanquish the Devils. Still, Noah couldn't hesitate in that situation. He had to take risks to obtain benefits.
"I think you are aware of my next target," Noah announced while giving voice to a laugh and pointing the Demonic Sword toward Rebecca.
The leaders snorted before shooting toward Noah. Their laws expanded to create domains that transformed large areas of the sky and empower their abilities.
A toxic cloud expanded from Robert's figure, and raging winds followed Melissa's movements. Rebecca and Castor entered in Noah's range before stopping and deploying ranged abilities.
Rebecca had to pay attention to her life, and Castor remained with her to ensure that Noah failed to sever her connection with Heaven and Earth. Both experts could deploy ranged abilities anyway, so they didn't need to approach their opponent.
The situation worked in Noah's favor. He had succeeded in alarming his opponents. He only had to find a way to exploit that advantage now.
'They expect me to aim for Rebecca,' Noah thought as his swords landed on his forehead.
His consciousness expanded and spread his deadly sharpness through the battlefield. Images of the previous exchanges ran through his vision as he tried to find a different target.
Robert seemed the strongest among the group. Noah would generally focus on him, but he didn't feel confident in that approach since his power still fell short compared to the cultivator.
Castor used strange techniques that Noah had yet to understand. He didn't feel strong, but Noah decided to avoid him anyway. Wasting time to unravel the expert's abilities didn't sound like a smart choice.
His focus eventually fell on Melissa. Her winds were flexible, but they seemed a weaker version of Robert's law. They relied on smart attacks that contained a lot of power, but Noah's body could counter that feature.
The domains vanished when Noah released his attack. A singularity as large as the region spread through the sky and destroyed almost everything on its path.
The four leaders were ready for that attack. They sacrificed their domains to keep their body safe, but the might carried by Noah's slash still forced them to halt their offensive.
Rebecca and Castor even suffered some injuries since the latter had to make up for his companion's state. Rebecca was far from her peak, and her abilities couldn't deal with Noah's power anymore now that he had wielded the cursed sword.
Pieces of Noah's body exploded. He even lost one arm due to the drawbacks, but the dark matter quickly replicated it. That was only a temporary method to ignore his injuries, but Noah couldn't do anything better at the moment.
Robert and Melissa quickly resumed their charge while Rebecca and Castor dealt with their injuries, but Noah disappeared before they could reach his position.
Robert and Melissa immediately turned to shoot toward their companions. In their mind, Noah was clearly aiming for Rebecca, so they had to help her.
A massive snake materialized in front of Castor and Rebecca. The two experts tried to destroy Snore right away, but the Blood Companion released its feathers and made the whole area fall into chaos.
Raging waves of dark matter spread through the battlefield. Snore's attack covered the sky with a black sea that expanded even in the nearby regions.
The shockwaves released during the explosion forced the four leaders to deploy defensive abilities. The attack was too massive. They didn't believe that Snore could deploy something like that.
Still, Robert and Melissa did their best to create a path through the raging dark matter and reach their companions. They knew that Noah's attack would arrive soon, and Rebecca was in no condition to block his offensive.
Robert managed to reach Rebecca quickly due to his toxic substance. A few injuries inevitably appeared on his body due to his reckless charge, but they didn't bother him. He only felt glad to find that his two companions were safe.
Yet, that situation made Robert confused. Noah clearly had the chance to reach Rebecca before him. Something was wrong, but the expert couldn't understand what was happening.
Rebecca and Castor shared Robert's worries. The three experts exchanged a glance before covering their insides with defenses. They prepared for Noah's arrival, but he never showed himself.
The trio's confusion intensified, but an idea suddenly appeared in their mind. The three experts turned at the same time, and the scene that unfolded in their vision left them speechless.
Robert's tunnel was still in place, so the leaders could see what was happening among the raging that matter. Noah was withstanding that destructive energy with his b.a.r.e body while crouching on top of Melissa's shoulders.
His swords had stabbed her head, and light had already abandoned her eyes. Melissa had died during that short moment of distraction, and Heaven and Earth couldn't reach her among that destructive energy.
Robert and the others immediately stepped forward to help their friend, but Noah revealed a cold smile at that scene. Night promptly shot out of his c.h.e.s.t to enter Melissa's figure, and a layer of dark matter covered her before Noah retreated inside the dark environment.
Noah carried Melissa's corpse with him. The leaders wouldn't give Night the time to sever Heaven and Earth's laws if he deployed the dark world, so he changed his approach. He would run away until his prisoner wholly died.