Chapter 1776 - 1776. Liar

"I'll handle this on my own," Noah announced while stepping off Shafu's back. "It's personal."

The group behind him couldn't say much after those words. They watched Noah leave the massive dragon and fly around the two giants and near the black region while the leader of the Eternal Snakes lifted its body and revealed its immense size.

Noah could immediately understand the layout of that lair. He had seen something similar with Snore when it was still an Albino Snake. Most of the creatures were hibernating to preserve their energy. They were limiting their absorption of "Breath" to the minimum due to the severe conditions of the environment.

Their behavior came from their instincts. The Eternal Snakes had understood that the world would soon stop to provide enough energy, so they resorted to hibernation to delay the inevitable doom.

Noah could already imagine them resorting to cannibalism once the Immortal Lands became empty. Only a few millennia divided the pack from that solution, but his arrival there could prevent that outcome.

"Can we ignore our past?" Noah asked through a low growl. "Many years have passed since we fought against the Crystal City together. I believe we both have benefitted from that."

"Your voice is noise," The upper tier Eternal Snake hissed. "You are a traitor and a liar!"

The snake snapped and used its huge body as a spring to shoot toward Noah. Silver ice even accumulated in its mouth as it opened it during the charge.

The sight of the traitor had made it forsake its situation. The snake didn't care that its attack could quicken the giants' destruction. It only wanted to kill the existence that had dared to trick it.

A loud clanging noise and a series of shockwaves spread through the area when the snake slammed on Noah. However, the attack didn't even manage to make him take a single step back. He had only needed to raise his hand to stop the threatening charge.

The snake could barely believe its eyes and senses. Noah's pride inevitably seeped out of his figure after that feat. He had stopped the physical attack of an upper tier magical beast with his bare hands without resorting to his ambition. His action had expressed his position in the food chain, and the creature struggled to accept it.

Cracks opened on the giants nearby. The shockwaves came from the clash of two existences who wielded upper tier physical strength. The middle tier materials that made them could barely endure the power released in the impact.

"I understand your anger," Noah growled, "But fighting here will only destroy your home. I swear I'll follow you to a remote location if you listen to me for a bit."

"Why would I even listen to your lies?" The snake hissed before spitting silver liquid and covering the entire area with ice.

Part of the giants also froze. The snake's attack had an immense range and seemed able to freeze everything, but Noah had gone past those simple abilities.

The Eternal Snakes' innate ability was far above average in the magical beasts' realm, but it didn't even manage to touch Noah's requirements. He was beyond the silver ice. It was nothing more than a small piece of his arsenal.

The ice continued to spread until a black spot appeared near the snake's mouth. The blackness expanded before creating a small black flame that started to burn on top of the frozen landmass.

The flame didn't appear special, but a dense substance suddenly covered it and imitated its features. The fire expanded at that point, and the whole frozen landmass soon ended up burning in Noah's ability.

Noah and the Eternal Snakes had a long relationship. He had learnt how their innate ability worked millennia ago, so he could instantly devise a method to counter it. He had only needed to make the dark world gain his flame's features and add a few unique aspects.

The ice melted, but Noah spared the frozen pieces of the giants. The upper tier Eternal Snake stared at him in astonishment as he turned toward one of those big structures and kicked it toward Shafu.

The dragon opened its mouth and ate the giant. That massive puppet was nothing compared to the immense companion. It was even too little to fill the entirety of its throat.

"I've just halved your remaining time," Noah growled. "Do you want to eat your kind so soon? I just asked to exchange words!"

The Eternal Snake was going through countless emotions. Noah had barely wielded a rank 8 battle prowess during their last encounter, but he could treat upper tier abilities as jokes now.

The intense pride seeping out of his figure could make every magical beast bow. Noah embodied the peak of every species, and his cultivation level had yet to reach the peak of the eighth rank.

The snake could resist Noah's pride only due to the similar feeling that burnt inside its mind, but the reality of the situation was evident. Noah had grown beyond every prediction, and that improvement went past the mere rise of the cultivation level. He had become a true leader in those years, maybe even better than the creature.

"You are a liar," The snake said, but its hiss had lost volume at that time.

"I had to trick you back then!" Noah snorted while speaking through roars and growls. "You would have eaten me! Still, I don't need to do that now. I have no reason to deploy those cheap tactics."

The snake remained silent for a while before a hiss came out of its mouth. "Talk then."

Noah couldn't help but smile at that point. He had finally forced the stubborn leader of the Eternal Snakes to resort to words instead of battles. His confidence in his task increased a lot after that achievement.

"I have a plan to recreate the Immortal Lands," Noah explained. "Heaven and Earth are the opponents, so I need to gather a powerful army. I can offer your pack a place where to stay in the meantime."

"I would gladly fight Heaven and Earth after eating you," The Eternal Snake commented.

"Why don't you change your priorities then?" Noah suggested. "Take care of Heaven and Earth before coming after me."

"How do I know this isn't another trick?" The Eternal Snake asked.

"I have nothing to gain from it," Noah laughed while spreading his arms. "Look at the world. Everything is in ruins, and we are some of the few survivors of the catastrophe. What can I even get from betraying you?"

The snake didn't manage to sense Noah's honesty, but his words were on point. The small black region was its entire wealth, but it wasn't too valuable. Its pack couldn't even absorb its energy since the mutated terrain couldn't handle so many suction forces.

"I want the first bite at Heaven and Earth," The Eternal Snake announced after remaining in silence for a while.

"I can give you that," Noah replied as his face turned serious.

"What about the thief?" The snake eventually asked. "I want his head."

"That's impossible," Noah explained while opening his palm and creating a sphere of azure energy that carried a copy of Shandal's power. "I have already eaten him."