Chapter 1926 - 1926. Unstable

The sense of weakness that followed the use of the ethereal center of power didn't stop Noah from remaining at his peak. He knew what he had to do to win that battle. Everything else depended on his resilience.

His ambition surged as the dark world expanded. Mental waves flowed toward his companion as the workshops activated and the dark matter created a unique environment.

The study of the solid stage cultivator had involved many of his features. Noah's mind instinctively tried to find ways to destroy that threat, which required thorough inspections of the various elements of his existence and state.

That knowledge allowed Noah to deploy techniques meant to counter the expert. His dark world and workshop could adjust their power freely, so he didn't wait to activate them.

"What do you think you are doing?" The cultivator's hoarse voice resounded through the dark world, even if the technique should have prevented the spreading of soundwaves.

The expert's words transformed into sharp waves of energy that made the entirety of the dark world crumble. Noah had boosted the technique's power with his ambition and had forced it to touch the ninth rank, but he couldn't stretch its life for even a second. The dark matter and the workshops shattered, but a dense layer of higher energy made sure to protect the important assets contained among the black liquid.

A different view unfolded in front of the cultivator's eyes. There had been only seven experts before, but he found an entire army of peak rank 8 six-armed dragons in front of them now. Hundreds of magical beasts with bodies that leaked dense black trails acted as the first line of defense, and some even carried the cuts caused by the sharp words that had managed to pierce the protections created by the dark world.

Truth be told, those creatures were what had remained of all the dragons that the workshop had managed to build during the short instant gained by the dark world. Noah's ambition had empowered that process too, giving it the ability to create almost a thousand disposable magical beasts, but only a tenth a managed to survive those casual words.

Noah had deployed every counter that his mind could generate in the second right after his inspection. His dark matter, dragons, and dark world were carrying features that the cultivator would theoretically struggle to pierce. Yet, nothing mattered in front of that sheer difference in power.

Noah didn't show any fear, but his instincts screamed. They reminded him about something that he had understood as soon as his consciousness had failed to inspect the cultivator in its normal state. That battle was out of his reach. His power couldn't make him win, but he wasn't alone.

Wide and astonished gazes converged toward Noah. He had sent the contents of his plan through his mental waves before. His friends had learnt how everything had to go, and their first reaction was to meet his eyes and check that he had really meant that. His nod gave birth to gasps, but determination soon appeared on the experts' faces.

Divine Demon and Wilfred stepped forward to fly next to Noah. Robert, Steven, and Sword Saint unleashed their auras to prepare their abilities, and King Elbas retreated while deploying a series of inscribed items that filled the area with golden light.

Everyone knew what they had to do. The plan could work. The experts had seen it unfolding in their minds when Noah's mental waves had reached them. However, they couldn't be happy about it because their chances of survival remained low.

"How is your mind?" Noah growled.

"I can use that ability without challenges," Divine Demon responded. "I can use many of them now."

"We have a plan then," Noah nodded.

"A plan fitting of a Demon," Divine Demon smirked.

"Can you not be happy about your role?" Wilfred sighed while glancing at King Elbas in the backlines. "I should have spent more time on the inscription methods."

"It's too late for regret," Noah announced. "Your place is among the cannon fodder now."

"I would have picked a different name to describe us," Divine Demon commented.

"Let me guess," Wilfred joked. "It has divine demon in it."

"Can you summon your energy before this guy remembers how to attack?" Noah reminded.

The inspection had revealed how the solid stage cultivator wasn't stable, but the sudden drop in his cultivation level had already hinted at that. Yet, Noah had discovered how deeply that instability affected the expert.

Heaven and Earth had lost part of the laws connected to the sword path during Sword Saint's breakthrough. The lack of that foundation in their existence made them unable to keep some of their copied true meanings active, especially those with a deep connection to blades.

The solid stage cultivator was one of them, and his existence had appeared quite chaotic during the inspection. The expert basically couldn't summon powers that he had used for most of his life. Heaven and Earth weren't even focusing on him, so he was experiencing a constant weakening and destabilization.

Rank 9 cultivators were worlds. They didn't have differences when it came to centers of power if something was affecting their existence as a whole. The group's opponent was in the same situation, and his mind was suffering from the same instabilities that afflicted his law. He wasn't letting Noah and the others prepare for the battle. He was simply unable to recall how to attack.

Noah didn't summon his companions or Demonic Sword. He couldn't deploy anything so weak in that battle. Only his body and disposable resources had to do.

His unstable substance flowed through the black vessels as his ambition and empowering technique spread through the dark world, the disposable puppets, and his body.

Multiple rank 9 auras spread through the world, with the most intense flowing out of Noah's body. His empowerments could bring various assets to the ninth rank, and he limited himself to those he could afford to lose or survive the imminent clash.

Wilfred had nothing to lose except for his life, so he put everything into his body. His muscles budged, his veins popped, and his size seemed to increase. His belly even expanded as his centers of power tried to bring his overall physical prowess beyond his normal limits.

Divine Demon waved his hand, and pieces of the world separated on their own to transform into energy that he could use. Large openings connected to the void covered the area while the expert wore his fiendish figure. He became bigger than Wilfred, but he didn't seem to have lost his reason at that time.

The three of them were the only member of the group with bodies strong enough to have a slim chance to resist the expert's abilities. They had to be the frontline in the battle until King Elbas, Sword Saint, or the others found a way out of that situation. Their role was the most dangerous among their group, but none of them dared to back down.

Noah didn't need to wait for a gesture from his companions. He knew exactly when they were ready to fight, and he didn't hesitate to unfold the dark world again at that point.

The sea of dark matter appeared almost solid now. It created an oval area that covered a long chunk of the sky. Still, Noah's instincts warned him before he could make the dragons shoot forward.

The dark matter enveloped the group and made it teleport into a different part of the dark world before a second immense sword fell in the middle of the technique and shattered everything. Even the movement ability suffered from the simple weight that the blade carried with it.

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Author's notes: The second chapter should take less than 30 minutes.