Chapter 1076: 1076. Master

Noah didn't have the power to pull the entire Pterodactyl outside of the cage, and he found it hard to do even with the creature's new form.

The metal bars hurt the Pterodactyl's mind inside the dark matter, but the fact that a trail of higher energy connected it to the outside created a minute path where it could pass.

Noah's pulling force didn't rely on bare strength. His mind didn't have such capabilities. The higher energy's unique properties confused the cage's restricting ability, allowing him to retrieve the invaded part of dark matter if he went all-out.

The procedure for him was relatively easy when compared to what the Pterodactyl was going through. The mysterious inscription method used on the bars ripped its mind apart whenever part of it escaped the imprisonment.

Noah felt delighted at that sight. His worries eased when he saw how badly the cage hurt it.

Small bits of invaded dark matter accumulated on the other side of the metal bars as the process continued. The Pterodactyl cried in pain, but its roars didn't have any meaning.

The divine beast had taken control of the higher energy, but it couldn't use it properly. That was a completely new body made of something superior to the "Breath" of the darkness element. The creature didn't have any experience with that material.

It would have been different if Noah had let it fuse with his darkness. The Pterodactyl didn't have experience with that material either, but it was more similar to the "Breath".

Instead, the dark matter followed different laws and had an intrinsic power far superior to the "Breath". Noah had given the creature the best material in the world for its species, but the Pterodactyl couldn't understand that just yet.

Noah kept control of the integrity of the creature's mind as the process continued. He could see its instincts and experience reaching the outside of the cave, but its knowledge appeared to be heavier.

Some of the beast's memories could easily cross the cage, but others fought against the pulling force. It was as if they didn't want to reach the outer world.

That wasn't the Pterodactyl's fault. Noah could immediately guess that those memories had formed in the Immortal Lands and contained pieces of information that a lower plane shouldn't have.

Noah did his best to pull as much knowledge as possible, but it became evident that he would have to exhaust himself if he wanted to seize it. He would typically make that trade, but that situation was too dangerous. He needed to remain at his peak to face the incoming battle.

As soon as he encountered his first significant hindrance, Noah cut off the connection with the cage. The trail of higher energy separated from the metal bars, removing the safe passage to the outside world.

The Pterodactyl screamed as it struggled to keep the dark matter that it had invaded in one piece. Yet, the cage obstructed it, and Noah continued to apply his pulling force.

Its new body eventually separated. Part of the invaded dark matter proceeded through the tunnel of higher energy while the other remained inside the cage.

Noah didn't know how much the Pterodactyl had lost, but only its knowledge wasn't enough to keep the dark matter in one part. The higher energy left behind in the cage soon dispersed, and the pieces of information inside it vanished forever.

Only the Pterodactyl's confused scream remained in the area, and Noah heard them becoming louder as its dark matter neared his head. The pressure inside his mind saw a sudden increase in intensity when that higher energy entered his sea of consciousness.

The trail of higher energy followed the Pterodactyl's mind and sealed the empty spot inside Noah's mind, blocking every path for retreat. The traps inside the layers of mental energy activated and pushed the invaded dark matter toward the sphere's center.

The Pterodactyl had become violent as soon as it entered Noah's mind. Its control over its new body was awful, but the sheer intensity of its divine consciousness could force the dark matter to release power surges.

The creature was so angry that its feelings had forced themselves on its new body, giving it some offensive power.

Noah didn't expect anything less from a divine beast, and his preparations showed that he had judged its power correctly.

Flares of dark matter shot from the beast's body as it flew toward the center of Noah's mental sphere. A thick net made of dark matter became visible whenever they tried to destroy the defensive layers of mental energy.

However, Noah's protections held tightly. That offensive wasn't enough to break them. The defenses didn't only restrict the Pterodactyl. Their main purpose was to reinforce the walls of his mental sphere and absorb eventual shockwaves.

The last offensive proved that they served their primary purpose, but Noah had to make his mind reach its limits to contain all that energy. Yet, the area was about to become emptier.

The Pterodactyl's continued to rage even when it reached the center of Noah's mental sphere, and some layers of mental energy fell apart. Still, the net of dark matter held most of the structure in place.

Meanwhile, Noah's ghostly figure, the saber-shaped runes, and Snore's ghostly shape shot toward the lump of dark matter. The six Kesier runes floating above his mental sea started to release a humming sound that suppressed the foreign presence too.

Noah's attacks broke the dark matter, but they couldn't hurt the divine consciousness. The ethereal figure of the strange Pterodactyl soon replaced the previous formless higher energy.

The Pterodactyl could survive in its form made of mental energy inside Noah's sea of consciousness. That new shape even gave it access to its accumulated experience now.

The beast shot at high speed toward the brown mental energy, but the trajectory of his flight was odd. It appeared that it couldn't go straight, making it easier for Noah's weapons to land on it.

Snore pounced at it directly and restricted its movements, while Noah turned his entire ethereal figure into a blade that slashed at the Pterodactyl. The saber-shaped runes flew through its ghostly body multiple times in a cyclic motion.

Initially, the attacks didn't do anything against the Pterodactyl's figure. Still, Noah's destruction made him find the injuries left by the bars and those from the forces severing of its knowledge.

The Pterodactyl seemed incapable of controlling its body. It would go in a straight line only to fall toward the sea one instant after.

Losing part of its mind had left the beast in a poor state, and it needed some time to become used to its new condition. Of course, Noah exploited that situation by using everything he had.

His attacks created cracks on its ethereal body after some time, and the traps previously set inside the cover of mental energy came out to help to seize the beast.

A series of spherical runes surrounded the broken figure and absorbed the shattered parts of its soft-red shape. The Pterodactyl became thinner, and Noah found it easier to break part of its body as the process continued.

The Pterodactyl could only fall apart under that incessant assault. The spherical runes gathered every red particle that came out of its body before diving into the mental sea.

Noah's pride surged at that point, and currents made of mental energy and dark matter invaded the red particles to alter their structure.

The consciousness of the Pterodactyl would usually vanish if left in that condition, but the spherical runes preserved it and gave Noah time to apply essential modifications.

The red particles darkened under that refinement. Their color became a brown similar to Noah's mental energy before the spherical runes fused to amass the creature's mind in one place.

The figure of the Pterodactyl reformed once all the pieces become one again, and the runes opened to let the mental sea touch it directly.

A shining brown figure rose to stare at Noah then, and human words resounded inside his mind. "Hello, Master. I hate you."