Chapter 1098: 1098. Fire

The army of beasts suffered a complete defeat once again. One attack from King Elbas was enough to eradicate all the creatures in the region.

The fire that destroyed the beasts covered the ground and ruined its condition even more. Trails of dust then rose among the flames and flew toward the massive opening that had appeared in the sky.

The pulling force of the void was intense, but the world fixed that crack at high speed. No matter how numerous they were, the attacks of weaker creatures couldn't affect the fabric of the sky for too long.

In seconds, King Elbas and the Ape God remained the only figures in the sky. Not even a speck of dust had landed on the powerhouse's robe, which remained clean and tidy as if the last exchanges didn't happen.

A massive figure suddenly appeared behind them, and the temperature in the area dropped by a few degrees once its aura spread in the environment.

The previous king of the snowy mountain was a rank 6 White Ape in the middle tier. Chasing Demon had captured it after the invasion and made it part of the Copying Technique.

The White Ape was the second strongest magical beast trapped under Chasing Demon's quarters. Noah didn't know how the Patriarch had captured it, but the creature could now act as one of the protectors of the Hive.

Ice spread in the sky as the creature pounced at King Elbas. The powerhouse exploded into a fire wave that engulfed the tall white figure and melted the ice that had formed.

King Elbas became visible after his fire disappeared. He appeared clean and unharmed again, but he couldn't relax since a torrent of water-type attacks flew in his direction.

The army of weaker creatures had reformed while King Elbas dealt with the White Ape. They didn't hesitate to launch their innate abilities once their target reappeared, and the blue radiance filled the sky again.

King Elbas used his mental energy to stop those abilities right before they landed on him. Fire then covered their surface and spread toward the attacking beasts, burning them into ashes.

Right after the army crumbled, the White Ape reappeared behind him and tried to land a blow on his back. King Elbas had to explode into a sea of flames to take care of that threat, but he found water-type spells flying toward him again when the fire dispersed.

Chasing Demon and Elder Julia weren't giving King Elbas any time to breathe. They made use of the invincibility of the copies to pressure their opponent and exploit his casting time.

Tens of exchanges repeated themselves in the following hour. Chasing Demon changed the movements of the White Ape and altered the battle tactic from time to time.

The Copying Technique could express its real power with the backing of one of the world's strongest organizations. The Hive didn't lack resources, and the new continent's ground was rich of them too.

The Hive could go on for years. It had prepared for too long and stashed large quantities of fuel for the Copying Technique. It could defend against a single powerhouse as long as the lines of the formation remained intact.

King Elbas' reactions didn't slow down in the slightest under that assault. Instead, he became faster in countering the attacks after every exchange.

The only reason the copies managed to surprise him from time to time was that Chasing Demon often changed battle tactics. He even modified the structure of the army at some point to make the data gathered worthless.

King Elbas appeared suppressed by that defensive measure, but the allied powerhouses didn't dare to feel joyous about that event.

'He is studying the Copying Technique,' Noah thought as he watched King Elbas refusing to change his battle tactic.

The best inscription master in those Mortal Lands had items that could make his life more comfortable in that situation. Even slightly more powerful spells could help him deal with the assault better.

However, King Elbas refused to rely on anything different than his basic flames. He had used his higher energy during his first attack, but he had never called upon that power again.

Noah knew about his curiosity, so he guessed that the Royal had become interested in the Copying Technique. Losing some face to study more about its functioning was a trade that King Elbas was more than willing to make.

The atmosphere on the defending side was far tenser. The Hive was using its strongest defensive method, but that couldn't even force King Elbas to fight seriously.

Great Elder Diana sent message after message during the battle. She was instructing the inscription masters of the Council on King Elbas' habits and abilities in the hope that they could develop something able to counter him.

King Elbas eventually grew bored of that situation, and he stretched his arm again to throw two drops of blood toward the ground.

The drops took fire as they fell, becoming fiery arrows that pierced the broken surface and spread a sea of fire in the underground world.

The region crumbled after his attack. The ground fell downward, and the cracks already in place spread when deeper ones appeared.

The army of beasts became pale after that attack, and many of them stopped moving. Only the strongest creatures continued to launch abilities, but they weren't even worthy of consideration without the immense numerical advantage.

King Elbas shook his head and started to descend toward the ground as the spells nearing him took fire. His descent appeared undisturbed, but Chasing Demon soon proved him wrong.

The Patriarch of the Hive knew what King Elbas had tried to do with his last attack. He wanted to destroy the lines of the Copying Technique to take care of the threats' core.

Chasing Demon had played along. He commanded most of the army to remain still until King Elbas exposed himself. That moment luckily arrived soon.

The tide of beasts suddenly began to move again, and the White Ape reformed only to pounce at King Elbas from behind his back. Attacks came out of the creatures, and the area became blue again.

King Elbas snorted at that sight. That simple scheme wouldn't hurt him even if he decided to rely on weaker protective methods, but he felt pissed that Chasing Demon had managed to trick him.

That didn't only make him lose face. It also showed that he didn't understand the Copying Technique, let alone where its lines were.

A drop of blood came out of King Elbas' forehead, and a fiery shield formed once it took fire. The protection blocked the incoming attack and enlarged until it covered the entire region.

The ground didn't suffer from that attack, but the copied beasts in the area burnt when they touched the fire.

The army started to reform again, but King Elbas didn't want to waste any more time there. Three drops of blood came out of his hand, and a red halo filled the environment once they fell on the ground.

The entire area suddenly took fire. The whole region became a burning mess, and the superficial layers of the ground became ashes as King Elbas tried to reach the core of the Copying Technique.

Any human structure in the region disappeared, and entire pieces of ground vanished under the merciless fire. The flames continued to burn for a whole minute, and King Elbas dispersed them only once he found traces of the shining lines.