Chapter 1177: 1177. Technique

"I must have damaged your mind the last time," King Elbas said as his smile widened at the sight of the Ape God. "Your memories must be off. I have already defeated you."

The Ape God stopped at some distance from the Royal. The creature didn't dare to enter the range of his flames.

The world around them was a charred mess covered in cracks and holes. The continuous exchanges between King Elbas and the defenses had destroyed every region where he had walked.

King Elbas' might was clear to anyone who had witnessed the battle, but the Ape God showed no fear when it faced him. Many humans couldn't see the emotions radiated by its expression, but Noah could see its determination.

The Ape wasn't fighting for itself, and it didn't care about the organizations in the slightest. Its determination came from its desire to provide a future to its species.

The history of the Kesier species had plenty of atrocities and death, but the Ape God now had a chance to end that trend. With the Hive as its backing, its species could flourish away from the cruelties that had always accompanied it.

"Magical beasts aren't inferior to humans in terms of willpower," The Ape God announced as the world kept its eyes on the creature. "We are more focused, stronger, and purer. Heaven and Earth have placed restrictions on our kinds, but we strive for the same sky as everyone else."

The beast conveyed those words so that the entire world could hear them. Many couldn't understand the reasons behind that gesture, but Noah could sense the more profound meaning that the speech carried.

The Ape God was ready to die to keep its side of the deal, but it wanted to make sure that the human world knew about its vision. After losing so much, the creature only wanted the acknowledgment of its hated enemies.

It wanted to express its belief to the human world. Magical beasts weren't inferior. They were unlucky to have only one center of power.

"Your words are nothing more than empty complaints," King Elbas commented after the Ape finished its speech. "The world doesn't care about you. Don't use your species to justify your weakness."

"It's easy to say this when you are a human," The Ape God replied.

King Elbas chuckled when he heard that answer. His aura surged as he shook his head. The flames surrounding his body became violent as his mental waves filled the region.

"Easy?!" King Elbas shouted as his flames raged on the destroyed region. "You refused to ascend! You didn't dare to prioritize your interests over your species! You have chosen to wallow in your hatred rather than stepping into the divine path!"

King Elbas appeared angry. The words of the Ape God had triggered some painful memories of his past, leading to his outburst.

The leaders couldn't help but feel happy about that reaction. They liked seeing King Elbas wasting more of his power. Still, that sight made them a bit pensive.

King Elbas' history was mysterious. Nobody truly knew how such a mighty expert had managed to reach the sixth rank under the previous Royal family's attentive eyes.

They guessed that he had to sacrifice a lot before reaching his current status. He wouldn't be so angry about the Ape God's words otherwise.

The Ape God's eyes widened when it saw the violent tongues of flames stretching in its direction. Its consciousness expanded, and an invisible force clashed with them to stop the advance of the raging fire.

However, King Elbas' higher energy was far denser than those mental waves. The Ape God's innate ability didn't appear able to suppress the golden flames.

The Ape God had to shoot in the air to avoid the incoming attack. A torrent of golden light exploded in its previous position and expanded to create a fiery sea.

Flames rose from the sea to fly toward the escaping beast, but the Ape God decided to become serious at that point.

King Elbas had restored part of the creature's power after he captured it. The Ape God was now a proper quasi-rank 7 magical beast with no drawbacks when using its abilities.

Its power didn't depend on its remaining divine aura anymore. The Ape God had completed the heroic ranks again and was now half-step into the divine realm.

Its attacks couldn't reach its previous peaks, but the Ape didn't have to worry about depleting its energy anymore. In terms of sheer battle prowess, the beast was far stronger than before.

The Ape's consciousness became denser, and the air around its figure started to tremble as the invisible force invaded the environment. The golden flames flying in its direction slowed down as they entered the area under the creature's control.

Golden specks came out of the flames and dispersed into the air. The Ape God used its consciousness to destroy King Elbas' higher energy and open a path where it could counterattack.

The destruction spread. The trails of golden flames dispersed due to the invisible force, and the same eventually happened to the sea of fire on the ground.

King Elbas smiled, and the flames around him condensed in his palm as he aimed his open hand toward the creature flying above him. Yet, the separate dimension' lights suddenly shone, and a series of platoons appeared to launch their offensive.

The troops hidden inside the separate dimension didn't waste that precious chance. King Elbas had lowered his defenses to focus on the Ape, but that battle wasn't a one versus one.

A wave of spells flew toward King Elbas and forced him to deploy even more golden flames. His defenses returned and fended off the attacks, but the Ape God exploited that moment of distraction to destroy the energy accumulated in his palm.

The invisible force tried to wrap itself around King Elbas' hand after it made the higher energy vanish, but the Royal's aura surged, and a torrent of raging flames engulfed his figure.

The flames surged toward the sky and broke its fabric, creating large areas connected to the void. It was as if King Elbas was an erupting volcano, and nothing around him survived his might.

The platoons retreated inside the separate dimension even if the flames were far away. That enemy was too strong for them, so they prioritized their safety to remain useful in the battle.

The Ape God didn't even try to destroy those flames. The invisible force pushed it outside of their range, and it condensed mental waves as it waited for King Elbas' figure to become visible again.

"I know what your plan is," King Elbas' voice came out of the torrent of flames. "You think that you can exhaust me if you sacrifice enough territories."

The raging flames shrunk as his words echoed in the environment. They became denser as they condensed around King Elbas to give birth to pieces of equipment.

Once the shrinking process ended, King Elbas wore a fiery golden robe and wielded a long spear that radiated an oppressing aura. A blinding crown shone on his head, and the air around his figure bent under his pressure.

'Dammit,' Noah thought at that sight.

He was the first to realize what had happened. One of King Elbas' weaknesses was his lack of techniques that made use of his higher energy, but it seemed that the Royal had fixed that issue during his banishment.

***

Note: read the author's thoughts.