Chapter 1517: 1517. Regre

An angry cry echoed through the area, but Night managed to contain its power by attacking the monkey's lungs.

Noah stored the arm and used the dark world to gather all the blood falling on him. He wouldn't let any of that rank 8 material go to waste.

The monkey was livid. That rank 7 existence had managed to sever one of its limbs. Its anger knew no limit. Even its safety didn't matter anymore at that point.

The leader forced its lungs to expand even if Night kept damaging them. The Pterodactyl managed to pierce their tissues during that forced inflation, but the wave of dense air that came out of them pushed the creature outside of the monkey's chest.

The creature required more time to prepare its attack since Night had pierced its lungs, but that didn't make any difference for Noah. He couldn't inflict more damage in such a short window.

Noah grabbed the Demonic Sword through the waves of dark matter and called Snore back before kicking the monkey to shoot backward. He even relied on his movement technique to escape faster, but a shockwave hit him before he could get far away.

The soundwave had grown unstable since the monkey's lungs couldn't perform as usual. The attack didn't manage to reach Noah, but it exploded a few hundred meters behind him.

A series of dense shockwaves engulfed Noah and flung him higher in the sky. The lower part of his robe shattered, and his legs released shrieking noises under that pressure.

Noah heard his bones breaking and his skin shattering, but no pain managed to reach his mind. He had suffered so many injuries during that fight that he barely felt anything anymore.

When Noah managed to stabilize his position, he discovered that his legs were limp. They had turned gray due to the many injuries accumulated under his cracked skin. He couldn't even move them anymore.

His internal organs had also suffered in the attack. Noah was in no condition to fight, and he had already burned every spot in the area that contained some nutrients.

'I need to move near the tree or in other regions to recover,' Noah concluded before moving his eyes toward his opponent.

The monkey was still on its feet. It didn't dare to jump toward Noah, but it didn't want to move its gaze away from its opponent either.

Its missing arm had already stopped bleeding, and the hole on its chest was almost about to close. It wouldn't take long until the creature fixed its lungs and became able to fight again.

The creature's arrogance had vanished after the last clash. It didn't smile anymore. Instead, its eyes carried the silent determination to fight until death.

The monkey didn't do anything, but Noah understood that something had changed. He could see a trace of respect on the creature's expression. The leader had acknowledged him as a being able to stand among rank 8 existences.

'Maybe another day,' Noah thought before leaving the battlefield.

His instincts asked him to answer the monkey's acknowledgment, but Noah had no intention to keep fighting. He had already gone all-out, and the arm was his prize.

Noah quickly found a suitable spot where to spread his flames before burning the entire area. The monkey didn't follow him, so he could take his time to heal his body.

Once every injury vanished, Noah moved his focus on the tall tree. He had ignored that spot since the wolf left to face the Foolery. When his mental waves spread through the region, he sensed that the area was featuring a battle between two rank 8 magical beasts.

'The leader of the pigs should be able to win,' Noah thought as he flew toward the tree. 'We might be able to seize rank 8 fruits now that the Foolery have joined the battle. I knew that those creatures could become usef-.'

Noah's thoughts went silent when he saw that the tall tree began to fall. A creaking noise spread through the region as that massive plant leaned to a side before crashing on the ground.

Noah's mind froze at that sight. He didn't know what to think. The magical plant that could periodically produce incredible resources was no more.

"I tried to stop them," Fergie said when he saw Noah flying toward him.

Noah remained silent while he inspected the area. The pigs were chanting happy squeals as they fed on the tough trunk of the plant. They ate everything, leaves included. Even the fruit had long since fallen prey to their hunger.

The rank 8 Foolery floated above its pack. It kept its eyes closed and its head raised toward the sky in an attempt to appear noble and heroic. Still, even its underlings didn't bother to look at their leader while they ate the tree.

"What exactly happened?" Noah eventually asked.

"The leader defeated the wolf and took down the tree," Fergie shortly explained. "It said that its underlings needed to eat."

"Did it choose the tree instead of the countless corpses amassed on the ground?" Noah asked.

"No," Fergie replied. "It said that they would eat them later."

Noah glanced at Fergie, but the expert was as confused as him. He then decided to talk with the leader of the Foolery, but the pig didn't break its proud expression even after he reached it.

"Why did you have to take down the tree?" Noah asked once he understood that the pig wouldn't notice him unless he talked.

The rank 8 pig lowered its head before lifting it again. A prod squeal came out of its mouth, and some of its underlings decided to echo it. Still, most of them continued to eat, uncaring that their leader wanted to express its pride.

"I have defeated the leader of the wolf's pack," The pig said. "This land shall become food for my underlings. They will regain their forces and turn into the best magical beasts in the entire Immortal Lands."

"Do you realize that the tree could give birth to rank 8 resources every few years?" Noah asked.

The pig's expression froze. It continued to keep its head lifted toward the sky, but a drop of sweat ran down its cheek. The creature then began to wait for Noah to stop staring, but he had no intention to move his eyes.

"I have defeated the leader of the wolf's pac-," The pig tried to repeat the same line as before, but Noah promptly interrupted it.

"I don't buy it," Noah said. "You have ruined the best resource in this entire zone. Ask for my opinion the next time."

The pig slowly lowered its head at that point. Its eyes moved between Noah and its underlings on the ground. A tinge of regret appeared on its expression, but it soon faded at the sight of so much food.

The leader began to drool, but its desire to join its underlings faded whenever it glanced back at Noah. His stern gaze made it recall what it had done.

"Just go," Noah said after heaving a helpless sigh.

The rank 8 pig shot downward and joined the other creatures in their feast. The pack ate the entire tree, all the corpses amassed in the area, and even the tiny plants that grew near the region's edges.

In a matter of hours, the pigs ate all the nutrients in the region. They ignored only the ground since they began to release excrements as soon as their banquet ended.

"Do they really have to come with us?" Fergie asked when the smell of the excrements reached his nostrils.

"Won't you feel better if they did this on the debris of the Crystal City?" Noah asked while wearing a cold smile.

"I hope this smell doesn't kill me first," Fergie said, eventually breaking into a broad smile that matched his leader's.