Chapter 1520: 1520. Pure expression

Noah experienced nothing but losses throughout that long journey across the magical beasts' domain. His superior awareness allowed his group to avoid dangerous packs, but his situation didn't change even after centuries passed.

The Foolery helped in misleading some of the threatening opponents during their travel. Those creatures turned the conquered regions into wastelands before transforming them into blue paradises. Other packs would fight for the ownership of those lands every time the group left.

The journey benefitted Fergie and the Foolery the most. The expert's battle prowess went through multiple evolutions, and the magical beasts began to reproduce as their bodies absorbed valuable nutrients.

Noah witnessed the birth of rank 4 specimens, and he also saw them shooting through the heroic ranks due to the many resources offered by the higher plane.

The pack of Foolery enlarged and grew after every victory. Their morale had never been so high. Some sense of loyalty toward Noah also appeared among those creatures.

"I don't understand why you struggle so much," The rank 8 pig questioned Noah at some point during the journey. "You can already hurt rank 8 magical beasts. Your prowess is unmatched among rank 7 existences. Maybe it's time to accept that you can't force your power to reach the superior rank without facing breakthroughs."

"I have to agree," Fergie added. "Your flames allow you to restore your body, but you end up on the verge of falling apart many times during every battle. You might not carry lasting injuries, but this approach can't be healthy for your mind."

Their concern had reached the peak after Noah's aura had started to grow unstable. He was still in complete control of his power, but the bloodlust radiated by his mind had intensified after fighting non-stop for centuries.

Noah's approach to those battles was also atypical. He always jumped into fights that he couldn't win, hoping that the danger could force his mind to give birth to a new technique.

That approach had allowed Noah to master his teleports in a few decades, but it had yet to lead to a proper finishing blow. However, he had found a promising path, and his unstable bloodlust wasn't enough to make him stop.

"Anyone can face rank 8 beings after reaching the eighth rank," Noah replied.

"This isn't an excuse to turn yourself into a bloodthirsty beast," Fergie replied before glancing at the pig. "No offense."

"I wouldn't be me if I took a safe path," Noah replied. "I even have the faint sensation that my ambition wouldn't make me advance if I fail. My centers of power can be annoying to satisfy at times."

"Isn't your body near the breakthrough?" Fergie asked. "How many rank 8 materials did you already eat? You should be close, right?"

Fergie's belief wouldn't have been wrong in a normal situation. Even the strongest hybrid would approach the breakthrough after eating so many rank 8 materials.

However, Noah's body required an insane number of nutrients. It had grown so strong that Fergie couldn't evaluate its power anymore, but it had yet to approach the peak of the seventh rank.

Truth be told, Noah had crossed the halfway mark only a few decades ago.

His growth would have been faster if he had managed to eat entire rank 8 creatures, but he had to settle for what the rank 8 Foolery left. The loot from his battles even consisted of limbs or small patches of skin. There was a limit to how quickly Noah could improve with those meals.

"You should focus on your centers of power," Noah said before turning toward the pig, "And you should take care of your pack. Let me handle my existence. This isn't the worse I've experienced during my training sessions."

Fergie and the leader of the Foolery could only heave a helpless sigh in front of Noah's stubbornness. His battle prowess already amazed them, but he constantly desired more.

The journey led the group in many valuable areas. Noah had the chance to bathe in white rivers, seize countless precious materials, and eat many valuable resources during those adventures.

His law broadened, his mind enlarged, and his body improved. Everything was going smoothly, but his thoughts were slowly obtaining chaotic properties.

Noah had noticed those changes in his mind before his companions. He could sense how his thoughts were slowly losing their original diversity to transform into bloodthirsty ideas.

The process could become permanent if Noah didn't spend a few decades dispersing the bloodlust accumulated throughout those battles, but he couldn't stop just yet. His finishing blow was about to come to life. His existence prevented him from delaying that process.

'An attack without the cursed sword but in dragon form can cut a few fingers,' Noah thought while inspecting his opponent. 'Not enough. Even an entire arm wouldn't be enough.'

His opponent was a short crocodile. The creature was long, but its height prevented it from moving fast. Its defense was high due to the three layers of green scales covering its body, but its overall power was below average.

'This is one of the weakest rank 8 magical beasts in the world,' Noah thought before activating his workshop to create the draconic armor. 'I must be able to kill it.'

Noah drew the cursed sword and multiplied his arms and weapons. He even summoned the Demonic Form, and he soon obtained a monstrous shape.

The battle started as soon as Snore and Night came out in the open. The Foolery and Fergie kept the rest of the pack busy, so Noah could focus on his opponent.

The area featured multiple white rivers that the crocodiles used as their home, but Noah ignored those resources. Everything vanished from his vision. Only his opponent remained in his eyes.

Noah immediately launched one of his strongest attacks. His monstrous body transformed into a blade that pierced the sky and disappeared before reaching the crocodile.

He had devised a method to build momentum through his movement techniques. The teleports allowed Noah to maintain his speed, so he had learnt how to alternate the abilities and gather power through his sprints.

The black blade reappeared above the crocodile and began to dive in its direction, but Noah teleported again. He reformed at the creature's side and repeated the process.

Snore and Night assaulted the crocodile, but their attacks only managed to slow down its actions. They didn't pierce its skin, but their relentless offensive eventually broke some scales.

Once Noah built enough momentum, he performed a feint to bait the crocodile's bite and teleport above its head. His blade converged to create a drill-like structure that pierced the three layers of scales and touched the creature's skull.

Noah's blades stopped when they reached the skull. They couldn't descend anymore. His attack couldn't pierce that material.

The crocodile swung its tail before Noah could try anything else, but he quickly teleported to reappear high in the sky. His cold gaze then landed on the creature, and a wave of bloodlust surged out of his figure.

'What else did I miss?' Noah thought without launching his flames.

His mind worked faster while his body fell apart. That near-death situation gave Noah more ideas on possible finishing blows, so he held back his flames to delay his healing.

'I used both my movement techniques, my ambition, the unstable substance, and three cursed blades,' Noah thought. 'This is all I have. What else can I even do to kill it? Is my ambition tricking me again?'

Noah considered those options, but his reasoning stopped when an idea formed. Scenes from his training with Sword Saint resurfaced in his mind and uncovered the reason behind his failures.

'I will never step into the next level of power if I keep my abilities separated,' Noah thought. 'I need to fuse them into a single blow, an attack that can act as a pure expression of my ambition.'