The hooded cultivator had taken care of the assault in no time. Two attacks had been enough to kill all the invaders and clean up the battlefield.
"Who exactly is he?" Noah asked while his mental waves spread through the destroyed battlefield to study the nature of the expert's attack.
Noah knew that the Legion had other leaders among the Immortal Lands. The hooded expert was clearly one of them, but he seemed to be more special than most hybrids.
His mental waves didn't manage to understand much. The expert had an unclear cultivation level, but it was high enough to confuse Noah's senses. Yet, Noah could see that mental energy still lingered both in the sky and on the ground.
'They were spells,' Noah concluded in his mind.
The hooded expert had used spells with two different elements. He wasn't like Jordan, who could spat flames even if she had a wind aptitude.
A strange guess formed in Noah's mind. He had heard about a type of hybrids who could gain different abilities depending on the creatures that they ate. He couldn't help but wonder whether the expert belonged to that kind.
"He is the true leader of the Legion," Wilfred explained. "At least when it comes to battle prowess and cultivation level."
"I can see that," Noah replied while focusing back on the hooded expert.
The man glanced at the battlefield one last time before lowering his hood. Long golden hair and a pair of glowing red eyes became visible to everyone in the area. The expert had a youthful face, but his aloof expression gave him a faint maturity.
"It's been a long time," The man said while flying toward Noah's group. "I'm Alexander. It's nice to see that the Legion has grown so much while I was gone."
Alexander wanted to shake Noah's hand, but the latter sensed that something was off. Noah didn't know how to explain that feeling. His instincts were telling him that he shouldn't touch Alexander so easily.
"Good instincts!" Alexander exclaimed while wearing a surprised expression. "Most hybrids can't feel anything after I deploy my cover. You must be as good as Wilfred says."
That compliment didn't make Noah happy. His senses were still unable to understand Alexander's cultivation level. He had felt a faint danger, but that was it.
"Don't be so serious," Alexander laughed. "I only wanted to check your power. This ability requires physical contact, but I guess your instincts know how much you like to keep your secrets."
"How many abilities do you even have?" Noah asked.
"I have forgotten that a long time ago," Alexander replied. "I can't bother to keep track of them anymore. At least I can always recall what my aptitude is."
Noah didn't ask that question randomly. He wanted to make sure that his guess was on point, and Alexander had confirmed his suspects.
"I didn't think that your kind could be so stable," Noah said. "I knew that hybrids like you ended up caught in their hunger."
Alexander's eyes widened. He didn't expect Noah to know so much about his species. Even the human domain was unaware of most of his features.
"I let myself go every once in a while," Alexander explained. "I travel deep into the Outer Lands and let my instincts go wild for years. That keeps me stable for some time."
"How does it even work?" Noah asked. "Do you just eat magical beasts to develop their abilities?"
"Well, it's not so simple," Alexander replied. "Maybe this will make you understand more about my kind."
Dark shades suddenly materialized above Alexander's figure and slid away. That darkness transformed into a black gas that dispersed into the sky and stopped covering his cultivation level.
An intense surge of energy shot out of Alexander's figure and engulfed the entire area. Noah could finally inspect the expert's power, and what he discovered left him speechless.
Alexander was a hybrid in the solid stage. Both his mind and body neared the peak of the eighth rank, but that wasn't his most peculiar feature.
His aura was a mass of chaotic energy that featured countless faces. Noah could almost hear the cries of all the magical beasts that the expert had eaten throughout his life.
Those faces were screaming in pain. Their cries intensified Alexander's instincts and made his pride overflow with power.
Noah could sense the innate desire to bow in front of that existence. Alexander alone wasn't strong enough to trigger that reaction, but the countless faces in his aura made his influence impossible to match by a single being.
'Incredible,' Noah thought while bathing in that chaotic aura. 'The sole fact that he is partially stable proves his value.'
Anyone would go crazy with so many creatures screaming inside their head. Even Noah didn't know for how long he would be able to suppress those cries.
However, Alexander appeared entirely in control of his functions. He could even make sure that his aura didn't hurt anyone.
"What do you usually do after returning to the Legion?" Noah asked as a faint smile appeared on his face.
"The human side has dared to attack my dear organization," Alexander replied. "I can't let that slide, can I?"
"Can I suggest a few names?" Noah asked as his smile broadened. "I don't mind using you as a diversion while I pursue my own interests."
"Are you asking me to be your diversion?" Alexander laughed while a similar smile appeared on his face.
"Why not?" Noah coldly replied. "You don't seem the type to stay put anyway."
"Remember that I am your leader," Alexander said while a hint of coldness seeped into his aura. "You should show some respect. Maybe even bow a little."
"Technically, I'm not part of the Legion," Noah contradicted Alexander while shrugging his shoulders. "I plan to submit you all and destroy the higher plane one day."
"Why would you even want to destroy the Immortal Lands?" Alexander asked as a confused expression appeared on his face.
"Heaven and Earth care about it," Noah replied while shrugging his shoulders again. "I don't see how I can surpass them without destroying their creation."
Alexander didn't know what to say. Noah's claims sounded crazy. He was nothing more than a rank 8 existence, but his desires already stretched far past the ninth rank.
"You are a crazy one," Alexander eventually sighed while reactivating the technique that hid his cultivation level. "Who do you want me to attack?"
"The Crystal City, the Sailbrird family, the Monneay family," Noah counted. "I think you can attack every force except for the Balrow family and the secret organization. I need to save the former and interrogate the latter."
"How did you manage to make so many enemies?" Alexander asked while glancing at his companions.
Wilfred and Jordan avoided his gaze. They didn't want to admit that they were partially at fault for the current situation.
"Don't worry!" Noah exclaimed while pointing toward King Elbas. "He will take care of teleporting you in every important location."
King Elbas and Alexander wanted to say something, but Noah quickly turned to fly toward his cave. He only stopped to add a few words that left all the experts speechless.
"Elbas, make sure to retrieve him if he dies," Noah exclaimed. "I don't want to miss the chance to study him."
Noah disappeared from the experts' view after those last words. Wilfred and Jordan revealed awkward smiles, but they didn't dare to say anything. As for Alexander and King Elbas, they exchanged a series of confused glances.
Alexander almost didn't notice what had happened. He only knew that Noah had involved him in his plan against the human domain.