Chapter 2001 - 2001. Prisoner

Entering the island felt mandatory. The sole fact that Heaven and Earth had done so much just to keep the area hidden made it too interesting to ignore. Still, the barrier was an issue that the trio had to approach carefully, and the dragons' violent uproar was another problem that required proper planning.

The pack of dragons didn't worry the three experts. Noah and King Elbas could hold their ground against liquid stage cultivators, and they even had Sepunia on their side now. The fauna there only featured four rank 9 magical beasts, with the strongest in the middle tier. Victory would most likely arrive in case of a battle, but the trio didn't know whether fighting was the correct approach.

Noah and King Elbas wanted to study those creatures due to their uniqueness, but that same reason also made them hesitate. The dragons held a special place among the magical beasts, and the species inside the island probably had something to do with the battle that Heaven and Earth were waging since their rise to power.

Those dragons could be important allies, but their mental state was clearly unstable. The three experts could guess that the light had already reset their creatures' minds multiple times, which could explain the recent outburst. Yet, that event could still be the result of their natural aggression..

"Let's capture one of them," Noah eventually suggested. "Let's bring out and heal a powerful specimen. It's pointless to hesitate in front of a risky choice when we have the chance to find answers."

"Can we really do that without crossing the barrier?" Sepunia asked, and her two companions showed blank expressions at her statement.

"Did you even understand your new world?" King Elbas asked.

"I got used to it," Sepunia proudly exclaimed. "It's amazing. I've never felt so free."

"Then open a passage without triggering defenses," Noah ordered. "Elbas will take care of keeping it stable while I pull the dragon out."

"How would I eve-," Sepunia started to complain, but a long ooh escaped her mouth when she thought about her current abilities.

Sepunia had yet to master her new world. She didn't fight nor felt forced to bring her power to the limit. She had grown used to her state during the travel, but her mind still struggled to accept the change at times. That prevented her from realizing what she could do.

"I think I can do it now that I think about it," Sepunia announced. "I only need a bit to expand my world. It would be easier if I had energy all around me."

Noah expanded the dark world without giving any warning. A dark sea engulfed the three experts before part of its dark matter began to rotate around Sepunia.

"How much do you need to make a door?" Noah asked.

"I don't need much," Sepunia explained as she stretched her arms to experience those soft currents with her fingers. "I'm not creating a door. A version of the passage that has a door already exists in my mind. I only need the world to see it as reality."

The explanation left Noah and King Elbas slightly surprised. They had guessed the nature of Sepunia's world when they created it, but they didn't know how deeply her ability to affect the world would go. It was amazing that she could transform matter and defenses at will as long as her influence affected them.

"We only need to attract a powerful specimen now," King Elbas reminded before glancing at Noah.

"Take care of opening the passage," Noah said in a tone that carried firm confidence. "A leader will come to greet me."

That answer was enough for King Elbas. Sepunia wanted to hear more about that, but she moved toward the island when she saw that her companions had already started the mission.

Noah and King Elbas picked a spot on the barrier far above the surface. The dragons would have to pass near the crack, so they betted that only the rank 9 specimens wouldn't hesitate to reach them. Sepunia quickly joined the duo, and Noah surrounded her with dark matter that didn't oppose the spreading of her influence.

The dark matter never seeped past the barrier unless Sepunia wanted that. Noah let her gain almost complete control of that energy so that she could gain some confidence with her ability.

Sepunia had her eyes closed as she sat cross-legged among the dark matter. She floated beside the barrier as her influence spread and started changing the very nature of that defensive structure.

The change wasn't as immediate as her companions desired, but no one complained. Actually, Noah and King Elbas didn't hesitate to focus on Sepunia when her ability started the transformation of the barrier.

Patches of energy that replicated the void materialized right above the barrier before fusing with its fabric. They became holes that didn't affect the defense at all.

Those small passages didn't transform the actual structure. They acted as patches placed above the barrier that the world temporarily took as its actual fabric. It was incredible how deeply Sepunia could affect techniques and other structures without even knowing their basic functioning.

Sepunia applied more holes on the barrier and stopped only when a wide passage took form. The island was free from its isolation now, but the dragons didn't notice that.

Noah nodded, and King Elbas stepped forward to set a series of formations right above the fake edges of the passage. He filled the circular hole with inscriptions that would activate as soon as a magical beast tried to reach the void before moving aside. Noah's turn had arrived, and King Elbas could already guess what he was about to witness.

Noah's pride skyrocketed as he roared inside the passage. His voice spread throughout the island and alerted every creature living there about an unusual event. Someone was challenging the leaders. That behavior was an instinctive part of the magical beasts that even Heaven and Earth's brainwash couldn't suppress.

A series of encouraging roars resounded inside the island as a rank 9 specimen shot in the sky and approached the passage. The dragon was a creature in the lower tier sent to probe Noah, and he couldn't wait to have a physical contest against it.

Noah made the dark matter around him enhance his presence to set the dragon on a direct path toward him. The creature stretched its tongue as the impact with its opponent drew near, but a series of golden lines suddenly fell on its body and restrained its hideous mouth.

The unstable substance filled Noah's body with power right before the dragon slammed on him. The impact didn't even manage to push him back, but he quickly shot to his left to leave the area filled with cracks.

The dragon wanted to fight, but Noah punched its head before dragging it away from the area with the cracks. Sepunia and King Elbas also left the island to chase after their companion. The hole vanished, and another uproar started inside the barrier, but white light descended before those creatures could even group up.

More inscriptions activated as Noah dragged the dragon away. The creature's physical prowess had left him disappointed, so he stopped caring about fighting it properly. The dark world expanded as golden lines forced the beast to fold its wings and tied its legs together. King Elbas' formations didn't spare the tail either.

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Author's notes: I was dead yesterday. Also, the others on discord and Chaos already know this, but I'm going to publish only two chapters today and tomorrow since a friend of mine is celebrating his master's degree (for those wondering, Chaos is getting only one).