Chapter 2120: Memories

The offer was tempting and in the turtle's favor. Noah wanted to avoid battles, so he waited patiently for the turtles to finish thinking and discussing.

The turtles couldn't hide their discussions from Noah. They hissed openly, without breaking the encirclement, and their topics showed him that they were pretty reasonable.

The chance to leave the Cursed Labyrinth was appealing, but the turtles weren't ready to put their trust in a stranger. Noah was even a strange hybrid, which didn't work in his favor.

The other main topic involved what Noah had said about Heaven and Earth. The turtles naturally hated the rulers, but they didn't want to escape their imprisonment only to end up in a war. Their state was quite perfect, but they still didn't know enough about the changes in the higher plane to decide whether a fight was necessary or not.

"I can help you with that," Noah intervened since the topic about the rulers and the higher plane had started to become the main part of the conversation.

All the turtles went silent to turn toward Noah, and he revealed a cold smile as he placed two fingers on his right temple. A dense mass of black mental energy came out when he pulled his hand, and he sent it upward to play the memories that it contained.

The pack had the chance to witness the current state of the higher plane. Noah's mental energy acted as a screen that conveyed far more than images. That fuel replicated the emotions he had experienced during those moments and the things he had understood during eventual inspections.

The turtles didn't trust Noah, but the truthfulness of his memories was undeniable. They could experience what he had experienced, see what he had seen. It was as if they were there, flying among the weak sky that Heaven and Earth had spread throughout the higher plane.

The scenes in the memories changed often, but the life dragon's death was the moment that generated more reactions among the turtles. Those creatures were old and powerful enough to know the time dragon and its mission, so that sight told them exactly how harsh the situation was.

The discussion didn't immediately resume. The turtles had to think about what they had just seen, but many gazes soon converged on the upper tier leader. Most of the weaker specimens lacked the power and understanding to decide. Eventually, only the rank 9 creatures began to speak.

"We won't join your organization," The upper tier leader declared once the rank 9 specimens had finished exchanging ideas.

"You will," Noah responded. "Everyone will. It will soon come the moment when there will be only Heaven and Earth and their Cancer."

"What are you saying?" The leader asked. "Should we put our lives in your hands? That will never happen."

"I don't expect it to happen," Noah chuckled coldly. "I'd rather kill you all by myself than have such weaklings in my organization."

"Then what?" The upper tier turtle continued.

"I want you to use me," Noah explained, and his words confused all the magical beasts in the area.

Noah unleashed his aura to highlight his statement. The dark halo that left his figure expressed the same effects of his potential but in its standard intensity. That was his normal influence, and the turtles could experience its effects now that they bathed in it.

At first, many turtles tried to run away since they thought that Noah was attacking them. However, their instincts soon had the better of them. They could sense that the dark aura would bring nothing but benefits, and they started to experience them now.

Noah also had the chance to study the green waters further during the process. His influence was forcing the turtles' bodies to look for paths where they could evolve, which obviously required energy.

The sea didn't remain still in front of that new demand for energy. The green waters started to shatter and transform into thin currents that fused with the various turtles. The floor was actually helping its challengers, and Noah didn't see any adverse effect during the process.

The event made Noah notice another aspect of the floor that he had been unable to see during his previous inspections and the past discussion among the turtles. The sea didn't start giving power to the pack now that Noah had opened new paths. The waters were already aiding the magical beasts. They just didn't need so much energy before.

Noah didn't let that discovery faze him. His human words mixed with roars and pride seeped into his aura as he voiced tempting lines. "Follow me, use my power to grow strong, and then decide who to follow. I won't force you, but you will be part of Heaven and Earth's Cancer. You already are in my mind."

"You are one arrogant creature," The leader commented, and Noah limited himself to wear his cold smile.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds under the tense gaze of the other turtles. If the leader gave the order, the assault would begin, and everyone understood that a bloodied battle was very likely to happen. The magical beasts had tasted Noah's power now, so they knew that he couldn't be underestimated.

Tremors ran through the weaker turtles. They would be the first to die if a battle were to unfold, but they couldn't retreat, not with their leader there. Some creatures even glanced at the army of dragons above and at the dark world past the surface. The situation looked far from good for both sides. There was no way of predicting who would win in a direct clash.

Nevertheless, the leader eventually exploded into a loud hiss that made the water shake to no end. Its order was more than clear. It had announced its acceptance of Noah's offer.

Noah roared to seal that deal, and his aura spread even further. He even took the time to place a few quasi-living workshops before landing on the seabed. The weaker turtles dispersed, but the leader swam toward him.

"How long have you been here then?" Noah asked as he saw on the sand.

"Difficult to say," The leader admitted. "I used to be good at counting the human years, but the environment here never changes, so I only had to lose track once to make my efforts vain."

"What did you try while you were stuck here?" Noah questioned. "Why is the sea helping you? Did you investigate those flashing structures?"

"We tried pretty much everything," The upper tier turtle sighed. "The edges of the area don't budge, and the seabed is quite shallow. Instead, those structures disappear if we pierce them. The sea then restores them after a while."

'I need to study the whole seabed then,' Noah sighed in his mind before repeating one of his questions. "Why is the sea helping you and your pack?"

"My pack wasn't always so big or healthy," The leader revealed. "The phase that followed the first period here has been harsh. We couldn't gain the energy necessary to sustain ourselves, and hibernating was too dangerous in a foreign environment, so we ate each other for a long time."

"This is your natural habitat, right?" Noah asked. "You are so fast because you are underwater, so I bet that the sea mutated after you spilled too much blood."

"You know your stuff," The leader responded without hiding its surprise.

"This might be a problem," Noah explained. "You might have already made it impossible to create a key for the next floor."

"What?!" The turtle shouted. "We didn't-."

"You were only doing your best to survive," Noah reassured while inspecting his surroundings. "I should be able to bring everything back to its previous state. Of course, that will be the last resort, but it seems proper to warn you."

"Previous state?" The upper tier turtle exclaimed. "My pack won't be able to eat properly."

"You will have to face that risk," Noah sighed as waves of dark matter started to leave his figure and dive into the seabed. It was time to gain a complete idea of the third floor.