2162 2162. Muzzle

The city opened and revealed its deep pit after the old rulers' formal invitation. Orange light seeped out of the vast hole and filled the area with deep power, but Noah jumped inside it without showing any hesitation.

King Elbas and the others didn't waste time and followed Noah, but Emperor, Queen, Cursed Reality, and Vesuvia slowed down their descent to inspect the area.

The old rulers' aura was peculiar, and its resemblances with Heaven and Earth's power only deepened those features. Still, it now carried a specific individuality that separated it from the sky.

The bottom of the hole was as Noah remembered it, but the orange figure that it contained had gone through some changes. Noah and the others could see a tall avatar made of a shiny metal that highlighted its many details.

The avatar had gained a detailed robe, clear fingernails, ears, and eyes. The rest of its facial features were still vague, but a nose had begun to take form, and the same went for a proper mouth.

Noah disregarded the unclear features and the robe to focus on the eyes. The old rulers' gaze carried emotions and intentions. It had become almost human.

"You are growing stronger," Noah commented.

"Obviously," The old rulers responded as their unclear mouth trembled. "We benefit a bit from the changes in the world's fairness due to our lingering connection with Heaven and Earth. Besides, your ambition has already tainted us."

"I've seen your work on the dragons," Noah changed the topic. "It's bold enough to receive my praise, but it also worries me."

"You still don't trust us," The old rulers chuckled.

"Can you blame me?" Noah asked.

"Not at all," The old rulers exclaimed. "Actually, we share some of your worries. We and Heaven and Earth are increasing the distance between ourselves with each step toward higher forms of power. However, that also makes us grow closer."

"I hate when they speak about complicated stuff," The Foolery sighed.

"It's inevitable, really," The old rulers revealed. "We are separate existences, but we used to be one and the same. That connection won't disappear as long as the world exists."

Heaven and Earth had severed the part of themselves that had become the old rulers, but the world still found similarities in their existence. That allowed them to benefit or suffer from the changes in the fairness' scales.

"So, I guess you have a strategy," Noah moved the conversation to serious topics. "What did you plan to do after improving the dragons?"

"We wanted to wait for you to cause a mess," The old rulers promptly revealed. "The dragons are powerful, but Heaven and Earth will counter them as soon as they appear on a battlefield. We planned to use them as a secret force."

"Why would I even cause a mess?" Noah asked.

King Elbas, June, and even the Foolery launched meaningful glances at Noah. They didn't need words to make Emperor and the others understand what their gesture meant.<br/><script>ChapterMid();</script>

"No, I mean," Noah cleared his throat, "I would gladly cause a mess, but I'm out of options here. There is only the sky left, and attacking it again is quite pointless at my current level."

"What if you could damage the sky permanently?" The old rulers asked, and King Elbas wore an arrogant smile that Noah didn't miss.

"What did you develop in these years?" Noah asked.

"A weapon, obviously," King Elbas revealed. "You have seen the power of the black metal. I only needed to perform some personal modifications to turn it into a proper counter worthy of the sky."

Noah didn't need to question King Elbas any further. He had already used the black metal to hurt the sky, but he could understand how his underling might have developed something far stronger in those years.

King Elbas' final energy was perfect for those projects. He had even worked together with the old rulers, so Noah felt sure that the result had been outstanding. Still, a few problems remained.

"Heaven and Earth managed to kill the death dragon after you performed minor improvements on its underlings," Noah exclaimed. "What will happen if we unleash this weapon?"

"We believe you can understand that better than most experts," The old rulers replied.

"I do," Noah said before turning toward King Elbas. "How strong is this weapon? What do you mean by permanent damage?"

"According to my calculations," King Elbas explained, "The weapon will remove the sky from the higher plane. Heaven and Earth should also lose their grip on many Mortal Lands, but it's impossible to know their exact number since I can't evaluate the rulers' power in its entirety."

"That will force their hand," Noah responded.

"Did you grow scared of Heaven and Earth in these years?" King Elbas mocked.

Noah ignored the joke as deep thoughts filled his mind. The weapon described by King Elbas was obviously powerful and valuable. Noah also knew that it would work. However, the inevitable consequences of that attack would be terrifying.

The weapon seemed able to reduce Heaven and Earth's influence. Removing their access to the Mortal Lands and the higher plane would significantly affect their energy reserves. In theory, the event might lead to a safer environment.

Moreover, having access to less energy would limit the number of projects that Heaven and Earth could pursue. They would have to focus only on what they considered necessary, and the improvement of their existence would naturally come first.

Nevertheless, the rulers were resourceful, and they had accumulated wonders inside the sky for countless years. They could probably release their armies of avatars and take complete control over the higher plane even without the weak sky.

Actually, the disappearance of the weak sky would force Heaven and Earth to be even more aggressive in their hunt for small forces. There was a high chance that the weapon could backfire, especially once the world's fairness came into play.

Still, Noah only had two alternatives. One of them saw him secluding himself inside the orange city to cultivate. That wasn't different from what he had just refused to do inside the Cursed Labyrinth, so he didn't even consider it.

The second alternative was his initial plan. Noah wanted to use Pellio's power to find other forces and amass them under his banner. He expected the various experts in the higher plane to be eccentric and challenging to approach, but the threat of the final battle was bound to bring some sense inside them.

'Heaven and Earth might decide to ignore everything happening outside the sky if the weapon does enough damage,' Noah eventually thought. 'That would give us the chance to gather even more forces and salvage those already in the Tribulations' target.'

The plan sounded like a gamble since it was impossible to predict Heaven and Earth's reaction, but Noah wasn't the type of expert to refuse a fight. He also had to prove himself in front of his new underlings, and a clash against the rulers' forces would probably push him into the liquid stage.

"The final battle is already a gamble," Noah sighed. "I guess it's time to face some privileged cultivators. Let me see this weapon."

"He changed his mind so quickly," The Foolery whispered.

"Why are you surprised?" June commented.

"I'm not," The Foolery replied, "But it's my role to crack jokes about it."

"Elbas, muzzle," Noah ordered, and the golden item materialized in front of the Foolery's mouth as soon as King Elbas snapped his fingers.