2250 2250. Strong

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The grey pillar carried so much energy that the barrier around the tower crumbled under its might. The weapons and platoons around the structure also died immediately, and vast cracks opened in the tall building.

It didn't take long before the tower crumbled. A single attack from the Rulers' Resolve had been enough to destroy one of Divine Architect's creations, something that even King Elbas was struggling to defeat.

"How nice of him to help my side," King Elbas joked to hide the surprise that he experienced when watching the scene.

"I knew this situation would have caused problems," Divine Architect sighed. "The higher plane is too small to hold so many experts."

"Why do you think I've forced you all to come out?" King Elbas laughed.

"That arrogance again," Divine Architect commented. "You succeeded because the old rulers had prepared the field for you. It was a smart move, but not something you can claim as completely yours."

"Trying to demean me won't help you," King Elbas stated. "You have lost one of your main assets due to my plan. That's a fact."

"Fact?" Divine Architect repeated. "I'll show you a fact."

Divine Architect waved her hand, and dark-blue light shone among the debris of the destroyed tower. The radiance brought those boulders and shards together to turn them into a liquid mass that condensed before expanding.

The dark-blue mass quickly gained a rectangular shape before retrieving a familiar silhouette. The tower reappeared before King Elbas' blockage, and platoons similar to those revealed before came out of its openings.

"Did you really think that I didn't predict a similar outcome?" Divine Architect asked. "I've used those assets because I was ready to suffer collateral damage."

"Do you ever create something that isn't disposable?" King Elbas mocked.

"Obviously," Divine Architect declared, "But it's pointless to reveal them if you can't get past this much."

"Are you testing me now?" King Elbas asked without hiding the usual arrogance that filled his voice.

"Why would I bother to do that?" Divine Architect questioned. "I'm merely saving assets since your side can't deal with my disposable items."

King Elbas revealed a smirk but didn't answer. He didn't even advance any further through the balcony. Most of his attention remained on Divine Architect, but he took his time to glance at the battlefield when he felt like it.

"Ooh?" Divine Architect voiced in a surprised tone. "I was sure my words would have forced you to take out secret weapons or similar items."

"It's quite pitiful," King Elbas exclaimed. "You and all the other so-called experts in the sky have spent so long studying us, but you still fail to understand our potential."

"My calculations are perfect," Divine Architect announced.

"Then you should know why I didn't reveal anything," King Elbas responded. "I don't need to do that."

<br/>Great Builder reappeared with his pyramid at some distance from the Rulers' Resolve. He was still close enough to be considered on the same battlefield, but he had clearly retreated after the previous attack.

The Rulers' Resolve didn't care that his attack had destroyed one of Divine Architect's towers. He diverted his gaze even before the expert rebuilt it through her dark-blue light. His attention went on Great Builder as his eyes converged on the pyramid.

The pyramid seemed on fire due to how much smoke came out of its bricks. Still, no flames affected the building. Instead, a giant channel had opened on its right side, and thick fumes came out of that hole.

Great Builder had used the power of the pyramid's core to perform his previous evasive maneuver, but the privileged cultivator's attack had hit his building anyway.

Moreover, the pyramid's innate defenses had been useless against the grey pillar. A mere touch had been enough to dig a vast hole on the structure's surface, disabling some of its frailer functions.

Great Builder had already accepted that the Rulers' Resolve was strong, but the latest attack had proven something far more shocking. The privileged cultivator's basic offensive was completely capable of obliterating peak rank 9 items easily.

The fear that Great Builder had experienced before came back stronger than ever while the Rulers' Resolve studied him. The process barely lasted a few seconds since the privileged cultivator felt no interest in Great Builder, but the latter still sensed the vast difference in power between them.

The realization that hit Great Builder sounded incredible but also reasonable. The sky had experts who could achieve the same level of power as Noah and the other members of his core team. They actually appeared slightly stronger than what those beings could reach.

Great Builder knew that his world didn't lack anything. He was one of the strongest experts in his organization right now. He felt confident in holding his own against Divine Demon if the situation required it.

Yet, the Rulers' Resolve seemed even stronger than that. The privileged cultivator had something more than regular experts at the peak of the cultivation journey. He was beyond completeness.

'He is as strong as Caesar,' Great Builder concluded. 'He is stronger than any other expert on my side.'

Great Builder knew that he had the chance to escape if he summoned most of his power. The Rulers' Resolve didn't intend to follow him either, so the evasive maneuver would have probably succeeded.

Nevertheless, Great Builder didn't move. His gaze remained steady as the Rulers' Resolve raised his arm to recreate the array of grey spheres that condensed to unleash a single, massive pillar.

The pyramid moved to shield Great Builder, but the pillar was simply too powerful. The giant building saw the grey attack digging through its insides and piercing it from side to side.

The privileged cultivator also forced the attack to expand now that he had inflicted a direct hit. The central part of the pyramid vanished as the grey pillar ravaged its insides.

The building lost its shining halo due to the heavy damage it had suffered, but Great Builder didn't seem to care. He appeared at the pyramid's side with the yellow core in his palm. He had saved that essential component of the structure, but he had lost the latter in the process.

The Rulers' Resolve quickly launched another attack, and the pyramid's debris shot forward to hinder the offensive. Yet, they didn't carry enough power to stop or deflect the pillar, which ended up engulfing Great Builder before continuing to fly to the other side of the battlefield.

The attack killed countless weaker experts, but most of them belonged to Heaven and Earth's side. The numerical advantage was a flaw in that situation, but no one rejoiced at that sight. Those who could focus on Great Builder's battle waited for the grey energy to disperse and show the outcome of the exchange.

The grey energy dispersed, and Great Builder's figure reappeared in the void. He didn't carry any injury, but the yellow core had disappeared from his palm.

Everyone understood that Great Builder had used the yellow core to protect himself from the attack, but he was defenseless now. The Rulers' Resolve didn't even give him time to prepare techniques, and another grey pillar soon shot through the higher plane.