2259 2259. Evaluation

"Your power can't exist in my presence!" Steven announced while launching a wave of black energy toward Decumia.

Decumia didn't stay passive anymore. Her purple tendrils shot forward and expanded to take the shape of multiple barriers, but her efforts turned out to be pointless.

Steven's wave of energy seeped past the purple barriers as if they weren't even there. The latter vanished among the blackness, and Steven's attack crashed on his opponent before unleashing the entirety of its power.

Multiple gory injuries opened on Decumia's body, and a torrent of blood even came out of her mouth as she endured the damage. The sky behind her also darkened due to the effects of Steven's power, but the battle intent carried by her eyes never dimmed.

The sky regained its light in no time, and the same went for Decumia's injuries. She fixed her condition as soon as energy flowed inside her body. Also, a shockwave spread under her feet to fling her toward her opponent.

Decumia's dash was incredibly fast, but Steven couldn't be taken by surprise in that state. Decumia reached him in an instant and pierced his body, but his dark figure exploded in a cloud of smoke that trapped the privileged cultivator.

Decumia saw her energy abandoning her body again even if she tried to shield herself from the smoke. Her power appeared useless against Steven, but the battle intent in her gaze only intensified as she continued to lose exchanges.

Steven materialized above Decumia with a giant arrow in his grasp. The black gas converged toward him to add power to his weapon, and the process trapped Decumia inside a dense suction force.

Steven threw the arrow, and Decumia found herself pierced from head to toe. The damage expanded to her world, and she remained stuck in that position due to her lack of energy.

Black smoke left Steven's figure once again and prevented Decumia from accumulating power. She remained impaled in the giant arrow, and the gas around her quickly condensed into multiple needles that converged toward her body.

Countless holes and injuries opened on Decumia's body. She turned into an impaled and spiked mess, and Steven had no intention of letting her go just yet.

Steven appeared tired from his effort. His dark figure had lost part of its blackness and had started to regain proper colors, but he forced more energy to come out of him and take the shape of multiple weapons.

Swords, arrows, needles, bolts, and formless waves of energy crashed on the powerless Decumia to add injuries to her figure and world. She remained stuck in that relentless assault for multiple exchanges, and her aura finally started to show the effects of that offensive.

Decumia wasn't only losing power. Her influence dimmed to the point that King Elbas' buildings could save energy and divert part of their focus on other aspects of the battlefield.

Decumia's cultivation level had also started to waver. It finally abandoned the peak of the solid stage and began to fall. The process was by no means quick, but it showed how Steven's efforts were effective.

<br/>The two leaders from Heaven and Earth's army who had yet to join the battlefield inspected the scene calmly. The middle-aged woman appeared interested in the main fights, while the old man remained relatively cold.

"Should we help Decumia?" The middle-aged woman wondered from behind her smile. "She is losing ground."

"Focusing our forces on a single opponent will work against us," The old man replied. "Letting go of our numerical advantage is a tactical mistake."

"I think we already lost that," The middle-aged woman chuckled. "Our opponents are a bit too resourceful."

The battlefield appeared relatively even now. Decumia's technique had led to many casualties on her side, even if they mostly involved weaker experts.

As for the stronger existences, the roots, Alexander, Noah, and the dragons were claiming most of their attention. Heaven and Earth's side still had more assets than its opponents, but that wasn't helping in the current state of the battlefield.

"Even the Rulers' Resolve is fighting at full power," The middle-aged woman commented. "We might really need to do something at this pace."

"Don't forget our orders," The old man reminded.

"You are always so serious," The middle-aged woman sighed.

"Everything is going according to Caesar's predictions," The old man replied. "Affecting the battlefield now won't bring any benefit."

"You are right," The middle-aged woman uttered.

"Besides," The old man continued, "I don't think they would lose so soon."

"That's obvious," The middle-aged woman responded. "I guess I was getting bored. Decumia's influence must have gotten to my mind."

"It's not only Decumia's fault," The old man explained while inspecting his hands. "This battlefield is unique. I can feel its influence trying to affect my thoughts. There is a constant force attempting to draw me into pointless fights."

"Is that Noah Balvan's doing?" The middle-aged woman asked while expanding her consciousness to inspect the battlefield thoroughly. "I can't sense anything specific."

"I might have failed to explain myself properly," The old man exclaimed. "It's not a single force. Every asset on this battlefield is affecting the universe in some way. The higher plane is striving toward chaos and wants us to join it."

"I bet only you realized that," The middle-aged woman teased.

"I'm sure some of our opponents experienced similar realizations," The old man revealed. "Maybe they have happened unconsciously, but we can clearly see their effects. Limits are crumbling everywhere on the battlefield. Even ants are starting to leave their mark on the universe."

"This outcome is proper of a final battle," The middle-aged woman stated. "It wouldn't make sense for the universe to remain silent when an entire higher plane is at war."

"Heaven and Earth wouldn't have managed to cause something so profound on their own," The old man added.

"Are you praising our opponents now?" The middle-aged woman mocked.

"Their will is stronger than ours," The old man admitted. "They are worthy final opponents."

"It almost sounds as if you want them to succeed," The middle-aged woman hinted in a cold tone.

"Maybe part of me wants that," The old man responded. "How funny."

"Do I have to kill you now to avoid troubles?" The middle-aged woman asked while hiding her smile behind her hand.

"I was only giving a fair evaluation of our opponents," The old man explained. "Also, you should save your strength. Our time is about to arrive."

Steven threw everything he had at Decumia without ever taking breaks. He could feel his world getting close to running dry of energy, but he never stopped attacking.

Meanwhile, Decumia remained powerless. Her energy never had the chance to fill her body since Steven destroyed it as soon as it tried to come out of her world.

Decumia could only continue to suffer injuries, but Steven knew that she was planning something. That was the very reason behind his relentless offensive. Even if she managed to counter him at some point, she would be too weak to be a threat to his companions.

Steven believed to have enough time to damage Decumia's world thoroughly, but she ended up surpassing his expectations. Steven had launched another array of black weapons, but they suddenly left their trajectory and failed to crash on Decumia.

The event stunned Steven, but he promptly prepared another wave of attacks. However, Decumia used that chance to burst out with purple power and free herself from the many weapons stabbed in her body.

The explosion of power didn't affect Steven. He let the purple energy envelop him as he unfolded his black gas again. He wanted to suppress his opponent, but his smoke ignored his orders and flew in random directions.