2275 2275. Honor

"Quite merciless," Decumia chuckled. "Though, can you really afford to lose such an important companion? The balance of the battlefield has yet to fall completely in your favor."

Noah could sense a faint force making its way through his mental waves and trying to invade his mind. Decumia's words expressed her chaos and attempted to disturb Noah's thoughts to create doubts and hesitation.

The ethereal blackness sent potential to Noah's mind to empower his violent thoughts. A clash that no one could see happened among faint but powerful influences while the two experts remained still.

Decumia's chaos fought the violent thoughts but failed to advance. Noah's destruction was too intense since he was actively defending himself against that influence.

Instead, Decumia was merely expressing the innate nature of her world. She wasn't sending any energy to that process. That depleted Noah's reserves quickly, but he didn't care since he wouldn't be the one to face Decumia.

Noah's presence allowed the Foolery and Steven to remain protected from Decumia's influence, but that didn't help the situation. The Foolery hesitated even after hearing Noah's orders, and nothing seemed able to make it move.

"What are you doing?" Noah asked.

"Noah," The Foolery squealed in a pleading tone.

"I know," Noah sighed. "Do it anyway."

"But," The Foolery continued.

"You are wasting Steven's precious time," Noah scolded. "Do it already!"

A low growl accompanied the end of Noah's line. Forcing the Foolery to accept that power wasn't ideal, but he couldn't find quicker ways to fulfill Steven's wishes.

"Pig," Steven called in a louder voice since Noah's dark matter was bringing temporary stability to his figure, "I know you understand what it means to be part of this organization. It's time to accept your role, just like I accepted mine."

"Things won't be fun anymore if I do this," The Foolery complained.

"Look at the battlefield," Steven uttered. "How many members of your species have died already? How many companions did we lose against Heaven and Earth's forces? The time to laugh will arrive, but now you have to fight."

"A true demon can always find the time to laugh," Noah joined the conversation. "Once the battle ends and the sky falls, we'll laugh, cry, and tell stories to honor the fallen."

The Foolery wanted to find alternative paths to victory, but it couldn't deny Steven and Noah's words. The battlefield needed its power, even if that meant sacrificing some of its companions.

Countless deaths filled the Foolery's vision and forced it to accept its companions' orders. A sigh left its mouth before it lifted its head. That gesture usually tried to convey pride, but Noah and Steven could see that there were far different emotions contained in it now.

The Foolery tried to convey its sadness and respect for Steven. It wanted to tell him how much it pained him to follow through with those orders, and the scene made Steven reveal an honest smile. He even patted the pig's back to reassure it.

<br/>Noah retracted the dark matter at that point, and the Foolery knew that the time had come. Steven's body shattered as soon as it lost its temporary stability, leaving only a dark sphere of power behind.

The Foolery opened its mouth and unfolded its aura. Hunger filled the void while the pig applied a pulling force on Steven's world. The process made his existence transform into a faint dark gale that flowed toward his companion and began to fuse with its body.

Generally speaking, the Foolery couldn't gain abilities from the existences it ate. That wasn't part of its skillset. However, Steven had altered his world to suit the pig and become part of its power.

Noah could sense Steven's existence vanishing while he hindered the advance of Decumia's chaos. The process felt too quick, but more potential flowed toward his mind to make him experience all the transformations of his friend.

Steven was barely awake. He was using the last trace of his concentration to focus on the fusion. He wanted the process to be flawless so that the pig could go back to the battle right away, and its final phases arrived faster than he expected.

The event marked the irreversibility of the process. Steven could see how his world had already become part of the Foolery's existence. He didn't even need to help the fusion anymore. The pig's hunger would do the rest.

That allowed Steven to take a break and use what remained of his concentration to inspect his surroundings. The battlefield featured screams, battle cries, and death, but its immensity made it marvelous.

Steven had gone from being one of the leaders of the secret organizations to playing an essential role on the final battlefield. His reach had stretched far past his expectations. His existence had affected the entire higher plane.

'Noah,' Steven said through his mental waves while the Foolery was immersed in the fusion.

Noah was keeping track of the procedure, so Steven's thoughts reached his mind in no time. Still, he limited himself to turning toward his companion. He simply had no words in that situation.

'It was an incredible journey,' Steven conveyed.

'The journey is not over,' Noah replied through his mental waves. 'You'll keep on living through the Foolery. You will see the sky fall.'

'You don't need to reassure me,' Steven laughed. 'My mind is at peace. I know that you will defeat Heaven and Earth.'

'Yes,' Noah stated. 'I'll destroy them.'

'I'm sorry for my weakness,' Steven continued.

'You stood your ground against one of the enemy leaders,' Noah snorted. 'That alone shows strength.'

'I guess you are right,' Steven responded. 'Maybe it's in our nature to keep striving for greater heights. I can feel the cultivation journey calling me even now.'

'That's how monsters are,' Noah said. 'We desire power even when our end is near.'

Steven didn't answer right away. It bathed in the beauty of the battlefield for a few seconds before voicing a simple request. 'Make them pay. Show them that they never had the right to stand above us, above you.'

'I told you already,' Noah sneered. 'They will fall.'

'No wonder I ended up following you,' Steven laughed. 'Fighting at your side was an incredible honor. Thank you.'

Noah didn't say anything, and Steven also fell silent. What remained of his existence shattered and split into multiple waves of energy that fused with the Foolery and started altering its body.

Steven was no more, but Noah still watched the spot where his world had disappeared. The shards of his body had long since dispersed into the void, but his mark remained. Noah could see how the universe had changed due to his companion's life.

'You couldn't become one of the distant stars,' Noah thought as his eyes finally left the spot where Steven had died to focus on the Foolery. 'You have chosen to turn yourself into fuel for a different star.'

Noah turned to glance at Decumia, but his gaze soon ignored her to focus on the sky behind her. That white layer was impenetrable, but Noah felt able to imagine the forces living past it. There was far more to explore and kill. His journey had barely begun.

"Don't let your mind strive for unreachable goals," Decumia joked since she understood the meaning behind Noah's expression. "You have a lot to overcome to see that path."

"You aren't one of those hindrances," Noah declared. "Someone else will take care of you."

A deafening squeal followed Noah's words. The cry made the destruction and chaos in the area disappear before darkening the patch of the sky right behind Decumia.