2280 2280. Advance

Noah and Caesar kept their eyes on each other for different reasons. Noah wanted to see if his announcement caused some reactions in his opponent. Instead, Caesar did his best to show his usual expression.

Still, even Caesar's usually confident behavior shook at the sight of the massive figure coming out of Noah's body. At first, Caesar only saw a shadow as big as multiple regions, but that giant spot enlarged until it occupied a massive area of the higher plane.

Shafu had grown together with Noah, and its current size was incredible, to say the least. The dragon wasn't as big as the landmass, but it could occupy a whole quarter of it on its own.

Shafu's size wasn't the only surprising aspect of its existence. The dragon stood in the upper tier even without Noah's potential. It didn't need any artificial empowerment to reach the last stage of the cultivation journey.

Of course, Shafu wasn't at the very peak of the ninth rank, but that detail remained surprising. Its heavy presence, its incredible size, and its overall power made the dragon a creature that forced even Caesar to drop his confidence for an instant.

Shafu didn't scare Caesar, but his fate couldn't predict everything, so he allowed himself to be slightly surprised. Still, what followed remained inside his calculations.

A roar that forced most experts on the battlefield to summon defensive abilities came out of Shafu's mouth right after it landed on the landmass, but that wasn't the end of it.

Shafu stretched its six arms, which grew as dark matter came out of its body to alter part of its structure. The entire battlefield seemed to go silent and gasp when the dragon sealed its claws on the landmass' base and began to put strength in an attempt to lift it.

The experts from both sides watched as Shafu wielded the landmass as if it was a proper sword. Yet, merely grabbing its base wasn't enough to gain its power. That gigantic black home was more than a weapon. It was a creature with will and urges.

A deep growl came out of the landmass. The creature didn't like how Shafu had interrupted its relentless offensive toward the sky, but the event didn't lead to an immediate clash.

Shafu growled too. The dragon was smarter than the landmass in terms of pure intelligence, and its experience also had great value in that situation. Shafu tried to convey its intentions in a language that the creature could understand. After all, it sought cooperation.

Strangely enough, the landmass seemed to listen to Shafu. It didn't immediately give in, but it grew calmer as a softer growl came out of its surface.

Shafu and the landmass eventually fell into a conversation that only they could understand. Even Noah couldn't put those cries into proper words. The exchange of growls expressed complicated intentions with various depths, so it was quite impossible to find a single meaning.

Nevertheless, the scene hinted at the imminent events even if Shafu and the landmass had yet to find an agreement. The sole thought that the massive dragon could wield that giant sword filled Heaven and Earth's army with fear, and part of Noah's side also shared those worries.

<br/>Meanwhile, Noah flew toward Caesar. No one dared to stand on his path, even if he was advancing slowly. Everyone knew that the imminent battle was inevitable, and opposing Caesar's will didn't fall into their plans.

"Cursed Reality," Noah called during his flight, and his companion promptly materialized at his side.

"I can't spend too long talking," Cursed Reality announced. "I'm already going all-out to support the various buildings."

"You'll need to do far more soon," Noah exclaimed. "We can't let everyone die simply because we have started fighting."

"I have created a failsafe already," Cursed Reality pointed out. "You know that."

"Will it be enough against that?" Noah asked while glancing at Shafu and the landmass.

"Will they attack us?" Cursed Reality questioned.

"Do you really think they'll care about their allies?" Noah replied.

"This is the end then," Cursed Reality stated.

"Not quite," Noah uttered. "Though we are almost there."

"I'll try to keep everyone safe," Cursed Reality declared. "You can go all-out. Don't worry about the others."

"That's the problem," Noah sighed. "I wouldn't have worried anyway."

Cursed Reality shot a cold glance toward Noah, but his expression melted when the entirety of the battlefield returned to his senses. Only a ruthless leader could have created that situation, and their organization probably required even more brutish methods to seize victory.

Noah and Cursed Reality didn't speak anymore. Cursed Reality teleported away and reached the ethereal array of inscriptions to add defenses and separate dimensions to their structure.

King Elbas was already handling the various teleports that led directly inside the array of inscriptions. Cursed Reality only had to reinforce those defenses since Pellio's ability probably wouldn't be enough to handle what was about to come.

Most of the experts who had nothing to do with the defenses kept their attention on Shafu and the landmass. Yet, a few leaders felt that the battlefield wanted something more from them as they watched Noah approaching Caesar.

The underlings couldn't understand the meaning behind Noah's advance, but Divine Demon and other experts in a similar position knew that far too well. Noah was joining the crucial battles. The time to hold back was over.

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June and her team were struggling against their opponent. Marcella's power appeared endless, and her abilities could fend off every attack converging toward her figure.

The experts had managed to free the landmass from Marcella's hindrances, but their feats had ended there. Their offensive appeared unable to hurt their opponent even with the space dragon coordinating most of the attacks.

Shafu's actions had temporarily interrupted the relentless exchange of attacks, but the experts were ready to resume their offensive. However, a dense aura suddenly fell on them, which forced everyone to glance at a spot above them.

"What are you doing here?" June snorted when a sea of dark-red light filled the void above her.

"Defying Demon has stepped forward," Divine Demon declared. "We can't play around anymore."

"We can handle this," June continued.

"I honestly don't care," Divine Demon responded. "I only know that I must end this."

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Supreme Thief and Great Builder weren't doing too well against the Rulers' Resolve. They weren't losing, but they weren't winning either.

Great Builder was exhausted, so he limited himself to supporting his companion through simple but effective creations. As for Supreme Thief, he mostly cursed his own power whenever one of his techniques failed to express the intended force.

The battle was quite spectacular and tense, but the three cultivators couldn't refrain from interrupting their offensive to inspect Shafu. That reaction was quite odd for the Rulers' Resolve, but it made sense since it involved Heaven and Earth's safety.

Still, before the experts could resume their battle, a figure teleported among them and delayed the end of that break. Alexander's relatively sorry figure appeared in the middle of that fight and nodded at his companions before turning toward the Rulers' Resolve.

"Won't we have problems if we focus our main forces on these few battles?" Great Builder wondered since he was keeping track of the entirety of the battlefield.

"I believe we have capable companions," Alexander announced. "Also, only a few experts will be able to move once the landmass shows its true potential."

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"Is someone coming for you too?" Decumia asked once the pig completed another charge.

"My companions know how responsible I am," The Foolery squealed. "I'm strong enough to handle this task."

"It's not a matter of strength," A third voice resounded in the area before a shockwave expanded between the Foolery and Decumia. Someone had landed in that area of the void, and both experts recognized him immediately.

"Caesar taunted Noah," Wilfred stated. "Heaven and Earth are probably about to break free from the old rulers' net. We must hurt their leaders now that we have the chance."