2296 2296. Monster

Marcella opened her mouth, and a green pillar came out of it. Countless roots, branches, and flowers materialized among the light and grew rapidly to thicken the vegetation in the area.

Layers over layers of magical plants moved toward the edges of the vegetation and prepared themselves for the imminent impact. Countless techniques were converging in the area, and the inevitable crash eventually happened.

A deep noise capable of making the entire higher plane shake spread through the world as the many techniques crashed on the magical plants. The impact generated a shockwave that expanded everywhere and stopped only when it reached the sky.

Some of Divine Demon's techniques crumbled when they landed on the defensive magical plants. Yet, their destruction generated storms that carried the trembling blood-red energy.

Violent earthquakes surrounded the entire vegetation while the intact techniques pierced their way through the countless magical plants. Roars and screams resounded everywhere as Divine Demon gave birth to the messiest battlefield that the higher plane had ever witnessed.

The giant copy of the space dragon also did some work. The creature used its influence on the space-time array to teleport some blood-red techniques inside the vegetation and make them avoid strong defenses.

Marcella didn't let that sea of techniques overwhelm her. A shout left her mouth, and the green smoke brightened. The various magical plants absorbed that gas and grew stronger before generating more flowers and branches.

Soon, countless giant trunks and unstable petals appeared in front of the various blood-red techniques. Divine Demon was assaulting the vegetation from every corner, but Marcella was slowly managing to match that offensive. She had the energy to back up those defenses. She only needed to decide how to approach the array of attacks.

The scene was beyond incredible. The final battle had forced all the living beings in the higher plane to fight, but the battlefield with Marcella and Divine Demon seemed to surpass the chaos witnessed previously.

There were too many fights going on in that relatively small area. Hundreds of techniques fought against entire armies of magical plants, and the victories on both sides never led anywhere.

The blood-red energy transformed whenever the plants managed to win over some techniques. Most of it became part of the earthquakes, while others took other shapes that increased the diversity of attacks among the vegetation.

As for the magical plants, they had an endless stream of energy flowing through their fabric. Marcella was going all-out to keep her creation full of power and close any opening created by Divine Demon's offensive.

The assault was relentless, and its relatively isolated location didn't prevent the various underlings from dying due to the shockwaves it unleashed through the higher plane. Many continued to suffer due to the presence of a battle that only the leaders could withstand.

<br/>The situation was a bit different for the three experts who were stuck among the vegetation. Sepunia, Maribel, and the odd dragon had summoned many defensive layers while hiding under one of the sturdiest magical plants in the hope of surviving that mighty assault.

The defenses held strong for a while, but some of Divine Demon's techniques eventually got close enough to spread shockwaves in their direction. The three experts could only move through the vegetation to find a new hiding spot at that point, but they were slowly running out of options.

Marcella wasn't exactly losing. She actually had an answer for any attack that Divine Demon used against her. Yet, the assault never stood still. The various exchanges moved through the vegetation as teleports and small victories happened, so the three experts could never settle in a single location.

Of course, Divine Demon didn't care about his companions at all, and the same went for Marcella. The two mighty experts had already decided how the rest of their battle would go, and nothing could stand in their path.

"Is that all?" Marcella shouted as new waves of energy left her body to flow into her magical plants. "Is this what the great Divine Demon can do?"

Divine Demon disregarded the taunt as he refilled his cup of wine. His techniques were on auto-pilot since his world was using everything contained inside his mind to summon and control them. He only needed to wait for the battle to end, and Marcella's words weren't interesting enough to force his attention to move.

The earthquakes slowly became so intense that the vegetation felt forced to retreat. Marcella wasn't exactly losing ground. She was only sacrificing the width of her technique to prioritize sturdiness. She needed firm magical plants to fend off the tremors, so she couldn't create them without condensing her influence.

Divine Demon was in a similar situation. The earthquakes had grown so intense because many techniques had shattered and had added their energy to those tremors.

The exchange was nowhere near its end, but it was transforming to reach that phase. Both Divine Demon and Marcella were condensing their influence to make it converge toward their opponent, and neither had seized the advantage.

"So much for teaching me how to be a demon!" Marcella eventually shouted as excitement surged in her mind. "You have yet to beat my creation."

Divine Demon sighed when he saw that his cup was empty again. He wanted to refill it, but Marcella finally attracted his attention. His uncaring gaze pierced the various plants to focus on the privileged cultivator, and a teleport happened.

"You can get excited then," Divine Demon's voice spread through the entire vegetation as he teleported in front of Marcella.

The teleport didn't take Marcella by surprise. She had sensed that movement technique, and green petals had grown around her to make her ready for an eventual attack.

"What are you even saying?" Marcella asked before realizing that a grin had appeared on her face.

"You aren't fighting for Heaven and Earth now," Divine Demon revealed. "You are fighting for yourself. You want to prove that you are stronger than me."

"So?" Marcella snorted. "Triumphing over strong opponents is a core aspect of the cultivation journey."

"But magical plants shouldn't have that urge," Divine Demon pointed out. "They only have to thrive."

Marcella's eyes widened, but she quickly suppressed that surprised expression. Divine Demon was partially right, but she didn't want to show the slightest trace of defeat.

"Well, there is another explanation," Divine Demon continued. "No one ever dared to match your position, so finding a worthy opponent awakened something you forgot long ago."

"I'm sure you will enlighten me now," Marcella mocked.

"When was the last time you enjoyed a battle?" Divine Demon asked as wine materialized in his cup.

"You are about to tell me that you are enjoying this," Marcella responded.

"Of course," Divine Demon laughed.

"You have killed recklessly," Marcella pointed out. "You have ruined the lives of many of your companions due to your lack of control. Do you think they enjoyed being overwhelmed by your power?"

"Who cares!" Divine Demon shouted. "We are gods fighting to create a path through the sky. We are the peak of the world! Those who can't survive or whims don't deserve to see the end of this struggle."

"You should talk to Decumia," Marcella sighed. "I'm sure she will find your thoughts interesting."

"But she isn't the one matching my techniques," Divine Demon declared. "You are fighting on par with this monster. Are you sure you aren't a monster too?"