2308.Respect

The avatar had deep and large holes on its torso and arms. Part of the faces of the three-headed dog had melted, and the giant telescope featured cracks on its large side.

The castle appeared intact, but its ethereal figure flickered since part of its functions had suffered heavy damage. The white cloud had also shrunk. Only the giant mirror worked as intended, even if smoke came out of its edges.

Any inscription master would try to fix the damage suffered by their inscribed items, but Divine Architect was different. She remained still as her eyes flashed from time to time. Her whole attention was on the fiery hydra, and nothing seemed able to interrupt her inspection.

King Elbas remained calm while his world burnt. Reaching the fake quasi-rank 10 state required a heavy price, and he inevitably suffered while paying it.

Nevertheless, King Elbas didn't let that pain distract him. A cold realization filled his mind while his creation burst with power. Divine Architect's inscribed items had endured part of his full might, but they had remained mostly intact.

Generally speaking, quasi-rank 10 power should overwhelm peak rank 9 energy every time. Even the best creations at that level should shatter in front of something far superior.

King Elbas' quasi-rank 10 state didn't reflect the actual superior realm, but it still carried enough power to be unmatched in the ninth rank. Yet, Divine Architect's creations had survived the burst of energy.

The hydra condensed and shrunk. Its immense power took the shape of an unstable robe that covered King Elbas and made him illuminate the void.

Flares shot out of the golden robe from time to time, but its energy always returned to King Elbas. Containing so much power was hard, but King Elbas was doing his best not to waste any of it.

Golden flames came out of King Elbas' forehead before condensing into a bright crown. A fiery spear also appeared in his right palm, and the pressure radiated by its pointy tip made the void shake.

Divine Architect had already seen and studied that form while she was in the sky. Still, King Elbas didn't hold back from improving it.

Nine flares shot out of King Elbas' back. That unstable energy solidified to take the shape of scaled necks. Heads soon grew out of them to recreate part of the hydra, but Divine Architect could notice some differences. The creature carried far more power than before.

That wasn't even the end of it. King Elbas had always been in control of the hydra, but now it shared a deeper connection with him. Divine Architect couldn't help but compare the nine heads to additional limbs, which naturally worsened her situation.

"It's truly a spectacle," Divine Architect praised. "A fake breakthrough, an alteration of the cultivation journey. You might have cheated your way toward the final energy, but this remains a masterpiece."

"Kowtow to me nine times, and I'll let you be my disciple," King Elbas snorted. "Maybe I'll tell you the secret behind this power once your training is complete."

"I'll stick to taking that from your corpse," Divine Architect stated. "It won't take long before you burn yourself to death anyway."

King Elbas showed a cold expression. The six inscribed items' resilience was off the charts, and Divine Architect probably had something else in store. It wouldn't sound odd if her plan involved tiring King Elbas out.

King Elbas had understood all of that right after the previous exchange. However, Divine Architect had cornered him. He needed the fake quasi-rank 10 state to fight her on the same ground.

"That avatar can adapt itself to any threat," King Elbas announced while pointing his spear at the giant and moving it toward the next inscribed item. "The dog is sturdy, but its corrosive saliva is its primary function.

"The telescope is an advanced scanner. It can probably see past any defense. The castle had multiple functions, but you will mostly use it as a container since it pales in other fields compared to your other items."

"Your knowledge won't scare me," Divine Architect commented.

"The cloud is similar to the avatar," King Elbas continued, "But its structure allows it to perform complicated functions. As for the mirror…."

"I know you will praise it," Divine Architect declared.

"It is quite the masterpiece," King Elbas admitted. "It's not a container. It's an artificial source of power, infinite power."

"I told you," Divine Architect reminded. "Relying on Heaven and Earth has never been part of my plans. I wouldn't mind remaining part of the sky, but I've long since been ready to leave."

"Try not to use the mirror too much," King Elbas requested. "Destroying it would be a waste."

"As if you had any control over this battle," Divine Architect sighed before pointing her arm at King Elbas.

The scanners around Divine Architect shot toward and took their place around the huge mirror. The latter flashed to launch a massive wave of energy that the other items absorbed and reflected.

A series of white rays shot toward the other five inscribed items. The energy released by the mirror perfectly fused with them and fixed their damage. It even strengthened their foundation and overall power.

Nevertheless, King Elbas didn't stay still. Golden light filled the area as his figure teleported above the giant avatar. He looked at the item in disdain before lowering his spear and stabbing it on its head.

The spear pierced the avatar's surface easily, and the power that came out of the fiery tip ravaged its insides. The inferior final energy couldn't do anything against King Elbas' attack, but that outcome didn't surprise Divine Architect.

The mirror flashed, and the scanners spun to send the entirety of that new energy toward the avatar. The other inscribed items also moved to encircle King Elbas, but his crown shone before they could unleash their attack.

The crown generated a heatwave so dense that only the cloud could pierce it without losing the entirety of its energy. Yet, its structure lacked too much power by then, so King Elbas remained untouched.

Meanwhile, the spear continued to unleash its fiery power. The giant mirror flashed multiple times to send energy toward the avatar, but nothing seemed able to stop its destruction.

Golden flames that made the very void churn and twist expanded inside the avatar. The item tried to use the additional energy to fix the damage, but the spear was unstoppable.

Divine Architect began to raise her arm again, but she eventually halted that gesture. Her mind made her aware of an unpleasant truth. She knew that she couldn't stop what was happening.

King Elbas snorted at the sight of Divine Architect's behavior, but he didn't interrupt his attack. The golden flames soon filled the entirety of the avatar and destabilized its structure, leading to a violent explosion that spread scorching heat.

Divine Architect's eyes flashed as she inspected the scene. She searched for the remains of her creation, but the golden flames were burning everything. They didn't leave a single trace of the inferior final energy in the area.

"I'm in my strongest state," King Elbas announced once the heatwave dispersed into the void. "Don't disrespect me with these inferior products."