2343. Stepping stones

A shattering noise spread through the higher plane. Noah's slash dispersed the chaotic energy in the area, revealing Heaven and Earth's new state.

The crystal figure's condition had worsened greatly. Cracks filled its surfaces and created a weary scene, but the black line that ran from the top of its head to the end of its groin remained its flashier injury.

Still, all of that paled in front of the source of the shattering noise. The white core was still spinning, but a crack had appeared on its smooth surface.

The immense energy in the white core had created a sound that could reach every corner of the higher plane, but the event didn't end there. The spinning sphere continued sending fuel and meanings to the crystals, but the process only worsened its damaged state.

Noah could sense that the crystal figure as a whole wouldn't last long. His understanding of destruction told him that, but he wouldn't wait for that moment to arrive.

A series of black lines shot out of Noah's body while he raised his swords, and an even bigger slash flew forward once he completed his attack. Heaven and Earth fell prey to a relentless offensive, and more shattering noises resounded.

King Elbas and the others didn't wait their turn. They approached the area and started unleashing their best attacks. The golden domain attempted to add some coordination to the offensive, but that alone couldn't stop the techniques from giving birth to a chaotic mess.

Everything worsened when Shafu slashed the landmass toward the messy area. The massive attack that came out of the maimed creature engulfed the joint offensive and created a black river that reached the distant sky.

Noah and the others prepared to launch another offensive, but a series of unstable spheres filled the higher plane and forced them to group up. King Elbas summoned his specific defenses, and everything turned white.

"They are improving," King Elbas commented while his eyes moved over the ripples on his ethereal barrier.

"We can handle all of this!" The Foolery squealed while opening its mouth to unleash its hunger, but King Elbas slapped its forehead before it could hurt the barrier.

"I'm hungry!" The Foolery complained, and a discussion started, but Noah ignored all of that.

Noah's attention moved to the crystal energy falling on the barrier. King Elbas had improved it to defend against the new power flowing through the attack, but his warning remained on point.

The crystal energy was too unstable to be a final product. Heaven and Earth were probably using that battle to perfect their new fuel and obtain the power to reach the tenth rank.

'Stepping stones,' Noah thought before stepping forward to tap on King Elbas' shoulder.

"Give me one second," King Elbas snorted. "I'm making sure that this idiot doesn't destroy our only form of protection."

"Defending is boring!" The Foolery complained while unleashing its hunger, but King Elbas promptly teleported that influence away.

"Why are you so annoying?" King Elbas cursed.

"The pig is right," Noah stated, and everyone on the team turned toward him to show their surprised faces. Even Shafu opened its mouth in amazement.

"Open a path," Noah explained before questions could reach him. "We can't let them gain any initiative."

King Elbas didn't complain. Actually, he agreed with Noah right away, but the issue remained. The whole higher plane had turned white due to the violent currents flying through it, and piercing them would be quite hard.

"I can pave the way," King Elbas revealed, "At least partially."

"Pig, find the rulers and eat anything before them," Noah ordered.

"Noah has finally acknowledged my magnificence," The Foolery proudly stated while lifting its head.

"Noah," King Elbas called. "This goes beyond its idiocy. There is too much power on the way."

"Make it happen then," Noah shrugged his shoulders before disregarding the whole matter and pointing his swords forward to prepare for his moment.

"I'm not staying behind," June announced while approaching Noah's side and summoning her spear.

"I must be there for obvious reasons," Supreme Thief exclaimed as he reached Noah.

"I'm also tired of defending," Divine Demon continued while joining the attacking team.

Sword Saint retreated to reach the maimed landmass. Silver power came out of his body and enveloped the creature to prepare it for the imminent offensive.

King Elbas wanted to curse, but Alexander landed at his side and nodded at him. King Elbas rolled his eyes, but he eventually executed the order.

The golden domain thickened and fused with the ethereal barrier, pushing its edges forward to expand its influence. The Foolery unleashed its hunger, and King Elbas added fake quasi-rank 10 power to that influence.

The hunger transformed. It remained part of the pig's power, but King Elbas molded it without turning it into one of his techniques. Random flames appeared in that ethereal energy, but their azure color and intense smell revealed their true source.

The Foolery seemed surprised about that reaction, but it hid that feeling behind its iconic proud gesture. King Elbas didn't say anything even if the process was tiring him deeply. He had basically pushed the fake quasi-rank 10 state on the pig without affecting its world.

The golden domain eventually applied that empowered hunger on the path between the team and the rulers. A chunk of the white energy immediately disappeared, but some currents inevitably remained.

Yet, Noah shot through the ethereal barrier anyway, and his companions followed him closely. Noah was faster than any of them, and his clash with the remaining white currents filled the entire channel with his dark energy.

Noah's power seemed to explode at that point. Various cries came out of his body as his companions added their abilities to his attack. His swords pierced through the white current and allowed him to advance, and a familiar figure eventually appeared in his vision.

"Smart choice," Heaven and Earth commented before Noah's attack landed on them.

The slash cut through the cracked crystals and separated Heaven and Earth from their lower body. June and Divine Demon arrived a second later and unleashed their offensive on that maimed figure, destroying most of its external layers.

Supreme Thief turned himself into a ghostly figure that could pierce through the intense energy released during the offensive. His body also flew through Heaven and Earth, taking away their white core in the process.

An unstoppable force pierced the chaotic energy and cleared the area. Wilfred's attack failed to reach Heaven and Earth, but it opened the path for the following offensive.

King Elbas summoned a giant orb and tossed it at his side. Alexander grabbed the item before releasing a series of monstrous cries that brought his physical strength to the peak and allowed him to perform an incredible throw.

The giant orb disappeared before materializing inside the remains of the crystal figure. A massive explosion happened and made the whole world shake, but a silver and black torrent still reached the targeted area to unleash its destructive sharpness.

The void fell prey to violent instabilities. The joint offensive was too powerful even for that superior space-time array. Mental waves became unable to enter the targeted space due to the chaos that filled its fabric.

Noah wanted to launch more attacks, but he knew that the unstable void would disrupt their power. His companions also understood that part, so they waited for everything to stabilize.

A few complaints flew toward Supreme Thief, but the latter ignored them as he studied the white core in his hands. He appeared extremely satisfied with his loot, but the arrival of a familiar laugh made him store the item inside his figure.

A monstrous laugh came out of the sky and filled the higher plane, restoring its stability and bringing light to the targeted area. The chaotic energy dispersed, revealing nothing more than dust and shattered crystals.

Noah and the others had destroyed Heaven and Earth's body, but similar figures emerged from the white layer and advanced through the void. The rulers had summoned more of their incredible avatars, and the latter didn't hesitate to echo the laugh.

"Great, great!" Heaven and Earth spoke through their multiple avatars. "Keep opposing us. Be the stepping stones you were always meant to be."