2348. Worthy

Decumia had no intention to join the fight, and Marcella would have to face Queen and Vesuvia if she dared to move. Emperor was also taking care of the other privileged cultivators, and his job had gotten easier after Noah's ambition generated doubts inside their minds.

Caesar was the only expert who could hinder the team, but he didn't seem to care about their plan. His waiting stance annoyed Noah and his companions, but they played along for now since they had bigger problems to handle.

Noah had never been so focused, and excitement inevitably filled his mind. He had waited his entire second life for that moment. His journey had finally reached the point when he could target the sky.

Of course, the mystery of the sky had long since disappeared. After all, Noah and his companions had traveled through that white layer multiple times. Still, they knew that things wouldn't be as easy now.

The sky had endured many attacks throughout the final battlefield. Immense techniques and powerful abilities had landed on that white layer, but nothing had managed to damage it.

Noah even predicted that Heaven and Earth wouldn't stay still if the sky were truly in danger. The team probably only had one shot at destroying that structure, and Noah had every intention not to waste it.

King Elbas, Sword Saint, Wilfred, June, and Alexander began to prepare as soon as the quarrel ended. The experts didn't talk, but they instinctively knew their role in the imminent offensive.

King Elbas summoned his fake quasi-rank 10 power to build a massive structure that quickly took the shape of a ram. Flames flared out of its surfaces and transformed into drills while the whole item solidified and King Elbas kept adding materials to its fabric.

Wilfred only needed a glance from King Elbas to understand his role. The hybrid flew under the ram to test its weight and scorching properties. His skin almost melted when he touched the item, but he nodded back at King Elbas after his tests.

Sword Saint approached the maimed landmass to inspect its damage. The giant creature had lost most of its body, but its core was intact. It could still summon its corrosive energy and sharpness, but the effort would probably kill it.

June left the group to land on one of the floating frozen landmasses. She crossed her legs to sit on the ice and closed her eyes to focus the entirety of her attention on her Perfect Circuit. Heartbeats started to resound from her position, and no one dared to disturb her.

Alexander imitated June, but his approach didn't need him to fly away. He crossed his legs and started hoovering through the void while tremors ran through his body. His aura intensified during the process, but nothing harmful flew toward his companions.

Supreme Thief inspected the preparations, but the white cores floating around him often attracted his attention. He appeared conflicted, but an annoyed scoff left his mouth when he noticed Noah's cold gaze.

"You can't take a joke anymore," Supreme Thief complained.

"Can you steal something important from the sky?" Noah asked. "I don't care what you take as long as it bothers Heaven and Earth."

"We should be able to open a path with this," King Elbas added while tinkering with the ram.

Supreme Thief glanced at the ram before moving his gaze to the sky. Noah could see greed appearing on his face, but the expert eventually lowered his head and heaved a helpless sigh.

"I'd need too long to steal something relevant," Supreme Thief explained. "I'm sure Heaven and Earth also set multiple protections, so using my power randomly wouldn't get us anywhere."

"You go with the other idiots then," King Elbas snorted.

"No," Supreme Thief cursed. "I'll be in the frontlines. Send your item after I do my thing."

King Elbas couldn't help but turn to inspect Supreme Thief. The announcement was quite surprising, but the expert appeared serious, so King Elbas decided to trust him and return to work.

Supreme Thief absorbed the white cores inside his body at that point, and he even snapped his finger to steal the crystal figure inside the pig's mouth. The Foolery obviously didn't like that, but Supreme Thief fell into a deep meditative state that shielded him from any complaint.

"Don't even try it," Noah warned before the Foolery could summon its power. "The sky has more food than you can imagine."

"But that was my food!" The Foolery complained.

"I'll let you team up with Xavier," Noah bribed.

The Foolery's eyes lit up, and he immediately went silent to reach King Elbas' side. The expert glared at Noah, but he didn't voice any complaint. Deep down, King Elbas knew that he was the only one able to control and enhance the pig's innate ability.

"I'll be in the frontlines too!" The Eternal Snake exclaimed. "No one can go before me!"

Noah thought about the matter for a few seconds before giving his approval. The snake's offensive prowess wasn't exceptional, but its body could offer protection indefinitely. Having it in front of the team could only benefit the assault.

"You are awfully quiet," Noah eventually teased while approaching Divine Demon.

Divine Demon emptied his cup and turned it into blood-red energy that flowed inside his body. His gaze went to the golden inscriptions in the distance, but he quickly brought it back to Noah.

"Are you worried about the others now?" Noah laughed.

"As if," Divine Demon scoffed. "Those idiots are a disappointment. I should have used more dragons against them."

"Now the dragons are gone," Noah sighed without adding anything. Divine Demon didn't need consolations, and Noah knew that usual formalities didn't belong to that situation.

"Are you getting all nostalgic already?" Divine Demon joked.

"You were the one feeling down," Noah rebuked.

"What feeling down?" Divine Demon shouted. "I was enjoying the moment. It's worthy of thoughts and reflection."

"You are getting all poetic now," Noah mocked.

"I've always been poetic," Divine Demon claimed.

"Make sure not to forget anything this time," Noah stated.

"I won't hesitate to forget if it helps me," Divine Demon scoffed. "Though it doesn't mean that I want to."

"It would be a pity, don't you think?" Noah wondered.

"It would indeed," Divine Demon sighed.

"Do you know what to do in the next offensive?" Noah asked.

"I'll come up with something," Divine Demon declared.

"Don't tease Xavier too much," Noah chuckled.

"I'll probably tease everyone," Divine Demon bragged.

"We are set then," Noah stated.

"To think that the end would finally be in our grasp," Divine Demon whispered. "Majestic."

Blood-red light flashed before Noah and Divine Demon to create two cups full of wine. Noah didn't hesitate to grab it, and a smiling Divine Demon appeared in his view when he turned.

"You did well, my heir," Divine Demon announced. "You didn't waste my inheritance."

"I brought it to the utter peak of the cultivation journey," Noah corrected before throwing the entire cup in his mouth.

"That's how a demon should talk!" Divine Demon laughed while also emptying his cup.

A series of intense tremors filled the area at that point. Supreme Thief, Alexander, and June broke their meditation and gathered near the golden ram. Their bodies seemed on the verge of exploding, which announced their readiness for the imminent clash.

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Author's notes: Shoutout to Kane_jay_85 for the Magic castle!