The world couldn't believe what it was witnessing. A quasi-rank 7 magical beast, the strongest creature on that plane, had died under King Elbas' unstoppable offensive.
Desperation spread among the defending troops. They had done their best and deployed every asset in their arsenal, but they had barely managed to put a dent in King Elbas' technique.
The Royal didn't suffer any injury since Noah's surprise attack. A whole world's efforts didn't appear to be enough to stop that mighty being's assault.
"I wonder what Defying Demon wants to do now," God's Left Hand said. She tried to mock Noah with her tone, but her voice carried helplessness that she didn't manage to hide.
God's Left Hand wasn't a coward. Her initial suggestion came from a cynical analysis of their situation.
King Elbas was too strong. Nothing the organizations did had brought any result. Their struggles to fight the Royal had only led to the destruction of a large chunk of the new continent.
There wasn't enough land for all the cultivators in the world anymore. Noah's decision to press forward had worsened the already bad issue related to the overcrowded regions.
"It must be easy to live without being worried about your safety," Noah commented without looking at the Matriarch. "You spent your cultivation journey under the divine aura of your Patriarch, and you even shaped your character to suit your leader."
God's Left Hand wanted to reply, but Noah's intense aura filled the room again and forced her to remain silent. The sharpness that he radiated was too threatening for her.
"Tell me," Noah continued as he turned toward God's Left Hand, "Have you ever been in danger? Did you ever fear for your life with Shandal watching over your back the whole time?"
God's Left Hand remained speechless for a second, but she eventually stuttered an answer. "W-what are you even asking? Every cultivator who has reached this stage has faced death many times! I was with you inside the separate reality!"
"You were there indeed," Noah said as a sigh escaped his mouth. "Why are you so afraid then?"
"I'm not afraid!" God's Left Hand shouted. "We can't win this fight. Sealing a deal with King Elbas is the only way to ensure a future for our organizations."
"A future as slaves," Great Elder Diana commented. She partially agreed with God's Left Hand's vision, but she would do anything to avoid that outcome.
Both Matriarchs turned toward Noah at that point, and he remained silent as he inspected the screens in the room. The Copying Technique and the platoons had resumed their assault, but King Elbas directly ignored them to focus on destroying the formations.
Without the Ape God limiting his movements, King Elbas eradicated formations from entire regions in a matter of minutes. He appeared even stronger than before.
"I fell in Twilboia Cliff when I still didn't have a dantian," Noah said at some point. "The valley at its bottom was a rank 5 danger zone that nobles ignored due to its dangerousness. I fell there after my father sent me on a suicide mission. I guess he didn't like that I survived."
Noah appeared pensive as memories filled his vision. He still recalled those events. Even he found it hard to believe that he had survived a direct meeting with the rank 5 Albino Snake.
"What's the point of this speech?" God's Left Hand asked. "Do you want to compare your struggles with mine? Fine, you had a worse life, but this doesn't help us."
Noah recalled the helplessness felt in front of the rank 5 magical beast when he still didn't have a dantian. He remembered the condition of the weaker snakes in its pack, and he couldn't help but shake his head at those memories.
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That was true desperation. That was real helplessness. When Noah compared his current situation to that of the weaker snakes in the past, he didn't feel doomed.
"I've sneaked past a rank 5 magical beast when I still lacked a dantian," Noah said as he waved his hand at the screens to turn them off. "Our enemy is only a stage above us, and we have the best assets of the world on our side. I didn't give up back then. I surely won't right now."
Noah began to walk toward the room's exit, but God's Left Hand questioned him before he could leave. "Where are you going?"
Noah turned and shrugged his shoulders before answering her. "I'm going to fight King Elbas. I'm not the type to manage a war from outside the battlefield anyway."
"That's suicidal!" God's Left Hand complained. "The Ape God didn't manage to defeat him. What makes you think that you will make any difference?"
"I've defeated the Ape God before King Elbas," Noah replied. "I wasn't even in the sixth rank back then."
Then, he left, and the light of a teleportation matrix soon shone on the Matriarchs' faces.
God's Left Hand and Great Elder Diana exchanged a glance, but the Matriarch of the Council soon chose to follow Noah.
"You too?" God's Left Hand asked. She couldn't believe that those leaders were so reckless.
"For someone who has an unshakable faith in her leader," Great Elder Diana said without stopping, "You surely have no respect for the experts around you. Remember that you are alive because a cultivator weaker than you has sacrificed his life to banish King Elbas."
Great Elder Diana left, and the light of the teleportation matrix soon shone on God's Left Hand's face. The Matriarch remained alone in the dark room inside the separate dimension.
God's Left Hand cursed inside her head as she tried to turn the screens on again, but she eventually punched the table filled with inscriptions when she saw that they didn't answer her commands.
The separate dimension didn't belong to the Shandal Empire. The Hive had opened its doors to the other organizations, but Noah remained the only one capable of controlling its functions.
Before she could even realize it, the Shandal Empire had become connected to the Hive. Its fate depended on Noah's benevolence. Nothing could stop him if he decided to kick all of them outside of the separate dimension.
Even if God's Left Hand didn't want to admit it, Noah had become her superior. He held the keys to the only place capable of protecting them from King Elbas, and he would share it only with those who followed him.
God's Left Hand eventually left the room and activated the teleportation matrix that the other leaders had used. She found herself in a large area inside the separate dimension after the light vanished, and the other powerhouses were there with her.
True Speed, Elder Regina, Elder Laura, and the other powerhouses of the Hive were all there. Only Elder Julia was missing since she was busy managing the Copying Technique.
Faith and Daniel were in the hall too, but God's Left Hand ignored why peak rank 5 cultivators would join that meeting.
The cultivators' eyes were on Noah, who inspected them with a cold gaze. An icy-blue light came out of his irises as the Divine Deduction technique pushed his mental faculties to their limits.
The black hole in his chest rotated at full speed and pushed his mind toward its peak. Noah couldn't think faster than that even if he relied on specific drugs.
"King Elbas might appear in perfect condition," Noah began to speak after God's Left Hand arrived, "But that's only an act. I don't know where his limit is, but it should be quite close. We can create two opportunities. Unleash everything you have during those openings."