Witnessing Divine Demon's defeat made the group hesitate to approach the trial. Great Builder's sensors were able to copy the contenders' laws in that unique environment, so the army had to create a proper battle plan.
Noah and the others knew how powerful Divine Demon was. His sudden defeat gave them a clear idea of how dangerous the trial was and how they had to approach it.
Divine Demon had lost due to a physical difference. The puppet carried his law, but its body was a mixture of precious metals that could bring its power to a superior level.
The approach became evident after the experts considered that part. Humans would always be on the losing end in that trial. Only hybrids could have a chance to win.
Noah had to step back from that situation. The test could probably create a middle tier version of his existence, which would put him at a complete disadvantage. It was better to send a hybrid who had already reached the liquid stage and had a body that could match those precious metals.
Wilfred ended up being the obvious choice. His physical strength almost knew no equals, and his cultivation level also had the right power. Only he could have a chance to overcome that challenge.
Wilfred didn't need his companions to explain that solution to him. He directly stepped forward once he understood how the trial worked, and a puppet soon formed in front of him.
The puppet had his same cultivation level, and its aura carried Wilfred's explosive features. Still, the expert seemed far stronger than his opponent.
A violent battle soon unfolded in front of the army. Wilfred and the puppet didn't waste time performing spectacular moves or complicated techniques. They only punched each other and continued until one of them fell apart.
Wilfred bled at first, but the puppet soon began to lose pieces of its metallic body. The hybrids' resilience kicked in, so the expert remained on his feet even after his face had turned into a mass of torn tissues and blood.
The puppet didn't share the same incredible innate abilities. It was sturdy, and its metals were tough, but the lack of proper healing properties soon left it with nothing more than a shattered torso.
Wilfred didn't stop his offensive until the door unlocked. The expert left the broken metals and entered the reward room, which was empty. It only had a narrow staircase that led to a secret area of the pyramid.
Noah and the others decided to rest for a long time and perform a few training sessions. The secret area would feature a powerful opponent, so they had to be at their peak before approaching it.
A few years had to go by before everyone in the army felt ready for the test. The staircase enlarged when the army moved toward the secret area, and the space twisted as they walked through the corridor connected with Great Builder's room.
A large hall eventually appeared in their eyes. The area activated once the army stepped out the staircase, and countless lines lit up on the walls, floor, and ceiling to mark the beginning of the test.
Materials came out of the walls and amassed inside the secret hall. The area enlarged as a massive creature took form. Noah could soon lay his eyes on a winged lion with three heads and eight legs.
The creature was twenty meters tall, and sturdy metal made every inch of its body. Its wings created storms whenever they moved through the air, and its low growls gave Noah an idea of how strong it was.
'Upper tier,' Noah sighed in his mind. 'This will be tough.'
The rank 7 assets immediately deployed their battle formation. They performed long but quick movements that transformed them into a tall nine-headed hydra with power at the bottom of the eighth rank.
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The rank 8 cultivators from the Balrow family and some of Luke's companions joined the battle formation to increase its power. Its level quickly grew until it reached the middle tier, but that wasn't enough for their situation.
Luke, Ian, and Jordan eventually decided to join the battle formation. The hydra's power rose until it approached the upper tier, and King Elbas didn't hesitate to help at that point.
A series of inscribed items came out of King Elbas' space-ring and began to cover the hydra. Golden runes and flames suddenly appeared on the creature's ethereal skin and solidified its structure. Its level also increased until it entered the upper tier.
Noah deployed Snore and his companions before covering his figure with dark matter. The Demonic Form came out of his palm and covered his fiendish armor. The Demonic Sword flew out of his chest to land in his hand.
Bloodlust also exploded outward. Noah didn't hesitate to draw the cursed sword in that situation. His opponent was two whole tiers above him. He couldn't risk dying because he was holding back.
The unstable substance flowed inside his black veins, and the special darkness started to enlarge the Shadow Domain. His dark world also expanded before Noah activated his new spell.
A diagram lit up inside Noah's mental sea and generated a long series of benefits. The black hole began to work faster than ever, and the same applied to the workshop.
The new spell gave Noah the ability to control the dark matter better. He already had power over his dark matter, but the spell quickened everything.
'I can use the Shadow Domain more often now,' Noah thought while inspecting the benefits of his new spell. 'The workshop is also far faster. I guess I will waste most of my stash of fake cores in this battle.'
King Elbas deployed countless inscribed items. His assets went from disposable weapons in the middle tier to formations that covered the immense hall.
Divine Demon gathered all the power he could get, and a white light soon shone next to him. His "Breath" had transformed into higher energy again.
Wilfred and the others who were outside of the battle formation deployed their techniques and expanded their aura. They were an army against a single monstrous puppet, but they didn't feel at ease in front of that creature.
"Do it!" Wilfred shouted while glancing at Noah.
Noah quickly activated Shandal's ability. The world froze for the winged lion, but Wilfred and the others were still able to move. The whole army attacked at that point. They launched their best attacks in the hope of inflicting significant damage.
The nine-headed hydra spat multicolored flames, Noah thrust with both swords, and Wilfred leapt toward the winged lion to slam his massive arms on its head.
King Elbas threw the entirety of his inscribed army at his opponent, and the formations under him went after them. The winged lion could still move a bit, but Noah's spell had managed to slow it down long enough for all the attacks to land on the creature.
White lines lit up across the large hall. The pyramid was suppressing those unnatural earthquakes, but it didn't do anything to protect the creature.
The explosion generated by that wave of attacks forced Noah and the others to stop their offensive for a second. The smoke that covered the winged lion made it impossible to know its state.
The smoke eventually vanished, and a low growl resounded in the hall. Noah could finally see the effects of their attacks. They had only managed to break two of its legs and ruin part of its right wing.