"I need them for my research," King Elbas commented before focusing on the battle again.
Harold and Althea could only ignore that event and resume their relentless discharge of abilities. There were too many magical beasts in the area, and they had yet to decide how to handle the two upper tier creatures. That wasn't the time to overthink petty thefts.
The battle grew harsher even if the number of specimens diminished. The Space Hounds had a limited fighting style, but they could adapt to the experts' abilities and become material only after making sure they were safe.
The unusual battle style of that species made most experts struggle to keep up. Even Noah's team didn't expect something like that. Wilfred and the Foolery didn't manage to do much since their abilities were predictable.
Noah limited himself to spread his sharpness throughout the battlefield. He let the others fight and waited for the perfect moment when to unleash his singularities. His attacks could kill many magical beasts at the same time, so he didn't waste his efforts chasing single specimens.
His slashes were even quite effective against middle tier specimens. Noah's physical prowess surpassed those creatures by leaps and bounds, so his attacks were deadly abilities capable of severing their bodies in half.
The trio from the secret organization ended up joining the experts from the Monneay family against the upper tier Space Hounds. Instead, the others took care of the rest of the horde and made sure not to suffer any significant injury during the battle.
Noah eventually found a good chance when to unleash his sharpness. Many Space Hounds had decided to attack the trio from the Putgan family, but a series of singularities opened around them and killed multiple creatures.
Harold tried to seize a few corpses again, but Noah unfolded the dark world and took those corpses for himself. He wouldn't let others grab such peculiar magical beasts without storing many of them inside his separate space first.
"I need them for my hunger," Noah explained before resuming his role in the battle.
Harold couldn't say much, but it was clear that his mood had darkened. He was fighting like everyone else, but Noah's team had already stolen his loot twice.
Still, complaining during the battle was pointless. Noah and King Elbas were even quite helpful against those creatures due to their experience and ability with formations. Arguing now would only put the whole group in danger.
The trio from the Saibrird family eventually joined the cultivators fighting the upper tier specimens. Those nine experts were doing their best to defend themselves while waiting for openings, and their cultivation level barely allowed them to match those powerful opponents.
Noah felt relieved when he noticed that his companions weren't leaving everything on his team. The experts from the other families had started to understand those magical beasts, and their battle style adapted to their abilities.
A large group of Space Hounds soon tried to help their leaders. They didn't want to fight Gloria and the others. Their purpose was to distract the cultivators enough to let the two upper tier creatures escape the relentless assault.
Noah took that chance to unleash his sharpness again. Waves of singularities and dark matter filled the area and saved the nine cultivators from that new threat.
Strange expressions appeared on those experts after they realized what Noah had done. They didn't like to feel indebted to an enemy of the human domain, but they couldn't deny that his role was crucial in the battle.
Harold tried to seize some corpses again. He didn't even try to take all of them at that time, but a figure still appeared on his path and made him curse loudly.
"I don't need them," Wilfred said while waving his hand and storing those corpses. "I just want to piss you off."
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That statement left Harold speechless, but Wilfred retreated before the cultivator could find a proper answer. The hybrid's role was also quite crucial in the battle. He had to make sure that no Space Hound had the chance to attack Noah and the others.
The battlefield had quickly divided the experts into two sides. Part of them could invent or modify techniques to counter the Space Hounds' innate ability. Others had to limit their efforts on defending their companions since they couldn't touch those creatures.
Wilfred, the Foolery, and Fergie belonged to the second side. Their techniques weren't flexible, so they could only focus on defending their companions.
Instead, Divine Demon, King Elbas, and Luke could adapt to that threat. Their abilities also allowed them to affect the Space Hounds in their ethereal form. They were the core part of that battle.
Noah was between the two sides. He could try to affect the Space Hounds in their ethereal form, but he preferred to hold back and attack the magical beasts only when they turned material.
He didn't want to launch attacks that had no chance to kill those creatures to disrupt their innate ability. He preferred to unleash deadly slashes and take out of the battle as many specimens as possible.
The pack quickly shrunk as the battle continued. The cultivators didn't suffer many injuries, and they could mostly ignore the few wounds that appeared on their bodies.
Only those fighting against the upper tier specimens had a harsher time remaining safe, but their condition had improved by a lot after the reinforcements arrived.
The experts could soon turn their attention on the two leaders after they took care of the pack. Yet, the magical beasts decided to leave the battlefield once they understood their position.
Noah and the others had taken care of tens of specimens without suffering any loss. The Space Hounds' intelligence was below the average, but they could understand when a battle was over.
The experts gave voice to loud curses and taunts once the two upper tier creatures opened a path through the distorted space and disappeared from the area. Their departure marked the end of the battle and made all the existences relax.
Most of those experts turned toward Noah. They had to admit that he had been able to sense that threat before the space showed signs of distortion. His senses were too reliable to ignore.
Everyone had noticed Noah's behavior toward Harold, but no one talked about it. Even Harold decided to let go of the matter to avoid pointless discussions.
The battle had shown how Noah and his companions were necessary to that mission. They could even take care of important roles that only hybrids could fulfill.
Moreover, King Elbas was an inscription master that even liquid stage experts had to respect. Those who knew about formations had seen how the cultivator had handled the Space Hounds, and they could only approve his approach.
Noah didn't care about that acknowledgment. An obvious conclusion had appeared in his mind during the battle, and he couldn't help but worry about it.
The pack of Space Hounds had managed to send two upper tier specimens and an entire army of creatures in the eighth rank during the first attack.
Only a powerful pack could deploy so many specimens at the same time, and that high number of rank 8 creatures hinted at the presence of an even stronger magical beast.
Noah felt almost sure that the dimensional tunnel hid a rank 9 specimen, and he had no idea how to handle that issue.
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Author's notes: I'll take a break tomorrow, so don't wait for chapters. I'll make a deal with the old gods to restore my sleeping schedule. They might be able to help. I'll go buy the sheep for the ritual now.