Chapter 1854 - 1854. Tribulation

"That's arguable," King Elbas complained as his eyes sharpened at the sight of the three magical beasts. "Why are they gray? Why do they even wear clothes? Their shades and size also are totally off."

"How bad of a loser are you?" Noah laughed, but his eyes never left the scenes unfolding above the uncovered area of the intermediate dimension.​​

Noah kept his palm open next to King Elbas' shoulder. The two never stopped inspecting the scene, but they didn't forget about their bet either.

The three rank 9 Kesier apes that had appeared on the intermediate dimension had clearly improved their natural state. Their looks were different from what Noah had grown used to recall, but that wasn't too surprising when it came to magical beasts that had stepped on the last level of the cultivation journey.

The magical beasts didn't experience the thorough evolutions of their existence as they advanced, but they still changed. Mutations could occur due to their character and habits, and the environment also played an important role in the process.

The three Kesier apes glanced at the storm of white lightning bolts, and shockwaves followed that faint gesture. Three columns of invisible energy surged from the magical beasts. The attacks shot toward the blinding attacks of the Tribulation, creating an explosion that forced even the experts in the distance to deploy defensive measures.

"Told you," Noah continued to laugh while waving his palm in front of King Elbas' face. "That's their innate ability."

"Xavier can't accept defeat," Wilfred sighed while snapping his fingers whenever raging waves of power tried to engulf the group.

His gesture generated explosions inside the shockwaves and dispersed them before they could reach the experts. The others didn't hesitate to give voice to similar comments meant to mock King Elbas while launching casual abilities at the incoming raging energy. Nothing could reach them, and King Elbas' expression grew darker.

"You definitely are that idiot's disciple," King Elbas snorted while taking out a dark-gold sphere that immediately attracted Noah's attention.

The item radiated quasi-rank 9 power and could float on its own due to the faint energy coming out of its structure. The number of nutrients contained in its insides also felt to be off the charts. It was astonis.h.i.+ng how it didn't completely step into the ninth rank with so much fuel at its disposal.

"I had the idea after the fight against the jellyfish," King Elbas explained. "That creature contained enough power to push its level forward, but it didn't use it at all. Its skin could also endure internal pressure easily. It was the perfect transport device, so I tried to replicate it."

Noah's mental waves entered the sphere and studied its insides. He could sense that it contained enough power to match a few rank 9 magical beasts even if its materials were strong enough for the task. The matter was stunning, but its purpose was quite clear.

The lack of special features made the dark-gold sphere a mere pill that contained many nutrients. Noah could eat it while his body was in critical condition to heal his injuries and go back to his peak, but nothing more.

Of course, having access to such a resource as a rank 8 existence was incredible. Noah had always struggled to find suitable drugs after his ascensions since nothing seemed to satisfy the requirement of his centers of power. Yet, King Elbas had provided a solution that could save Noah's life one day.

"Do you want to make other bets?" Noah asked while his eyes lingered on the dark-gold sphere in his grasp.

King Elbas limited himself to snort again and focus the entirety of his attention on the battle ahead. The Kesier apes had covered the entire exposed area with a thick layer of invisible energy that the experts could inspect when they expanded their consciousness. Moreover, they had never stopped generating shockwaves to prevent the lightning bolts from reaching the structure.

Those creatures' sheer display of power already put them far beyond average magical beasts, but Noah suddenly noticed another feature that made their value increase. The three Kesier apes weren't limiting themselves to attack and defend at the same time. They were also using their invisible energy to rebuild the array of lines under them.

It wasn't only a matter of sheer power. Those creatures could give any feature, size, and form they wanted to their invisible energy. They appeared able to counter any ability as long as flaws existed in their structure, and they didn't seem to have a limit to the amount of invisible energy they could deploy at the same time.

The Tribulation intensified when it realized that it couldn't pierce the invisible energy at its current power. More lightning bolts fell from the clouds hidden inside the storms high in the sky, but the struggle didn't lead anywhere. The Kesier apes limited themselves to release more power to match the new dangerousness of the offensive.

A deafening scream resounded among the storms at that point. The lightning bolts stopped falling, and a vortex appeared in the winds above. The chaotic laws converged toward the clouds fueled them with their power to give birth to a ma.s.sive humanoid figure made of white sparks.

Noah instinctively got to his feet, and his companions imitated him. The group jumped backward while the cracking figure began to descend from the disappeared chunk of storms and pointed its right arm toward the uncovered intermediate dimension.

The group managed to escape the range of the attack right before a blinding light filled the area. A white radiance had accompanied the crackling figure's sudden discharge of energy and had shattered the mental waves acc.u.mulated around the intermediate dimension. The experts were in the dark, but they didn't fail to study the power released during the blow.

The crackling figure was in the lower tier of the ninth rank, but it appeared stronger than the three Kesier apes. The energy released during its attack even pierced the invisible energy and reached the barrier before shattering it in a few seconds.

Noah and the others could learn about those events only after the light dispersed, but King Elbas didn't accept that event. Even Divine Demon felt p.i.s.sed about missing part of the spectacle. The two experts waved their hands as inscribed items and azure energy gathered in front of them to create screens that seemed able to ignore even the faint light that managed to cross the storms.

The group could sit again once the battle resumed. More chaotic laws flowed toward the crackling figure after Heaven and Earth accepted that they could only destroy part of those protections. Their champion needed more power to fight the Kesier apes, but the three magical beasts didn't wait for the rulers to prepare their next move.

"I think I need a refund," King Elbas exclaimed when the three creatures raised their arms and generated half-transparent lightning bolts that flew to intercept the descending crackling figure.