Chapter 2134 - 2134. Slaughter
The seventh floor didn't give Noah and the others time to think. As soon as the group crossed the dimensional pa.s.sage, they found themselves immersed in a sea of winged insects that radiated divine auras at different levels.
The dark world that enveloped Noah and the others kept the insects away, but the latter tried to drill through the black crystals as soon as the teleport ended. Those creatures resembled Heaven and Earth's swarm of flying c.o.c.kroaches, but their bodies were far different, and their aggression was also far greater.
Those insects had two pairs of pincers and long legs featuring sharp tips. They seemed born to pierce the matter, and small holes also appeared in the fabric of s.p.a.ce as they moved their limbs and mouths.
Noah roared and used the dark world to enhance the pride carried by his voice, but the insects didn't react. A large part of the swarm had mere rank 7 and rank 8 specimens, which would generally freeze under his heavy voice. However, they didn't flinch. Actually, their violence seemed to intensify after confirming that the giant black crystal contained powerful beings.
The upper tier turtle launched a loud hiss to test the approach again, and Noah even supported it through the dark world. Yet, nothing happened, and the group watched as the flying insects drilled through the black crystals to converge on their position.
"Pellio?" Noah called.
"Deep to the left," Pellio said after closing his eyes. "I dream about a hive-like structure. It might be their nest."
"What else?" Noah asked.
"The tea is almost ready if you want some," Pellio responded.
"Go all-out," Noah promptly growled as his aura exploded outward.
June could only rejoice at that outcome, and her companions didn't show any hesitation either. Multiple auras filled the dark world and expanded past the black crystals as everyone mustered their power. Even the turtles voiced battle cries that temporarily suppressed the buzzing noise caused by the immense swarm.
Noah kept track of everyone's power before forcing the dark world to explode outward. Multiple flares shot out of his technique, and his companions flowed into different ones to spread throughout the battlefield. Only the turtles remained in their place, and Noah didn't affect their decision.
Noah also flew inside one of his flares, but the energy inside the dark matter around him eventually ended. He found himself in the middle of the swarm, and the lack of allies in his surroundings allowed him to unleash the entirety of his power.
Snore, Night, the parasite, Duanlong, Shafu, the Demonic Sword, and the Cursed Sword came out of his figure. The black crystals even created small dark worlds all around him to activate the workshops. The entirety of Noah's a.r.s.enal appeared on the battlefield, and many flying insects directly crumbled under its pressure.
The battle unfolded immediately, and the workshops soon helped by releasing entire hordes of six-armed dragons. Attacks flew in every direction as Noah unleashed everything he had to create a ma.s.sacre.
Those creatures had the same iconic weaknesses as most insect-like magical beasts. They didn't need much to improve and reproduce themselves, but their bodies were frail, even when it came to specimens in the upper tier.
Noah didn't need to rely on his ambition to vanquish the pack, but his ethereal blackness sent potential toward his a.s.sets on its own. His world wanted to join the fight, and he wouldn't suppress it.
Noah's greed, pride, hunger, and destruction reached unheard intensity levels as the slaughter continued. The insects didn't hold a chance against him, and he never held back.
That type of battlefield was perfect for June, and Noah had even made sure to send her far away from the rest of the group. She was completely alone, with nothing but enemies around them, so her lightning bolts ran freely.
Old Tyrant, Gabrielle, and Fiery Mountain couldn't abandon themselves to the battle like Noah and June. They were only gaseous stage cultivators who had yet to cross the normal limits of their level. They were powerful, but they still had to retreat or directly escape when a series of upper tier insects flew in their direction.
The pack of turtles initially struggled a bit, but they soon recalled how to handle those types of battles. Their size was a weakness against those piercing creatures, but they could deploy simple battle formations that forced their opponents to converge on their hard sh.e.l.ls. The fight became a matter of endurance at that point.
Pellio was an oddity on the battlefield. His figure didn't radiate a proper cultivation level, but the flying insects still tried to pierce him. However, they found nothing to eat or destroy. They simply crossed him as if he didn't exist at all.
The weaker flying insects were too dumb to understand something as deep as Pellio's existence, so they kept attacking him. Instead, the stronger specimens soon gave up on him to fly toward other battlefields.
Noah did his best to study his opponents and the seventh floor as a whole while going all-out. His attacks didn't leave much to inspect, but he still forced himself to find the hidden purpose of that area.
A few odd features became clear as the area grew devoid of flying insects. Those creatures appeared insane. They only wanted to attack even in front of Noah's undeniable superiority. They showed no presence of survival instincts or fear as they slammed on his slashes and ended up pulverized by the destructive energy that they carried.
Meanwhile, the areas that Noah cleared revealed a dark-green fabric of s.p.a.ce that contained an incredible amount of energy. That fuel came from the dimension hidden under the floor, which was empty but had a vast stash of power.
The presence of that vast ma.s.s of energy seemed to have no purpose, but an idea formed in Noah's mind as more areas became devoid of insects. He used those creatures' behavior to add details and truths to his hypothesis until a vague process took form.
The seventh floor clearly contained too much unused energy. That immense amount of fuel could become intoxicating for magical beasts with no self-restraint. Even Noah's hunger intensified as he realized how much power the area held.
Still, that endless banquet had turned those insects into even simpler creatures. The years spent on the seventh floor in the absence of threats had made them abandon every instinct that didn't involve their hunger. They had turned into magical beasts that lived to eat no matter what happened around them.
The slaughter continued for a long time, but Noah eventually reached the hive-like structure mentioned by Pellio. The place used the energy inside the floor to generate more flying insects, so Noah took it down with a series of slashes.
The floor could grow empty after the nest crumbled. Each kill began to matter, which eventually led to the end of the battle. Everyone could appreciate the dark-green area at that point, but a greater event soon attracted their attention.
Noah and the turtles wanted to seize the energy on the floor, but that fuel began to move before they could do anything. The dimensional layer crumbled and condensed to create a portal that led to the next area.