Chapter 1845 - 1845. Touch
The fall of the dragon reminded the experts in Noah's team that they were still inside the giant hurricane. Their recent discoveries about the ninth rank and Heaven and Earth's opponents didn't change their situation. The battlefield continued to rage, and it inevitably caused defeats.
The death dragon was still alive, but everyone could understand its poor state. It appeared stronger than ever due to the many trails of black energy that flowed out of its body. However, that phenomenon hinted at its lack of control over its power.
The situation in the sky worsened after that event. The three upper tier dragons remained on their own against the solid stage woman and part of the swarm. Their abilities raged in realms that Noah couldn't see, but their expressions explained how Heaven and Earth's side had the upper hand.
The death dragon struggled to get back on its legs. Large deadly clouds spread from its mouth whenever it took deep breaths. The creature had clearly suffered far more than the experts could see, but Noah still felt curious about the beast.
The time dragon had acknowledged Noah's worth for reasons that went past his ability to enhance Heaven and Earth's flaws. He already featured three of the four fundamental aspects of the world in his law. His destruction even was one of his most intense sides.
Part of the swarm fighting against the other dragons tried to reach the death dragon, but the black trails of energy killed many flying c.o.c.kroaches before they could touch the creature. However, some simply didn't find any obstruction on their path. They almost approached the magical beast, but a thick slash created a barrier on their way.
The death dragon instinctively turned to its left side and noticed that Noah had launched an attack to slow down the advance of the swarm. His slash radiated destruction that resembled the creature, so even the stronger c.o.c.kroaches hesitated for an instant before continuing to descend.
The powerful magical beast could exploit that instant to launch another wave of deadly energy to take care of the remaining part of the swarm descending toward the surface. The effort barely seemed to affect the dragon. It even appeared stronger after spreading so much death.
The death dragon turned toward Noah at that point. It didn't miss that he had helped with the last slash, but its expression showed a faint confusion. It had felt something familiar inside the attack, the same aura that had forced the c.o.c.kroaches to hesitate.
"What are you?" The death dragon asked in a rough voice.
"I'm me," Noah replied since he didn't find a better way to answer that question.
The death dragon inspected him with its seemingly empty eye sockets. Noah sensed its curiosity, but it was clear that there was something else in its gaze.
The stare felt too intense for Noah to bear. The death dragon pierced the innate defenses generated by his existence and inspected the entirety of his law. A few aspects appeared too unclear to understand due to the complexity of the true meaning and some peculiar characteristics. However, that only intensified the dragon's confusion.
"I see," The death dragon eventually exclaimed. "You might be worthy of all the aspects. No wonder old time dragon decided to help you."
"Can you handle her?" Noah asked while glancing at the solid stage woman in the sky.
"That's not your problem," The death dragon snorted as it turned its head toward the sky.
"Can't you open a way out for us before going back to your battle?" Noah asked before the dragon could set off. "What's the point of keeping us here anyway?"
"You will rise and fall with us," The death dragon stated. "Our victories will be your victories. Our defeats will be your defeats."
"That sounds rather stupid," Noah commented, and the dragon couldn't help but turn its head toward him again.
"Why would you even keep the entirety of your troops in the same place?" Noah continued, even if the death dragon's stare seemed enough to kill him. "You said that I have a chance of inheriting your aspects of the world. The smart move would be to let me go to a safe area."
The dragon gave voice to a sound that resembled a sneer before turning toward the sky again. It seemed about to set off and return to the battle, but Noah didn't let it go away so easily.
"Why don't you teach me more about destruction?" Noah asked. "You know, in case you end up dying."
King Elbas and the other experts in Noah's group turned toward him to show helpless expressions. Their leader was a suicidal idiot who would rather mock an upper tier creature than let it go back to a battle that could determine their survival.
"You are a strange one," The death dragon announced as it took slow steps toward Noah. "Does your affinity with destruction stop you from feeling fear toward me?"
The death dragon reached Noah and pointed its huge head toward him. Its black scales almost touched his face, but he didn't move at all. His instincts screamed and tried to take over his body to make him escape, but he limited himself to stare at the dark depths of the creature's eyes.
Those organs seemed to carry the dragon's complete understanding of its aspect of the world. They were as black as death and as deep as destruction itself. Noah sensed himself inside them, but he also saw far more than he had never managed to learn.
"I'm a rank 8 existence in a battle among peak rank 9 creatures," Noah announced while raising his hand and slowly stretching it toward the dragon's black scales. "My life isn't in my hands anymore. I might as well do what I like."
"Why would you feel happy about your lack of hope?" The dragon growled. "Death is the end."
"Death can also be freedom," Noah exclaimed once his fingers touched the black scales in front of him.
A raging feeling tried to seep inside his fingers and destroy his fabric, but the dragon held back its power and allowed him to sense part of the destruction contained inside its body.
The death dragon was different from other magical beasts. Primary energy filled those creatures and turned their bodies into some of the best weapons in the entirety of the world, but the leader in the upper tier belonged to a superior realm. Its entire body resembled a dantian.
The power seeping out of the dragon instinctively flew toward his mind after passing through his black hole. Noah immediately became able to hear roars and cries as the creature thought, but its influence seemed to carry curiosity rather than pure destruction.
Still, the death dragon's aura flew toward the scarlet lines of the Demonic Deduction technique after acknowledging them as a worthy home. The ability couldn't help but light up at that point, and Noah experienced the most intense wave of violent thoughts of his life.
The wave of violent thoughts generated by the Demonic Deduction technique wasn't something that Noah could lead toward a specific topic. It was too intense for the current level of his mental sphere, and his mental walls even started to shake as the dragon's energy continued to fuel the ability. The lines even stretched and created a thicker array across his mind.
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Author's notes: Do you remember when I was super late a few days ago? I'm even worse today since I decided to go out for the first time in weeks. You can expect the next chapters in the following hours.