2184. Drill
The team's final structure became clear, and the experts didn't take long to gather in a random spot under the sky. Noah, June, King Elbas, Supreme Thief, Sepunia, Maribel, Divine Demon, the Foolery, the odd dragon, Steven, and the Eternal Snake found themselves staring at the immense white layer, and hesitation inevitably built up inside their minds.
The sky had transformed in ways that even Noah and Steven couldn't predict. Their worlds allowed them to gain deep insights into Heaven and Earth's power, but they remained silent as the inspection continued.
The same went for King Elbas. His knowledge was immense, but his items couldn't find much about the sky. Divine Demon was also unable to find answers through his miraculous methods, so the experts accepted that preparing properly was impossible.
That issue didn't help the group's tense atmosphere. Divine Demon and June were problematic characters, and the Foolery and the Eternal Snake only worsened that situation.
Noah had no idea how to make the group work together. The Foolery simply couldn't shut up, and the Eternal Snake hissed in anger whenever it felt a comment aimed at its power. Meanwhile, June and Divine Demon kept blabbering about a potential fight.
The troublesome characters even mentioned King Elbas often, and the others couldn't do anything to appease the tension. Maribel didn't want to be part of that mess, Supreme Thief didn't care, and Sepunia limited herself to laugh.
Steven and the odd dragon were the only potential allies, but Noah knew that they wouldn't be able to appease anything. The strange dragon was too silent and out of place, while Steven's full attention was on the sky.
"I'm telling you that we have to break everything!" Divine Demon announced as blood-red energy gathered in his palms. "A grand gesture is the key to the demon's path!"
"This idiot will kill us all," King Elbas sighed.
"I want to turn the sky blue," The Foolery added.
"I don't think we can be stealthy anyway," June commented while glancing at the Eternal Snake.
"Only a cultivator could find my size troublesome," The Eternal Snake scoffed.
"Can we go in already?" Supreme Thief exclaimed.
"Why don't you come up with a way to enter the sky?" King Elbas snorted. "We are doing this for you in the end."
"Come on, use that knowledge of yours," Supreme Thief lazily whined. "I'll just steal it and do the mission by myself if you can't use it properly."
"Do you think your power can handle my knowledge?" King Elbas coldly laughed.
"That's a battle I'd like to see," Divine Demon teased.
"Do you mind if I join it?" June wondered.
"I have to build muzzles for all of you," Noah whispered.
"I want to see you
"I'll die before wearing one of your creations!" The Eternal Snake hissed.
"Can I eat part of it?" The Foolery asked.
"Of course, you can," Divine Demon reassured while patting the pig's back. "That's what muzzles are for."
"Don't teach it this stuff," King Elbas cursed. "It will become even dumber."
"Noah always had a kinky side," June giggled.
"Can we move back to the main topic?" Supreme Thief questioned.
"Which is?" The Foolery wondered. "I forgot."
"I am the main topic," Supreme Thief reminded. "Hurry up. Open a path and fight for me while I steal what I need for the breakthrough."
"I'll never fight for a cultivator!" The Eternal Snake hissed.
"You didn't mind eating the resources that we created for entire millennia," June mocked.
"Do you want to get eaten so soon?" The Eternal Snake threatened.
"I wish to see you try," June exclaimed as sparks came out of her skin.
"Elbas, start the mission already," Noah ordered.
"You can't always order me around like this!" King Elbas complained. "What makes you think that I have the best plan for the mission?"
"You have it, am I right?" Noah said.
"I obviously have it!" King Elbas shouted.
"Just go with it then," Noah sighed. "I'm starting to regret putting so many rank 9 existences together."
"You meant idiots," King Elbas continued before taking out a series of items from his figure.
Noah studied the group while King Elbas assembled the item needed to start the mission. The Eternal Snake was the only existence at the peak of the ninth rank, but it was also one of the team's weakest assets.
The odd dragon occupied the same spot, but its innate ability made it a priceless asset to the team. Meanwhile, all the other experts were in the liquid stage, but their battle prowess stood on very different realms.
"Come here," King Elbas eventually ordered while pointing his finger at the odd dragon.
The multiple items that had come out of King Elbas' figure had assembled to take a giant triangular shape. The structure resembled a drill, but nothing in its fabric hinted at its spinning ability.
The odd dragon followed King Elbas' order and approached the drill. The expert pointed at a spot on the item's base, and the creature activated its innate ability to release a dark liquid.
Everyone could study the odd dragon's true power now. Its dark liquid radiated features that went directly against Heaven and Earth. Noah and Steven's instincts even rejoiced to be so close to such an incredible substance.
King Elbas made sure that all the liquid fell on the drill. The item absorbed everything in its insides and allowed its color to change. The blinding golden radiance darkened, but the power that it carried intensified.
"Can't you hurry up?" Supreme Thief asked while waiting for the dark liquid to fill the entirety of the drill.
"Don't speak about things you don't understand," King Elbas scolded. "Besides, this is Noah's fault. I didn't expect him to bring the snake."
The Foolery approached the Eternal Snake and whispered in its ear. "He is saying that you are fat."
"My size is my pride!" The Eternal Snake hissed.
"I'll leave some of you inside the sky if you don't shut up," Noah threatened.
"That would be fun!" Divine Demon laughed.
"Is this thing ready or not?" Supreme Thief insisted.
"Almost ready," King Elbas sighed.
"Dragon, don't make me steal your innate ability," Supreme Thief continued.
"Elbas?" Noah called.
"It's ready!" King Elbas exclaimed, and the bickering finally ended.
Everyone's focus went on the drill. King Elbas pushed the item forward until its tip touched the sky. The white layer tried to dissolve that dark-gold fabric, but bubbling noises soon came out of it.
The dark liquid inside the drill began to boil, and its fumes fused with the golden structure. A strange aura came out of the item as its entire fabric started to shake. No rotation happened, but the sky suffered anyway.
The drill sent the strange aura forward through its tremors. The sky began to cave in due to the toxic influence slowly entering its fabric. It was clear that the process was working, but it was incredibly slow due to the new properties of the white layer.
"Too slow," Divine Demon eventually expressed everyone's thoughts and waved his hand.
"Stop it!" King Elbas pleaded, but blood-red energy shot out of Divine Demon's figure and reached the drill before the former could do anything about it.
Divine Demon's energy fused with the drill and enhanced its properties. The item started to rotate, which allowed it to condense the features of the dark liquid in its insides.
The drill's effectiveness sharply increased, but a sudden event made its power pointless. A big chunk of the sky melted and retreated on its own to create a giant passage.. It seemed that Heaven and Earth were inviting the experts inside.