2215. Speech
The battles began almost immediately. Heaven and Earth didn't need to voice more orders, and the old rulers were ready to fight anyway.
The improved cultivators surpassed the platoons of magical beasts in terms of raw power, and their bodies could also match their superior physical prowess.
However, the old rulers had worked with King Elbas to perfect the threat that the modified magical beasts had on Heaven and Earth's assets. Those creatures had an innate advantage against beings tainted by the white light, so the clash appeared even.
Still, the sheer number of improved cultivators made the many platoons of magical beasts pale in comparison. Heaven and Earth had so many assets that some had to remain behind due to a lack of space.
The improved cultivators unleashed their full power right away. Countless abilities carrying Heaven and Earth's radiance shot forward without even bothering to aim for specific targets.
Heaven and Earth's assets didn't care about the orange platoons. They covered every inch of the higher plane, so launching attacks forward was enough to put all their opponents in their trajectory.
Instead, the orange platoons had to protect the landmass behind them while also damaging their opponents. Their task was far harsher, especially due to the numerical disadvantage, which forced them to preserve their strength.
The platoons of magical beasts surpassed their opponents only in two fields. They had shards of the old rulers leading them, and part of the orange city had also stepped on the battlefield.
The buildings enveloped the platoons with their orange radiance and weakened the incoming attacks before they could land on the magical beasts. The improved cultivators saw the power gained through Heaven and Earth turning on their abilities and draining them before reaching their opponents.
When the attacks finally pierced the orange halos, the old rulers' avatars stepped forward and launched lightning bolts. Their abilities weakened the incoming light even further, allowing specific assets in their platoons to redirect them toward Cursed Reality's defenses.
Meanwhile, the offensive parts of the platoons used that chance to unleash their abilities. Countless roars filled the higher plane as multicolored attacks that carried orange shades shot forward and engulfed the improved cultivators with their might.
Heaven and Earth had opted for a reckless assault, which left the improved cultivators defenseless after their offensive. Yet, those assets carried stark similarities with the hybrids, which allowed their bodies to suffer a limited number of superficial injuries when facing their opponents' abilities.
The first exchange ended in an instant. Cursed Reality's damaged defenses absorbed what they could from the attacks that entered their range. Waves of energy escaped those protections due to the cracks in their fabric. Still, the formations on the landmass took care of them.
The improved cultivators had also suffered injuries, while the magical beasts' platoons had remained unaffected. Noah's forces won the first exchange, but no one on the landmass rejoiced at that sight.
The leaders of Noah's force knew that they had to use tricks and unique tactics to have a chance to win. The old rulers probably were the most knowledgeable experts when it came to Heaven and Earth's power, so they had taken care of assembling specific platoons for the final battle.
Each magical beast in the platoons had specific tasks. Some only had to care about launching attacks, while others had to deal with the various abilities that tried to overwhelm them. The buildings handled both tasks, while the orange avatars made sure to match the sheer power converging on them.
In theory, those battle formations could win every exchange as long as Heaven and Earth opted for reckless and relentless assaults. There was
The issue came from Heaven and Earth's incredible abilities and energy reserves. The improved cultivators were magnificent assets created after eras of research. The rulers could also bring back to life the laws and worlds that filled them. The numerical advantage was undeniable, but Heaven and Earth could widen that gap even more.
Meanwhile, the magical beasts had limited energy, and they couldn't refill their reserves as quickly as the improved cultivators. Their resilience was immense, but they would eventually grow tired.
Those topics would take a while to become relevant, but the forces on the landmass began to prepare anyway. King Elbas sent messages left and right as he coordinated with the other experts involved in the battle formations and kept everyone ready for the next phase of the battlefield.
The improved cultivators and the magical beasts immersed themselves in a cycle of powerful exchanges. Explosions, storms, and much more formed in the area that divided the two forces. The fabric of space didn't even try to remain intact, and a spherical region fell into the void.
Heaven and Earth and the old rulers fought a different battle as they focused on making the best out of every exchange. They studied each other to perfect their formations and improve the effectiveness of every offensive.
Heaven and Earth exchanged the improved cultivators that suffered too many injuries, while the old rulers adapted the battle formations to their new opponents.
Heaven and Earth tinkered with the laws and worlds inside the improved cultivators after witnessing a few exchanges, while the old rulers summoned different magical beasts to counter those modifications.
Heaven and Earth sent orders to make the improved cultivators' offensive converge on specific targets, while the old rulers replaced buildings to hinder that new tactic.
The number of calculations happening during and after each exchange was impossible to define. Even King Elbas would require the help of countless inscribed items to allow his mind to keep up.
Heaven and Earth's side continued to suffer losses, but no one actually died. The rulers always pulled back the improved cultivators that had suffered too many injuries to fix them before waiting for the right chance to redeploy them.
Still, the landmass accumulated an incredible amount of energy during the process, which continued to improve its different environments. The forces on its surface grew stronger than ever and became ready for the new phase of the final battle.
The change arrived according to the experts' predictions. Heaven and Earth's numerical advantage eventually brought the modified magical beasts on the verge of collapse. Replacements became necessary, but the landmass' forces were ready.
Orange portals appeared behind the magical beasts' platoons right after they deflected a massive offensive. Pulling forces came out of them and brought all the creatures to safety, leaving only the orange avatars and the buildings on the battlefield.
However, more portals opened and fused until a spherical barrier covered the area right behind the void that had appeared on the battlefield. Countless auras came out of them and expanded the destruction on the higher plane, other than putting a proud smile on Noah's face.
'It's finally their time,' Noah thought as roars, battle cries, and various speeches came out of the orange barrier.
Countless figures belonging to magical beasts, cultivators, and hybrids left the teleports and created a proper encirclement that aimed to match the improved experts' numbers. Noah saw Flying Demon, Dreaming Demon, the rat king, Jordan, and many other familiar faces standing in front of the armies nurtured by the landmass.
Heaven and Earth seemed to respect that deployment. The improved cultivators halted their offensive and waited for the landmass' forces to come out. Battle formations appeared, but most of those existences preferred to remain on their own to pick specific targets.
"We have finally reached this point," Dreaming Demon sighed while gazing at the immense white army standing in front of her.
"Who would have thought that we would have become important assets in the final battle," Flying Demon snickered in marvel as his gaze moved across Heaven and Earth's army. "I used to think that I would have never come out of that separate dimension."
"I knew we would have survived," Dreaming Demon stated while taking Flying Demon's hand and leaving a sweet kiss on his cheek. "I left the best partner in the world on the scene."
"Elbas, make sure to kill Divine Architect," Flying Demon shouted. "I'll leave her to you."
The orange avatars were acting as communication devices, so the leaders on the landmass could hear every conversation happening on the battlefield. King Elbas snorted when he heard those words, but a serious statement eventually left his mouth. "A true demon should take care of his grudges on his own."
"I think I'll be a little busy," Flying Demon laughed. "You owe me a big one after killing Chasing Demon, so I'll leave my grudge in your hands."
"Stop thinking about useless stuff," King Elbas scolded. "I'll make us even."
"You all had enough time to say your goodbyes," Daniel announced while taking a few steps forward to separate himself from the landmass' army. "Don't hold back. Show them the value of your path. If you happen to die, remain proud. The greatest existence that the world has ever witnessed tried to suppress you, but you have still decided to fight it. You have already won."
The cries went silent as the army prepared for the imminent clash. All the experts on the scene knew that many of them would die, but none of them showed any fear. The culmination of their paths had led them to the last battlefield. They had already fulfilled the purpose of their lives.
"Now, I think our leader wants to say a few words," Daniel exclaimed, and the orange avatars expanded their influence to make sure that everyone in the army could hear the following words.
"This will be my last order to all of you," Noah spoke through the communication device. "Kill them all."
His words tried to echo on the battlefield, but they survived for less than a second since battle cries immediately overwhelmed them. The landmass' army shot forward, and the area fell into complete chaos.
****
Author's notes: Long chapter for win-win, but four more will come to make up for what I missed. My mind is fighting back since it doesn't want demonic to end, so I struggled to write yesterday.
Anyway, someone pointed out that Noah isn't using most of his techniques (the unstable substance, for example). He always uses them.. I'm just not describing them every time to save space.