'She has abused it!' Noah shouted in his mind as he understood what had happened.
He had learnt to know Skully during the past years. She was a wise and driven powerhouse, but her long period spent as nothing more than a skeleton had left her with a massive flaw in her personality.
The flaw didn't go away even after her mental state regained some stability. Skully had become addicted to the sensations that her new body gave her!
Noah knew that there wasn't anything more addicting than sensing the centers of power improve. Skully had probably lost herself while she absorbed Kesier runes, and she didn't stop even after her mind regressed to a wild state.
"Skully?" Noah asked in a cold tone as black smoke came out of his body. He didn't want to fight her, but he would go all out if necessary.
Skully gave voice to a deep growl as she crawled toward him on her four limbs. She moved slowly as if she was taking her time to inspect a powerful prey.
Noah's pride surged, and he released a roar that echoed through the entirety of the metallic structure. He even relied on his control over the dark matter inside her body to weaken her during her crawling.
Skully staggered, and her arms bent all of a sudden, making her slam her face on the floor. Confusion appeared on her expression, but a wave of anger soon replaced that feeling.
Skully roared, and injuries opened on her body as black smoke forcefully left her figure. Blood came out of her mouth, but that damage didn't stop her from getting back on her four limbs.
Noah's eyes sharpened when he saw his higher energy leaving her body. Skully's condition had improved so much in the last period that she didn't need the dark matter to function anymore.
A scaled armor appeared around him, and Snore took a solid form. The Demonic Sword released a draconic roar as it flew in his palm, ready to join him in the imminent battle.
Carl suddenly arrived in the throne hall, but he froze in place when he saw that scene. He immediately understood that there was something wrong with his leader, but he didn't dare to interfere.
All the natives of the hidden world had a limited number of spells and poor cultivation techniques. Skully had helped them when she recalled some inscription method, but their power mostly came from the struggles that they had survived and a prolonged period spent cultivating.
Their battle prowess was incredibly low, and even the natural features of their individualities were only faint abilities in their auras.
"Bring everyone away," Noah said without moving his eyes away from Skully. "I'll try not to destroy this place."
Carl quickly nodded and left the hall. He felt relieved that Noah didn't ask him to help in the battle. Skully was still his leader and the only reason why all of them had lived for so long without a mental brand.
Blood kept on leaking from Skully's mouth as she crawled near Noah. She then straightened her position when she reached Snore's body, but her consciousness's focus remained on him.
Noah felt her mental waves trying to crush his mind, and he let them apply their pressure on him for a few seconds. When he sensed that there wasn't anything human inside them, a lightning bolt shot from Snore's horns and landed on her chest.
Snore hissed, Noah roared, and the Demonic Sword released a loud cry as they deployed all their attacks. Six fuming arms became one and slashed downward, and various elements came out of the Blood Companion.
A loud explosion resounded inside the throne hall. The metal in the room bent and cracked after Noah's offensive landed on Skully, but a violent pressure soon covered the entirety of the palace.
The cloud that had formed after the collision dispersed, revealing a cracked invisible barrier that had protected Skully. Not even the second form of Noah's martial art had been able to touch her.
A formless force reached for Noah, but it found only a crack in the air when it arrived on its position. Cracks spread around the hall as Noah used his movement technique to make the Skully lose track of him.
Meanwhile, Snore pounced at the powerhouse, slamming on the cracked defensive shield and releasing its elemental attacks at close range. Its wings spread too, and their feathers stood up as they absorbed the primary energy in the environment.
Noah had one crucial advantage. Skully acted as if nothing was wrong with her body, but he knew about damages that dispersing his dark matter had caused.
Some of her internal organs were bleeding, and many of her joints had lost essential connections with her muscles. She was hurt, and her physical strength had almost diminished under the standards of a rank 6 creature.
Moreover, Noah didn't want to kill her. He only had to beat some sense into her until she regained her mental faculties.
The lack of killing intent in his blows didn't mean that he was holding back. It would be suicidal not to go all out against a being in the sixth rank.
Noah sprinted until he felt sure that Skully had lost track of him before casting the Black Hole spell. All the primary energy created during the past attacks gathered in the sphere next to him and Snore's wings.
Skully roared in anger as her mental waves became violent. The Blood Companion's body shattered in multiple spots when her attack swept it, but it didn't move. Even after part of its wings broke, Snore kept them unfolded and launched its feathers.
Skully endured those feathers with her bare body, but a few injuries were on her fur that made them somewhat threatening. Another mental shield soon appeared between her and the winged snake, blocking its attack once for all.
The powerhouse was about to use her thoughts for offensive purposes again when a six-armed dragon slammed on her shield. The third form of Noah's martial art and the barrage of feathers slowly pierced the defensive shield and hit Skully, who could only endure the blows.
A loud explosion echoed through the palace again, and a hole formed in the black wall that had seen Noah's most potent attacks converge. Shards of black metal fell from the cracks spread everywhere in the hall, but a tense silence filled the scene.
Noah activated his Demonic Form again as he waited for Skully to move. He knew that she was still alive, but he was unaware of the condition of her mind.
Snore remained in front of the hole, and dark matter came out of Noah's heart to fix its maimed body. The Blood Companion returned at its peak in a few seconds, with only its wings lacking most of their feathers.
Skully eventually moved and let out a pained groan as she supported herself on the wall's interiors. Her eyeless head moved in the room before she gave voice to a question. "Did something happen?"