Four powerhouses had gathered above the Empire's domain in a matter of minutes. Their sides seemed set. They saw Chasing Demon with Great Elder Diana, and King Elbas with Ravaging Demon.
The rank 5 cultivators in the distance could only retreat even further at that point. They were strong experts close to the last stage of the heroic ranks, but they couldn't remain too close when four powerhouses threatened to unleash their power.
Their cultivation level varied though. Noah and the others couldn't discern who was the strongest among them, but the behavior of the rank 6 existences revealed that detail.
Both Chasing Demon and Great Elder Diana had disregarded Ravaging Demon and were eyeing King Elbas with stern expressions. It was evident that the Patriarch of the Elbas family was the most significant threat in that situation.
Noah had it slightly better than his allies and the other heroic assets. His instincts gave him a vague idea of who would be more dangerous to face, and the answer was King Elbas.
'He should be only a bit stronger than Great Elder Diana,' Noah thought as he analyzed the powerhouses while retreating. 'Yet, I can't imagine him losing.'
Noah didn't know the reason behind that feeling. No matter how hard he studied the situation, his mind couldn't picture a situation where King Elbas would lose.
'How many inscribed items does he have?' Noah thought at that point. His instincts had never failed to guess a situation correctly. If they felt that King Elbas couldn't lose, then there was a high chance that they were right.
That's why he thought about the inscribed items. They were the only variable that could make him triumph every time, even if his ally was just a newly advanced rank 6 cultivator.
Also, King Elbas was the leader of the most advanced organization in the inscription fields. He had even created the portal toward other Mortal Lands!
Noah wouldn't be surprised if the powerhouse had countless inscribed items on himself. He would find it strange if he didn't.
"Ravaging Demon dies today," Chasing Demon said as he looked toward King Elbas. His statement sounded like a promise when it reached the other powerhouses, and Great Elder Diana nodded to show that she would help fulfilling it.
"He is with me," King Elbas said in a plain tone. There was no fear in his voice, even with two powerful cultivators targeting him with their stern gazes.
Ravaging Demon kept on smiling as he watched the atmosphere becoming tense. He seemed to enjoy that his sole presence was the cause behind the possible clash between the strongest existences in those Mortal Lands.
"Stop me then," Chasing Demon said as he waved his hand. The titan had floated in the air after the fiery snakes blocked it, but it descended again at that gesture.
Ravaging Demon didn't move. He was right under the titan and stared with a fearless expression at the massive punch coming in his direction. The sole fist of the giant was as big as a mountain, and it created storms as it reached for the ground.
King Elbas sighed and pointed the giant with his right hand. A drop of blood came out of his index. It shot like a bullet toward the massive puppet that was about to punch the ground.
The drop of blood took fire during its flight, turning into a fiery phoenix that released a shrill cry spread through the battlefield. The soundwave was so powerful that cracks appeared in the sky and forced the rank 5 cultivators in the distance to cover their ears. It even stopped the titan's movements for an instant.
The cry gave enough time to the phoenix to reach the titan before it resumed moving. Still, a series of precise lightning bolts created a net that blocked the dive of the fiery bird.
The titan moved again and finished his attack, punching the ground where Ravaging Demon was standing. Due to the interruptions, the giant wasn't able to express its full power, but its punch created deep fissures nonetheless.
However, flames soon spread from the cracks on the ground and gathered in the air to take Ravaging Demon's form once again. His body appeared fine at that time, but his complexion was pale. It seemed that he didn't heal but just recovered his original shape.
Noah memorized every scene that he saw from the safe position reached during his retreat. The powerhouses were god-like creatures capable of destroying entire regions with a simple spell in his eyes. Also, they appeared incredibly hard to kill. Ravaging Demon was the weakest among them, but Chasing Demon could only hurt him with three attacks.
The phoenix exploded into countless small flames at that point. They flew toward the empty spots in the net of lightning and tried to cross Great Elder Diana's blockage.
Yet, small lightning bolts came out from the lightning bolts that made the net and aimed for the tiny flames. King Elbas' spell didn't have any chance to survive under that attack, and all his flames vanished in a few seconds.
The giant raised its humanoid head, and a crack appeared on the lower part of its face to take the form of a mouth. From Ravaging Demon's point of view, it was as if a massive cliff was forming right under him.
A series of small puppets came out of titan's mouth. They were smaller versions of the giant and were only twice a human's size. Yet, they had darker bodies, which signaled the presence of metallic features in their structure.
Ravaging Demon saw thirty or so puppets rising in the air and trying to encircle him in a raw battle formation. Each one of them executed different battle styles, even if their movements were clunky.
Still, they were puppets that radiated the power of the sixth rank. The Demon could guess that they could explode to release their energy. Nevertheless, escaping from them wasn't an option, mostly since the net of lightning blocked the path above.
Ravaging Demon decided to release his third flame. A sea of fire expanded from his palm and engulfed both puppets and giants.
A series of explosions followed the spreading of the flames. The puppets detonated when their bodies started to destabilize, and they created a storm of debris and metallic shards that raged inside the fire.
The titan straightened itself in the middle of the fiery sea. Ravaging Demon's fire didn't appear able to hurt it, and his flames only made its body turn red since they increased its temperature.
The sea eventually retracted, and an even paler Ravaging Demon reappeared. He wore a tired expression, but his smile was still in place as if mocking any effort to make him submit.
The giant raised its hand to grab him when he returned material, but King Elbas sighed again and used his finger to make a long wound on the back of his forearm. Then, he swung his arm, and an invisible slash cut both the net and the titan's arm.