King Elbas knew that he didn't face anything special. The previous armies had mainly featured inscribed items in the upper tier with special effects. Yet, none of them had been incredible.
Divine Architect wasn't a random privileged cultivator. Heaven and Earth had chosen her for her talent in the inscription field, which had given her the chance to build wonders freely for countless years.
King Elbas disagreed with that approach to the cultivation journey, but he could see its advantages. He could imagine what kind of wonders he would have created in Divine Architect's place, so he knew she had yet to show her true power.
Of course, Divine Architect was very different from King Elbas. The latter couldn't predict the nature of her next attack. He only knew that she wouldn't give him the chance to hold back.
Divine Architect inspected what remained of her previous army for a few seconds before raising her arm. Her aura accompanied her gesture and spread in her surroundings, but only a few portals appeared at that time.
The portals expanded until they reached an incredible size. All of them were bigger than the golden hydra, but that alone didn't make King Elbas activate his best ability.
Soon, giant figures stepped out of the portal. King Elbas could see an immense avatar that carried a flawed prototype of the final energy, a huge three-headed dog that released fuming saliva, and a thick mirror that seemed to contain unlimited power.
The deployment didn't end there. A telescope flowed out and pointed its large end at King Elbas. A cloud filled with ethereal gas also left a portal, and a giant castle soon joined it.
Six massive inscribed items at the peak of the ninth rank took their position around and in front of Divine Architect before unleashing their aura. The pressure generated by those weapons made the hydra's surface flicker, but King Elbas forced it to hold strong.
The scene would be a true spectacle for any inscription master, and that was even truer for King Elbas. He only needed a glance to realize how exceptional those inscribed items were, and curiosity inevitably left the hydra.
King Elbas' curiosity took the shape of a golden halo that stretched toward the six massive inscribed items, but the cloud didn't let that stand. Its gas shot forward and condensed to create a barrier that ate King Elbas' influence and prevented it from reaching Divine Architect.
"You won't even let me study them," King Elbas complained through the nine heads.
"Information is the key to victory," Divine Architect announced, "Especially in this battle. I'll learn faster than you anyway, but it doesn't hurt to widen that gap."
"It almost sounds like you are afraid," King Elbas mocked.
"No, it doesn't," Divine Architect responded. "This is the normal behavior of any reasonable cultivator. You simply let your companions alter your standards."
"My companions are idiots," King Elbas admitted. "All of them are, but I wouldn't underestimate them. Even I had to acknowledge their power."
"That only shows your inferiority," Divine Architect pointed out.
"We'll see about that after the next exchange," King Elbas stated.
Divine Architect snorted, and her creations understood her silent order. The giant shot through the gaseous barrier and generated enough momentum to reach the hydra in an instant.
The avatar was big enough to hug the nine long necks and attempt to squeeze them in its embrace. However, the golden fabric was too dense. It didn't budge even in front of that incredible physical strength.
"You dare fight me with this inferior product?!" King Elbas shouted.
Golden flares came out of the hydra's necks while its heads opened their mouths and pointed at the avatar. Energy gathered in their throats while the giant burnt under the influence of the golden radiance.
The flares dug holes in the powerless avatar, but the latter endured the offensive. Meanwhile, the rest of the inscribed items reached the hydra and surrounded it before launching their abilities.
The three-headed dog circled the hydra to stand behind it. Fuming rivers came out of its mouths and crashed on the golden fabric, where they created a white spot that expanded and released even more smoke.
The telescope flew above the hydra and pointed its large side at it. A faint ray shot out of its lens and pierced the golden fabric without inflicting any damage. The item's purpose didn't seem to have anything to do with the offensive, but King Elbas didn't underestimate it anyway.
The mirror took its place under the hydra, but it remained still. It reflected the creature without activating any ability. Meanwhile, the white gas split into countless minute currents that seeped into the golden fabric and vanished from the scene.
The castle was the last to arrive. The structure turned itself ethereal before expanding and enveloping the whole battlefield. The item remained still afterward, but King Elbas didn't ignore it either.
Divine Architect surrounded the hydra from every corner, but her offensive had just begun. The avatar was suffering some damage, but the three-headed dog was hurting King Elbas' creature. In those short seconds, the white spot had reached an incredible size, and King Elbas knew that instabilities were piling on.
King Elbas wanted to focus on the hydra, but he suddenly noticed that a white ray had landed on his head. The golden fabric around him didn't appear able to hinder the telescope's ability, and his survival instinct soon screamed.
Long and deep cracks opened throughout the hydra and revealed the white gas that had previously disappeared inside it. The castle also started to solidify, but everything turned white when the mirror released a blinding flash.
King Elbas couldn't understand what was going on. He had deployed sensors inside the hydra long ago, and he even confirmed that the blinding light didn't destroy them. Yet, he couldn't see anything. He could only hear the screams of his survival instincts.
The scene wasn't too different from the outside, but it revealed more details. The flash didn't immediately fill the area. The mirror released a dense pillar from its center that the castle replicated. The structure's sides generated similar attacks that covered its insides with the white light.
The castle wasn't completely solid, but its edges managed to contain the immense power unleashed during the attack. The sheer might that the six items had been able to produce while working together seemed to stand at the same level as Marcella's vegetation. Yet, Divine Architect had condensed all of that into a far smaller area.
Generally speaking, something so powerful could only have a single outcome. Noah and his core companions were monsters, but they had clear limits. Even they would find it hard to endure that attack without suffering serious injuries.
However, King Elbas was by no means exposed. His hydra had suffered heavy damage, and his senses could only see whiteness, but he was still in control of his power and creations.
Divine Architect's aloof face didn't tremble at all when a burning golden light filled her vision. Overwhelming power reached her senses, but her ethereal barrier protected her consciousness and allowed her to inspect the scene.
A power that didn't seem to belong to the ninth rank unfolded in every direction before six huge figures came out of the expanding golden halo. Divine Architect's creations returned to her side and showed their damaged structures, but she ignored them. Her eyes remained on her opponent and his fake quasi-rank 10 state.
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