Chapter 782 782. Mantis
In the time that had taken Noah to take care of the two rank 5 hybrids, the other battles on the same level were mostly over. The cultivators had relied on their higher numbers to overwhelm the creatures with barrages of spells. The innate defenses of the beasts had to give up at some point.
The cultivators in the fourth rank were still fighting against the swarm of weaker hybrids. They had it worse since the bloodlines didn't lack Flawed humans in the fourth rank, but the battle between the leaders of the armies usually decided the outcome of a war.
Yet, until the leaders stepped on, those weaker assets would keep on fighting and do their part in the battle between two worlds.
Elder Ingrid and a rank 5 cultivator of the Council that Noah didn't recognize eventually joined the rest of the battlefield and put an end to the last struggles of the hybrids in a matter of minutes. The ruins of the city became silent at that point, with only sparse cries of pain breaking it from time to time.
Craters and trails of smoke filled ground. The ruins of the city that had endured the Heaven Tribulation became small gray boulders after they saw the clash between so many heroic assets. Corpses of beasts of various species lay on the terrain among a few lifeless human bodies.
There had been casualties on both sides, even if the natives had suffered a crushing defeat.
Noah walked toward the other rank 5 Elders only to find them gathered around a tall rank 5 Silver Mantis that was still breathing. Injuries covered the creature, but its dantian radiated the unmistakable aura of a rank 5 cultivator.
'Harmony.' Noah thought as he neared the group.
The Mantis was panting, and its large eyes moved among the human figures that controlled it with stern expressions. It didn't release any cry of pain. It only breathed, as if it was waiting for the attack that would put an end to its life.
Noah caught a whiff of its scent, and his eyes became cold. He recognized that smell. It belonged to the first member of a bloodline that he had met in that world.
"Danielle," Noah said as he stood side by side with the other rank 5 Elders.
The Elders shot surprised glances toward him, but their eyes quickly returned to the beast. Their questions for Noah had to wait. The priority was to interrogate the creature, and it seemed that Noah was confident in making it speak.
The Mantis' eyes stopped moving and fixed on Noah. It felt a similar aura coming from that human figure, but its memories were foggy, and its mind struggled to create complex thoughts.
"Danielle Duron," Noah repeated as he crouched in front of the creature. "You lost the battle, and you will lose this world."
Noah saw the anger rising inside the Mantis, but he didn't move. Magical beasts usually vented their emotions, but it was too injured even to move. That feeling could only remain inside its sea of consciousness and force it to find other ways to come out.
A bit of clarity returned in its eyes, and a woman's voice came out of its insect mouth. "Noah Balvan, we will never forgive you for the death of our ancestor."
More questioning gazes landed on him when the Elders heard those words, but Noah didn't falter. He was too invested in that crisis to care about the opinion of his companions.
"How many assets do the bloodlines still have? Is there another army?" Noah hesitated a bit before giving voice to his last question. "Is it possible to trigger the transformation again?"
Danielle snorted and lowered her mantis head. She seemed about to exhale her last breath, but the vitality of the magical beasts was keeping her alive and trying to mend her injuries.
The Elders of the Papral nation were about to complain, but the rank 5 cultivators of the Hive promptly shot angry glances at them. The Demon Prince of the Hive was speaking. They had to let him finish out of respect for his status.
"There are other natives still alive, and I'm certain that other hybrids didn't hear your call when you gathered this army." Noah continued. "You simply have to choose between extinction and submission."
Soft growls echoed through his throat as he said those words, and the Demonic Sword floating above him imitated those sounds.
Danielle was stronger than Noah when it came to her centers of power, but she was too weak at that moment to reject the pressure that his pride was applying to her. After a visible struggle, her mouth opened again to speak slow human words.
"Our ancestor taught us how to survive the Tribulation," Danielle said, "But our leaders couldn't stand each other's smell and unleashed destruction across the six regions. I'm afraid this was our strongest force."
She lowered her gaze, and Noah could see some disappointment even if she didn't have human features anymore.
Truth to be told, he could understand her. Their inexperience had ruined the years spent preparing for that event in handling the instincts of the magical beasts. After all, their forces would be far more numerous and threatening if they had learnt to control themselves.
The assets from Noah's world would have been forced to retreat if their opponents had the same level of mastery as Noah.
"The transformation." Noah reminded her of his last question.
Danielle gave voice to a helpless laugh before answering. "Only an ancestor in the perfect form can trigger another transformation. Our leaders might be able to learn that skill in time, but we can't create a chain reaction without you."
"What does this mean!?" An Elder of the Council exclaimed when she heard that Noah was somewhat involved in that crisis.
He recognized her. She was Anthea, the rank 5 cultivator that had intervened during the independence of the Coral Archipelago.
"He is similar to our ancestors," Danielle said, trying to make a smirk with her mantis face, "His bloodline is fake, but it works as a global trigger when he transforms."
The cultivators that managed to reach the heroic ranks were generally smart. It didn't take much before they linked the crisis to Noah's different physical features.
"You," Anthea said as she pointed Noah, "This mess is your fault."
Noah didn't feel angry when she accused him so publicly. Instead, he revealed an uncaring smile and shrugged his shoulders before taking out the ashes of the rank 6 snake.
"If you want to blame me for the actions of a being at the peak of the heroic ranks, go ahead," Noah said. "But I killed it. I think a few rank 4 cultivators are a good price to pay for a rank 6 hybrid."
Danielle saw the bucket and began to shout. Her words became screeches as Noah handled the remains of the last ancestor as if they were a trophy.
It was needless to say that no Elder dared to complain anymore after seeing that scene.