Noah inspected the lizard. They were huge and had blue scales that seemed able to protect them from the whiteness radiated by the sky. Two curved horns grew from the side of their heads, and long claws stretched from their four legs. Their tails were long and thick, but they also appeared flexible and agile.

'Did I forget about them?' Noah wondered when he failed to remember an encounter with that species. 'Did they end up on the black landmass and learnt my name there?'

"How do you know my name?" Noah growled since his memories couldn't provide answers.

The two rank 9 lizards exchanged a glance before slowly raising their heads in confusion. They didn't know whether Noah was putting them through a test, but they decided to be honest about the matter anyway.

"Everyone has seen the battle against the black creature," One of the leaders said. "Some even say that you have caused it."

"Who are these some?" Noah continued.

"Well, magical beasts, humans, and hybrids," The leader replied. "Some say that they belong to an organization that opposes Heaven and Earth, but they have become rare since the sky filled the world. We live by rumors."

"How did you meet these existences?" Noah questioned. "How long has it passed since you met them?"

"That's hard to say," The other leader responded. "It's hard to keep track of the passage of time when the environment has nothing but sky. As for meeting them, the encounters are random. We never know when we might meet suitable-."

The lizard stopped speaking when it realized that the truth could probably lead to its death, especially if it involved Defying Demon's potential allies. Still, its abrupt interruption only felt awkward in that situation and forced it to lower its head again.

"I don't care if you have eaten them," Noah reassured. "I'm only trying to understand the current situation. I have been away for some time."

The two leaders exchanged another glance, but neither seemed willing to continue talking about that topic. Yet, Noah only needed to growl to force them to speak.

"The sky alone can't sustain us," The first leader whimpered. "We must look for better targets, so we roam through this whiteness searching for them. Some try to use your name to save their lives, while others let us live and share their stories. The dragons are especially kind if you are lucky enough to meet them."

Noah almost couldn't believe that he had become famous even among magical beasts, but the event didn't feel too unrealistic after his show of power. The lizards also confirmed that some of his companions had survived the current state of the world, so he could focus on other details.

"Why are the dragons kind?" Noah asked before sniffing a few times. "Is it because your bloodline has some connections with theirs?"

Noah could smell their partial belonging to the dragons' bloodlines. It was distant and far from pure, but he couldn't guess what the four upper tier leaders had in mind in the current situation.

"Rumors say that they are kind to every magical beast," The second leader announced. "They have become the protectors of every species."

"Is someone hunting them?" Noah asked as a bad feeling formed in his mind.

"Rumors say that Heaven and Earth area targeting every large pack," The first leader replied. "We never faced anything, but the dragons still warned us about that."

Noah quickly came to an obvious conclusion. Heaven and Earth had started their preparations for the final battle. Their first step had consisted of filling the entire world with their sky, while the second involved the population of the magical beasts. They were probably trying to reduce the number of opponents that could oppose them while they still had that complete control.

'What now?' Noah questioned himself while falling deep in his thoughts.

His first idea was to create an area that Heaven and Earth couldn't affect right in the middle of the higher plane. The white materials that filled the world would provide all the energy that Noah needed to complete that project, and he was one of the few existences capable of uniting magical beasts, humans, and hybrids under the same banner.

However, Heaven and Earth seemed to have started approaching their breakthrough seriously. Noah didn't know what consequences his actions could cause, and he wasn't sure his power could deal with them. After all, he had stepped into the ninth rank. The rulers could probably throw everything they wanted at him now.

Noah wouldn't make choices founded on his fear of the rulers. His journey now had to focus on himself since he needed to expand his world. Yet, his pride was one of his aspects, which was relatively pointless when he had no underlings.

His ambition also was perfect for a potential pack. Noah would only increase the number of enemies that could threaten Heaven and Earth if he decided to restore his organization.

'I don't want to go back to being a leader right away,' Noah admitted, 'But leaving Heaven and Earth on their own isn't ideal either.'

Heaven and Earth could probably slowly eradicate every pack in that favorable environment. The dragons would become their last opponents, and Noah wouldn't have the chance to help them since he couldn't even try to find them among that whiteness. The situation was troublesome and unclear, but he had to accept that he only had a few options.

"You are lucky Heaven and Earth want to kill magical beasts," Noah sighed. "I would have totally eaten you otherwise."

The lizards didn't feel happy about that admission, but they didn't hesitate to express their gratitude. Noah didn't even need to show his power to make them understand how they had no chance against him.

"Try not to die," Noah eventually exclaimed. "You might be important in what's about to come."

The lizards didn't know what Noah meant, but they nodded and expressed their gratitude again anyway. They were too scared to understand the benefits that his ambition could provide to their species, so they were ready to say anything to preserve their freedom.

Noah didn't add anything else. He sprinted toward a random spot and activated his suction force again. The weak sky shattered to create a large path, and he quickly disappeared from the lizards' vision.

The dull and unchanging environment almost made Noah regret his decision, but that feeling barely managed to reach his mind when he let his instincts lead him. He had chosen to remain alone for a while and inspect what the weak sky hid. As for the direction, his anger would be his guide toward places that opposed Heaven and Earth.

Noah planned to slowly expand his world and develop techniques that could make full use of his new power, but his desires shattered in no time. He sensed that something had happened behind him, and he quickly turned to reach the source of that feeling.

'You must be kidding me,' Noah cursed in his mind when he found a barrage of black clouds on his path.

Crackling noises and cries seeped out of that black array, and Noah even sensed the presence of the lizards on the other side. It seemed that Heaven and Earth had attacked them right after his departure.

****

Author's notes: The chapters will come.. I'm just late as usual.

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