The event was official now, but Noah and the others were hardly surprised. Every clue pointed toward that inevitable conclusion. Heaven and Earth were just one step away from starting the final battle.

The rulers might take many millennia to complete that last step, but that didn't change the nature of the situation. Noah and the others had to start preparing right away since the event that everyone was waiting for had turned more real than ever.

"Any comment?" Caesar asked, and his tone revealed how amused he was about the situation.

The Foolery, Queen, and June wanted to attack Caesar right away. That probably was the perfect chance to take out one of the strongest privileged cultivators, but Noah and King Elbas' behavior made them hold back.

Noah and King Elbas had been the first to interact with Caesar. The expert's words and motives had sounded conflicting at times, but he had always been in control of every situation. Noah and King Elbas knew that even their peak power wouldn't be enough to take him out now.

"Let's go," Noah eventually ordered. "We have a world to build."

"It feels fated, doesn't it?" Caesar voiced while Noah's group turned to leave the area. "The forces of the higher plane will develop one last battle tactic. The end of the world will see a dark landmass rising to crash on a bright sky."

"Even you couldn't have plotted so far ahead," Noah dismissed that assumption.

"I didn't," Caesar admitted. "I only wanted you to picture the scene in your minds. The last two forces in the world will have one final battle, and your side won't be able to play defensively."

Noah knew that Caesar was speaking the truth, but he still ignored him. He descended toward the clouds of white shards, and his team followed him closely.

Caesar remained in his spot and observed the departing group. His smirk never left his mouth, and the now-empty environment allowed him to keep track of the experts' movements for a long time.

Noah sensed Caesar's gaze on his back. There was something deeper in that gesture, and Noah had finally reached a power level that allowed him to understand what was happening.

A faint but firm force with the shape of countless tendrils wrapped itself around the ethereal blackness. Noah didn't feel any burden, but he knew that the strands of Caesar's fate were putting him on a predestined path.

Noah even knew the nature of that path. Caesar wanted him to become Heaven and Earth's last stepping stone, someone able to push the rulers' level toward new heights.

Shaking those tendrils off was impossible. They existed in a different reality, something deeply connected to the space-time fabric of the higher plane that Noah couldn't affect.

The tendrils were only a consequence of Caesar's world. His power remained mysterious and profound even right now, but Noah didn't worry. He would get out of that path and destroy Caesar's fate when the time was right.

An orange flash appeared next to the group as they continued to descend. A shrunk version of the orange city appeared on the team's right side, and the old rulers' voice soon resounded in the area. "How did it go?"

"I believe you can draw your own conclusions from the current state of the world," King Elbas replied.

"The higher plane has reached a critical point," The old rulers said as they joined the descent. "The next clash will be the last."

"How are the preparations going on your side?" Noah asked.

"Slow," The old rulers responded. "Our limits have hardened after the recent changes. We can feel Heaven and Earth turning into something else, but the balance of the world still considers us as one."

"It was about time your city went through some improvements," Noah stated.

"What?" The old rulers asked.

"You'll be a core part of the new world," Noah explained. "We can't remain as separate forces anymore. We won't have any chance against Heaven and Earth like that."

"What if we refuse?" The old rulers questioned in a rare playful tone. "We have become protective toward our existence. We are sure you can understand the feeling."

"I don't really care anymore," Noah sighed as his pride seeped out of his world on its own. "I'm tired of these games. I need your buildings, so I'll get them one way or the other."

"Are you willing to start an internal war before the final battle?" The old rulers wondered.

"I'm willing to eat the whole world if it doesn't side with me," Noah growled.

The Foolery, Pellio, June, and King Elbas couldn't help but wear faint smirks. That was the path that they had chosen. That was the reason behind Noah's position as a leader among experts that wouldn't usually be able to work together.

Cursed Reality, Emperor, and Queen felt amused in front of that interaction. The three almost laughed out loud when they thought about keeping Noah inside the Labyrinth. They had finally realized that an existence like him belonged to the higher plane, where he could unleash his true power.

"We will obviously join your project," The old rulers eventually declared as a faint laugh resounded among their honest tone. "We were only testing you one last time."

"You better prepare yourself," Noah announced. "We have far more tests to perform."

The group stopped when they reached the clouds' edges. The whiteness previously carried by the weak sky still lingered in the area, but its brightness slowly dimmed as time passed. Fuel was flowing out of the shards to return to the new sky, but Heaven and Earth had no role in that event.

The clouds' energy acted according to its own nature. It wanted to reunite with its masters, but the latter weren't calling it back. That led to slow but relentless movements that allowed Noah's group to salvage most of that power.

Noah glanced at King Elbas, but the latter already knew what he had to do. A golden light shone on his palm and expanded while taking the shape of multiple lines. They began to rotate at some point, and a giant vortex soon came to life.

The vortex seemed able to affect the very fabric of the world. The space-time array twisted as every trace of energy inside the higher plane began to flow toward the center of King Elbas' creation.

The powerless shards couldn't oppose that force, so the clouds quickly transformed into currents that converged toward King Elbas' hand. He made sure to take all the energy he could, and a vast empty area unfolded in everyone's view when the process was over.

Noah's consciousness couldn't reach every corner of the higher plane, but his instincts sensed the presence of multiple forces in the distance. One of them was also familiar, but he didn't want to involve it yet. The creation of the new world came first.

"Pellio, keep the pig busy," Noah ordered before threatening the Foolery. "You'll get the muzzle again if you disturb us."

The Foolery snorted and lifted its head, but it peeked from the corner of its eyes to make sure that Noah had lost interest in the matter. Meanwhile, more orders came out of Noah's mouth.

"Cursed Reality, you handle the space-time array. I don't want you to hide us, but your defensive methods are necessary,"

"Emperor, stick with Elbas in case he needs energy,"

"Pellio, make some tea but remain close. Your power might be useful,"

"Elbas, you handle the old rulers. You should know how to deploy their assets better than them at this point."

"What about you?" Queen asked.

"I have to build a good foundation first," Noah revealed as his surroundings began to darken.. "We can't have so much light around us."

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