Chapter 2297

2297. Stalemate Marcella couldn't lie in that situation. Divine Demon had already seen her grin, and her feelings were evident. She was enjoying that struggle against an opponent capable of matching her boundless energy. Still, Marcella wasn't Divine Demon. She didn't share his merciless mindset, and part of her even despised it. She was willing to kill anyone to reach her goals, but she didn't enjoy adding pointless deaths to her experience. "I am a monster," Marcella eventually admitted. "I was a monster even before your birth. That doesn't make us equals." "You are right," Divine Demon stated. "This exchange is making us equals." "You have yet to win," Marcella pointed out. "You have yet to win a single exchange." "I have already won," Divine Demon laughed. "I forced one of Heaven and Earth's best pawns to forget her higher purpose. How does it feel to fight to prove yourself superior to your opponent?" "You are speaking nonsense," Marcella scoffed. "It feels good, right?" Divine Demon continued. "Going all-out without caring about your surroundings or situation, using your power to its fullest to achieve a single victory. That's what we live for! That's why we forced our existence to reach these peaks!" "Speak for yourself," Marcella sighed. "Not everyone shares your maniacal urges." "Everyone at this level does," Divine Demon shouted. "The peak is achievable only to those willing to push their urges to the limit." "Heaven and Earth created a different path," Marcella corrected. "And how many of their leaders walk on it?" Divine Demon asked. "How many of you abandoned your urges for the sake of the peak?" "An entire army is proving you wrong," Marcella stated. "Is it?" Divine Demon laughed as he spread his arms. "I only see ants running away in front of a superior power." Marcella was getting tired of that topic. Divine Demon twisted it to benefit his vision with every answer, and Marcella couldn't correct him properly. Part of her also knew that he was right, especially when she inspected the battlefield. Heaven and Earth had really offered an alternative path to the peak. Their safe environment had allowed many experts to reach the solid stage without encountering hindrances or challenges. However, those experts couldn't find a proper footing in the final battle. They were valuable assets who had slowed down their opponents' advance, but none had managed to be relevant in the major fights. Even the numerical advantage didn't help. Emperor, Queen, and Vesuvia could keep many privileged cultivators at bay because they had achieved the peak through normal methods. They were maniacs, and that made them superior to anyone who had become able to match their power through a journey devoid of challenges. Divine Architect was the only vague exception among the leaders since Heaven and Earth had recruited her relatively early. Still, her achievements and sheer drive compensated for the lack of challenges in her journey. Even without hindrances, she remained a proper maniac. "I don't get what you are trying to achieve," Marcella sighed. "There is nothing wrong in enjoying a worthy battle as long as I continue to serve Heaven and Earth." "That's the issue," Divine Demon declared. "Why even serve them when you can summon so much power?" "Are you praising me now?" Marcella teased. "Why wouldn't I?" Divine Demon questioned. "You can match my blows. That alone proves your value." "Simple-minded experts like you sure have it easy," Marcella commented. "You'll keep moving forward without caring about the consequences of your action. You'll advance even with defeat as the only possible outcome." "We can't change what we are," Divine Demon announced. "That's the secret behind our power. We are the best expression of ourselves, even with superior beings trying to crush us." "Your approach carries some beauty," Marcella admitted, "But it also makes you a fool. You fail to see the big picture. You can't win, and defeat carries no beauty." "We have already proven many predictions wrong," Divine Demon exclaimed. "What makes you so sure that we won't succeed again?" "Because I've seen the big picture," Marcella explained. "I might suit your standards, but I'm not an idiot." "What a waste," Divine Demon sighed. "You already have what it takes to be a demon, but you lack resolve." "I have the resolve to fight for what I believe in," Marcella corrected. "It simply happens to go against you." "Which makes it wrong," Divine Demon snorted. "Such arrogance," Marcella giggled. "Do you think that's enough to beat me?" Divine Demon didn't speak anymore. He emptied his cup and refilled it while keeping his eyes fixed on his opponent. Marcella also remained in her position, and the two focused on each other while their techniques fought. Plants and waves of blood-red energy spread everywhere. Destruction filled the area occupied by vegetation, but no significant victories happened. Some of Divine Demon's techniques lost against their opponents, but they transformed instead of dispersing. Part of their energy flowed toward the earthquakes to enhance their violence, while the rest of it morphed to generate new abilities. The magical plants didn't remain still either. Many techniques managed to pierce and destroy them, but Marcella's energy reserves were genuinely boundless. They always found the fuel to regrow and flourish while the assault continued. Marcella and Divine Demon seemed stuck in a stalemate, even if their techniques never stood still. Yet, the exchange was slowly moving toward its final phases, and neither did anything to interrupt the process. Soon, the entirety of Divine Demon's offensive fused with the earthquakes around the vegetation. Even the copy of the space dragon shattered willingly to join that massive technique. Marcella found herself against a single attack carrying enough energy to fill the higher plane, but she didn't back away. Her plants retreated to generate stronger trunks and flowers that could resist the violent tremors landing on them. The earthquakes didn't stay completely still. Figures came out of the shaking spherical cage and assaulted the various magical plants on their path. Dragons, giants, weapons, and much more fought Marcella's creations, but the latter held strong. Marcella and Divine Demon appeared evenly matched on every field, and they slowly understood that. Still, they kept powering their techniques while staring at each other. Neither wanted to back down, but they had to wait for the exchange to end to find which approach was correct. The tremors eventually became so violent that no plant in Marcella's arsenal could stop them. The earthquakes spread through the vegetation and reached the two experts, who spat mouthfuls of blood almost at the same time. The process was hurting Divine Demon, but he didn't move. He had something to prove there, and the same went for Marcella. Their struggle wasn't something that words could solve, and both were too proud to abandon their position. It was clear that only one of them would survive that exchange, but Divine Demon and Marcella were fine with it. They were both holding their ground to defend their opposite beliefs, so moving wasn't an option. Nevertheless, something unexpected affected the exchange before Divine Demon and Marcella could find a winner. Patches of pink energy suddenly spread through the entire vegetation and destabilized its structure for an instant. That moment was enough for the earthquakes. All the plants crumbled at the same time due to the tremors flowing through the vegetation. Marcella and Divine Demon remained exposed, and they both turned toward the source of that unexpected power while violent energy flew toward them. Sepunia had revealed her presence. Pink patches of energy covered her body and forced her cultivation level to reach the solid stage. She kept her eyes closed and her legs crossed while Maribel and the odd dragon burned their existence to protect her from the tremors. Chapter 2298. Laugh Chapter 2298.Laugh Decumia was truly going crazy. Multiple exchanges had followed Wilfred's arrival, and she struggled to win them. The Foolery's insane influence was too much to handle through standard methods. The privileged cultivator even believed that nothing in her power could actually counter them.

The problems didn't stop there. Decumia was strong enough to preserve her life and power during the exchanges, but that gave her the time to inspect the other major battles. Sword Saint and the old man were evenly matched. Noah had locked Caesar in a prison that no one could inspect, and Marcella had found a suitable opponent who was forcing her to go all-out. The Rulers' Resolve had also fallen into a giant cage under the attacks of his three opponents. Divine Architect seemed to be the only one among Heaven and Earth's leaders who had yet to suffer significant defeats, but her adversary couldn't be underestimated. Moreover, she and King Elbas were still playing around, which only made their situation more surprising. Heaven and Earth had yet to break free from their restraints, but that didn't change the incredible scenery of the battlefield. A lousy group of rebels and maniacs had forced the rulers' army into a corner. They weren't winning, but they weren't losing either, and that alone was incredible. Decumia's struggles were another detail that added value to the landmass' forces. Noah had created an organization that could hope to win. The odds were against those crazy rebels, but they were disregarding them through sheer determination and overwhelming power. Decumia wasn't the only expert in Heaven and Earth's army who had reached similar conclusions. Many lesser privileged cultivators had understood that they had misplaced their arrogance. Noah and the others were the best opponents that the higher plane could ever produce. They were defying a plan that had been in place for eras. They were the true protagonists of that final battle, and the sole thought that they could win made many lesser privileged cultivators experience deep fear and worry. Of course, the leaders in Heaven and Earth's army were different. Their worlds were deeper, and their resolve reached realms that their weaker companions had never witnessed. Decumia was even different from the other leaders. Their devotion toward Heaven and Earth had various sources, but they were all firm and deep. Caesar stood far above them in that aspect, but Decumia occupied the very opposite extreme of the spectrum. Wilfred and the Foolery had good teamwork. Wilfred kept his distance while delivering punches on the void that created precise attacks, while the Foolery continued to charge ahead with sprints empowered by its farts. Decumia would typically have no problems against Wilfred. His attacks were insanely powerful for a hybrid in the liquid stage, but she was stronger than him in multiple fields. Decumia would simply charge ahead and turn Wilfred's strength against him in normal circumstances. His ability was too straightforward. Her chaos would defeat it in no time. However, Wilfred seemed to have a deep battle sense. His instincts told him how to maximize the effects of his attacks to create more problems for Decumia. That alone would still fail to be enough, but the Foolery created a situation where Decumia couldn't act freely. Its charges were impossible to dodge, and Decumia saw part of her energy vanishing from her body after every exchange. Whenever the Foolery completed its charge, chunks of flesh, entire limbs, and even internal organs disappeared, but Decumia didn't panic. Giant attacks aimed at her injuries landed on her body right afterward, but she kept her cool and studied the situation. After a while, Decumia exploded into a loud laugh. Her companions had found worthy opponents, and she didn't know how to win her battle, but she still laughed. The Foolery and Wilfred didn't hesitate to exploit that chance. They continued to assault Decumia, and she didn't bother to resist. Large chunks of her body disappeared, and some attacks even ended up affecting the energy inside her world. "I can laugh louder than her!" The Foolery shouted before taking a deep breath. Wilfred teleported next to the Foolery to smack its belly. The pig spat the air accumulated in its lungs, but a laugh resounded anyway. Its voice even surpassed Decumia's. "No one can stop m-!" The Foolery shouted, but Wilfred promptly closed its mouth. "Let's kill her now," Wilfred ordered. "I don't know what she is doing, but Heaven and Earth are coming. Don't waste time." "I must overwhelm her in every field!" The Foolery spoke even if Wilfred was keeping its mouth closed. Wilfred knew that trying to reason with the Foolery was impossible, especially after it achieved that new power. He wasn't even the best when it came to those social interactions, but that allowed him to think like the pig. "Steven didn't care about her," Wilfred stated. "He wanted you to defeat Heaven and Earth. We can't waste time here." The Foolery couldn't help but calm down after hearing the word "Steven", and Wilfred's following line succeeded in changing its mind. "Besides, I'm hungry." "You are right!" The Foolery exclaimed through its closed mouth. "We should eat!" Wilfred let go of the Foolery and turned toward Decumia. The privileged cultivator was still laughing, but no energy left her figure. She seemed to have gone mental, but Wilfred didn't believe that someone at her level could have lost her mind so quickly. The Foolery didn't bother to inspect Decumia's state. Loud farts came out of its butt, wings, and legs to create a sprint that the privileged cultivator couldn't follow. The smelly farts almost broke Wilfred's concentration, but he had grown used to them by now. He bent his legs and retracted his massive arms while placing them at his sides. His face lost any trace of emotion as he delved deep into his knowledge to prepare for his attack. Decumia could dodge the incoming charge. She couldn't follow the Foolery, but she knew powerful evasive maneuvers that could make her avoid anything coming in her direction. Yet, Decumia had already failed to avoid suffering injuries through those methods. She had accepted that the Foolery existed in a realm that her thoughts couldn't reach. So, she gave up on dodging the incoming attack and continued to laugh. The Foolery slammed on Decumia and pushed her into the sky. The violent impact created a shockwave that shattered once it reached the other waves of energy running through the battlefield. Yet, that didn't affect the overall power of its attack. Decumia's torso disappeared, leaving behind only her limbs and head. Purple energy refilled the missing parts, but that fuel vanished under the influence of the Foolery's hunger. Wilfred launched his attack at that point. His arms slowly moved forward until he stretched them completely. The gesture didn't create anything in front of him. Still, an invisible wall appeared above Decumia and tried to squash her on the sky. In theory, Decumia was defenseless. Her figure had no energy, so her flesh was bound to shatter under the immense force falling on her. Nevertheless, the wall of energy stopped moving forward as soon as it touched Decumia's maimed figure. All the power inside the attack turned purple and crumbled into a rain of shards that rearranged themselves to create different structures. Part of the shards fused with Decumia's body to fix her injuries. Instead, the rest of the rain condensed into an array of tentacles that expanded from behind her back. "More food!" The Foolery squealed at the sight of the massive tentacles. Intense hunger spread from its figure and fell on those limbs, which immediately started to lose power. Still, the tentacles exploded before the Foolery could completely absorb them. The energy released during the detonation lost any connection to Decumia and gave birth to violent storms that seemed to carry no specific nature. The Foolery could only absorb part of the storms before finding itself inside gales that even its powerful body couldn't oppose. Wounds opened on its thick flesh during that barrage, but a wave of energy dispersed all of them. Wilfred blew over his fuming right fist. He had managed to disperse the storms, but he had suffered a backlash. It seemed that Decumia had found a suitable approach, but Wilfred couldn't understand much from her crazy laugh.