UNLIMITED SPEED

Powerful bangs reverberated in the sky as that battle continued to rage on. Even if now, its end drew nearer and nearer.

A silver and golden streak clashed now and then, their conflict sending terrible shockwaves to the world around.

Each time both streaks made contact, huge waves of elemental essence would beam forward to cover a large area, pushing the golden streak backward.

Noah and Adonis fought to the teeth, and to the astonishment of the tier 5 cultivator, he realized that Noah's strength could at least send him flying. He only played along, however.

Feeling energy burst forth in his veins, Noah sprinted forward further propelled by the flap of his remaining wing.

During the minute-ling battle, Adonis had managed to shatter one of his wings, even if he could still utilize the second one.

The expert had dealt that damage rather easily.

'My time is running out,' Noah revealed inwardly. His eyes fell on the countdown of the skill. He had less than 50 seconds to go.

He had to go out with a bang.

Flickering before Adonis for the nth time, he rained blows spanning hundred in number and the sheer force of his punches caused another wave of force to riddle the sky. That battle zone had long since become unconducive for tier 4 cultivators.

Adonis clicked his tongue whilst he raised his arms before his face, blocking those punches effectively.

Noah stopped for an instant and the elder saw that opening. His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light as he caught one of Noah's arms to land a blow directly on his opponent's belly.

Thanks to the 500% increase in defensive stats, Noah didn't directly explode into a gory mess of flesh and blood.

Instead, his insides rocked intensely and when he slammed into the barrier, his figure ended up spreading cracks in its material.

Noah coughed blood as pain spiraled into his consciousness. That was the first time Adonis had been able to deal significant damage. His defenses were wearing out. After all, the expert had also shattered the cerulean and golden barrier around him.

Adonis flashed in front of Noah and decided to rain punches on his opponent.

Fortunately, Noah transformed into a streak that escaped the deadly barrage.

Yet, shock waves washed over him and he felt his insides tremble even more.

"Despite my holding back, It's still very surprising that you can last this long against a tier-five expert. Maybe it's because I'm newly advanced. Or you're that much of a monster."

"Does your potential not know end?"

Adonis sprinted forward, only to flicker above Noah as four afterimages all lowering their fists toward him.

'Bad!' Noah's instincts raged as he wrapped his remaining wing and cape of gales around himself. 

A thunderous boom reverberated across the sky an instant later and cold mist unfolded, clouding that area.

Adonis waved his arm once and all that mist cleared to reveal a badly injured Noah.

"You're still alive? You're beginning to make me really want to see you perish," Adonis gave a defeated smile.

"I'm sure I've made others feel the same way," Noah commented weakly. He still had his arms raised around his head even if his lower body had suffered damage.

Noah's wing and elemental cape vanished upon contact with the expert's offensive. His icy armor now featured several holes in its structure.

Holes that revealed the burns and bruises Noah's skin had sustained.

Before then, it was true that Adonis had been holding back a whole lot. But now even he felt riled up to end Noah.

Coughing a mouthful of silver blood Noah felt the insides of his chest burn with intensity. Yet his head; although aching, felt relief.

After all, Adonis had removed the weight of most of the elemental armament's manifestation.

The only thing that remained relatively intact were the gloves he made from the elemental essence available to him. They still shimmered with glory and power, thrumming with vibrancy—ready to attack once again.

Noah lowered his arms slowly and felt them ache badly. Despite all the defenses deployed beforehand, It still felt like he had taken a direct hit.

"Fuck," he exclaimed under his breath, taking note of another injury.

Several bones had turned to mush in his arms and they were almost unusable. His chest featured broken bones that stuck out from beneath his skin but were unable to break past that layer of flesh.

Needless to say, blinding pain gushed into Noah's head. Thankfully his healing kicked in. But it was slow. An expected outcome.

Adonis silently watched and a tinge of pity inevitably appeared in his mind. Noah had lost all sorts of vibrancy and was in agony.

"I will end it quick," announced the grand elder, forming a fist with his right hand. He pulled his arm backward, momentarily glancing at the platform of wind his opponent used to stay up.

Ready to unleash the killing strike, Adonis took a deep breath only to blink and Noah appeared right in front of his face.

"I'm still going out with a bang," Noah gave a weak smile even if his hands latched onto Adonis's neck and his figure began to glow dangerously releasing all the lights associated with his affinities.

"Good luck with the war," Noah remarked and closed his eyes.

Understanding what was happening, Adonis let his arms down, not willing to put up any defense. He would honor that last wish.

Noah's figure continued to shine brighter and brighter, until…

A shock wave unfolded within the barrier and it instantly transformed into what resembled a ball of glass riddled with cracks. 

What followed that wave of force was a massive explosion of light, flames, and speed essence that had turned violent.

With a sound intensity akin to a nuclear bomb going off, and an expanding sphere capable of overshadowing cities, Noah's core detonated and the power contained in him grazed the fifth tier, thereby shattering the barrier and unfolding into the world around.

Terrible heat spiraled into the icy terrain and ice melted into water, which further evaporated. Snow clouds close to that explosion were directly blotted out.

Thanks to their height, the damage that should have been done to the environment mostly spread in the sky.

Still, chunks of violent speed and elemental essence fell to the ground, and holes opened in the terrain.

The ground and air boiled as that area quickly lit up with the vibrant red of molten rocks.

It looked like a firestorm had appeared at the center of that cold region.

Still, a golden veil fell on that environment and everything came to a halt. Like time had stopped.

"Gosh… that monster really touched the fifth tier before his death," Adonis's voice reverberated in the environment as the power of his presence acted on that area.

The explosion cleared and the molten grounds cooled down by reason of his presence, even if certain changes were happening.

Pillars of golden light moved around carving something into the ground. All being supervised by the expert.

Adonis now appeared as a glowing golden figure in the sky—Like a god descended from the heavens.

Only when the effects of the explosion had died did the golden veil vanish, but Adonis continued to glow in the sky. His figure remained in one position all that time.

Due to the intense light he radiated, not many would have been able to see what occurred beneath his radiance.

But the tier 5 elders who had been watching that battle from their various locations found astonishment appearing on their faces when their gazes incredulously caught sight of the hand-shaped burns on Adonis's neck.

Noah had detonated with his hands holding on to Adonis's neck, and surprisingly the power he achieved in his death had been able to damage the expert.

"You really left with a bang," Adonis chuckled even if the burns on his neck vanished without a trace.

His figure beamed out of that area not too long after, but he had left a series of golden words engraved into the very terrain and pulsing with his power to ensure they would not be washed away any time soon.

"HERE LIES NOAH, ESTEEMED MEMBER OF THE DIVINE LIGHTNING GUILD"