1923. Backdoors
The middle tier hydra appeared connected to the disc, but the structure wasn't losing power every time the creature regenerated one of its heads. That fuel had to come from somewhere else, and the experts' dried-up state explained everything before Noah and Sword Saint could even formulate questions.
Both of them could immediately guess that the experts had relied on King Elbas to create something that could fight back against the immense army and the upper tier leader. Still, their current condition was worrying, especially since none of them reacted to the arrival of their companions.
The hydra was a problem. The creature was keeping the flying cockroaches at bay, but the experts didn't appear able to fuel its power any longer. Its failures in killing the upper tier cockroach also increased its energy consumption.