Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah remained inside his black cloud. His gaze didn't go on the newly formed golden shields. Instead, it remained on the spot where the smoke had consumed Second Prince.

'Was that a puppet?' Noah couldn't help but think after reviewing the last battle.

His blows on Second Prince's body and their exchanges had felt real. They didn't differ from the battles with other powerhouses. Even Night didn't sense anything unusual when cutting him.

Yet, Second Prince had shown no fear of death. The peculiar way in which he had died also hinted that his body was a mere puppet rather than his bones and flesh.

'It was able to express so much power with a fake body,' Noah's mind felt heavy when considering that. He had initially thought that King Elbas was the last worthy opponent in the Mortal Lands, but it seemed that his heir belonged to the realms of monsters too.

Every organization had promising cultivators that preferred to hide from the public scene and focus only on their path. Noah had always known that, but he had begun to learn more about them only after becoming a powerhouse.

A smirk appeared on Noah's face as the Demonic Form vanished, and the black cloud began to disperse. He felt happy that the struggles weren't over. Now he knew that he wouldn't have to spend the last part of the heroic ranks in complete safety.

Chasing Demon and Great Elder Diana exchanged a glance before gazing in Noah's direction. The dispersion of the cloud slowly revealed his figure, but he could only spread his arms to express his helplessness when he sensed the two pairs of eyes on him.

The two powerhouses were cornering Third Prince and First Princess after the shields fell, but Second Prince's actions had restored the battlefield to its previous condition.

They weren't back to the starting point though. The ballistae had fallen, and the new shields had fewer cores. It would take the alliance less than a year to conquer that region unless the Elbas family had other tricks.

The battle ended like that. The troops began to retreat, but Noah had yet another gesture to make before returning to his quarters.

Second Prince's defeat was a silent authorization to respect the terms of June's battle. Andrew Elbas continued to settle the Ballor family's release in public so that everyone could see that his word had some value.

Noah wasn't aware of June's bet, but he saw her injured condition. The Demons' drugs and her body's innate healing capabilities were already dealing with her wounds.

She didn't need any external help, so Noah could use that chance to announce something that he had waited to make public for way too long.

Noah slowly descended toward the allied troops, who welcomed him with polite bows. Only those close to him dared to react differently to his arrival.

Daniel nodded, Faith giggled while trying to hold back her excitement, and the corners of Elder Julia's mouth turned upward. Dreaming Demon revealed a warm smile, and Flying Demon started to laugh, giving thumbs-ups with both his hands.

Only June didn't react at all. She kept her stare fixed on Noah as her lover neared the allied troops.

June had understood what he wanted to do, but she waited for him to stand in front of her to give voice to a confident complaint. "I can deal with these wounds."

"I know," Noah said while placing his palm on her forehead, "That's why I'm doing it."

June lowered her defenses and allowed Noah's dark matter to run inside her body. The poison that had infected her tissues couldn't do anything against the higher energy.

In a matter of seconds, June's body became devoid of poison, and her healing properties started to fix the damage suffered at full speed. Her skin began to heal, and her complexion regained some color.

She still had bruises and some smelly spots, but Noah didn't mind them in the slightest. The fixed stare of his lover left him speechless and in a daze.

It didn't matter of ugly she looked after the battle. It didn't matter that her injuries had left horrid marks on her skin. Noah only needed to look at those orange eyes to recognize his lover and ignore everything else.

The Elders of the Hive knew about their relationship, but the others didn't share that knowledge. The experts of Council felt confused seeing that intimate interaction, but they understood something when they saw Faith's expression.

Many higher-ups of the Council still believed that Noah and Faith would eventually end up together. They were terrific cultivators, and their political value would make the alliance between their organizations sturdier.

Nevertheless, there wasn't any regret nor disappointment on Faith's face. She appeared truly happy to see June and Noah interacting in that way in the open.

While the Elder of the Council had restrained reactions at that discovery, the assets of the Elbas family's responses were far flashier.

June was quite famous among the Royals. She was the battle maniac who had refused every marriage proposal and focused only on her cultivation level.

The Royals would barely see her outside of her quarters. She appeared to be a grumpy machine, programmed only to complete missions and cultivate. They had never seen her exchange more than a few lines with other experts, let alone allowing them to touch her.

However, she appeared calm with Noah's hand on her forehead. Her expression didn't carry her usual coldness. Instead, it had a tinge of warmth that became more evident as that interaction continued.

Some of her admirers froze in fear. They had chased June for a long time only to see the Demon Prince of the Hive casually behaving intimately with her.

Other higher-ups had different reactions. Andrew Elbas and the leaders of various factions began to send countless mental messages through their inscribed notebooks.

June had learnt a lot about the Elbas family. The Royals had never fully trusted her due to her aloof behavior, but she still had a general understanding of many secret structures and defenses.

They had to modify all of them now that June had turned out to be intimate with such a high-level personality inside the Hive. It would have been different with the Council or other Elders, but Noah was famous for appearing behind the enemy lines out of nowhere.

Noah and June weren't paying attention to their surroundings. Only the eyes of their lover occupied their vision.

The hand on her forehead slowly slid toward her cheek. Meanwhile, June reached for Noah's robe to pull him closer.

The two of them drew close without diverting their gazes. They didn't speak nor convey anything with their gestures, but their lips eventually touched right in front of everyone.

That removed every doubt about their relationship. The couple's public kiss announced their status. That exposed them to enemy schemes, but June and Noah didn't want to remain in the shadows anymore.

"It took us only a few centuries," Noah whispered once their lips separated. June wanted to tease him, but she felt too happy to say anything.

Her hand rose toward his face. Her thumb traced his features as memories resurfaced in her mind.

Everything had begun with a promise after the crisis of the winged beasts. They were little more than talented heroic assets back then, with goals that forced them to separate multiple times.

Their life together had been a series of moments stolen from a strict political environment that they had to respect as long as they remained weak.

Yet, Noah's prowess was in the powerhouses' realm, and June had centers of power fueled by higher energy. They had been spectacular talents in the past, but they had become respected assets among the heroic ranks now.

"You are still stronger than me," June eventually pouted, but both of them laughed at her words.

Their journey was still long, and they had yet to face the Immortal Lands as a challenge. However, they could finally walk forward together now.