Birth of the Demonic Sword

King Elbas' actions showed how he had captured the quasi-rank 7 creature both internally and externally. Everyone could now understand how the Ape couldn't break through the golden shield.

The sudden outburst and suppression of the Ape didn't change what was happening. King Elbas was still walking toward the eastern coast, and the allied powerhouses had yet to make their move.

That was probably the best chance to kill King Elbas. He had just returned from a long journey, and his opponent had been a former divine magical beast.

His breakthrough was a problem, but there was a good chance that the Royals' leader was hiding some injuries. Also, he was far away from his domain now, so he couldn't use defensive formations.

Still, killing him would probably free the Ape God, and the Princes and Princesses were nearby. The alliance outnumbered them, but there was a solid stage powerhouse among their opponents.

King Elbas walked in the air showing his usual arrogant smile. It seemed as if he desired for his opponents to make a move. However, no one attacked.

"Let's defend!" Great Elder Diana transmitted through the alliance's inscribed notebooks, and everyone retreated toward the eastern coast.

Even Noah didn't object to that order. He didn't believe for even a second that King Elbas was unprepared. In his mind, he had already accepted that the alliance couldn't do anything to defeat him.

Differences in ranks and stages became harder to cross as the level increased. Both Chasing Demon and Great Elder Diana had inscribed items that allowed them to express more power, but that was even more true for King Elbas.

Defeating him might be impossible, but they had no reason to do that. The alliance owned most of the world anyway. They could defend and continue to solidify their superiority.

King Elbas didn't chase those cultivators. He even let those in the fifth rank return toward the nearest teleportation matrices.

He didn't seem to care about anything around him. He had one goal, so he was going to walk toward it slowly.

Elder Julia and Chasing Demon took control of the Copying Technique deployed in the region mentioned by King Elbas. They prepared themselves for his arrival while the other higher-ups of the Hive remained nearby, ready to intervene if needed.

Great Elder Diana and other higher-ups of the Council did the same. They joined the Elders of the Hive in their waiting for King Elbas' arrival.

The Copying Technique activated before the enemy arrived. Countless magical beasts formed on the surface of the snowy plain and arranged themselves in a defensive formation.

Meanwhile, the cultivators living in the recently built domes and structures used teleportation matrices to abandon the area.

The region was about to see a solid stage powerhouse unleashing his power. Even Noah and the others didn't feel confident in surviving that.

The army of magical beasts had hundreds of different specimens that would follow precise roles meant to make use of their innate abilities.

Chasing Demon had become an expert with the Copying Technique. He didn't pick the creature to capture randomly but chose those that would benefit the overall defenses.

It was pointless to trap too many magical beasts. One single creature was enough to create a limitless number of copies, so diversity was better than sheer numbers.

Noah didn't help with the Copying Technique, but he could see that Chasing Demon had done an incredible job. Any expert in the magical beasts' field would praise him for his choices.

There were thousands of magical beasts at the peak of the fourth rank. They all had a water aptitude and specialized in long-range attacks. Their species were among the strongest of their kind too.

A series of peak rank 5 magical beasts stood in front of that army. Other water-type creatures specialized in long-range attacks filled the ground and acted as leaders of the swarm.

Noah recognized various kinds of seahorses, turtles, and giant fishes meant to pressure the incoming powerhouse.

Chasing Demon could avoid summoning so many weaker beasts, but doing that balanced the region's depletion of energy reserves. It was cheaper to have an army of rank 4 creatures than a single one in the sixth rank.

It didn't matter that King Elbas was in the solid stage. The constant assault of so many immortal creatures could probably affect him in the long run.

The fact that Chasing Demon had summoned such an army didn't mean that he didn't create copies of rank 6 creatures. A tall ape stood among the beasts. That was the previous king of the snowy mountain!

Entire organizations would find it challenging to deal with that army. The problem wasn't in the sheer number of troops but because they were virtually immortal!

King Elbas took a few days to arrive. He reached the sky above the snowy plain walking at his slow pace and wearing his arrogant smile. The Ape God was still inside the floating golden shield next to him, and the sight of the army silenced the creature.

Silence fell on the entire region too. The army of beasts went silent while King Elbas inspected the area. A tinge of surprise appeared on his expression, but he shook his head in the end.

King Elbas lifted his arm, and a drop of blood fell from his forefinger. The drop took fire as if descended toward the army, but it was only a small flame when it crashed on the ground.

Intense rumblings spread on the terrain, and crack opened in the entirety of the region. Tall tongues of flames came out of those fissures and enveloped the army of beasts.

The copies couldn't do anything against that attack. The power of a solid stage powerhouse wasn't something that they could oppose.

The once snowy plane transformed into a red environment after King Elbas' attack. Melted rocks and uneven terrain filled the area, and the region's structures became nothing more than fuming debris.

Only the dome stood still, but large cracks spread on its surface. The city under it had become visible too, which showed how much power it had already lost.

The region had become worthless after one attack. The Hive would have to spend decades fixing the damages only to bring it back to a decent state.

Chasing Demon could decide to abandon that territory. The Hive didn't need it. Its value came from the fact that the Elbas family couldn't occupy it.

However, the alliance had the chance to test King Elbas' power at that time, and the Copying Technique had yet to show all its tricks. It didn't hurt to waste some amassed "Breath" to defend it.

The army of beasts reappeared in less than ten seconds. The creatures didn't wait for the powerhouse to attack and launched their innate abilities as soon as they reformed.

The sky changed color. The reddish halo generated by the setting of the Sun disappeared, replaced by a blue radiance.

King Elbas saw the region disappear, replaced by an array of water missiles and currents that carried different properties.

The fabric of the sky fell apart. The air itself trembled until it crumbled under that myriad of attacks. A large passage to the void appeared, but the assault of abilities didn't stop.

The amount of energy depleted to launch those attacks was unfathomable, but even that wasn't enough to suppress the enemy powerhouse. The endless tide of abilities took fire at some point, and the flames spread until they reached the army of beasts, which crumbled under that counter-attack.