Birth of the Demonic Sword

A violent battle unfolded on the melted and destroyed region that had once been a white and pure land.

King Elbas never expressed his real power during the battle, but the three rank 6 copies were slowly forcing his hand. Moreover, the army of weaker creatures reappeared from time to time and made him change his battle style.

The last attack with higher energy had destroyed part of the Copying Technique, but that was the domain of the Hive. Chasing Demon had covered entire regions with his inscriptions, so he only needed to summon the copies a bit farther away.

King Elbas' life was never in danger. The only capable of injuring him was the Flying Snake, but the creature never touched him.

It didn't matter what tactic Chasing Demon deployed. King Elbas only needed to explode into a raging inferno to destroy anything coming at him.

That was a sheer difference in power that numbers couldn't overcome. It was why armies had no chances against powerful beings and the proof that a higher cultivation level was above a swarm of ants.

However, the immortality of the copies made the situation quite tricky. King Elbas never managed to advance since his opponents always kept him busy with attacks that he had to block.

The situation would be different if King Elbas were a hybrid. A creature with a body capable of blocking those attacks could fly freely across that land and reach its goal in one sprint.

Yet, cultivators couldn't take that many attacks head-on. Their bodies were too frail, even in front of weaker beings.

King Elbas felt once again forced to unleash his higher energy after the three copies stopped his advance for more than three hours. Five drops of blood fell from his fingers and unleashed a raging fire that burned every shining line in sight.

The Royal began to advance again at that point, but Ravaging Demon, the White Ape, and the Flying Snake reappeared near the region's borders and pounced at him again.

All the experts watching the battle in the distance could feel King Elbas' annoyance. The Copying Technique might be unable to defeat him, but the expert couldn't eradicate it either.

There was no actual countermeasure once the inscriptions activated. Divine Demon had created the perfect defensive method, and his disciple was managing it with great ability.

A slight change occurred in King Elbas. He didn't suffer any injury, his robe was still tidy and shining, and his power didn't waver in the slightest. Yet, his complexion became slightly paler. The change was so subtle that many experts failed to notice it, but that event couldn't escape the eyes of the Hive's powerhouses.

The Copying Technique had affected King Elbas! Even solid stage powerhouses had to take the defensive method seriously!

It was needless to say that the Hive's power skyrocketed in the eyes of its enemies and allies. After all, the Copying Technique didn't show its real power since the Coral Archipelago's independence.

Many had forgotten how dangerous those inscriptions could be. Some powerhouses even wondered whether they had limits to their power.

The answer to that question was a clear "no". The Copying Technique only needed "Breath" and trapped creatures. Anything else came from the ability of the existence in charge of it.

The small organization that had managed to escape the three leading forces' control just a few centuries ago had become the most protected domain in the entire world. Those that still had grudges against the Hive could only give up on their vengeful plans at that sight.

Only an existence at the peak of the heroic ranks could attempt to seize something from the Hive. King Elbas was the sole power in the world that could succeed in that task without external help.

Even he had to accept his limits at some point. The copies were nowhere near his level, but their immortality was slowly getting to his nerves. Only his curiosity toward the inscription method kept him calm.

Still, King Elbas was losing face in front of the entire world to satisfy his curiosity. His grand and glorious return had turned into a messy battle where he couldn't come out as the winner with his base power.

It was with a bit of unwillingness that King Elbas decided to take the threat more seriously. A crimson spear appeared in his hand, and the air around the weapon burned when it touched its aura.

The world went silent when a weapon at the peak of the sixth rank made its appearance. Its power seemed to surpass what the heroic ranks could express, and Noah could sense the higher energy brimming inside its structure.

The spear's shape was quite simple. It only had one long blade on its tip, and its shaft was metallic. Yet, Noah knew how King Elbas created his higher energy, so he could see past those polished materials.

His dark star spun faster as his attention went on the spear. He could sense King Elbas in its fabric, and his expertise in the Elemental Forging method made him understand part of its core materials.

The sharp head felt like bones in his mind, and a faint smell of blood came out of the shaft. Other precious materials had fused with its structure, but Noah could confirm that King Elbas had used his body tissues as core materials.

That was what Noah had done many times in the past. Discovering that the two of them shared that type of creative process made him feel strange.

King Elbas didn't act. He kept his spear pointed at the ground and waited for his opponents' reaction. The truth was that he didn't want to attack with his inscribed weapon. He had already destroyed the region beyond recognition, so he tried to avoid making it more worthless.

Yet, the Patriarch of the Hive was a demon. He had chosen to waste an immense quantity of energy for the sole purpose of keeping the Royal at bay.

It didn't matter that the Hive had no hope of defending that territory. Chasing Demon had to show the price of attacking his domain, which turned out to be the region itself.

The Hive didn't need that land, but Chasing Demon would rather see it fall apart than ending in the hands of his enemies. If he couldn't have it, then no one could.

Nine figures appeared at that time on the charred land. Three copies of each rank 6 protector took form on the region's broken and burning surface and prepared their last suicidal attack.

King Elbas shook his head and let the spear fall. He didn't even throw it. His hand opened, and the powerful inscribed weapon began its descent.

Fire covered the spear as it fell downward. The copies didn't care about the weapon and unleashed everything they had on the cultivator flying above them.

Nevertheless, before their attacks or themselves could reach their opponent, the world turned red, reducing them into nothingness.

Some of the experts that were too close to the battle had to retreat once that scarlet radiance filled the environment. The spear had suddenly released its power, and everything in its range had fallen apart under its scorching pressure.

Then, when the weapon touched the ground, a massive fire rose and filled the entirety of the region. The flames even stopped at its borders and remained still as if they were a fiery defensive wall.