Birth of the Demonic Sword

King Elbas' decision angered the other leaders who held a long meeting that delayed the sixth group battle by a few months.

The meeting's outcome disappointed the alliance's leaders since King Elbas didn't want to acknowledge their complaints. It was his mission, so he didn't want to bring anyone he didn't find worthy.

Chasing Demon could quickly get over the matter since it didn't affect the Hive personally, but Great Elder Diana's anger couldn't fade so quickly.

The mission at the center of the plane involved raw laws. They could improve any powerhouse that absorbed them. Refusing one of the Council's experts was akin to putting a limit to her growth.

Still, Great Elder Diana couldn't do much about that situation. King Elbas had been clear about Elder Laura. She wasn't ready in his opinion.

The tournament eventually resumed, and Skully and True Speed rejoined the battlefield. Elder Paul filled the Council's spot, and Second Princess took care of the Elbas family's side.

Elder Paul was the third and last new powerhouse of the Council. He was the youngest member of the higher-ups, and his youthful appearance proved that.

He was short and quite slim. Long black hair fell on his shoulders, and his pair of blue eyes reflected their light on the world. His dark skin had many white marks due to the numerous scars that filled his body.

His cultivation level appeared to be at the bottom of the sixth rank, but his battle style carried some peculiarity.

As soon as the battle began, Elder Paul uncovered his right arm to show a beating mass that covered most of his limb. That pile of superfluous reddish tissues was uneven, and it didn't resemble anything in nature.

Noah's eyes lit up at that sight. He could vaguely understand what that mass was, and he couldn't help but feel interested in the studies behind its creation.

The mass became redder as Elder Paul summoned a series of fiery lions that formed an offensive array in front of him. The flames that made the creatures reacted to that change of color and became denser.

It was as if the mass was a new organ that interacted directly with Elder Paul's spells. The denser flames also obtained some violent feature, making them quite similar to those of some magical beasts.

Noah had no more doubts at that scene. The mass was an attempt to make a living weapon, even if the Council had pushed the study toward a different field.

Thirty-seven and Noah's living weapons used specific organs to replicate a creature's innate abilities. Their modifications improved the skill and made it a useful tool for cultivators.

Instead, Elder Paul's living weapon appeared fused with his body. That wasn't a proper hybridization. Instead, it resembled what Noah had done with his fourth center of power.

The lions' shape appeared unstable, but they charged at Second Princess without hesitation or falling apart. Skully supported Elder Paul with her mental waves, and True Speed joined them in their ganging on the Royal.

Second Princess did the same as her brother. She relied on her inscribed items to handle the defenses while she went all-out with her spells.

Her inscribed items appeared to be weaker and fewer in number. The lion's flames often pierced her defenses and threatened to burn her only to crash on another protection.

Skully's mental waves managed to pierce her defenses too. They acted as an invisible force that created a path through the golden light and flames protecting the Royal.

Both Elder Paul and True Speed exploited her efforts by sending spells whenever Skully opened a path. Second Princess ended up in a poor position relatively quickly, and a few injuries eventually appeared on her body.

Determination surged in the Royal's expression at some point. Losing in that way would make her the weakest among King Elbas' underlings, and she wanted to avoid that outcome.

Second Princess threw many talismans while the relentless offensive of her opponents continued. They activated attacks and defenses that gave her the time to prepare a stronger spell.

The unstable lions crashed on a series of giant fiery snakes and didn't manage to advance. True Speed's lightning bolts slammed on tall walls that created many defensive layers between him and his opponent.

Skully tried her best to create a path among the flames, but one of the talismans had similar effects to the white halo and made her lose connection with her mental waves.

Second Princess used her fingers to create holes at the centers of her palms. The blood that flowed out of her injuries fused with her flames and transformed them into phoenix-like creatures.

Her primary target was Elder Paul since he was the biggest threat. His flames were too threatening with the enhancement of his horrid additional organ. The Royal would win as long as she managed to defeat him.

Elder Paul's living weapon became redder as he generated a wave of violent flames that took the form of a tall roaring lion. The creature didn't spit flames, but its fangs and claws resembled fiery swords when it bit and scratched at the phoenixes.

Skully used her mental waves to hinder the movements of the phoenixes once her consciousness unfolded again. Second Princess' attacks couldn't hit the Elder with that focus.

However, Second Princess continued to throw fireballs like a madman. The attacks transformed into phoenixes once they consumed her blood, and her complexion paled as she continued to pour more of it in her spells.

True Speed couldn't do much in that situation, and he didn't want to go all-out before his other opponents turned on him. There wasn't any attack coming at him, but he couldn't pierce the thick flames that had appeared in the Royal's defense.

The expert of the Shandal Empire decided to wait for someone to concede since everyone was ignoring him. He preferred to let them waste their energies rather than helping in defeating one of them.

The pressure on him was immense. His performance would decide if the Empire could return to the new continent, which was what every organization outside of it desired.

The mission at the center of the plane was only a bonus to him. Ensuring a future for the Empire while it lacked its God was the best he could do for his organization.

Such loyalty made him wait until Second Princess became exhausted and conceded before turning into a lightning bolt and charging at Skully.

The rank 6 Ape had used most of her focus on protecting Elder Paul, but her consciousness was still around her. The sparks surrounding the expert's body vanished right before he could reach Skully's skin.

True Speed kicked Skully anyway. His feet landed on her arm, and his claws pierced her skin when he curved his fingers.

Another wave of lightning bolts gathered on his legs and entered Skully's body through the claws still stabbed in her skin. That attack was hard to handle, and Skully could only concede since Elder Paul didn't manage to help her sooner.

Only Elder Paul and True Speed remained on the battlefield at that point. The army of lions shot toward Empire's expert, but he dodged everything coming in his way.

Elder Paul could only deploy defensive spells since True Speed launched lightning bolts whenever he stopped. His battle style imitated Great Elder Diana, but he had far less grace and control than her.

The battle continued for a while until smoke started to come out of Elder Paul's living weapon. That was the signal that it had reached its limits, which forced the expert of the Council to rely on normal unenhanced abilities.

True Speed could finally make use of the superior qualities of his partial hybrid body. He launched an endless number of lightning bolts toward his opponent until the latter was out of energy.

Elder Paul had to concede in front of the hybrid's stamina. He had already fought for an entire day, using spells worthy of a powerhouse. He couldn't keep going on anymore.

True Speed could finally claim a victory, and King Elbas acknowledged his prowess. As for the Empire, it gained the old poisonous swamp on the eastern coast.