Birth of the Demonic Sword

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom

The giant continued to launch its violent offensive toward the group. Its size was a problem since its enormous limbs were always in the path toward its chest.

Noah was at the edge of the shields created by the defensive items. Golden light, wind-slashes, lightning bolts, and so on filled his vision, but he paid attention only to the giant's movements.

Its fists, invisible limbs, and tail landed on the shields, but the puppet didn't have a battle style. Its offensive was only a violent succession of attacks.

Still, it didn't show any openings. Noah had to consider the path toward the center of its chest too, so he needed a long opportunity to land his blow.

The ice that spread from its feet wasn't a problem, but he didn't have a long weapon like King Elbas. Noah would have to enter the dense aura around its body if he wanted to touch it directly.

Tension mounted among the group, but no one dared to speak. Noah needed to focus, and the experts could only rely on his individuality to save their lives.

Noah crouched, and his dark star spun to send power to his legs. He didn't leap just yet, but he wanted to be ready for when an opportunity arrived.

Cracks spread on King Elbas' golden shield as the offensive continued. The giant never stopped attacking, and the protections eventually started to deplete their power.

The golden shield fell, and the attacks began to land on the array of lightning bolts. They eventually vanished too, and the task of protecting the group went on the wind-slashes.

"Don't activate anything else!" Noah shouted when the attacks began to land on the Princes and Princess' shields.

The experts wanted to activate more talismans and inscribed items to gain more time, but Noah needed the giant to expose itself. The closer its attacks were to the group, the more the path toward its chest would be free.

True Speed and Elder Paul gulped when they saw their companions stopping their actions. Those that weren't managing defenses turned toward Noah and waited for him to act.

The golden shields crumbled, and the three Royals turned toward Noah. The layer of ice fell, and Flying Demon sat on the metal to wait for Noah's grand gesture.

As every defense fell, the experts turned to look at Noah. They had more items ready, but they didn't activate them to let him work in peace.

Brown beast-like puppets crumbled under the violent gales spewed by the giant's tail. The last defense crumbled, and Elder Regina turned toward Noah as the fierce currents in the magma landed on the group.

The giant followed that attack with its fists, and its invisible limbs retracted in the meantime. Its tail retreated too as it charged another attack, and Noah finally saw an opportunity appearing in his vision.

Noah leaped as the two fists fell toward the group. His figure swam right between the giant's arms and pierced the dense aura that covered its body.

The aura applied heavy pressure on Noah's body as he landed on the giant's metallic chest. The experts on the ground activated their defensive items to block the incoming fists, but Noah acted before the protections formed.

Noah's ambition surged and flowed inside the puppet's structure. The group saw the fists stopping mid-air before the entire giant exploded into a storm of metallic pieces.

The explosion created a large empty area that the yellow magma refilled in an instant. The powerhouses on the ground kept their defenses active only to lower them when they saw no more strange shapes rising from the landmass.

They had defeated the fourth guardian, but they couldn't be pleased about that result since none of them could see Noah. The explosion had flung him away.

"I'll complete this mission with you," Chasing Demon conveyed through the magma, "But mark my word. If the Demon Prince doesn't return to the Hive, none of us will."

His message was for King Elbas, but no one from the Elbas family replied to that threat. Instead, the one to complain came from the Shandal Empire's side.

"You can't expect us to remain here until we find him," God's Left Hand said. She knew that Noah had just saved their lives, but she had already given up on the matter.

Noah was nowhere near them, and cultivators couldn't rely on their consciousness in that environment. The group didn't have any method to look for him, and she thought that the same went for Noah.

"The Patriarch doesn't expect you to do anything," Flying Demon said, and his lover promptly finished his line as she stepped forward. "He is saying that you want to find him if you care about your life."

The atmosphere among the group became tense as the Demons stated their position on the matter. Elder Julia only needed to move next to Dreaming Demon to express her stance too.

The Royals didn't say anything, but Great Elder Diana felt the need to make her stance clear to her ally. "I'm going to help you, but I will leave if we can't find him."

Chasing Demon didn't answer her, but a familiar voice suddenly reached the group and eased the tension that had built in those few seconds.

"I need another inscribed robe," Noah said as he descended toward the landmass. "Mine broke during the explosion."

Noah's figure slowly became visible to the experts on the ground. His robe was mostly gone, and the protective runes had vanished, making the magma affect his skin.

However, Noah's body fended off the heat efficiently. Some red spot appeared on his skin, but the magma's scorching properties didn't manage to injure him deeply.

Chasing Demon showed a proud smile as he saw Noah landing among them. He quickly handed him one of his spare robes, and Noah wore it right in front of the experts.

Every powerhouse there was more than a thousand years old. Noah was the only one still below the nine hundred years mark. None of them minded the sight of his naked body. Their thoughts pondered over the strangeness of his return.

They couldn't explain how he had found his way back to them. After all, losing themselves was the greatest danger in that environment.

"Don't use human standards to evaluate me," Noah said when he felt those curious gazes on him.

The truth was that he had been quite lucky. The explosion had fended off the radiations, so his consciousness had been able to spread again for a short time.

Noah had lied about his abilities, and the experts could vaguely notice that. Yet, none of them questioned him about his methods out of respect for his last gesture.

He had saved their lives in the end. They couldn't disrespect him by inquiring on how he could keep track of where he was.

Accepting that answer made room for another feeling. The experts had sensed Noah's boundless ambition before the last exchanges with the giant, and they couldn't help but look at him differently now.

The Demons and Elder Julia already knew about that feature in his individuality, but the others could only marvel at his drive's intensity.

The powerhouses finally understood a large part of Noah's mindset. They became aware of the reasons behind his past actions. The story of his cultivation journey had instantly become far more profound now that they knew about his ambition.

A strong drive was necessary to advance in the cultivation world, but Noah's ambition was so intense that it felt almost binding. He could only move forward. Everything in his life had to bring him closer to his goal.

Their reactions varied. True Speed and Elder Paul felt inspired, but the more experienced powerhouses sensed a tinge of pity rising inside them.

Noah lived for power. His main focus always had to be his growth. A life spent like that wasn't worth living for those that had many interests.

The experts even marveled at how he had managed to maintain a relationship through the years, but they vaguely understood something when they realized who his partner was.

Nevertheless, they all became sure of one thing. Noah would advance as long as he lived. For some reason, they even became certain that he would ascend one day.