Birth of the Demonic Sword

The powerhouses poured everything into their offensive. Their attacks took the acc.u.mulation of their life experiences and threw it at King Elbas.

The divine bracelet kept the Royal stuck inside that harmless world. King Elbas found himself unable to launch attacks while that aura surrounded him.

However, the bracelet didn't affect the powerhouses' attacks. They seeped inside that peculiar area and crashed on the restrained flames.

Countless explosions resounded inside the dark world. Noah and the others didn't limit themselves to launch only one wave of attacks. They pressed on for as long as the divine bracelet lasted.

They had to make sure that King Elbas didn't survive. That was their last chance to win the battle, and they didn't dare to waste it.

The golden halo radiated by King Elbas dimmed as the attacks continued to land on his defenses. The powerhouses submerged him with everything they had.

The divine bracelet depleted its power after half an hour. Noah's group never stopped attacking during that period, and they didn't slow down even after the peculiar aura vanished.

Noah retrieved the bracelet as he kept on slashing toward King Elbas' position. The disturbances inside the dark world were too intense, so even he didn't know if their offensive was working. Still, he continued to press on.

"Are you done?!" An angry voice eventually resounded from the spot where the powerhouses' offensive had converged.

A golden halo seeped out of the array of spells and dark matter, and tongues of flames shot outward to burn everything converging in that area.

The flames continued to spread until half of the dark world burned into nothingness. The golden halo that they radiated soon dimmed after the fire stopped expanding, and the powerhouses could see King Elbas again at that point.

The Royals' leader's condition was poor. His technique didn't cover his body anymore, and severe wounds filled him.

King Elbas was still in one piece, but a large chunk of the skin on his torso had disappeared. Noah and the others could stare directly at his churning muscles and bleeding organs.

His face was a mess too. King Elbas' cheeks had caved in, and most of his silver hair had disappeared. Part of the skin on his almost bald head had also vanished, and his skull was visible to everyone.

Blood flowed out from large wounds on his limbs. King Elbas had lost his clothes during the assault, so the group could see the gravity of the injuries that filled his body.

If their opponent were any other powerhouse, Noah and the others would consider that outcome as a victory. Yet, King Elbas was too threatening even in that condition, so they decided to pressed on with their offensive.

King Elbas' body was the fuel of his flames. With his tissues in that condition, his higher energy wouldn't have enough materials to burn.

The golden flames endured the new wave of attacks for a while, but King Elbas eventually spat a few mouthfuls of blood before bending to cough.

His fire started to retreat at that point. His higher energy began to lose power, and the techniques landing on it managed to destabilize its structure.

The mighty flames had begun to lose ground against the powerhouses' offensive. King Elbas wasn't untouchable anymore!

Hope spread among the group of powerhouses. That was their moment. The efforts of an entire world had finally managed to bring King Elbas to his limits!

Smiles appeared on the powerhouses' stern expressions. They could feel their victory nearing. Sacrificing almost all of the new continent had led to that once in a lifetime chance.

Only Noah didn't let his emotions take control of him. Coldness came out of his figure and flowed inside his slashes. His mind couldn't think of anything but to kill that fearsome opponent.

King Elbas stopped coughing and straightened himself before his eyes went on the tight array of attacks that was pushing back his flames. Part of the light radiated by his golden eyes dimmed, and a tired expression appeared on his face.

For the first time since the beginning of the battle, King Elbas considered the possibility that he could lose. Part of him justified the event since his opponent was an entire world, but there was a thought inside his mind that became more intense as his defenses continued to fall.

King Elbas had always been arrogant, but that feeling had many miraculous achievements as its foundation. The Royal had never been delusional. His same life was proof that he truly was the best.

However, he acknowledged that there were other beings as exceptional as him. King Elbas was the best inscription master in the world, but he wasn't the first to carry that title.

The world was full of monsters, and every new generation brought young talents into the cultivation journey. The sixth rank was the peak of a lower plane, but it was a crowded spot.

King Elbas' eyes went past the attacks that besieged his flames to search for a cultivator among the group of powerhouses. His mind stopped thinking about unnecessary things when he saw cold vertical pupils staring at him without radiating any superfluous emotions.

Noah's focus on him was pure. It didn't carry any hatred or ambition. He didn't let anything that could affect his prowess occupy his mind.

That was pure dedication toward his goal, and King Elbas didn't fail to notice it. His eyes widened as Noah's devotion made him remember something that he had forgotten during his path toward the peak of the heroic ranks.

"Cultivators must be ready to sacrifice themselves to reach their goals," King Elbas shouted as his flames fell apart. "I have been so focused on being the best in this plane that I've forgotten a simple lesson."

King Elbas' words echoed through the dark world even if the attacks' explosions tried to suppress them. The other sounds didn't affect them in the slightest.

Noah felt a chill running down his spine when those words reached his ears, but he didn't let them affect his attacks. There was only one thought in his mind. He had to finish King Elbas to put an end to that crisis.

"This is only one of many planes," King Elbas said as a sigh escaped his mouth.

Blood continued to flow out of his injuries as his defenses crumbled. The attacks had almost destroyed all the flames around him, but the Royal didn't show any fear.

"I've been too arrogant," King Elbas continued. "I thought that being the best here meant that I had nothing else to learn from a lower plane. I was wrong."

After that line, King Elbas' flames stopped losing their ground. The powerhouses still attacked with the same intensity as before, but the fire didn't crumble anymore.

"A worm can teach a dragon how to crawl," King Elbas said, "And an old monster can remember a core aspect of the cultivation journey from the youngest of the demons."

Noah attacked with even more fury as fear filled his mind. His black hole continued to push him beyond his limits, and his slashing speed increased as the black world resonated with his worries.

"Thank you, Noah Balvan," King Elbas said as he lifted his left arm. "Thank you for reminding me what it means to sacrifice everything to reach your goal."

King Elbas' arm suddenly took fire, and those flames left his torso to fuse with the golden sea around him.

The powerhouses' attacks began to burn, and tongues of flames followed the trails of energy they released until they reached the group. The experts had to cut their connection with their techniques to prevent the fire from landing on them.

The golden flames around King Elbas began to burn with even more intensity than before. The power they radiated was so intense that the dark matter in the area burned at the simple contact with their aura.

The dark world dispersed, and only a small dark cloud continued to cover the group of powerhouses. The rest of the sky belonged to King Elbas' flames.

***

Note: read the author's thoughts.