Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah had yet to become completely used to his divine powers, but he could rely on his instincts to understand how dangerous a situation was. When he inspected the three cultivators, he felt sure that they could defeat him if they worked together.

It wasn't only a matter of power. Noah's opponents had a vast battle experience, and they were already aware of the physical advantages of a hybrid.

'I wonder if they know about the higher energy in the Immortal Lands,' Noah wondered as corrosive smoke came out of his skin.

Noah didn't hesitate to activate the complete Demonic Form, but he held back from using his higher energy. He only filled his black vessels with dark matter once the fiendish armor covered his figure.

There was something strange about the whole situation. Noah didn't know how the trio had managed to catch up with him so soon, but he felt more surprised about their lack of worry.

The forest was a danger zone ruled by a powerful being, but the trio didn't hold back. The three cultivators didn't show any fear when they launched their attacks.

'What are they hiding?' Noah wondered as the corrosive cloud spread in the area.

The black smoke consumed the trees and ground as it expanded. Even those divine materials couldn't do anything against the might of the Demonic Form.

Zach, Gil, and Bertha revealed some concern when they studied the corrosive smoke. Zach had already seen that spell when Noah fought the tide, but he could realize how dangerous it was only now that it threatened to engulf him.

Gil summoned his ghostly wolves, and they shot inside the corrosive smoke. However, an unsightly expression appeared on his face when he lost contact with them.

His companions saw his reaction and accepted that they had to avoid Noah's spell. Yet, they didn't back out of that fight and summoned their techniques to deal with the threat.

Giant weapons came out of the ground. Zach summoned huge spears and swords made of black metal. They created a tall wall that tried to stop the expansion of the corrosive smoke.

Bertha's belly shrunk as multiple azure bubbles came out of her mouth. They descended toward the expanding cloud and exploded once they touched the corrosive smoke.

The shockwaves that followed the explosions pushed the cloud back and revealed its insides. Half on Noah's corrosive smoke vanished when that surge of energy spread, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Gil closed his eyes and crossed his legs as he sat in the sky. An army of ghostly wolves materialized next to him and opened their mouths as they pointed at the black cloud.

No sound came out of the wolves, but silent tremors swept the area after their gesture. Noah didn't manage to notice it before, but he could sense the matter shaking now that he was inside his corrosive smoke.

'That answers one of my questions,' Noah thought when he saw weapons coming out of the ground under him.

Zach had managed to target him after those tremors swept the area. Gil had to be the reason why the trio had managed to reach Noah so quickly.

Noah kicked the weapons rising toward him. The corrosive smoke had forced them to deplete part of their power, so his attack easily crushed the spell.

However, a series of azure bubbles converged in the part of the cloud above him and exploded, releasing shockwaves that destroyed the smoke and revealing him.

The trio could finally see their opponent again, and their eyes sharpened at the sight of his fiendish armor. A helmet that resembled the head of a dragon covered his head, and two long fangs came out of his pointy mouth. Scales covered the entirety of his body, and a long tail came out of his back.

Claws replaced the fingers of both hands and feet, but the corrosive smoke soon covered his figure again. The cloud reformed while the trio studied Noah's spell.

'Since they don't fear the leader of the forest,' Noah thought as he raised the Demonic Sword above his head, 'I don't see why I should hold back.'

The Demonic Sword trembled, and Noah waved it as soon as it amassed enough dark matter. A storm of black lines came out of the corrosive cloud and flew toward the three cultivators.

Zach, Gil, and Bertha promptly performed evasive maneuvers to dodge the slashes, but they felt forced to stop themselves when sharp black lines appeared on their path.

The entire area was in the range of Noah's consciousness, so he could make his sharpness explode anywhere he wanted. He didn't need to slash to launch his threatening attacks.

Black smoke spread from his slashes and created a second cloud. The three cultivators weren't able to dodge it, but they quickly deployed their defensive measures as they continued to retreat.

Zach, Gil, and Bertha separated as they escaped the corrosive smoke. Their white robes began to radiate a faint light that covered their figures and fended off Noah's spell, but that defense didn't manage to block the Demonic Form in time.

The corrosive smoke had managed to touch them before they could activate their inscribed robes, and bloodied injuries had replaced their skin in those spots. Moreover, black marks surrounded those wounds and expanded through their bodies.

Bertha didn't hesitate to cut away her infected tissues. A piece of her cheek separated from her body and released a violent shockwave when the energy that it contained spread in the environment.

The corrosive smoke had hit Zach on his arm, but the skin on that spot transformed into a black metal that stopped the poison.

Gil had been the slowest to react to Noah's spell. The corrosive smoke had consumed half of his left thigh and had infected what remained of it. The poison was even spreading toward his calf and waist, but he quickly acted to save his leg.

Some of his ghostly wolves flew toward him and ran through his leg. They took away part of the poison every time their crossed his limb, but they died after it spread inside them.

Noah didn't remain still while the trio dealt with the infection. He had initially decided to kill Bertha first due to the dangerousness of her attacks, but Gil became his main priority after he learnt about his tracking abilities.

Gil was still in the middle of saving his leg when he saw a shadow coming out of the second cloud. A large cut opened on his chest before he could even understand what had attacked him, and a dangerous sensation filled his mind when he sensed Noah's sharpness filling the air around him.

A black line materialized and threatened to cleave Gil in half, but a deafening howl suddenly came out of his body and destroyed the incoming attack.

Noah lowered his blade when he saw Gil's aura spreading in the environment. He could see the true meaning that it carried. The cultivator had activated the effects of his law.

'Resonance?' Noah thought when he saw Gil's law.

He couldn't find a better word to translate Gil's true meaning, but its effects soon became clear. The howl released by his body spread through the area and became more intense as the matter began to echo that sound.

Noah couldn't escape from that attack. The soundwave engulfed him and forced his tissues to tremble according to its rhythm.