Birth of the Demonic Sword

"How is that even a formation?" King Elbas complained. "That's a spell fueled by your cultivation level. It doesn't even count as an inscription."

"Are you questioning my methods?" Divine Demon replied as an arrogant expression appeared on his face. "I didn't use my "Breath". My consciousness has transformed the matter of the world and has given it the shape that I desired. It's exactly what you did. I only wasted fewer materials."

"I have used countless minute meanings and fused hundreds of materials," King Elbas complained again. "How can you even compare my creation to this?!"

"You have so much to learn in this area," Divine Demon replied as he looked toward a random spot in the distance. "The world must be your canvas if you want to use its true potential."

"You don't even know the name of this area!" King Elbas complained one last time before giving up on the matter.

Even if Divine Demon had basically cheated, King Elbas couldn't argue against his creation. The whirlpool performed better than his formation, so he had to admit defeat in the first round of their challenge.

"It's time for the puppets," King Elbas said. "Your spells won't help you now."

The whirlpool disappeared before countless materials came out of King Elbas' space-ring. Various metals with different properties melted and fused under the Royal's strict control.

His golden flames leaked out of his body to surround the materials with a scorching membrane that altered their nature. The metals transformed during that process, and a tall figure soon came out of the fiery shell.

The figure depicted a tall version of Divine Demon. It was incredibly lifelike, and it even imitated his expressions.

The puppet then bowed toward his creator. King Elbas stepped on its back and used it as a platform to stand higher than his opponent. He even jumped a few times to show its sturdiness.

Divine Demon supported his jaw as he studied the item. He didn't care that King Elbas had intentionally tried to mock him. The light radiated by his red eyes intensified as he tried to find a way to win that challenge.

His influence spread again into the environment when Divine Demon found a solution to his problem. His aura covered the ground and the sky, transforming the matter into particles of "Breath" of the water element.

Those particles began to flow and converge near Divine Demon. A massive figure slowly formed, and the hybrids in the distance couldn't help but laugh when they saw its odd shape.

Divine Demon had also created a taller version of King Elbas, but his puppet's proportions were completely off. Its head was as big as the rest of its body, but its crown was so small that its hair hid most of it.

The puppet performed a bow toward Divine Demon before it raised one of its legs and started to spin on itself. Divine Demon patted its head after it completed a few rotations, and a happy expression appeared on its face.

King Elbas didn't know what to say. Divine Demon had cheated again, in his opinion. He didn't use any actual material to build that puppet. The world had given him special water and rearranged it to create something slightly better than his opponent's product.

Divine Demon wasn't even doing much. He only expanded his aura, and the world did everything else. King Elbas didn't know how he could beat that. There didn't seem to be a limit to the Demon's individuality.

"I have already won, don't I?" Divine Demon said as his puppet broke and fell toward the ground. "I can give you the chance to win if you want. Let's say that the winner of the last round will win the entire challenge."

King Elbas snorted, but he didn't dare to refuse. He stored the puppet as golden flames flowed out of his body and fused with his mental energy to create a large vortex. Materials came out of his space-ring and fell into that spinning structure. Their bodies melted as King Elbas raised his hand and tightened his fist.

The vortex began to shrink. Its flames condensed into a fist-sized sphere that radiated immense energy. Its power seemed to surpass the limits of middle tier items. It went beyond that stage, into the realm of the upper tier.

The sphere slowly morphed. A sharp tip and a handle came out from its edges. King Elbas' flames took the shape of a golden sword in the upper tier, and the expert didn't hesitate to wield it.

King Elbas waved the sword toward the sky, and a massive fiery slash came out of its tip. Noah couldn't hide his surprise at that sight. The Royal had created a weapon in the upper tier in less than ten seconds.

As the blade crumbled, King Elbas' curiosity skyrocketed. His mind temporarily forgot about the challenge and focused on his creation. His eyes inspected the shards that fell from the swords and continued to watch that spot even after his hand became empty.

King Elbas had surpassed himself in that challenge. Creating something at that level in such a short time wasn't normal, especially for an expert in the liquid stage.

Even with his expertise, King Elbas needed a long time to create powerful items. Yet, he had managed to build a disposable inscribed weapon in a few seconds during the challenge.

Winning or losing suddenly didn't matter anymore. King Elbas only felt the bliss coming from his success in that procedure. It didn't matter if Divine Demon created something better again. The Royal had already obtained what he wanted.

Divine Demon also had to make his individuality improve. His law required victories, so he couldn't stop even if King Elbas had started to ignore him.

His aura expanded again. Mental energy flowed into the environment and transformed it into a mass of "Breath" that listened only to Divine Demon.

The expert stretched his arm, and the "Breath" gathered toward his palm. The various particles of "Breath" of the water element morphed to take the shape of a blade that shone with an azure glow.

The glow slowly changed color. It became white as more energy accumulated into the blade. It seemed that Divine Demon's individuality was making him obtain the same higher energy that the expert had used against Boss Van.

King Elbas glanced at Divine Demon when he sensed the energy radiated by the blade. The Royal had been the first to create the higher energy in his lower plane, so he couldn't fail to recognize it.

A short sigh came out of his mouth. Divine Demon had won again, and King Elbas couldn't even understand how he had lost. The Demon's individuality defied reason. It was what the Royal's curiosity hated the most.

"Come," King Elbas said. "Take my life. Avenge your disciple."

Divine Demon tightened his grasp on the white sword and neared King Elbas. The tip of his blade landed at the center of the Royal's forehead, and King Elbas didn't even try to avoid it.

A drop of fiery blood flowed out of King Elbas' forehead when the blade pierced his skin. Still, Divine Demon didn't push it deeper into his skull.

"You let my heir live," Divine Demon said. "I won't call you ally, but you aren't my enemy."

The white sword crumbled after those words. Divine Demon looked deep into King Elbas' eyes before heaving a deep sigh. A tinge of melancholy appeared on his expression, but a broad smile soon hid it.

"Besides," Divine Demon said as he turned to fly toward Noah's group, "You are already my heir's subordinate. Why would I even hurt his power?"

King Elbas felt glad that Divine Demon didn't kill him, but anger quickly replaced that feeling.

"I'm no one's subordinate!" King Elbas shouted, but Divine Demon had already stopped listening to him.