Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah didn't feel strange or off. That simple gesture exchanged with Jordan had made him view the Legion under a perspective that he didn't consider before.

Humans and magical beasts couldn't offer him those interactions. Only hybrids could understand how desirable a drop of blood was and remain calm when someone liked it off their palm.

The action had lasted less than an instant, but it made Noah rethink Grace's words. She had spoken the truth, and Noah could understand it only now that he had experienced a second of life among existences like him.

Those thoughts didn't make Noah willing to throw away his desire for freedom, but they made him review his idea of the Legion. He felt more inclined to have that organization as an ally now.

Divine Demon couldn't understand what Noah was going through, and even June would struggle to sense that. The feeling of belonging to a species that they didn't even consider surprised Noah deeply.

'This is how everyone feels then,' Noah thought before following Divine Demon, who had already begun to walk toward the short mountain. 'I hope they don't do anything against me. It would be a pity to destroy them.'

The duo walked on the other side of the mountain, and an encampment unfolded in their vision. Simple tents made of rank 7 materials grew from the terrain and accommodated far more hybrids than expected.

The team they had seen before was only a small part of the whole platoon that had come to meet them. Noah could count more than thirty hybrids in the gaseous stage, twelve in the liquid stage, and five in the solid stage with his consciousness.

'How did they even manage to hide from my awareness?' Noah wondered, but his nose suddenly picked a faint scent that made everything clearer.

The scent created an invisible cloud that covered the entire encampment and remained on the hybrids' robes. Noah found it hard to lock his attention on the existences in the area, but that didn't stop him from pinpointing the source of the ability.

The scent came from one of the largest tents. One of the solid stage hybrids released it and hid the entire encampment with that ability.

The two hybrids that had fought together against Noah waited for the duo at the entrance of the encampment. Noah couldn't see any resentment in their eyes. He actually sensed that a faint trace of respect came out of their expressions.

"Let us accompany you to the team leader," The woman said as she took a step forward. "I hope you won't hold any grudge. We have to be wary of any outsider."

The duo didn't look at Divine Demon. They only addressed Noah with their words. It seemed that they didn't see the expert as an existence worthy of their attention.

Divine Demon didn't mind that. He was aware of how the three factions interacted. Both humans and magical beasts did the same when it came to existences belonging to different species.

Noah limited himself to nod, and the duo relaxed at that gesture. They even began to describe some aspects of the Legion after they told him their names.

James had short dark hair, dark eyes, and no beard. Elsie had long scarlet hair and similar dark eyes, and both of them were quite young-looking.

According to their words, they were among the new talents of the Legion. They were hybrids born directly into the higher plane, and that awarded them with a special treatment.

Just like Noah had confirmed with the Eternal Snakes, even the hybrids benefitted from growing up in the Immortal Lands. The higher plane's marvelous environments awarded them with greater potential due to the quality of nutrients they could provide.

James and Elsie had been in the higher plane since their birth, so they were the best possible hybrids in theory. Those who ascended from the Mortal Lands had a lower starting point compared to them.

The conversation then moved to the encampment. The duo explained how the Legion never sent hybrids into solitary missions because its priority was to preserve their lives.

The hybrids weren't a rare sight in the Immortal Lands, but they still shared the innate weaknesses placed by Heaven and Earth's fairness. They had low fertility, so any of them was a priceless asset in the Legion.

James and Elsie also explained how the Legion was in control of a few landing zones. That organization had fought for them in the past, and it had defended them until now. They were one of its primary sources of hybrids, so it was willing to wage wars to protect them.

As for the types of hybrids, James and Elsie couldn't give Noah a definitive answer. The Immortal Lands seemed to hold every kind of variant, so they had never bothered to study the small differences among them.

Only a few experts among the Legion could define the exact type of a hybrid. James and Elsie were like the natives of the other world with a human shape. They had fake dantians that fed on laws, but they didn't have individualities.

As for Noah, they labeled him as one of the strongest types of hybrid. He had a physical might that surpassed magical beasts and an individuality. That made his existence hard to improve but also gave him more power.

The only type that could match him was his direct opposite, hybrids who had individualities inside beast bodies. They were less common than Noah's type, but the Legion had many of them nonetheless.

According to the duo's words, those existences lived in the Outer Lands around the magical beasts' domain due to their aspect. Most of them were members of the region, but they operated in those creatures' territory because it was easier for them to mix among the fauna.

James and Elsie led Noah and Divine Demon toward a big tent that belonged to the team leader. The expert arrived after the two hybrids left, and he revealed his name before gesturing to the duo to sit on a praying mat that covered the habitation's floor.

The leader's name was Ian. He was a middle-aged man with short blonde hair and red eyes that shone with a darker glow than Divine Demon. He took a jug of wine from his space-ring once they all sat, but his face didn't show any trace of kindness. He was only polite.

"You wanted to talk," Ian said as he filled three cups.

Noah glanced at Divine Demon. He didn't have any specific questions to ask Ian. Meeting the Legion was his idea.

"There is a place in the Outer Lands that I want to visit," Divine Demon said as he picked one cup and raised it to his mouth.

"I'm not sure I can help," Ian replied. "The Legion doesn't handle transports. I can only organize an escort for the right price."

"Only the Legion can help me reach this place," Divine Demon continued when he lowered his cup. "I know that some of your members consider it sacred even."

Ian's eyes widened at those words, but he maintained his composure. He even refilled Divine Demon's cup as he waited for him to continue.

"I know that you show it to your important members," Divine Demon continued. "I want you to make an exception for us."