Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah didn't let panic fill his mind. He had understood something after Steven's answer. The expert seemed to found his law on determination, and its broad meaning didn't put a limit to his abilities.

'It resembles Divine Demon's law,' Noah thought while the air fought against his body and tried to limit his movements. 'I only need to find his restrictions now.'

Laws that could take multiple features and empower different abilities usually had harsh requirements and limits.

King Elbas could study and create almost everything, but he had acc.u.mulated knowledge and expertise for countless years to reach that point. His research wasn't over either. His law required constant efforts.

Noah had to build his potential through achievements. He could acc.u.mulate part of it through normal training, but only incredible feats gave him enough power to ignore the gaps among ranks.

Divine Demon could invent new abilities on the spot, but he didn't remember anything. He also had to throw away his old techniques in the past to go all-out with that approach.

Steven seemed to fall in the same field. His determination most likely had a steep price to pay. After all, the expert had reached a nigh-immortal state during the last exchanges.

"Your determination to strike doesn't seem to amount to much," Noah mocked Steven while moving his arm through the pressure.

"That's because I have yet to strike," Steven announced before snapping his fingers.

The pressure around Noah's body suddenly intensified and became a proper attack. He felt as if countless needless had suddenly appeared on his skin. The dark matter and black roots didn't even notice them. They couldn't sense it.

Noah's eyes widened when he saw many red dots appearing on his skin. The invisible needles were piercing his innate defenses. They had yet to reach the muscles, but it was clear that they had the power to hurt him.

Moving away from his position didn't help. Noah tried to fly in different directions, but the needles remained above him. They existed together with his body.

"The determination to close every distance!" Steven shouted while clapping his hands.

A mouthful of blood suddenly flowed inside Noah's mouth. Something had hit his insides, but he didn't even sense the arrival of the attack.

"The determination to spread fear inside my enemies!" Steven shouted, and his voice became a shrill noise that seeped inside Noah's mind.

Part of his black mental energy started to change color. Noah saw yellow shades spreading through his thoughts and giving birth to fear. His mind didn't even see them as products of a foreign power. Steven had managed to turn part of his consciousness against him.

"You lack determination," Steven announced as a disappointed sigh escaped his mouth.

The needles continued to pierce Noah's skin, but he remained calm. He had started to understand something about that power, especially that he couldn't face it without going all-out.

Noah's ambition exploded as his centers of power started to improve. They soon stepped into the last stage and tier of the eighth rank, and the innate influence flowing out of his figure began to open cracks through Steven's domain.

"You dare to talk about determination with me," Noah growled as his mouth spat dark flames. "I'll say this only once. I need the location. I won't stop until you give it up."

"What makes you think that a mere increase of powe-?" Steven wanted to ask a question, but the dark world suddenly expanded and suppressed his words.

Noah looked at his skin. The needles had disappeared, but their timing had been quite strange. They didn't vanish after deploying the dark world or when his centers of power stepped into the superior stage and tier. They stopped attacking his skin once he decided to go all-out.

'I see,' Noah thought. 'He went all-out, so I had to do the same to match his blows. He must have been willing to die during the previous exchanges. It would explain why I didn't manage to hurt him.'

Noah wasn't completely sure about his ideas, but he didn't hesitate to test them. Night quickly left the separate space and flew through the dark world to reach the expert. Meanwhile, Noah set his mind on his greed.

Nothing could beat his d.e.s.i.r.e for power. Noah was willing to sacrifice his body to increase his battle prowess. He had already done it in the past, and he wouldn't mind doing it again.

Night reached the expert in an instant, and a happy cry resounded inside Noah's mind when the creature disappeared. The Pterodactyl had successfully fused with Steven's law at that time, and the feat didn't depend on its power.

Noah had only empowered his centers of power. He didn't use his ambition for his companions, so Night was using its normal middle tier prowess. Yet, Steven's skin didn't oppose the creature.

A cut suddenly opened on Steven's c.h.e.s.t. The expert shot a surprised glance at the wound, but a satisfied expression quickly appeared on his face.

Steven clapped his hands, and a large area of the dark world fell apart. He became able to speak again, but he found no reason to do it.

An army of upper tier six-armed dragons slowly came out of the dense sea. The creatures encircled Steven before filling the entire area with black flames.

'They aren't hurting him,' Noah thought before the dark world sent a series of spectacular images to his mind.

An oval barrier had appeared around Steven. The defense protected him from the flames and gave him enough time to cast his next ability.

Steven crossed his arms around his c.h.e.s.t before spreading them with a sharp movement. The oval defense suddenly expanded and destroyed all the dragons around him before reaching the dark world and shattering its fabric.

Noah saw his technique falling apart, but his figure promptly shot ahead. He waved his swords non-stop as a rain of dark slashes converged toward Steven.

The slashes were singularities, but their nature had evolved. The training during the seclusion had forced him to prioritize the final attack contained in Sword Saint's memories, which required a change in his previous techniques.

The normal singularities were powerful, but Noah's ambition had obtained new predominant features after the fusion with the Devils. His greed and pride had become as intense as his destruction and creation, which forced him to involve them in his offensive.

The features of his law had given the singularities a new shape. They weren't all-vanquishing attacks that left nothing behind anymore. They had retained their previous power, but they had obtained a stronger influence.

Moreover, they actively devoured the energy in the sky now. Noah's pride would turn everything around them into energy that obeyed them, while his greed gave them an innate suction force. In theory, his slashes could fly forever.

The rain of slashes grew in size as it crossed the sky and devoured every speck of energy on its trail. Steven summoned the barrier again, but black lines appeared on his technique as the attacks drew near.

Noah's influence had already reached the barrier. He only needed his attacks to touch it to activate the instabilities inside it.

Steven mustered his determination, but a tinge of disbelief suddenly spread through his mind. His law made him s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to his opponents' will, and staring at the slashes had given him insights into Noah's willpower.

The expert could sense that Noah's determination was incredible. He could almost see scenes from his youth materializing in his vision.

Noah's determination was undeniable. He might not be a perfect leader, but he was the best expert for the war against Heaven and Earth. Also, his character made him unable to bow, so it would be impossible to turn him into an underling.

"I'll tell you!" Steven suddenly shouted, and Noah promptly forced his slashes to disperse.