Birth of the Demonic Sword

Snore had evolved and had developed new attacks after the breakthrough, but its feathers remained its strongest assets. Its structure had also improved after the dark world gained access to a superior form of dark matter, so the power contained in those giant weapons had become unfathomable.

Snore was the expression of the dark world's destructiveness, and its feathers could discharge that massive power in a single attack. Dinia and the others only had the time to deploy everything they had to protect their worlds before falling prey to the raging currents generated by that ability.

The feathers unleashed pure destruction that transformed into a proper storm. Nothing the experts did could put an end to that event. Snore could unleash a catastrophe inside the very sky, and Heaven and Earth didn't have enough power to stop it even after awakening. Everything simply shattered after touching the raging currents that continued to expand on the battlefield.

Caesar remained the only asset capable of avoiding falling prey to Snore's innate ability. He retreated and watched that destruction expanding among the sky, but his eyes flickered when he noticed what Noah was doing. A happy smirk even appeared on his face as he confirmed that everything was going according to his plan.

The cultivators inside the storms couldn't do much. Their energy shattered as soon as it tried to leave their figures, so they limited themselves to defensive abilities. Three more improved experts died in that environment, but the others managed to survive, even if they suffered severe injuries in the process.

It took a while, but the storms eventually dispersed and allowed the whiteness to illuminate the area again. Dinia and the others didn't let to lower their guards once the light shone on their figures. They prepared themselves for the imminent clash, but they only saw a series of fiendish figures ready to charge ahead. The dark world had disappeared, and the same went for their opponents.

"Caesar!" Dinia shouted when he realized what had happened.

"What?" Caesar chuckled in front of the evident anger of his companion.

"Why did you let him escape?" Dinia complained.

"Let him?" Caesar asked. "He escaped on his own, using the very power that you all feared he would obtain. It's up to you to catch him now."

"Why are you like this?" Dinia questioned. "I know that you have the power to ignore Heaven and Earth's fairness. Why didn't you help us?"

"I often wonder how you all even fail to see this," Caesar sighed. "Heaven and Earth will only turn into an all-devouring monster if we let them continue on their path. They need to evolve past their current state, and that requires a worthy opponent."

"What will it be of us once they evolve?" Dinia continued. "Do you want to turn into a mere puppet so badly?"

"You have witnessed how Defying Demon's world works," Caesar chuckled. "He needs to complete his path to teach Heaven and Earth better ways to handle their massive power. The rulers must evolve so that we can evolve with them."

"You are trying to tamper with their world," Dinia stated as understanding dawned upon his mind.

"That among other things," Caesar announced while spreading his arms to bathe in the light that had filled the scene. "Can you sense it? The strings of fate are falling apart. True freedom is about to descend on all of us."

Dinia wanted to question Caesar some more, but the fiendish figures charged ahead and forced his group to repel them.

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.

.

Noah had used the chaos created by Snore's feathers to shrink the dark world and escape inside the sky. It wasn't a problem for him to reactivate the properties of the dark metal. He could even replicate them without depleting the actual material. Still, he needed to make Heaven and Earth lose track of his position, which required everything he had.

The rulers had awakened after the chaos unleashed inside the sky, and Noah knew that his body wouldn't be able to endure his full power for long. His dark matter could reinforce his overall structure, but the issue remained. His fabric remained squeezed among numerous forces that it couldn't endure.

Noah knew that he probably had enough power to defeat Dinia and the other privileged cultivators. However, the effort would leave him drained, and he didn't know if his body could last throughout the process. Moreover, his situation didn't change. He was still inside the sky, and everything had worsened after Heaven and Earth's awakening.

Escaping sounded like the only possible solution, but Heaven and Earth had left their dormant state now. Noah wasn't sure whether the dark metal would keep his presence hidden since it still created a black spot among the whiteness of the sky. In theory, the rulers could find his location as long as they studied what they couldn't sense.

Noah didn't actually know if his current power could grant him the chance to escape, but he had a vague idea that he didn't hesitate to test while roaming across the sky. Heaven and Earth had tried to seal a deal with him, so he believed that they would attempt to obtain what they wanted anyway.

The tests didn't take long to prove Noah right. The sky brightened, and teleports lit up whenever he tried to move in a direction that Heaven and Earth disapproved. He kept track of his movements during the escape, so he could understand where the rulers wanted him to go.

The environment of the sky made that process difficult, but Noah didn't need much to understand his direction. He flew forward, avoiding every area that brightened in his presence until he eventually found no more whiteness in front of him. Only the blackness of the void unfolded in his eyes.

'Heaven and Earth are so petty,' Noah laughed in his mind before leaving the sky and recalling the dark world.

King Elbas, Sepunia, and the dragon appeared among the void and glared at Noah, but their anger vanished when they noticed that the sky didn't send anything toward them. They had felt pissed that Noah didn't give them the chance to leave the dark world, but everything felt obvious now. He had also been out of option.

"Let me guess," King Elbas sighed.

"There is no point guessing," Noah exclaimed while pointing at a slightly darker spot in the distance. "Heaven and Earth have been kind enough to drop us near their problems."

"What is happening?" The dragon asked in its human voice.

"You should have taken that deal," King Elbas mocked.

"It's better like this," Noah announced. "How much energy did you save for the mission?"

"You are too much for me," King Elbas shook his head, "Especially at your current level."

"Don't worry about that," Noah replied while inspecting the faint tremors that ran through his skin. "I don't think your whole existence would satisfy me anyway. I want you to focus on your breakthrough before we visit the monster."

"It would have been easier if you didn't eat the best prisms," King Elbas teased.

"Shut up," Noah chuckled before pointing at Sepunia and the dragon. "You two, do the same. Elbas already has portable training areas that should suit your power. Focus on getting stronger while I protect the area."

King Elbas snorted, but he didn't contradict Noah. Instead, he addressed an issue he had noticed due to his deep knowledge of Noah's power. "How long can you endure with your current body?"

"Don't worry about me," Noah smirked. "Heaven and Earth are awake now. They will start throwing energy at me quite soon."

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Author's notes: Thank you Alec_LaFond and IndraDeus for the Spacecrafts! I also want to say that I notice all the gifts, but it would take too long to mention everyone. Still, I believe xXLordKhaosXx13 deserves a shoutout for the two Luxury cars. Thank you again for the support.

Second issue: I have funerals to attend tomorrow, and the grief is starting to hit. I think I'll allow myself to just write what and when I feel like until the end of the week before forcing me to go back to normal. I'll still do my best to hit a daily minimum, but I don't know how much I'll actually write. I hope you can understand.