Birth of the Demonic Sword

Noah's second wave of saber-shaped runes managed to cut away the remaining wings, which dissolved after separating from the Tyrannosaurus body and revealed a group of cultivators in the fourth rank.

They didn't last much since the other rank 5 cultivators in the invaders' group launched attacks without caring about their power anymore.

The meat wings capable of traction force were no more. Now even the cultivators that didn't have access to attacks with power in the solid stage could join the offensive against the battle formation.

The rank 4 soldiers of the Empire who were still in the sky outside of the Tyrannosaurus died when the more than twenty spells arrived. Their inscribed armors couldn't protect them from the shockwaves released by so many attacks in the fifth rank.

The light radiated by the Tyrannosaurus kept on dimming as the attacks landed on its body, and its skin started to become ethereal as it lost power. Human shapes became visible inside the beast as the offensive continued, and the invaders began to understand how that situation was affecting the soldiers performing the battle formation.

The soldiers of the Empire had pale expressions as they executed forms to keep the battle formation active. What had been a powerful technique capable of threatening their enemies had become nothing more than a defensive measure against the relentless barrage of attacks.

Noah and the others soon understood that they had been both right and wrong when evaluating the power of the battle formation. It appeared to be true that the Tyrannosaurus had limited maneuverability and seemed stuck in its place, but its strength didn't come only from the energy absorbed.

The creature suddenly released a burst of blue light and spewed a series of beams that the invaders quickly blocked with their methods. The golden shields protected part of them, but the others had to rely on their assets to defend themselves.

Noah saw a blue pillar coming in his direction and roared. The world turned black for an instant before the powerful attack swept him and torn his skin apart.

His flames had managed to block most of its power though, and they were still burning around him. His half ethereal half white fire had successfully turned a deadly attack into something that his body could handle.

The sudden burst of power of the Tyrannosaurus had come from the "Breath" of the soldiers of the Empire, but they didn't manage to make it return to its original power. They could only make it reach the level of a creature slightly above the fifth rank.

Noah's flames had been able to weaken the blue beam since the Tyrannosaurus had attacked multiple targets at the same time, and his fire was a weapon fitting of a beast in the upper tier of the fifth rank.

The light that swept Noah after that only had the power of a spell at the bottom of the solid stage, which was something that his body could handle.

Noah felt his skin cracking and suppressed Snore's instinct to come out and protect him. There would be time for the Blood Companion to make its appearance, but now he preferred to suffer a few injuries rather than revealing his most potent weapon.

His companions didn't have the privilege of choice in that situation.

Each separated beam had the power that neared the peak of the fifth rank. Most of the invaders had to resort to inscribed items to hope to survive that attack.

Luckily for them, they had come prepared for that eventuality since they knew the strength of their opponent. Yet, not all of them could block the full might of those attacks.

The weaker rank 5 cultivators among the invaders had to deal with the shockwaves released by the beams. Also, that blue light was hard to defend against, so others had to face part of its power directly.

Injuries piled on in the invaders' side. Some of them even saw their limbs explode as the blue light swept them.

Noah could see June gritting her teeth and enduring the part of the beam that the inscribed items of the Royals didn't manage to block. However, the light suddenly vanished when it pierced her skin. It was as if something had devoured it.

Of course, June was using her orange "Breath" when fighting together with the Royals and the Council. It was needless to say how badly that affected her battle prowess, mostly since she had founded her individuality on her higher energy after reaching the fifth rank.

Nevertheless, she still resorted to her dark sparks once the blue light threatened to enter her body. Yet, her action had been subtle, and everyone was busy dealing with the pillars, so no one noticed that irregularity.

Only Noah could notice that because his attention had gone on her as soon as he blocked his beam. His instincts had screamed at that sight, but he suppressed his wild emotions to focus on the battle formation.

The Tyrannosaurus appeared spent after that last attack. Its power was falling inside the solid stage of the fifth rank, and it kept on going down since the soldiers weren't using their "Breath" to refill it.

It seemed that the battle formation had finally pushed the cultivators of the Empire to their limits since cracks began to spread on the skin of the creature. Its blinding blue radiance had turned into nothing more than a pale halo too.

The three leaders of the armies were the only ones that had managed to come out of the last exchange completely unharmed, even if Elder Julia had been the only one of them to resort to an inscribed item. Yet, they were ready to put an end to a battle that had already cost them too much.

Their usual spells flew through the air and landed on the Tyrannosaurus body. They finally disrupted the stability of the battle formation that began to fall apart, releasing the cultivators inside it.

The soldiers of the Empire didn't wait for the second wave of attacks. They retreated at high speed and disappeared in the territories behind them in a matter of instants.

Some remaining rank 4 cultivators weren't fast enough and remained trapped inside the water arms of Andrew's giant that killed most of them, leaving only two of them alive. They would be necessary for the interrogations later on.

As for the rest of the invaders' group, those who could move and didn't suffer any severe wound pressed forward. They chased after the Wardens, who had already disappeared from their sight.

Noah was one of them, but his chase was less cautious since his innate awareness gave him a clear idea of where the danger lurked in those lands. There were threats everywhere, except for the area right before the Empire's domain.

The scenery changed as Noah advanced. Massive walls appeared in his vision, and a series of tall buildings filled the world on the other side of those defenses. Also, in the distance, he saw a small structure floating at a few kilometers from the ground.