Birth of the Demonic Sword

The new base energy in June's Perfect Circuit filled her world and spread through her injuries. Her condition immediately improved as she left the defensive array above the city and descended toward the streets.

Sparks came out of her injuries as new flesh replaced those charred holes. June regained her healthy appearance in mere seconds, and a heavy aura accompanied her when she landed next to Noah.

"I'll seclude myself to stabilize my power," June announced as she searched for an empty building. "Don't you dare to leave me behind."

"I've never considered that option," Noah chuckled, and June nodded at him when the city moved to put a building in front of her.

"We should have a chance to succeed," King Elbas exclaimed while June entered the building and the city moved again to restore its initial layout.

"You don't sound too confident," Noah commented. "This lack of arrogance doesn't suit your character."

"Don't misunderstand me," King Elbas sighed. "I'm the best of the best. I'm sure I can take down solid stage cultivators now. Yet, Heaven and Earth have far more than that."

"We aren't weak either," Noah added. "Besides, you and June have reached the liquid stage quickly. I bet the others are in a similar situation."

"I only hope that the leader of the idiots doesn't fall in Heaven and Earth's grasp," King Elbas stated. "The situation would become problematic."

"Divine Demon will be fine," Noah declared. "I would remain focused on the dragons. They can be a good trump card in the final battle."

"Everything will change once this mission is over," King Elbas explained. "That project will probably suffer a lot from the shift in the world's fairness. I'll have to adjust all my calculations."

"You would have needed to do that anyway since I'm here now," Noah laughed.

"You are lucky we are dealing with magical beasts," King Elbas snorted without denying Noah's statement.

The two went on separate ways at that point. King Elbas wanted to review his preparations for the mission, while Noah had to reunite with the other solid stage experts to share part of his knowledge.

The sky was immense, but its layout was relatively simple. Heaven and Earth had probably changed something after their recent improvements, but Noah still shared everything he knew with his new companions.

The upper tier turtle didn't like Noah's decision to leave it behind, but the reality of the situation was undeniable. The leader would be useless in the sky in its current state. It was better if it remained inside the orange city until the mission was over.

The same went for Old Tyrant, Gabrielle, Fiery Mountain, and the other experts retrieved in Artamo's dimension. None of them was strong enough to survive a mission in the sky. Even the rank 9 Foolery didn't meet those requirements, but Noah couldn't force it to remain behind.

The team took form in no time. Noah, the Foolery, King Elbas, June, Cursed Reality, Emperor, Queen, and Pellio would head toward the sky to plant the weapon. As for Vesuvia, she had decided to remain behind to make sure that the old rulers' plans were in line with humanity's future.

"We could send a shard of our power with you," The old rulers' voice came out of the streets and buildings where the team had gathered, "But Heaven and Earth would only have an easier time locating you like that. We'll join you the next time."

"I wouldn't have let you come anyway," Noah responded. "It's too risky to expose your existence to Heaven and Earth right now."

"We could use you as a distraction," King Elbas continued, "But it's better to keep the mission simple. We don't know how much Heaven and Earth would improve after absorbing your power."

"That despicable woman will also keep an eye on you," Queen added. "Don't try anything funny while we are gone."

"Your interactions are always fun to witness," The old rulers exclaimed.

"I blame you for this side of their personality," King Elbas announced while glaring at Noah.

"He is always ready to complai-," The Foolery began to crack a joke, but it sealed its mouth when it noticed that King Elbas was ready to summon the muzzle.

"You'll regret the day when you forced me to be serious about my cultivation level," The Foolery eventually snorted as it lifted its head and let Pellio's mat carry it.

"Sometimes I think you get on its bad side on purpose," Noah commented.

"Nonsense," King Elbas scoffed. "It's only normal for brutes to envy and feel threatened by me."

"How many of you are still on the higher plane?" Queen asked. "Are they all idiots like you?"

"She really has no idea," Noah sighed.

"I've gone through squabbles that hurt more than the sky's pressure," King Elbas sighed.

"I'm actually curious now," Emperor admitted.

"Emperor, please," Cursed Reality called. "You'll only make Queen join the squabbles."

"Can we go already?" June asked as she stared at the sparks coming out of her palm.

"The tea is ready," Pellio stated, and Noah roared to cover the Foolery's loud squeal and announce the beginning of the mission.

The group shot upward and crossed the array of lightning bolts through an opening that the old rulers had prepared for them. The city had already reached a suitable location, so the real sky unfolded in the experts' vision once the orange glow vanished.

Queen, Emperor, and Cursed Reality instinctively slowed down. They didn't know every detail about the mission, and approaching the sky so quickly seemed reckless.

However, King Elbas waved his hand and launched a series of golden bullets that dug a path inside the white layer before they could land on it. A tunnel quickly took form and allowed the group to accelerate toward its insides.

Noah glanced at Cursed Reality, and the expert understood the meaning behind that signal. The fabric of space around the group trembled as the cultivator enveloped them into a different space-time array.

The technique was incomplete, but it needed to be like that since a proper alternative space-time array would prevent the group from flying forward. Cursed Reality had to limit his power and the cloaking properties of his technique, but Noah released his dark world to help.

The dark matter enveloped the group and worked with the alternative space-time array to create a proper cover that kept everyone hidden from the whiteness. The technique wasn't perfect since they had to affect the sky to advance, but that was the best they could do.

"The days when you could come here unnoticed are over," A youthful voice echoed from the white surfaces of the tunnel after the group flew for a while.

Noah and the others immediately stopped. The whiteness intensified and transformed into piercing beams that broke through the alternative space-time array to expose the group. Even the dark world shrunk under the light's pressure.

Something strange quickly became evident. The whiteness was heavy and dangerous, but only one aura seeped out of the tunnel's surfaces. Noah even recognized it, which allowed him to gain an idea of the situation.

"Just come out, Caesar," Noah called while recalling the dark world.

A playful chuckle resounded as Caesar came out of a random spot before the group and crossed his legs. His gaze soon converged on Noah, but he shook his head after inspecting his cultivation level.

"Not yet, Noah Balvan," Caesar exclaimed. "It's still too early."

"Did you come here to tell us to go back?" Noah asked.

"Indeed," Caesar declared. "You will die if I let you continue.. Your fate has never been clearer."