Birth of the Demonic Sword

Kirk staggered through the flames. The hybrid didn't seem able to pierce his silver defense, but he struggled to advance.

A determined expression appeared on Kirk's face when the flames intensified. He wouldn't be able to reach his opponent in that condition, so he had to push his power forward.

A mark appeared on his right hand. The symbol depicted a simple sphere, but Noah and the other experts could sense that it contained far more power than the others.

Strange waves of power began to flow out of Kirk's figure. The cultivator became able to straighten his position after his power spread through the flames, and the hybrid could only shoot a surprised glance at that sight.

The flames suddenly shattered. The few tongues of fire that managed to survive Kirk's attack fell on the ground before crumbling due to the pressure that had landed on the area.

The pressure also fell on the hybrid at some point. Her physical strength was decent for her species, but she fell on her knees anyway.

Kirk neared the hybrid and joined his hands above his head. He was about to deliver a killing blow, but Noah teleported his opponent away.

"I didn't even start to attack," Kirk complained while turning toward the stages.

"That ended a bit too soon," Noah announced while scratching his chin. "Let's try something different."

Noah waved his hand, and a small dark cloud spread from his fingers. The dark matter then expanded and took the shape of a tall six-armed dragon that landed on the hole and roared while lifting its head toward the sky.

The dragon was a creature in the upper tier of the seventh rank, and Kirk revealed a cold expression when it unfolded its aura in the hole. Still, no fear appeared on his face. He seemed confident in his ability to face the beast.

"I won't teleport this one away," Noah shouted. "Do your best."

Kirk snorted before pointing his fingers toward the dragon. Dark marks covered his hand before a dense invisible beam shot toward the creature.

A hole suddenly opened on the dragon's chest. The invisible energy had dug through the dark matter in an instant, and the audience cheered at that scene.

However, the dragon spat a sea of black flames that covered the entire battlefield. The hole in its chest even began to close as the fire destroyed the ground and absorbed its energy.

Kirk had covered his figure with the silver skin to endure the fire, but cracks had started to appear on the defensive technique. Shards continued to leave his body and burn among the flames, and pieces of charred flesh inevitably appeared.

"He isn't much if he can't defeat your dragon," Divine Demon commented.

"He is still hiding things," Noah commented. "I bet he has a set of abilities meant only for the serious battles. The gravitational attack from before must be one of them."

"Are you sure it was gravity?" Fergie asked from the side of the stages.

"It was gravity," Noah and King Elbas replied at the same time.

Noah had clearly sensed the laws of space condensing after Kirk activated his ability. The hybrid's flames couldn't endure the pressure that had fallen on their fabric, and the same went for their owner.

Kirk watched his silver layer falling apart under the black flames. His defense wouldn't endure any longer. He had to do something to turn the situation in his favor.

The sphere-shaped mark reappeared on the back of his hand. A massive pressure flowed out of Kirk's figure and filled the entire battlefield. The black flames struggled against the ability for a while, but they eventually crumbled.

The dragon also suffered from that pressure. Its body melted in multiple spots, but it managed to remain on its legs. The creature endured Kirk's ability and began to charge toward its opponent.

Kirk saw the tall dragon pointing its clawed arms toward him. Only one instant separated him from the inevitable clash. He had the time to summon only one mark, and his previous enhanced physical strength wouldn't make him match the dragon.

Kirk closed his eyes before his entire figure turned dark. He summoned a mark that covered his whole body, and even his aura began to change after that event.

The few chunks of silver skin flowed back into his flesh before the dragon slashed its arms toward him. Claws closed on his figure, but no sound resounded in the area.

All the rank 8 experts who could spread their consciousness without affecting the battle revealed surprised expressions. Even Noah felt interested in the new ability showed by his heir.

Kirk didn't dodge the attack, but his flesh didn't endure the blow either. The dragon's claws had seeped into his body, but no blood came out of his now dark skin.

"He became immune to physical blows!" Faith shouted, but the other rank 8 existences on the stage soon contradicted her.

"Immunity doesn't exist in this world," King Elbas explained.

"It's a strange material," Sword Saint whispered, "But a sword can cut right through it."

"He has developed a resistance to physical blows," Wilfred commented, "But those abilities always have a limit. He would die if any of us were to punch him now."

The dragon's claws remained stuck inside Kirk's body. The creature didn't manage to take them out. The cultivator had the time to prepare his next ability, and he had every intention to defeat his opponent in the next blow.

Part of Kirk's skin returned to its previous color before dark marks appeared on the sides of his jaws. His mouth opened, and it quickly enlarged until it surpassed what human bodies should be able to perform.

Kirk's mouth spread until it reached the ground. Noah couldn't help but find some similarities with Duanlong, but his heir's technique clearly came from a different species.

The dragon tried to use its head to push Kirk away. It bit on the cultivator's upper torso, but he promptly tilted his face and made the creature end up in his mouth.

A suction force then came out of Kirk's throat. The dragon tried to run away from that ability, but it seemed unable to free itself.

The dark matter that made the creature began to separate from its body and flow inside Kirk's mouth. The dragon couldn't oppose the process. Chunks of its flesh fell prey to the technique, and its physical strength didn't help in that situation.

The dragon tried to spit a wave of flames, but Kirk endured the blow and continued the absorption. The creature soon lost the entirety of its neck, but the suction force didn't stop affecting its figure.

"Why am I not surprised that he eats magical beasts?" June laughed.

"He must have perfected his set of abilities before reaching the higher plane," Noah commented. "I'm actually disappointed that he couldn't deal with an upper tier creature faster."

"You shouldn't place impossible expectations on him," June continued. "He is far stronger than his peers. He is resourceful, and powerful creatures don't scare him. He is good material."

"You can test him again after he gets a taste of your influence," Divine Demon said in one of his rare serious moments. "Just throw him in the magical beasts' domain if he remains a failure after that."

All the dark matter contained in the dragon eventually flowed inside Kirk's mouth. His body then reverted to its normal human figure, and the cultivators showed a proud expression when he turned toward the stages.