Birth of the Demonic Sword

Only something at the same level or as dangerous as the monster could claim the avatar's attention in the middle of a battle. Still, the old rulers had it relatively easy since Heaven and Earth were almost desperate to put an end or reabsorb their old version.

The city radiated intense and violent shockwaves that seemed able to make their way through the dense aura that had filled the higher plane after the appearance of the avatar. The crackling noises radiated by the array of lightning bolts protecting the various buildings were also deafening. They almost carried enough power to cross both edges of the environment under the sky.

Nevertheless, no one could miss the bright orange radiance that joined the battlefield. The higher plane quickly transformed into a realm occupied by three different factions. Heaven and Earth were white, the monster was black, and the old rulers were orange. Those three players split the environment under the sky into different areas affected by their power and allowed everyone to understand how powerful they were.

Heaven and Earth appeared insurmountable. They still retained control over more than half of the higher plane, and their influence had constantly expanded after the many injuries inflicted on the monster.

Instead, the old rulers and the monster divided the remaining half among themselves, with the empty creature occupying the larger share. Still, that mostly came from its giant size. Also, the orange city had no interest in taking control of the world. Most of its power remained among the buildings as it prepared its offensive.

Noah activated his ambition at that point. He had used his potential to improve his pulling forces before, but he needed something far different now.

The ethereal blackness sent its fuel to his mind and dantian. The world in Noah's eyes changed as he focused the entirety of his attention and senses on the dense aura that surrounded him. He could see Heaven and Earth's power there and even realized how powerful that influence was. However, he needed to destroy it to absorb the energy it contained.

Dark-red shades shone out of Noah's figure as his bloodlust skyrocketed. He felt the need to lift his head and roar at the sky, but he could barely move under the heavy pressure generated by his enhanced centers of power. He could only study and destroy.

A fourth color slowly appeared on the battlefield. Noah wasn't nearly as strong as the orange city, the monster, or Heaven and Earth's avatar, but he still managed to claim their attention when he unleashed his destruction in the area.

The dark-red shades slowly seeped inside the dense aura and left behind black lines that contained the purest form of Noah's destruction. Those few implants wouldn't be enough to shatter such a powerful source of energy, so he continued tainting the world with his bloodlust and let his mind and dantian show the peak of their current potential.

The avatar couldn't help but glance at Noah. It didn't have eyes or facial figures, but everyone inspecting the scene knew that Heaven and Earth had considered dealing with him. The situation featured a monster equipped with the non-world and the old rulers with the entirety of their city, but Heaven and Earth had still spared a few seconds to inspect Noah.

Noah noticed that event, but he disregarded it. Nothing could interrupt his slow but relentless assault. Stealing energy from dead avatars and cultivators had been easy, but he needed to turn one of the highest forms of power he had ever seen into a suitable fuel. The matter required his total concentration.

Heaven and Earth quickly decided to ignore Noah. They didn't want to leave him alone, but the situation didn't allow them to take care of him. The monster was too troublesome, and they even had to prepare for their old version's attack.

The lightning bolts that covered the orange city made Heaven and Earth feel nostalgic. They saw what they used to be in that powerful and violent energy. The Heaven Tribulations in the lower planes still carried that iconic color that had been so dear to the rulers for countless years.

However, those lightning bolts were also a reminder of a defeat. Heaven and Earth had been forced to sever that part of themselves away to achieve their current greatness. Their old existence made of "Breath" carried limits that the magical beasts had managed to exploit. They couldn't match the whiteness that filled the higher plane and generated chaotic laws.

Heaven and Earth's avatar raised its hand with a gesture that the audience could only describe as annoyed. The puppet even pointed its other palm toward the monster before releasing two beams that carried different properties. The attack aimed at the empty creature was dense and precise, while the other was unstable.

The monster saw another hole appearing inside its non-world as the beam pierced its massive structure from side to side. The battle against the avatar had been entirely one-sided, and it was finally starting to acknowledge the possibility of defeat.

Instead, the attack that flew toward the orange city detonated before reaching the array of lightning bolts. The shockwaves and rain of white energy generated with the explosion fell on the buildings and clashed with the various sparks, creating earthquakes at their base.

The avatar seemed able to suppress both opponents at the same time, but the old rulers soon proved it wrong. The city began to expand as more buildings appeared in its insides. It slowly revealed its immensity as it absorbed the white energy trying to pierce its defenses.

The city expanded until it took over one-tenth of the higher plane. The white energy on its array of lightning bolts was nowhere to be seen, but its orange halo intensified as it continued to accumulate power.

A new structure eventually came out from the center of the city. A giant dark cavity became visible among the immense array of buildings, and the lightning bolts soon started flowing in its insides.

The avatar sent another attack toward the monster before shooting toward the sky to retreat, but an intense orange light shone on its figure before it could return to safe areas.

A dense array of lightning bolts shot out of the cavity during that moment of stillness. The attack reached the avatar in an instant and engulfed it in its destructive power. The whiteness seemed to disperse to make room for the orange light, but that effect lasted only a few seconds. Everything ended once the sparks scattered.

Heaven and Earth's avatar slowly became visible as its white shades took control of its surroundings. The puppet had lost its right arm, and energy shot out of its injury. Still, it quickly sealed it and stretched its other hand to retrieve what it had lost.

However, a series of explosions resounded and engulfed its surroundings with shockwaves. A dark-red light even tainted the whiteness around the avatar before transforming into a pulling force that quickly brought everything back to Noah.

The avatar couldn't help but focus on Noah again. The latter was basically floating cross-legged among the void. The fabric of space and the dense aura around him had fallen apart, replaced by currents of energy that converged into his figure.

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Author's notes: The chapters next will obviously be late.