Birth of the Demonic Sword

The vortices continued to send energy into the metallic seabed. The latter trembled and cracked as its veins expanded and its internal structure transformed. Something massive was happening, and Noah retreated to inspect the event in its entirety.

Inspecting the changes happening inside the seabed was troublesome. Noah did his best by relying on his potential, but his mind was still recovering, so his senses couldn't benefit from his ambition fully.

Moreover, Noah had improved the whole floor, so the seabed had gained the properties of a powerful inscribed item. Most of its areas were in the middle tier of the ninth rank, so Noah's muddled senses struggled to pierce them.

Still, his experience in the magical beasts' field didn't let him down. The cracks appearing on the surface of the seabed seemed to follow a pattern that made Noah think about a face, and his instincts were rarely wrong about those matters.

'Was the point of the floor to give birth to a living being?' Noah wondered as he began to retreat even further. 'Do we have to kill it now?'

Worries inevitably appeared. Noah didn't know if he had already cleared the floor's requirements, but the eventual need to kill his creation would bring a significant problem. He had forced the whole area to evolve, so the creature that would appear after the sea vanished would be stronger than planned.

More fissures continued to open, and the veins seemed to be at their center. Two rows made of three cracks each appeared in the upper part of the seabed, two oval holes formed at its center, and a giant gorge took form in its lower part.

The edges of the cracks didn't remain still. Shards fell off of them, but that wasn't everything. They moved even if their fabric was tough, and the impression that Noah had gotten before only intensified at that sight.

"Prepare for battle!" Noah roared as the entirety of his arsenal started gathering energy and radiating ambition.

"What did you do?!" The upper tier turtle hissed, and its pack echoed its cry.

"I opened the door for the next floor," Noah shouted through roars. "Now start using those diagrams on your shells."

The leader had never mentioned the innate ability of its species, but Noah had mentioned it without needing any hint. The event expressed his deep expertise in the magical beasts' field, but the upper tier turtle didn't have the time to remain surprised since the seabed voiced another deep cry that made the entire floor shake.

'This separate reality wasn't made for something so strong,' Noah understood when he saw the very edges of the floor shake.

"Boss, what is happening?" Old Tyrant questioned.

"I will scold these damned turtles when all of this is over!" Noah shouted. "I'm not at my best, but we have to survive this anyway. You better show that you have what it takes to get to the final battle."

Noah wasn't really to blame for the current situation. He had been forced to evolve the whole floor because the turtles had tainted one of its core materials. Still, nothing mattered now. He would think about venting afterward.

Snore came out of Noah's back and unfolded its massive wings. Duanlong materialized under him, and roots started to come out of his hands. Night and Shafu remained inside his black crystal, but they were ready to jump into the battle if the situation required it.

Noah's survival instincts suddenly grew louder, and his blades replied with deafening cries. The Demonic Sword roared as dark matter shot out of its structure, while the dark-red color of the Cursed Sword intensified as its high-pitched noises filled the whole area.

Scarlet flares shot out of the six fissures that Noah had marked as the seabed's eyes. They were as thick as mountains, but they split as they flew upward.

The simple attack transformed into a rain of pillars capable of covering the entire ceiling. Noah unfolded the dark world, but part of the pack remained outside his technique. Yet, he didn't even consider that issue, and Snore promptly launched some of its feathers.

The diagrams on the turtles' shells had started to shine with a green light after Noah's warnings and the screams of their survival instincts. Vague geometrical shapes had even appeared in front of their mouths, and a blinding light filled their lines once the attack of the seabed became undeniable.

Nevertheless, the turtles held back their attacks when Snore's feathers exploded. They had initially planned to support Noah's offensive, but the explosion that followed the giant's snake technique left nothing for them to target.

The raging black storms that Snore had unleashed vanquished the array of purple clouds with their shockwaves and destroyed the incoming scarlet beams. Weak flares of that energy crossed the death area, but they didn't have enough power to endanger the army above.

'Peak of the middle tier,' Noah evaluated in his mind as the black storms continued to rage. 'Is it still getting used to its power?'

The seabed was radiating the aura that only an upper tier magical beast could have, but its attacks didn't match its level. That was a good outcome, but Noah didn't believe in luck. He had also fought an upper tier magical plant on the previous floor, so he knew that the Labyrinth would never put him against something so weak.

His hypothesis was obviously correct. A roar managed to pierce the black storms, and everyone's survival instincts screamed again. A scarlet light started to spread among the remains of Snore's attacks, and Noah didn't hesitate to make his companion launch more feathers.

More explosions happened, but some scarlet flares successfully pierced the storms. Noah only had to use the Demonic Sword to fend off the pillars converging toward him, and his companions helped by launching their attacks. The turtles also played their part by sending the blinding diagrams downward and shattering everything flying in their direction.

'Upper tier,' Noah grimly concluded as his survival instincts grew louder.

Something stronger was about to arrive, but that trend had already reached a dangerous point. Snore still had feathers, but Noah didn't want to remain in a passive position. His group might fend off the next attack and even the pillars after that, but the situation was bound to become unsustainable.

"Let's dive before it learns how to control its power!" Noah roared.

"Are you crazy?!" The upper tier turtle hissed. "We don't even know what it i-."

The leader didn't have the time to complete its line since Noah placed his Demonic Sword on his forehead and unleashed his consciousness. A series of singularities appeared above the pack and began to release a rain of piercing slashes capable of killing weak rank 9 magical beasts in an instant.

The turtles could redirect their attacks upward to stop the rain of slashes, but there were dangers below them too. The leader made up its mind quickly and voiced a hiss that made the entirety of its pack dive downward.

Noah and his group were already moving toward the seabed. June threw a giant crackling spear to open a path, Fiery Mountain gave birth to a humanoid giant to defend against anything flying toward them, and Gabrielle created an array of purple crystals to apply another layer of protection.

Old Tyrant wasn't great on that battlefield, but he had created an army of dog-like shadows that shone with a blue light. They weren't strong, but they shot forward and self-destructed to help open a path.

Noah kept his Cursed Sword ready for anything that tried to cross his group's defenses. Luckily for them, the seabed had launched another attack with power in the upper tier that was only slightly stronger than the previous. The giant crumbled, but the purple crystals weakened the surviving red flares enough to remove the need for other blows.

The group soon landed on the seabed, right under the oval holes at its center. However, the turtles didn't give them the time to think since their leader charged toward Noah.

Noah crossed his swords, and the upper tier turtle slammed on them. Neither of them moved during the clash, and another cry came out from the metal under them while they remained locked in that exchange.