Birth of the Demonic Sword

"That's quite funny coming from a privileged cultivator," Alexander sneered. "You know how Heaven and Earth's balance works. You know what drawbacks I had to face for my superior abilities. How do you justify that in your view?"

"There is no need to justify it," The woman announced. "If I win, I'm right. If I lose, you are worthier than me."

"I like this," Alexander chuckled. "Shall we continue?"

"Why don't we get serious already?" The woman asked. "I know you can use far more than mere punches."

"You have never forced me to use more than that," Alexander stated. "By the looks of it, I'll win as long as you don't show something stronger."

The woman didn't answer right away. She reviewed the past exchanges and compared the condition of their bodies before heaving a sigh. "Probably."

Alexander didn't expect that confession, but he didn't let it distract him. He was ready to unleash everything he had if his opponent tried something funny, but his instincts told him that nothing complicated would happen.

"I didn't want to lose on sheer strength, and I didn't," The privileged cultivator exclaimed. "Still, I would need to rely on my higher level to trump over your endurance. That won't prove anything."

The woman took a few deep breaths before bending her legs and raising her arms to enter a fighting stance. She seemed ready to use proper techniques, but no power accumulated on her limbs.

Nevertheless, Alexander understood that something was off. He didn't know where that sensation came from, but his instincts warned him anyway. His opponent would be able to hurt him from now on.

Alexander wasn't scared of pain, but he didn't know how to face the new stance properly. Usually, he would inspect his opponents' abilities and come up with counters or superior versions of their attacks. Yet, the woman seemed to have every intention to rely on her body.

Veins popped out all over Alexander's body. Multiple abilities aimed to enhance his physical prowess activated at the same time and turned his body into a proper weapon. He could match the effects of Noah's unstable substance with the right number of skills.

"That's even better than before," The woman exclaimed as a confident smile appeared on her young face. "You were holding back."

"I really wasn't," Alexander revealed. "Using the exact number of abilities necessary to achieve victory is also a skill. You showed me a new power, so I need to do the same to remain on that path."

"Caesar gave you the wrong idea," The woman sighed. "Don't think that all the privileged cultivators here are expendable. Some of us have claimed spots among the core team of the sky."

"Let me guess," Alexander laughed. "You are one of them."

"Not at all," The privileged cultivator declared. "I, Ulpia, stand alone at the peak of the sky."

A tremor ran through Ulpia's feet, and Alexander's eyes widened when he realized that she had suddenly teleported in front of him. He couldn't notice her movements even with many innate abilities enhancing his body and overall senses.

Ulpia's movement technique was only the beginning of her offensive. Her ankles, waist, and shoulders rotated in perfect harmony as she stretched her right arm forward. Everything was so smooth and fast that Alexander found himself unable to react.

A torrent of power slammed on Alexander as soon as Ulpia's knuckles landed at the center of his chest. Alexander's thoughts couldn't move fast enough to study the situation, and his instincts soon took over his standard reasoning due to the danger they felt.

At first, Alexander only experienced utter surprise. Ulpia had unleashed an unreasonable attack that went beyond anything Alexander had ever witnessed. His body became unable to move as soon as that power touched his world.

The shock vanished once the survival instincts managed to replace it. Alexander saw different abilities activating on their own as Ulpia pushed her arm forward. Even his superiority understood that mere physical strength wouldn't be enough to stop what was crashing on him.

Darkness and confusion eventually replaced the survival instincts. Alexander regained control of his body and senses only when the back of his head slammed on a familiar white layer. It took him an instant to realize that he had ended up on the sky, and shock filled his mind again when he noticed his actual location.

Ulpia's attack had sent Alexander to the other side of the battlefield. She had unleashed enough power to make him cross the entire higher plane, and that wasn't even the worst aspect of the matter. The blow had rendered Alexander unconscious for the whole flight.

A fist-sized scar had appeared at the center of Alexander's chest, but his skin had endured the blow. However, part of his internal organs had suffered injuries, while others had directly exploded under the might that had engulfed them.

Blood accumulated in Alexander's mouth as he relied on multiple innate abilities to contain and heal his injuries. Still, his instincts suddenly kicked in and interrupted that process since Ulpia materialized in front of him again.

Alexander opened his mouth to voice a roar that contained multiple cries. Blood came out of his mouth in the process, and flames began to accumulate in his throat.

However, Ulpia disregarded everything happening in her surroundings to focus on her offensive. Her eyes seemed unable to move away from her target. Even her senses had stopped studying Alexander as she used her full attention to launch her attack.

Flames tried to come out of Alexander's mouth, but Ulpia's attack turned out to be faster. She delivered a precise uppercut on Alexander's chin that made him interrupt his ability and sent him flying away.

The flames exploded in Alexander's mouth, but he couldn't assess the damage since his consciousness wavered again. His back never left the sky as the power unleashed by Ulpia's attack made him fly around the whole battlefield.

Alexander didn't panic. When his consciousness stabilized, he disregarded most of the inputs captured by his senses to focus on a single task. Ulpia reappeared in front of him to deliver another punch, but he managed to be fast enough to deflect it with his arm.

Ulpia hesitated for an instant. Alexander had broken her pace by deflecting her attack, and he didn't even let the matter end there. His eyes lit up to send an ethereal attack aimed at her mind, but she restored her concentration in time to avoid that ability.

Ethereal waves of power converged toward Ulpia's mind, but she delivered a kick at the center of Alexander's waist. The impact made him slam on the sky and allowed her to push herself away from the mental attack.

Alexander's consciousness wavered, but he recovered faster than before. Anger and excitement fused in his expression as he understood that he was getting used to Ulpia's offensive, but the latter didn't let that small achievement influence the trend of the fight.

Ulpia materialized at Alexander's side before he could summon an ability before punching his arm. The attack sent Alexander flying along the sky, but he managed to stop himself before Ulpia's power vanished. A smirk even appeared on his face as his eyes followed the incredibly fast figure converging toward him.