Birth of the Demonic Sword

Thirty-seven couldn't contain his interest at the sight of the large bucket. He removed the seal and inspected the compressed dust with his ethereal hands, murmuring incoherent words from time to time.

Noah had spoken the truth. The ashes of the rank 6 snake didn't contain even the slightest trace of "Breath". However, the automaton was knowledgeable in so many inscription methods that he might be able to find a purpose for that wasted material.

Noah's had to snap his fingers to reclaim the automaton's attention, and the latter ultimately nodded to express his willingness to help with his issues.

"I also need something to cover the formation on the other side," Noah said, "It's better to be careful when dealing with the Royals."

Thirty-seven disappeared as soon as Noah expressed his requests, bringing the bucket away with him. Noah didn't mind that. He could just use those ashes to brag, which meant that they were useless in his hands.

Flying Demon then neared Noah and lay his arm around his shoulders, whispering something to his ear. "You have inherited the Demons' tastes in women, but mine is better."

Noah didn't mind his words. He knew the Demon's character. He was just trying to have a talk between men with someone that he considered his friend.

"Wait a thousand years, and we'll see." Noah said with a smirk, "Also, June has a better taste in men."

Flying Demon exploded in a laugh and patted Noah's shoulder repeatedly. June and Dreaming Demon were able to hear their conversation, but they didn't pay attention to them.

Dreaming Demon was sizing her up with a stern expression as if deciding if she was worthy of her Master's heir. On the other hand, June had just realized how protective those two rank 5 existences were when it came to Noah.

June had always known that Noah's status inside the Hive was incredibly high, but the other Elders had treated her as a guest during the winged beasts' crisis.

Instead, the two Demons seemed to have personal interests behind their protective behavior. It was clear that their relationship with Noah went beyond that shared with the members of the same organization.

Noah didn't like that but turned a blind eye to their behavior nonetheless. He wanted the two Demons to accept her, and he had total confidence in June.

"Do you love him?" Dreaming Demon eventually asked.

"Yes," June answered without any hesitation.

"He will leave you behind. Are you aware of that?" Dreaming Demon pressed on, but June didn't hesitate and answered positively once again.

Noah glanced at Flying Demon when he saw that scene, but he simply shrugged his shoulder. There was nothing that he could do to stop his lover at that point.

Yet, Dreaming Demon's stern expression broke into a smile after June's last answer, and she neared her to whisper a few gentle words. "You know, my Master asked me similar things when he learnt about my relationship. We have reckless men at hand, but they are the best if you ask me."

Dreaming Demon winked at June when she finished her phrase and turned to face the lover that was staring at her with a dazed gaze. Simple words couldn't describe the amount of suffering the Flying Demon had gone through just to keep her alive. Yet, every time he looked at her, he felt that it was completely worth it.

It wasn't rare for cultivators to have lovers, but it was hard for couples to last through the centuries spent cultivating. Even a simple difference in power could determine if two existences could be together.

The two Demons were different though. Their relationship had survived so many crises that it was impossible to imagine the two of them breaking up at some point.

June was momentarily puzzled by that interaction, but Noah promptly reached her to whisper a few words. "Don't be Faith."

June blushed and started bickering with Noah while the Demons were still immersed in their intense stare.

Thirty-seven eventually returned, carrying a few things with him. He held a large carpet with one arm and had a series of precious items in the other.

June recognized some of those items. Most formations that could reflect the power of the heroic ranks used them.

"My students inscribed this for a project." Thirty-seven said, "It has good cloaking properties, and only a thorough inspection would reveal its status as an inscribed item since they used the natives' method."

Noah quickly took the carpet and used the door to return in June's quarters. Then, after laying it over the shining lines of the floor, he activated the key again.

The carpet didn't influence the ability of the door, but it managed to cover its light while also blocking the power that it released. Noah could only show his approval when he reappeared in the separate dimension.

As for the other issue, the solution was more technical. Thirty-seven couldn't just study the functioning of June's quarters and hack in its inscription. There was no point in pursuing such a troublesome approach.

So, he drew some lines around the door and told Flying Demon to complete the formation. The ground of the dimension became transparent when he ended the array, revealing June's quarters.

Her quarters were upside-down in that image, but seeing them wasn't the purpose of the formation. The new lines allowed the group to hear the sounds coming from the habitation even from the separate dimension, meaning that June could just leave her inscribed notebook there and use the door when a message arrived.

June quickly went back in her quarters, left the notebook, and returned in the dimension wearing a wide smile. They had finally set everything. She could live with Noah without worrying about any repercussions now.

Thirty-seven then left, and the Demons soon followed his example.

"What exactly is that man?" June asked, questioning Noah about the automaton.

She became interested in that lifeform after she saw how experienced he was when it came to formations, and that feeling only increased when Noah gave her a brief explanation. "He is like an encyclopedia for inscription methods."

Noah started to send a series of mental messages after that, and the heroic assets of the Hive mobilized to complete his requests.

Entire structures appeared on the teleportation matrix right under June's habitation. Noah had requested rooms and various kinds to build a mansion right in that spot.

The construction didn't take much with him and June there. In a week, they built a large mansion that had features that matched some of the best habitations available in the Hive.

It didn't have protective formations all around its perimeter, but it had two large and reinforced training areas, other than various rooms meant for other uses.

Just like that, their life together began. It wasn't the best since they still couldn't show their relationship out in the open, but it was better than spending decades away from each other and ignorant about the condition of their partner.