Birth of the Demonic Sword

"Why is your power giving birth to Heaven and Earth's aura?" Vesuvia asked.

"It's your ability," Noah responded as he tried to study the white figures. "You tell me."

"Are you plotting with Heaven and Earth?" Vesuvia threatened.

Noah's instincts started to scream. Vesuvia had disappeared when the blackness had unfolded, but he now felt her gaze coming from every corner of the illusion. Everything around him seemed ready to attack, but he remained calm.

"Don't insult me," Noah growled as his aura unfolded.

Noah didn't want to destroy the illusion. He was as curious as Vesuvia, but he had to prove that his existence had nothing to do with Heaven and Earth, and his anger was more than enough for that.

A raging feeling invaded the illusion and tried to pierce part of the scenes. The environment trembled, and Vesuvia's aura grew weaker, but Noah's anger couldn't completely suppress it.

Vesuvia felt shocked. Pellio's presence had proven that Noah was incredible, but she remained an old monster at the peak of the cultivation journey. She was as strong as some of the best privileged cultivators, but Noah's aura was almost able to fight back her world.

That couldn't happen, or, at least, it shouldn't. Vesuvia had broken past the limits of her level multiple times during her cultivation journey, but Noah's talent went beyond everything she could fathom. He could reach heights that she couldn't even comprehend.

Moreover, the anger spreading throughout the illusion was enough to prove Noah's stance. No one could fake something so intense and violent. Vesuvia was even able to gaze at some of the memories at the foundation of that feeling, so she knew that Noah was a natural ally.

Nevertheless, the issue remained. Noah's potential had given birth to Heaven and Earth's aura when it fused with Vesuvia's power. The event made no sense, but there had to be an answer somewhere.

Still, the images never grew clear. The white figures even had various shapes, so Noah and Vesuvia failed to connect them to living beings or other items.

"What does this even mean?" Vesuvia whispered, but her voice echoed through the scene.

"How does your ability work?" Noah asked.

"I can look at humanity's future and affect it slightly," Vesuvia explained without adding too many details.

"Can't you look deeper?" Noah questioned.

"I can't," Vesuvia admitted. "You don't belong to my idea of humanity, so I need your power to link my visions to your existence. I would need you to have an ability similar to mine to dig deeper into your future."

Noah's world involved a deep understanding of time, but that aspect of his existence didn't touch upon the laws that Vesuvia needed. She called her ability "humanity's future", but it had a lot to do with fate, which Noah basically rejected.

"Heaven and Earth might even create problems in that case," Vesuvia sighed. "I guess we can't approach the final battle prepared."

"We?" Noah asked. "Did you already accept me as your leader? I didn't even have to ask."

"The forces against Heaven and Earth are natural allies," Vesuvia declared without taking Noah's words too seriously. "I believe you want to fight the rulers."

"I still want to be the leader of their opponents," Noah laughed.

"Focus on stepping on the peak of the cultivation journey first," Vesuvia chuckled as the illusion began to disperse. "No one will accept an existence that can't defeat solid stage experts as their leader."

The dome slowly replaced the blackness and the white figures that had tainted it. Noah inspected the transformation of the scenes in his vision, but his mind was elsewhere.

His anger had almost managed to suppress Vesuvia's power. Noah knew that he wasn't there yet, but he could sense his world approaching the weight needed to affect the universe.

A surprising sight unfolded in Noah's eyes when the illusion vanished completely. Vesuvia was still on her throne, but her complexion had paled significantly. Many lines of sweat also fell from her forehead, and the same went for her robe, which had glued itself to her skin.

Divine cultivators didn't really need clothes, especially those in the higher ranks. A simple wave of their power was more than enough to create a simple fabric that could cover their bodies.

In theory, the matter should be easier for Vesuvia since she was a solid stage cultivator. Noah felt even surprised that her body could produce sweat, but everything made sense when he connected the event to possible drawbacks.

Vesuvia had gone all-out to probe into the future of a being outside her idea of humanity. She had basically lent her power to Noah and forced it to focus solely on him. The technique had been arduous and draining.

"Yes, you might be able to kill me now," Vesuvia laughed helplessly. "I know that you considered doing it."

"You can't silence habits developed throughout millennia," Noah stated in a cold voice. "Still, I don't want to kill you."

"Would you say the same even if I told you that killing me would give you one of the keys for the next floor?" Vesuvia questioned.

"I thought you were done testing me," Noah replied without showing any hesitation. "I came here looking for allies against Heaven and Earth. You might find differences between beasts and humans, but I don't. I only acknowledge power, and you have it, so I need you alive."

"Such resolute words," Vesuvia smiled. "Now I know what she sees in you."

"Are you considering hopping on the beasts' side?" Noah teased.

"Nonsense," Vesuvia laughed as she adjusted her position on the throne. "It's just fun to interact with someone who doesn't follow my orders after so long."

"Oh, you don't have to worry there," Noah added. "All my underlings barely listen to me. They'll probably wage war if you try to order them around."

"They must be a lively bunch," Vesuvia commented.

"You have no idea," Noah sighed. "Well, you will once you join my organization."

Vesuvia limited herself to shaking her head and opening the dome. Her two underlings in the liquid stage immediately landed at her sides and began to wave their fans. Pellio and June also flew inside the structure while the turtles reached the experts outside the city after Noah voiced a short growl.

June couldn't help but frown when she noticed Vesuvia's sweaty state. She even teased her by revealing a satisfied smile, but Noah soon made everyone go back to the main topic.

"What now?" Noah asked. "You said "one of the keys". Does it mean that the other three dimensional portals have more of them?"

"Precisely," Vesuvia revealed. "You need two of them to open the path to the ninth floor. I wonder whether you'll change your mind about killing me."

"Tempting," June whispered.

"Will you follow us to the next floor once the path is open?" Noah asked.

"The entire city will," Vesuvia declared. "Of course, only if you can retrieve two keys."

"Why can't you just call your creators friends and get everyone out of the Labyrinth?" Noah asked. "It's already clear that we belong to the same side. Let's get out there and fight Heaven and Earth."

"I'm afraid that's outside my abilities," Vesuvia stated. "I am but a part of the Labyrinth now. I can't contact the other creators or mess with the floors' rules.. My city will follow you if you open a path, but we won't help find the keys."