2261 2261. Guardian

"It's time," The solid stage old man hovering before the sky announced.

"It's more powerful than I expected," The middle-aged woman commented while inspecting the landmass.

"Almost every major expert among our opponents has added something to that landmass," The old man stated. "It would be strange if it lacked power."

One thing became clear to the entire battlefield. The landmass had completely awakened, and its heavy power spread to every corner of the higher plane.

Violent sharpness unfolded. The landmass had released random waves of energy during its awakening, and they had ended up invading almost every fight on the battlefield. Yet, its sole presence was enough to fill the higher plane with heavy power that threatened to cut anything on its path.

The landmass had transformed the environment. It was awake now, so the higher plane had turned into something that weaker beings couldn't endure. The various rank 8 leaders had to unfold their auras to protect their underlings, but the effort depleted their energy quickly.

Only rank 9 existences could survive in that new version of the higher plane without relying on defensive techniques. However, a few of them still preferred to deploy protections since their worlds couldn't endure that pressure for too long. Their very structure would suffer damage otherwise.

"Roar to your fullest!" Sword Saint shouted while flying next to the landmass. "Announce to the whole world that a new blade has stepped into the battlefield!"

The landmass seemed to understand Sword Saint's orders, and another roar followed them.

The deep cry was loud enough to disperse and destroy all the techniques summoned by beings below the ninth rank. Still, that was only the beginning of the attack.

Countless strands of dark energy shot in every direction and filled the higher plane. A wave of blackness covered the void and carried intense sharpness that aimed to kill anyone daring to fly on the battlefield.

King Elbas and Divine Architect snorted almost at the same time as they gave different orders to their structures.

The nine towers turned ethereal before teleporting into different areas of the battlefield and releasing dark-blue light. That halo didn't bother trying to stop the incoming sharpness. Instead, it focused on creating multiple shields and barriers to keep the underlings safe.

King Elbas' wall also split into different buildings that flew toward various spots of the battlefield. Their movements created various currents and golden bubbles that opened separate dimensions where his underlings could hide.

Both experts had tried to limit their losses, but the landmass ended up escaping their calculations. The black waves of sharp energy pierced some of the protections and killed the experts inside them without caring about their side.

"They are always so messy," King Elbas complained, but a faint smirk appeared on his face anyway.

<br/>Divine Architect remained silent to inspect the sharp waves of energy. They continued to fly until they reached the areas near the sky, where they found hindrances strong enough to stop them.

Many rank 9 experts and weapons were still hovering near the sky, so those powerful but random waves of sharp energy ended up dispersing during the clash. Even the forests of roots were too powerful for those casual attacks. Still, that didn't speak for their might.

The landmass had simply roared. The energy that had followed that cry was strong enough to be classified as an attack, but it wasn't an actual ability.

The giant home that Noah and the others had created had yet to reveal its full power. It had merely decided to step on the battlefield, but its might was something that even King Elbas and Sword Saint would struggle to predict.

Of course, Sword Saint didn't even bother to check the landmass' power. He was happy to have witnessed the birth of a new blade, but the latter had to live on its own now.

The landmass gathered energy as it remained pointed at the castle. Its sharp edges grew darker, and its structure thinned, but its presence intensified.

The raw weight that the landmass unleashed on the higher plane forced many fights to end. The experts involved in those battles couldn't summon their energy or exchange attacks when that sharp atmosphere destroyed them as soon as they left their bodies.

The weapons and avatars had it far worse since they weren't programmed to defend against that threat. They tried to keep fighting, but their efforts only depleted their energy and damaged their structure.

A low growl eventually came out of the landmass, and everyone's survival instincts suddenly screamed. Something big was about to arrive, and even the rank 9 experts couldn't afford to be distracted during that event. Their very lives were about to be in danger.

A massive amount of energy gathered inside the landmass and intensified the effects that its presence was unleashing. An attack would arrive at any second, and the entire battlefield opened to leave a path where that power could travel.

Clouds and storms appeared around the landmass. Its energy was so thick that the environment couldn't remain still during the event. Then, a second, deeper growl came out of its dark surface, and everything went still for an instant.

The very void seemed to tremble as the landmass gathered everything it had on its tip and unleashed its offensive. A shadow as big as the creature shot forward before disappearing in the next second.

Countless defensive techniques lit up as every expert on the battlefield expected a massive wave of energy to fill the higher plane. However, the attack didn't cause any consequences. It simply disappeared.

The underlings couldn't see what had happened, but Noah and the other leaders frowned or showed surprised expressions after the exchange. Their eyes went to a spot right above the landmass, and the same went for their mental waves. Everyone wanted to study the expert who had stopped the attack.

"Quite powerful, aren't we?" The old man announced while hovering above the landmass.

The privileged cultivator shook his fuming hand to disperse the smoke generated during the impact. His palm soon revealed a small cut, but that injury closed in a few seconds.

The landmass took a while to understand what had happened, but a deafening roar followed that realization. Its cry was so loud that even more barriers and experts shattered, but the privileged cultivator remained unfazed by that attack.

The landmass didn't stop there. It amassed power to unleash another giant attack, but the privileged cultivator dashed downward to place his palm on the sharp tip.

That simple gesture dispersed the energy accumulated by the landmass and prevented the arrival of the attack. Nevertheless, the privileged cultivator had to retract his arm since the black fabric of the creature was devouring his skin.

"You shouldn't touch it without its permission," Sword Saint exclaimed while teleporting next to the privileged cultivator.

"The guardian," The old man sighed. "I expected you."

"A sword must run free," Sword Saint declared. "You are on its path. I can't have that."

"There is no path," The old man stated before performing a side-step.

Sword Saint's arm suddenly materialized next to the privileged cultivator's cheek. An injury even opened on that spot and leaked a few drops of blood. Meanwhile, the rest of Sword Saint's body appeared and revealed how he had already teleported into that new position.