The Soul Eater reached out, grabbed, and ate nearby souls.

"It's a baby," Khan said.

'A baby? In what world is that a baby?'

"That's what a Soul Eater looks like in its early stages. It doesn't look like it has a special ability either," Loxia said.

"The newbies should be able to handle one that size. They'll have to get used to fighting them anyway."

"Agreed."

Ultimately, Khan and Loxia backed off and allowed Kang Oh's party to hunt the Soul Eater.

"Let me give you one piece of advice. A Soul Eater is a soul. Normal physical attacks won't work on it," Loxia warned.

"Don't worry about us." Kang Oh grinned, holding both Ubist and Sarahoff in his hands, and kicked off a Cube.

Devil Trigger!

Kang Oh rocketed forward, his jet-black body gaining a beast mask, a black tail, frozen horns, greaves, and gauntlets. 

His party followed after him.

Kang Oh launched the first attack.

Tempest Tiger!

A gold tiger roared and dashed towards the Soul Eater.

Then, the Soul Eater's appearance changed. A black serrated blade sprouted from its right arm, and its left arm transformed into a cannon.

Whoosh!

It swung its right arm and cleaved through the Tempest Tiger. Then, it aimed its cannon at Kang Oh.

Boom!

A destructive black beam came flying at him.

Now it was Nile's turn.

Ferocious Tiger Strike!

His fist unleashed a tiger-shaped aura, which crashed into the black beam.

Swoosh, swoosh! 

Tentacles popped out of the Soul Eater's body.

Asu swung her flaming sword, and Waryong spewed its flames. Sephiro shot an aura-imbued arrow. 

Eder was a Necromancer. Although he specialized in bone magic, he was quite proficient in spells that specifically targeted and damaged the soul.

"...Chains that bind the soul!"

Soul Bind!

His skull staff released a gray chain, which wrapped around the Soul Eater's left cannon arm.

The Soul Eater fiercely swung its right arm and quickly cut through the chains.

Then...

Kang Oh, who'd kicked off of a Cube, rocketed forward and cleaved through the Soul Eater with Ubist.

Kuhaah!

He left a huge gash on the monster's side, which released a mass of pale souls.

"Hoh."

"As expected!"

Khan and Loxia were both astonished.

It seemed like they were satisfied by Ubist's ability to cut souls.

The Soul Eater now recognized Kang Oh as the greatest threat. Thus, it launched all of its tentacles at him.

Kang Oh quickly summoned a Cube, used it as a stepping stone, and soared into the air.

Swoosh!

Countless tentacles passed through where he'd just been.

Whir!

Ubist and Sarahoff unleashed darkness and cold energy.

Yuki-Onna's Breath!

Abyss Claw!

Sarahoff's ice could even freeze the soul. First, Yuki-Onna's Breath froze its tentacles, and then the ferocious beast claws raked at the Soul Eater's body.

Nile and Asu charged at the Soul Eater's sides.

Beast Fighter: Thunderbird!

Sun Sword!

Nile's fist unleashed mighty bolts of lightning, and Asu's sword released Phoenix flames, which could burn all creation to ash.

Kuhaaahk!

The Soul Eater writhed in pain, and spewed black spheres from its mouth.

They were bombs.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Nile and Asu were caught in the giant explosions, and were pushed back.

Whizz!

Fire Dragon's Arrow!

A flaming arrow entered the Soul Eater's mouth.

A short while later...

Dark red flames leaked out of the cracks on the Soul Eater's chest.

Then, Kang Oh thrust Demon Sword Ubist from behind. 

Bam!

The resulting hole spat out countless souls. How many souls had it eaten!?

The Soul Eater started to get desperate. It shot beams out of its cannon arm, and swept through its surroundings with its blade arm.

However, it didn't hit anyone with its beam, and Eder dealt with its blade.

Homing Bone Fragments!

Bone Bomb!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

White bone fragments flew towards its sword arm, which then exploded, completely annihilating its right arm.

"Huahp!" Nile dove for the Soul Eater's head.

Mad Dragon Cannon!

Nile thrust his fist, which unleashed draconic energy that consumed the Soul Eater whole.

Boom!

There was a massive explosion, and the freed souls floated in the air. 

The battle was over. 

It was duller than they'd expected.

Kang Oh recalled what Khan had said. He had called it a 'baby'.

"Good work," Loxia walked over and said.

"This is the weakest kind of Soul Eater. It won't be as easy if you encounter a higher ranked Soul Eater or the Mamonas. So don't let your guard down," Khan said.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Let's see if there are any other Soul Eaters around."

However, they didn't find any more Soul Eaters. Kang Oh's party, along with Loxia and Khan, returned to the Lamp.

* * *

Nile had decided to stay with Khan at the Lamp. Apparently, he wanted to learn a thing or two from him.

The rest of Kang Oh's party returned to Noah, where they met the rest of the guardians.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Howlka."

Howlka was double the size of a normal orc, and had a brave face and protruding tusks from his mouth.

Revolutionist Howlka!

Howlka was considered the western region's greatest hero and leader. He had defeated Zhankara, the tyrant that was known as the 'Troll Emperor'.

He was the orcs' first Grandmaster. The story of him killing thousands of Zhankara's guards and taking his head was a story that was passed down even to this day.

"I'm Kunta." The handsome, middle-aged man smiled.

Kang Oh absentmindedly fiddled with his black and gold ring. 

"Oho, that's the ring I wore when I was young."

Kunta!

It was said that he was the most talented individual in history, and was both a Mage and a Swordsman!

Why, you ask? He had mastered both swordsmanship and magic, while so many others had difficulty just mastering one.

However, there was one thing people didn't know about him. He hadn't just mastered two classes; he had mastered three. Swordsmanship, magic, and archery.

In other words, he was history's greatest Triple Master.

The Greatest Knight, Grande Loxia!

The God of Fighting, Khan!

The Revolutionist, Howlka!

Golden Talent, Kunta!

They were all distinguished individuals, which made it hard to rank them. However, their leader was far greater than them.

"It's a pleasure. My name is Javen."

Like Grande, Javen's hair and eyebrows were both white. However, Kang Oh was shocked to hear the name he'd just uttered.

Javen was the hero who'd saved the world!

He was history's greatest hero!

In the past, when the Evil God and his disciples plunged the world into darkness and chaos, he and a few of his comrades struck down the Evil God Worshippers, the disciples, and the High Priest, and saved the world.

The Evil God Worshippers Kang Oh had encountered were nothing in comparison to the ones Javen had fought against.

"Are you really the hero who saved the world?" Kang Oh asked, astonished.

"The hero who saved the world... Some people do call me that."

"It's an honor to meet you. However..." Kang Oh stared at Javen's belt. There was one sword that came to mind.

Max Perado!

It was considered Max's finest work, and the greatest blade within the Max Series.

Demon Sword Ubist had originally been Max Gemina, a sister sword to Max Perado. Kang Oh had also gained Max Cain by defeating Dukeram. However, it was unknown where the final sword, Max Natalie, was located.

Perado, Cain, Gemina, and Natalie.

They were the names of Max's children. However, Max Perado was far superior to its sister swords, so much so that it was called a 'holy sword' or a 'hero's sword'.

Kang Oh was curious about Javen's sword. Was it really a copy of the holy sword?

"Do you recognize these swords?" Kang Oh pulled out Demon Sword Ubist and Max Cain.

"Max Cain and... Its color and atmosphere have changed, but it's definitely Gemina." 

"Indeed! Is the sword on your belt..."

"It's Perado. Though it's simply a copy recreated through my memories."

"May I take a look at it?"

"Of course." Javen pulled Max Perado from its sheath. It looked slightly different than how he'd expected it to look.

Max Perado was way too plain. 'It's like a steel sword that you can find anywhere.'

However, it was definitely Max Perado.

After all, Demon Sword Ubist and Max Cain were resonating with it.

Kang Oh checked its item info.

[Steel Sword]

It looks like an ordinary steel sword.

+ Unknown.

+ Unknown.

+ Unknown.

+ Unknown.

Rank: Unknown.

Abilities: Unknown.

Minimum Requirements: Unknown.

Kang Oh furrowed his brow. 'It's just a steel sword?' Moreover, everything was blacked out with an 'unknown'.

"Aha, my apologies. This child's pretty shy around strangers." Javen tightly squeezed its hilt. Then, something shocking happened.

What was once an ordinary steel sword transformed into a silver sword that radiated intense light!

'Now!'

Kang Oh quickly checked its info. If he didn't check now, then he wouldn't get a chance to see its abilities!

[Max Perado]

A peerless blade created by the legendary artisan, Max.

It is one of the four swords among the Max Series. Max named it after his first child.

It is considered the world's greatest and most powerful sword. It is also called the hero's sword.

When Max Perado was completed, the Blacksmith God, Orgon, said this:

"It's a work of art that even a god wouldn't be able to create!"

This sword travels around the world in search of its wielder. If you are a true hero, then wait! Perado will come and find you!

+ Holy Sword: It is the greatest sword in the world. The greater the hero, the more power it can exert. 

+ Great Hero's Sword: Gives the hero the ability to escape danger.

+ Invincible Sword: Cannot be destroyed. Cannot be sealed. Untradeable. If you lose your qualifications as a hero, then the sword disappears.

Rank: SS.

Abilities: Attack Power 1200, Light Damage 2300. Doubles all stats, and reduces enemy damage by 50%.

Minimum Requirements: You must be chosen by the sword.

'Holy shit! What did I just see?'

Kang Oh had seen countless 'peerless' blades before. His demon swords were also considered 'peerless blades'.

However, Max Perado blew all of them out of the water.

First, its total attack power was a whopping 3,500.

Ubist's attack power was less than 2,000. Moreover, the holy sword doubled the wielder's stats and reduced all damage taken by 50%.

'Isn't that a bit much!?'

Plus, it would give the hero whatever ability they needed for that exact situation.

If he had a chance to trade his demon swords for Max Perado, then he'd do it in an instant.

His companions noticed his expression, and then took a look at Max Perado for themselves.

"I don't know what to say," Sephiro said.

"Max Cain wasn't anywhere near this."

Asu looked over Max Cain's item information.

[Max Cain]

A peerless blade created by the legendary artisan, Max. It is one of the four swords among the Max Series. Max named it after his second child.

It is considered the most beautiful sword in the world. The sword twinkles like the stars above, so it is called the 'Galaxy Sword'.

+ Supersonic Strike: After attacking for a while, you will be able to unleash an attack that surpasses the speed of sound. Cooldown: 0. MP Cost: 0.

+ Damage Amplification: Always deals double damage to your opponents.

+ Skill Amplification: Doubles the effectiveness of all your skills.

+ Star Sword: The sword is blessed by the stars, so it cannot be destroyed. Allows the wielder to cut through magic. You will be blessed with good luck.

Rank: SS.

Abilities: Attack Power 1411, Penetration +200, All Stats +70, All Resistances +40%.

Minimum Requirements: A Master Swordsman with at least three secret moves. 

Max Cain was no joke. Even so, it couldn't compare to the likes of Max Perado.

"Are you done looking?" Javen smiled and asked.

"Ah, yes. Thank you for letting me take a look." Kang Oh bowed his head.

"If you want to take a look at Max Natalie, then give Max a visit."

Kang Oh was shocked once more.

"The legendary blacksmith is here?"

"Do you know who Bargo is?"

"Max makes the greatest swords, while Bargo makes the greatest spears. Is that who you are referring to...?"

Javen smiled.

Noah.

It was a place where he could meet all sorts of legendary figures.