Saint Geom had the power of the Holy Destiny Bell strengthening his every muscle. The Immortal-Grade Spirit Armament had maximized his potential to the utmost limit. Not to mention, there was his favoured Immortal-Grade weapon, the Samingeom boosting his overall power. It was not an exaggeration to say that Saint Geom was currently the most powerful Spirit Saint at this very moment.

Kuro held his Blade of the Ephemeral Haunt tightly, his palms unwillingly shivered. Facing six Spirit Saints was already hard enough, however, now he had to worry about three Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments as well. Spirit Armaments were rare in the cultivation world with only a percentage of cultivators ever getting a chance to obtain one of them. Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments were even rarer, given how difficult it was to craft and use them. Take the Blade of the Ephemeral Haunt for instance. It required the materials taken from nineteen Tier 9 Spirit Beasts and the craftsmanship of a Blacksmith Saint to forge.

The three Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments that the six Spirit Saints held likely had similar stories. The Samingeom, the world’s most famous Immortal-Grade sword, was said to be forged from the remnants of a star that fell upon the planet. Furthermore, the Immortal-Grade weapon was infused with the insights of all the Dalgeom Sect’s Spirit Saints. Past and present. The amount of sword aura that it had been engulfed in… The amount of blood that it had seen… Was incomparable to any other Immortal-Grade Spirit Armament that existed.

Saint Althea’s Holy Destiny Bell was a relic of similar stature. Created by the founder of the Healer’s Association, it had the lifeblood of a Spirit Immortal as well as the infused mana of Healer Saints throughout the generations. Its spiritual abilities were top-notch, even among Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments and its very existence had kept the Healer’s Association from being raided multiple times over.

And finally, who could forget the Rod of Eternity. Unlike the other Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments, the Rod of Eternity was a weapon crafted especially for Saint Longyu Tian’s hands. In her youth, when she triggered a Spirit Evolution, Longyu Tian had already walked on the path of a Time-Elemental Spirit Saint. Unfortunately, there were literally no Time-Elemental Spirit Armaments around, particularly ones that could reach the Immortal-Grade.

Therefore, the lonesome Longyu Tian embarked on a journey to create her very own Time-Elemental Immortal-Grade Spirit Armament. It was an arduous attempt. Not only did she need to find suitable materials to craft the Immortal-Grade Spirit Armament, but her insights into the Time-Element had to be in the realm of perfection. A hundred years of research, development and failures after… The Saint of Time had finally created a weapon that was unique to herself.

The pressure given off by the Rod of Eternity, as well as the Spirit Saint who created it to suit her needs, was no less demoralising than that of Saint Geom and the Samingeom. Kuro had thought that he would be able to buy at least an hour with his Blade of Ephemeral Haunt. However, with six Spirit Saints and three Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments bearing him down… It would be a miracle if he held on for five minutes.

‘Allfather… How are the preparations?’ So, with everything on the line, Kuro established his emergency connection with the slumbering Rank 99 Spirit Saint.

[Not good enough… Just buy as much time as you can. I will forcibly awaken my body immediately to use the final card.]

‘But if you do that, your lifespan...’

[Will decrease even more, yes.]

The Allfather clearly knew what was going on outside. His connection with Kuro enabled him to see the outside world as if he were physically present. So, he could tell what a desperate situation that his Guardian Beast was in. It was the Allfather’s mistake. He hadn’t realised how deep the three superpower’s resources were and had thought that it would take much longer for them to recover from the Worldquake. Alas, the three superpowers had proved him wrong.

[I’d thought that they would take at least ten years to bother us, given the circumstances of their nations. I guess that they are desperate to end the war right now...]

‘Those fucking...’ Kuro cursed mentally. If only the Alliance followed their script, the Allfather wouldn’t have to take such drastic risks.

[Kuro… I permit you to use everything that you have. Don’t worry about harming the barrier. Once the final card is used, we’ll all be drawn into my Spirit to hibernate anyway… There’s no need to protect Mythpoint Reach anymore.]

‘Allfather, no Master Akumu… Must you really do this?’

Kuro was hesitant. He knew more than anyone else how weak the Allfather currently was from unbinding the shackles that the Terrestrial Dragon had placed on the Terre Continent. If he were to expend even more energy, there was a good chance that he wouldn’t awake ever again.

[Don’t worry about me, Kuro… Have you ever seen me fail in my goals before?]

‘No Allfather, but...’

[No buts! Just hold them off for the time being. I’ve already begun the Call Of Darkness.]

‘...’

The conversation between the Allfather and his beloved Guardian Beast seemed to span a long time, but in reality, barely five seconds had passed in the material world. Saint Geom was staring down Kuro as he called back his purple phantoms, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. Additionally, he was buying valuable time for the Aether Cannon of Deus Citadel to charge up and land the decisive blow on Mythpoint Reach. The elderly Spirit Saint’s eyes never left Kuro’s image, and thus, he was the first one to notice the change in his atmosphere.

Rumble…

The air turned crisp and the stale. No gales dared to come close, even at the high altitude that the Spirit Saints were levitating at. Oxygen became scarce, and the world turned ever dark. It was cloudy, but it seemed like the entire sky had been engulfed in the blackness of an eclipse.

“This is...” Saint Firebird looked up, his Phoneix Heart thumping wildly. Fire-Elements cowered in fear while Light-Elements quickly hid within the Holy Destiny Bell. They were like usurped emperors, shouting at the rebel Darkness-Element that dared to claim their firmament for its own. There was no light, there was heat, there was no sun. There was only… Darkness.

“So… That’s the true power of the Primordial Beast Kuro...” Saint Atossa wasn’t that pleased with their situation. The six Spirit Saints could only watch blankly as Kuro turned the world into darkness, overruling all the other elements that lived harmoniously on the land. “A Primordial Beast’s mana is really in a class of its own… To change the entire region’s elements to suit its needs. That amount of spiritual energy needed to perform such a feat would suck a Spirit Saint dry.”

“Hmph! So what if he’s changing the elements to his will!” Saint Thor barked. Before, he wasn’t as confident when facing the full might of Kuro and possibly the Allfather. However, with three Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments supporting them, there was no way that the Black Masks wouldn’t fall today.

Though, Kuro cared little about what his opponents felt. His left hand raised, embers of dark flames congregated into a dense ball of mana. Burrowing the image of the sky, the small black flaming ball in Kuro’s hand grew larger and larger, until…

“Unholy Star!” The Primordial Beast hollered. Dark thunder crackled from the inside of the star, and a chilling cold permeated anyone who came close to the Unholy Star. At the same time, billowing smoke emerged from the depths of the star, covering Mythpoint Reach’s barrier with dense fog and blocked the Alliance’s line of sight.

“Still thinking about saving Mythpoint Reach? You sure are one loyal dog!” Saint Geom scoffed. Leaping out with the Samingeom in hand, the Sword Saint turned into a beam of pure Swordlight. In the infinite darkness that Kuro had created, Saint Geom’s gorgeous form was the only light that brought sense to the senseless world. At that moment, all the swordsman that were on Deus Citadel felt their hearts stir in fervour while their swords shook violently as if trying to escape from their scabbards. Most of them didn’t even witness Saint Geom’s Swordlight and were surrounded by brick and steel. However, their souls could feel the dominating effect of Saint Geom’s strikes.

It was as if… The monarch of all swords had descended upon the world, and anyone with an inkling of sword intent would have to bow down in reverence. Natasha Aldana did it, Meijing Bingying did it… Heck, even some of the Dalgeom Sect’s Spirit Venerates had to bow their heads in respect of Saint Geom’s arts.

He was… the strongest swordmaster on the planet.

“DIE!!!” And all of his wrath was focused onto one point.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

The Samingeom landed squarely on its target. Above, the overcast sky had been split in two, allowing the bare minimum of sunlight down from afternoon weather. Cloud embellished in darkness had been ripped bare as the elements that had been sealed rushed angrily back into the atmosphere. Shin gaped in awe, while safely located at the most secure chambers in Deus Citadel. No matter how powerful he was, Shin wasn’t suicidal enough to join a battle of that calibre. That was how great the battle was. One being had the power to seal the heavens, while the other had the might to tear it apart. And it had all been done in less than a couple of breaths.

However, neither Saint Geom nor Primordial Beast Kuro cared about their spectators’ shock. They were wholly focused on one another, particularly the elderly Sword Saint. That’s why Saint Geom was the first one to notice the change in Kuro. The Primordial Beast had blocked his Swordlight with the Blade of the Ephemeral Haunt and was mostly fine from the attack. But there was one distinct difference. There was not a single patch of white left in Kuro’s eye sockets. They had been infused entirely with his own Darkness-Elements and more eerily… Two lines of blackened blood dripped down from the corner of his eyes.

‘He’s… crying?’

Saint Geom wasn’t one to talk when it came to discussing emotions, but he could obviously tell that Kuro was in a peculiar mental state. His face was scrunched up and nose sniffing. Not to mention, the two lines of black blood flowing down his cheeks. Kuro was crying, there was no doubt about that… But why?

“You get no sympathy from me, you beast! Now die!”

Saint Geom didn’t bother to retreat. He was going to end the Primordial Beast’s life right here. Swinging the Samingeom up high, boundless amounts of Swordlight gathered as if the Spirit Saint had called the well of stars to descend. Strengthened by the Holy Destiny Bell and the Samingeom, Saint Geom was now able to unleash his most feared technique to the absolute limit that his body was able to allow. The one strike that made even the Himmel Ancestor fall back in fear. The one strike that made Saint Geom a household name when he was still a mere Spirit Emperor. And most importantly…

The one strike meant to smite down those that dared to bare their fangs against him. The Sword of rebel and the power meant to surpass one’s own limits.

“HEAVENBREAKER!!!”