Noah couldn't explore the real version of the magical beasts' domain in the first phases of his journey toward the Void Zone. The creatures that lived near the border were fighting with the human side. The trio flew over empty regions inhabited only by immense magical plants.
The flora was far richer in the lands under the control of the magical beasts. The humans tended to clear entire areas to build cities and defenses, but those creatures lived in the complete wild. The magical plans died only when powerful beings fought near them.
That empty environment didn't allow the trio to hunt, but they could gather valuable materials from the unprotected and harmless magical plants.
Some of the tallest trees had thick trunks that could provide tough wood. Noah seized everything he could and filled his separate space with many valuable materials. He gained more from that simple travel than from the whole golem cave in the second layer of Supreme Thief's inheritance.
Those gains would have been impossible if the magical beasts were still in those regions. Many of the magical plants seized by the trio thrived near lairs belonging to rank 8 creatures. The trio had no chance to take those resources during normal times.
Magical beasts eventually began to reappear once Noah and the others flew deeper into that domain. Sparse packs made of creatures in the lower tier of the seventh rank acted like the trio and ate anything they could now that the leaders were away.
The trio avoided those packs. They were too weak to satisfy their bodies, and they didn't want to waste time since they were still too close to the human domain.
Their superior awareness told them that no one was following them, but it was better to play it safe against cultivators from large forces. The Sailbrird family was wealthy enough to purchase cloaking robes for its members.
When the trio was deep enough in the magical beasts' domain, they decided to take a break and focus on their cultivation. Noah couldn't wait for that moment to arrive since he had a promising item to inspect.
Noah dug a cave in a tall forest and covered the entire habitation with dark matter before taking out the transparent case containing the cursed sword.
The Demonic Sword and Night also came out of the separate space carrying a mixture of worry and curiosity. They could sense that the cursed blade was an inscribed weapon in the upper tier, but they trusted Noah enough to believe that the item would become their companion soon.
Noah covered his body with dark matter, and the fiendish armor quickly formed. His clawed fingers then removed the seal placed on the case, and an intense bloodlust filled the dark world as soon as the container opened.
Countless images flowed inside Noah's mind and resonated with his memories. He recalled every battle and life that he had taken under the influence of that bloodlust.
Dark-red shades quickly began to replace the colors in his memories. All the blood spilled because of him filled his mind and tried to cover his whole mental sea.
"Another warmonger," A tired male voice seeped inside Noah's consciousness. "You all kill without considering your opponent's pain. My creator was a fool to believe that battles would stop once the aggressors learnt what their enemies felt."
The voice was deep and loud. It echoed inside Noah's mind and created shockwaves that ran through the red color filling his mental sea.
"Humans will never stop fighting," The voice continued. "This is their curse. Mine is to have them as my Masters. Luckily, I won't be your servant. Your arrogance has clouded your mind."
The cursed sword was speaking about Noah's cultivation level. He had chosen to feel the aura of the blade even if his power was inferior to the item.
Yet, Noah was far from ordinary. His black hole began to rotate faster as the bloodlust tried to fill every inch of his mind, and his companions gave voice to cries that created some clarity among that dark-red scenery.
Every time Noah recalled one of his bloodied memories, he sensed the emotions that had filled his being at that time. He remembered why he had killed so many opponents, and the answer was always the same.
"I agree!" Noah roared. "Humans are hypocrites, but I'm no cultivator. You can call me a monster if you please, but I will use you to unleash even more bloodshed. I won't run away from this bloodlust. Let me seize it!"
Noah's voice was a mixture of human words and roars, and a loud cry followed the end of his speech. His pride became more intense at that point, and his ambition surged to express all the qualities of his individuality.
The dark-red color that had filled his mind slowly began to disappear. It didn't fade. Noah's mental sea absorbed and made it part of its structure.
The dark-brown mental sea began to radiate scarlet shades after Noah completed the process, and his aura obtained an ominous feeling. Something had changed inside him, but he didn't feel any different.
Noah had his bloodlust. The cursed sword had intensified it and forced him to give it a form. The blade had also passed him the bloodlust of its previous Masters, and it didn't expect him to absorb it so quickly.
"Why?" The cursed sword asked through mental waves that seeped through Noah's consciousness. "Why do you all keep on fighting? Why can't you stop?"
Noah completely opened the case and dispersed his armor at that point. The sword's aura couldn't hurt him anymore after he had absorbed its bloodlust, so he could wield it without facing any danger.
"I will show you," Noah said as his hand closed on its handle and his ambition surged.
Noah's aura expanded. He had cultivated enough to have regained some potential, so his centers of powers slightly grew under that influence. The dark world also reacted to his ambition.
The dark matter morphed and gave birth to a starry sky. Noah's black higher energy began to shine with white color as it reflected what he saw through his ambition.
His feelings flowed out of his mind and seeped inside the blade. The weapon's will didn't speak during that scene. It simply focused on the starry sky and bathed in Noah's emotions.
"Can humans even reach that?" The sword asked after it snapped back to reality.
"I have no idea," Noah replied, "But I will kill every single living being in the Immortal Lands if that gets me closer to what I want."
"I see," The sword said and fell silent for a while before giving a final answer. "I accept your determination. Use me to unleash as much bloodshed as you like. Failing to endure it will lead to your death."
"Death is the easy path," Noah said as he took out the cursed sword from the case and raised it above his head.
That simple movement created a fissure in his dark world and broke the ground behind it. The slash also cut a few magical plans in the area before losing its power and vanishing.
A cut then opened on Noah's shoulder. That attack had also injured him, but he expected nothing less from a blade with the label "cursed."
"Now, tell me what you can do," Noah said as he came out of the cave. It was time for some tests.
