Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

Chapter 272: Growth

The moment Virtue's edge came into contact with the remaining three Red Demon brothers, Alex felt a powerful force erupt from it, as it was practically swinging him by this point, instead of him swinging it.

The sword's new power took Alex by surprise, and as he looked down at the blade, he could almost feel its satisfaction.

Virtue's Edge pulsed with a faint glow, like it was finally satiated after a long drought.

[F- rank sword 'Virtue's Edge' has grown]

Alex received a short notification from the system, confirming his suspicions of where this sudden surge of power had come from in his sword.

Having finished the three Red Demons off with one swift swipe of his sword, with a little bit of help from his Phoenix flames, Alex opened up his inventory to check for any spoils.

'Yess!'

Sitting in a corner of his inventory were two new soul orbs.

A grin stretched across Alex's face.

"Two out of four, not bad." Alex muttered to himself.

"But there's still a lot more work to do."

He scanned the horizon, assessing the battlefield.

He hadn't just joined this place for the chance of better loot, he was determined to do as much damage as he possibly could to the Red Demon side.

Pockets of intense fighting dotted the landscape, and the sounds of distant clashes and explosions filled the air.

'Where can I do the most damage?' he thought, his eyes darting over the tactical display on his communicator.

His gaze settled on a hot spot on the map, where fighting seemed the most intense.

It was near the centre of any man's land, a strategic position that both sides were vying for.

It was directly above a mineral deposit that contained an ore both sides needed to keep up the maintenance of their ships, so it was a very coveted area.

If he could make a difference there, it could be a significant blow to the Red Demon forces.

"Alright, time to get to work." he said, steeling himself for the next confrontation.

With Virtue's Edge in hand, Alex sprinted his way across the battlefield. His enhanced speed allowed him to cover ground at paces far faster than the speed of sound, and he deftly avoided the worst of the debris and hazards.

As Alex sprinted across the battlefield, he moved like a phantom, a blur among the chaos.

The sounds of battle filled his ears: the clash of steel, the roar of explosions, the screams of the dead and wounded.

It was a symphony of destruction, and Alex's goal was to be its conductor.

As he approached the centre, the fighting grew more ferocious like he had suspected.

Federation soldiers were entrenched, holding the line against wave after wave of Red Demon attacks.

One of the most interesting things about Awakened was how they almost always seemed to use cold weaponry, with most of them being close range melee weapons.

With how technology didn't work in the Primordial Expanse, awakened had gotten too used to using them to suddenly switch it up when they come back to the real universe.

So wars, just like what Alex was witnessing right in front of him, often resembled that of the ancient medieval sieges.

Only with superpowered humans who could tear apart mountains with a single punch…

Alex arrived at the Federation's front lines, where the soldiers and awakened alike were hunkered down in makeshift barricades and shield generators.

They were a motley crew of battle hardened veterans and fresh faced recruits, all united by their determination to hold this critical position.

"Who's in charge here?" Alex asked, his voice cutting through the dim atmosphere.

"The Federation." One of the nearby soldiers replied.

Alex just facepalmed at his reply, elaborating his question further.

"Not who's in charge of the mine right now, but which officer is in charge here!?"

Alex demanded.

A grizzled sergeant, his face smeared with dirt and blood, turned to him.

"I am. Sergeant Harris. Who the hell are you?"

"Recruit Alex," Alex replied.

"I'm here to help you turn the tide."

Harried eyed him sceptically, but didn't have the time to argue.

"We could use all the help we can get. They're hitting us harder and harder each time, and our reinforcements are still an hour out."

"Not a problem." Alex said, gripping Virtue's Edge tighter.

"You won't have a need for those reinforcements."

Without waiting for a response, Alex vaulted over a barricade and charged into the thick of the fighting.

The Red Demons were taken aback by his sudden appearance, but their surprise quickly changed to rage.

"There's another one of them!" One of the Red Demons shouted, pointing at Alex.

"Kill him!" another snarled.

Alex met their fury with his own.

Virtue's Edge, now pulsing with even more power, cut through the air with deadly precision.

The Red Demons he was targeting weren't nearly as strong as the four Red Demon brothers who had attempted to ambush him, so he didn't even need to use his Phoenix flames.

His first target was a hulking Red Demon wielding a massive battle axe.

The Demon swung it at him with brutal force, but Alex ducked under the blow and retaliated with a slash to the mid section.

The blade of Virtue's Edge cut straight through flesh and bone like it was butter, then the hulking Red Demon was split in two.

The Demon roared in pain and fury, but Alex didn't give it the chance to recover, if it was even possible that he could.

He followed up with a quick thrust, driving the blade through the demon's heart.

The hulking demon staggered with his arms, his eyes wide in shock, before they rolled back into his head, and his breaths stopped completely.

This time, it seemed the Red Demons weren't as heartless as the brothers who ambushed him.

The other Red Demons hesitated, clearly unnerved by the speed and ferocity of Alex's attack.

Seizing the moment, Alex pressed his advantage.

He became a whirlwind of destruction, his movements a blur as he cut through the enemy ranks.

He could really feel the effect of his Swordsmanship training over the last few months kicking in at times like this.

But the Red Demons were not so easily defeated.

Alex had only dealt with one Red Demon so far, and the sky and ground in this region was quite literally littered with them.

Just as Alex was considering his next move, his senses picked up the sounds of a cry for help nearby.

He turned to see two awakened, not affiliated with the military much like himself, fighting for their lives against five Mutant class C+ rank Red Demons.

The duo were fairly skilled for their ranks, with them both being Mutant class C+ ranks themselves and still holding out quite well against 5 Red Demons of equal level.

But they were being pushed to their limits.

One wielded a pair of short, curved blades, moving with incredible speed and agility, while the other fought with a massive hammer.

But the Mutant Red Demons were relentless.

Individually, they were weaker than the duo, but the moment one of the Red Demons was too exhausted and started to look like they were losing, another Red Demon stepped in to take their place while the other recuperated.

The duo were losing their energy rapidly, trying to win this fight was unsustainable.

Alex decided to help.

With Virtue's Edge pulsing with Energy, he dashed towards the troubled awakened.

His speed was a blur, and he covered the distance in a fraction of a second, leaping into the fray with a powerful downward slash aimed at the nearest demon.

The demon saw him coming and tried to block, but Alex's blade cut through his defence with ease.

Virtue's Edge, fuelled by the constant upsurges of power, sliced down through the demon's arm, severing it in a single stroke.

"ARGGH!"

The demon howled in pain, his body unable to withstand the impact of Alex's blade.

The awakened with the hammer took advantage of the distraction, delivering a crushing blow to the demon's head, which exploded in a shower of blood and gore.

The other awakened, with the curved blades, nodded in gratitude to Alex before turning back to the fight.

With Alex's arrival, they had quickly taken the advantage away from the Red Demons.

But sensing the danger Alex posed, the remaining three Red Demons turned their focus towards him.

But Alex was ready.

He parried a vicious swipe from one of the demons, countering with a quick slash that opened up a deep gash in its chest.

The demon staggered back, clutching at the wound.

Another demon lunged at him from the side, its claws aimed at his throat.

Alex spun, using the momentum to bring Virtue's Edge around in a wide arc.

The blade caught the demon in mid air, cutting through his neck and sending it tumbling to the ground.

There was only one Red Demon left out of the fray at this point, but he looked terrified.

He tried to turn tail and run, but the duo of awakened had already caught up to him and dealt with him with their combined might.