Chapter 195: When Against Cheaters, Cheat Too
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After Devouring half of Uroboros, a powerful Constellation and the Archdemon of Gluttony, I gained a tremendous quantity of Cosmic Energy. Not only did my reserves skyrocket, but this also allowed for their regeneration speed to become much, much faster than before. It wasn’t as fast as I could just abuse it all the time. But I’ve saved a lot just for this dungeon. I was going to go all-out.
“{Cosmic Transcendent Arts}: {Constellation’s Aura}”
Cosmic Transcendent was a Skill that wasn’t sealed. It didn’t count as an attack skill, a sense skill, or magic. It was just a passive skill that allowed the wielding and use of Cosmic Energy. With it, I activated the Constellation’s Aura, a power I couldn’t use properly before.
But after harmonizing better with Sepa within my Cosmic Heart Core and after devouring half of Uroboros Cosmic Soul, I was able to unleash a somewhat decent Aura of Cosmic Pressure.
FLASH!
My surroundings were lit up by the blue light of the cosmos, with countless bright golden stars appearing around me. The Golden Emperor’s calm eyes suddenly opened wide, his jaws dropping to the floor in an almost cartoony way. The rest of his army stepped back.
“W-What the…?! You! What sort of... You’re not just a mere mortal!”
“Oh really? What gave that away?”
I quickly combined the knowledge, movements, and abilities of the Martial Art Techniques I’ve learned so far as I rushed forward. Using the [Abyssal Demonic Phantom Eye Gauntlet] to attack, I unleashed a single, powerful punch. My Cosmic Aura fusing with my Celestial Energies and my Ki, as the roar of a dragon echoed.
“{Golden Dragon’s Divine Fist}”
A gigantic golden fist composed of miniature stars and blue cosmic essence smashed a dozen Golden Murim Soldiers on the spot. Their bodies were breaking apart into pieces, and the Martial Souls inside of them were vanishing into nothingness. The shockwave of the attack continued, going all the way towards the Golden Emperor, diminishing in power with each split second.
BOOOM!
“Not bad…”
The Golden Emperor smiled as he caught my attack with his bare hands. That was really good, too good for a supposed “B Rank” Dungeon Boss. Although he noticed his hand had melted into liquid gold, he quickly regrew it anew.
“Wait, he took that head-on?!” Baihe asked. “There’s no way that guy’s a B Rank Dungeon Boss!”
“Damn Anna’s powerful…” Kevin commented. “But yeah! What the heck? You should have surely died from that, golden dude.”
“Cheater!” Annabelle protested.
“Hahaha! I guess we’ve been found out!” The Golden Emperor smiled, his true power surging from his body. “Against such mighty opponents, I simply cannot hold back! I am sorry, my Great Master, but I must show them how strong I truly am!”
As the Golden Emperor stood up from his throne, a powerful Aura of Ki surged from his body, strong enough to make gravity feel several times stronger than before. I encompassed my friends with my own Constellation’s Aura, protecting them from the adverse effects.
“That Aura is…!” Kevin muttered.
“Yeah, he’s an S Rank Monster.” I said. “Quite the “honorable” thing to do, for you bastards of the Orthodox faction to trick people into thinking this is a much weaker dungeon, and then kill them with an S Rank Monster as the Boss. Do you people of Murim have any shame? Damned sly foxes.”
“Hahaha! Well, as they say, hide your strength as much as you hide your secrets.” The Golden Emperor spoke of a saying that seemed straight out of those Chinese Xianxia novels. “Our mission here is to rebuild our world. We take no shame in any of our… Well, strategies.”
“Strategies?! You bastards!” Kevin roared furiously. "Alright, Anna, let me go. I’m going to beat the shit out of him!”
“I don’t think you can handle an S Rank Monster on your own, Kevin. You’re going to get killed before you know it.” I patted his shoulders. “And we got around eighty more of these golden statues to go too.”
“It’s not going to be easy, huh?” Baihe sighed inwardly. “Oh well, I might as well do this.” Her Ki Aura of Frost spread around, spiraling spears of ice appearing around her.
“Wait, how are you using magic?!” The Golden Emperor suddenly panicked out of nowhere after showing so much confidence.
It looks like the Murim guys really are scared of Magic, huh? It is a foreign force from their world, one that is easy to wield, conjure, and grow. So it is naturally the enemy of Ki and Martial Arts, which take a lot of time and effort and sometimes even require years of cultivation to achieve results.
“I am fairly sure that magic is sealed!” He roared. “What’s the meaning of this?!”
“Can’t you tell that we are not playing by the rules?” I smiled. A pink-colored spray was spreading around us as I used a special item given to me.
The Mirage Flower Spray has the basic effect of dispelling Illusions and most Domain Spells, but when I mix it with my Constellation’s Aura, its effects are enhanced to a completely new level.
[You have used the [Mirage Flower Spray (A+ Rank)] on your surroundings!]
[Your {Constellation’s Aura} has been mixed with the {Mirage Illusion Spray}!]
[For the next 30 minutes, it is possible to partially ignore spatial and magical constraints within your surroundings formed through special Domain-type Skills.]
The Jester gifted me this for this very reason!
“You’re using Mana too?! What is that wicked item you’re using! Who gave it to you?! SPEAK!” The Golden Emperor gave a single step forward, and the entire dungeon trembled.
“Why are you so angry? Are you so afraid of Magic, old man?” Asked Baihe cockily. “Here, have a taste. Keep in mind that this is my magic only below the partial seal.”
As Baihe spoke, a huge wave of icy winds was released, which then formed almost a hundred gigantic icicles, piercing the bodies of the Golden Soldiers one after another. Their bodies froze and then broke, shattering into pieces. The attacks reached the Golden Emperor as well, who swiftly materialized a golden sword out of his own golden body, swinging it horizontally.
“{Golden Sword Eclipse}!”
SLASH!
A mighty slash was unleashed, cutting through Baihe’s magic with a slashing wave of pure golden ki. It exploded, releasing a bright, shining light resembling sunlight itself. His potent Ki Aura fluctuated as he glared at us with his golden, metallic eyes.
“You—it’s all because of you, isn’t it? Alright, I will play along with you foolish mortals. That girl shall be the first to fall before the swordsmanship of the Golden Sun Sect!”
He swiftly leaped into the air using an advanced form of Cloud Step, coming closer in a mere second! I swiftly looked at my friends and left my Familiars with them.
“All of you, take care of the golden soldiers! I’ll take care of that guy.” I said, my Aura fluctuating as I prepared it to receive the pressure of the Golden Emperor.
“Are you sure?!” Baihe asked. “I know you’re strong, but…!”
“Don’t worry, I got this.” I winked at her. “Kevin, Annabelle, make sure to look after our Baihe’s back, alright? She’s a bit frail physically.”
“Gotcha.” Kevin nodded. “Leave this to us, Anna. Go wreck that fucker!”
“Yeah, go girl!” Annabelle cheered.
“Geez, alright, go!” Baihe said, her ice quickly greeting three golden soldiers and impaling them with sharp icicles.
“Violet, go all-out! Snow, stay with Baihe. Shiro, heal and buff if possible now that magic is unsealed.” I ordered my Familiars.
“You! Stop ignoring me!”
The Golden Emperor appeared right above me a split second later, and I would have been slashed in two halves. But I managed to swiftly evade his sword slash coming towards me, an explosion of golden ki erupting behind me as I leaped into the skies, using my wings to reach him. I didn’t even need Cloud Step anyway, but I used it to more easily maneuver in the air.
“I know you’re eager for my attention, so here I am, cheater!”
My gauntlet greeted his sword as my Aura roared like a mighty golden dragon. I combined the basic martial arts I had acquired once more, infusing them to the brim with Ki and Celestial Energy, with a few bits of Cosmic Energy. A barrage of golden, explosive fists impacted the Golden Emperor in quick succession.
“{Golden Dragon’s Celestial Meteors}”
“Uuggh! Agh!”
The Golden Emperor was unable to parry and block the dozens of blows that rained upon him. He swiftly flew back to gain some space and then pointed his palm against me. His aura was then shaped into the palm of a golden giant.
“{Golden Sun’s Palm of Tranquility}!”
“Not bad.”
The Palm impacted me like a meteor. I felt my entire body being blown away. But I resisted its enormous pressure and impact, using my amazing armor to tank on the hits and then accumulate damage dealt. My crimson armor and my gauntlet were rapidly gathering their respective energies.
“However…”
I quickly unsheathed Gram, and as I activated Thousand Blades in combination with my Ki and Martial Arts, the roar of a mighty golden dragon echoed as the slash cut through the golden palm in a second. The slash continued, reaching the Golden Emperor. His sword blocked the attack, but an explosion of light engulfed him.
BOOOM!
“Tch, damned tricks like these will not work against me. I am the Supreme Golden Emperor, one of my Master’s ten strongest disciples!” He roared. “I was given the privilege of standing in this dungeon of his own creation, leading the conquest to new, unknown worlds! And I will not fall here and-”
“You talk too much.”
A barrage of Dragon Meteors pulverized his back as I appeared right behind him, abusing the short boosts of super-speed that Cosmic Energy granted me. He gritted his teeth as his Ki Aura attempted to blow me away with its pressure alone, but my hair transformed in that moment. Absorbing my Cosmic Energy, it transformed into a gigantic, blue hand, smashing him down.
“AGH!”
His body impacted the floor below, countless cracks spreading as smoke filled the battlefield. I noticed my friends were surrounded by the Golden Soldiers but were doing alright. I directed my gaze to the Golden Emperor, finding him flying directly towards me. Looking away was a bad move, definitely.
“Insolent child! You dare sneak an attack on my back while I speak?! It is you the one who has no manners and lacks shame!” He roared, swinging his sword vertically and horizontally. A storm of golden slashes greeted me. I blocked them with Gram and my Gauntlet, with explosions of golden and blue light erupting across the skies.
“You barbarians have no qualms when it comes to abusing our goodwill, isn’t it?!” He roared, his sword was lifted upwards, suddenly growing ten times larger as all his Ki was gathered into it. “We’ve offered you the privilege of becoming this dungeon’s nourishment, yet you dare break all rules and use this sacred temple as your playground?! For such insolence, you only deserve DEATH!”
The sword moved downward with enough power to split the earth. However, I had something pretty similar myself! I activated Thousand Blades once more, swinging the sword in the air and clashing against his gigantic blade. The pressure and weight alone were overpowering, slowly pushing me down.
“It is useless, you foolish girl! Die and give me your energy! You will become the nourishment of our world’s rebirth!” He laughed. “In this battle, there is no good or evil; we are simply trying to rebuild our lost world!” He kept babbling, making me really annoyed.
“You’re right.” I smiled as Gram erupted with enormous quantities of Ki and Mana. I concentrated all the extra slashes of Thousand Blades and combined them into a single, gigantic blade of pure concentrated Sword Ki. “We are just protecting our worlds, isn’t it? Then I hope you don’t hold any grudges in the afterlife. {Thousand Blades}: {Heaven Splitting Sword}”
“What…?!”
The Golden Emperor gasped in utter shock as my blade, twice as large as his, reaching almost fifty meters of height, slashed and shattered his own, and then split his body into two halves. His powerful Martial Soul screaming in agony as it started to shatter into countless shards.
SLAAASH!
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