Chapter 276: Battle Against The Ancient Heavenly Empress
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As both Venerables charged against me, I unleashed a sword technique combining all my equipped weapons and their abilities together; several slashing waves of darkness and light rushed towards them, the combination of Gram’s Draconic Modes combined with the Sword-Axe’s Cleave.
“{Thousand Blades}: {Eclipsing Draconic Soul Cleave}!”
SLAAASH!
“Such power…!”
“You’re not ordinary at all!”
The two rushed forward, clashing against my attack and seemingly blocking it successfully. Only for its power to quickly divide into dozen more attacks at once. This naturally surprised them—what I was aiming for from the beginning.
“Wha…?! It divided!”
“Ugh! What sort of technique…?!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosive division of the attack they blocked, and which then bombarded them, created enough diversion, if even a few seconds, but enough to move with the plan!
“NOW!”
As they were being attacked, I called, and all four of my friends appeared from behind them, dividing into two groups and targeting one Venerable each. Wai Tian and Zero One targeted the Heavenly Empress, while Fang Shuan and Ying Shen targeted the Heavenly Demon.
They attacked with their strongest techniques from the beginning. Wai Tian waited no moment at all, activating her Martial Arts and her Skills at once. Ki overflowing from her body at the same time as the Aura, created from the buff of my concert privilege, gave her unparalleled strength.
“{Roar of Dominance}!”
“ROOOAARR!”
The sound of a mighty tiger roar echoed, making the Heavenly Empress suddenly become slightly paralyzed, the effect of the Skill itself, a power that not even she could run away from or easily block.
“Wha…?!”
As her golden eyes looked at the tigress, her fur changed color, Wai Tian’s orange, and black stripped fur changed completely to pure white and black stripes; her size grew up to three times, and the flames coming from her claws turned gold and white in color.
“{Divine White Tiger’s Embodiment}!”
FLUOSH!
She activated her SS Rank Skill, the ability to temporarily transform into an even mightier form, the Divine White Tiger! Her stats skyrocketed in this form, and she was unable to control it back then, but after managing to learn many meditation techniques, she could control it seamlessly.
“{Tempestuous Blazing Charge}!”
BAAAM!
Her entire body flared with her golden and white flames as she clashed against the Heavenly Empress, pushing her back before her claws unleashed a barrage of powerful attacks, a divine onslaught of mighty strikes.
“{Claws of the Fiery Tigress}!”
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
Making use of the split second, the Heavenly Empress was paralyzed; her mighty blazing onslaught hit her entire body, piercing her defenses and her barriers, all thanks to the ridiculous amount of stats she was getting from both my privilege and her own transformation.
But that wasn’t enough.
“Insolent child.”
The Heavenly Empress remained unmoved even after that chaotic, blazing onslaught, her sharp golden eyes glaring at Wai Tian with a bloodthirst none of us had ever experienced before from master.
Was she this ruthless before?
She moved her hands, slapping Wai Tian into the ground within a quarter of a second. I was right behind her and was about to attack her, but I was unable to hit her in time.
BAAAM!
Wai Tian had almost her entire head dislocated, barely surviving through sheer physical prowess, but her entire body bounced into the ground several times, rolling over it and hitting the ground, forming a crater.
CRASH!
We knew she was wounded, but we couldn’t stop here and go see how she was. Shiro was flying to her side to heal her at this moment; I had to concentrate on the present.
“HYAAAH!”
Zero One attacked in that moment, and the Heavenly Empress responded as she was about to react to her blows, yet her eyes widened when Zero One perfectly imitated her movements, striking her foot and then kicking her chin, pushing her back!
CLASH! CLASH!
“HAAAH!”
With a roar, she pushed her palm towards her chest; a shockwave of pure electromagnetic energy was unleashed, electrifying the Heavenly Empress' entire body!
BOOOM!
An explosion of lightning engulfed her, yet as she was electrocuted, she moved almost as if not bothered by it, her claws reaching Zero One and slapping her head down.
BAAAM!
Yet Zero One didn’t stop there; as she was slammed into the ground, she moved her legs, spinning in the ground using her head as the base, without problems as she was a machine and not a living being bound by bones and muscles.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
She hit the Heavenly Empress legs with her own, loaded with blue electricity. Each blow made her step back in pain, and then I struck with all my weapons at once, with a single, powerful attack.
All-out!
“{Thousand Blades}: {Absolute Sword Domain}”
FLUOSH!
Everything within my surroundings changed; our surroundings changed.
The Heavenly Empress materialized a dozen blades to stop my incoming attacks, as she was suddenly trapped inside a cosmic domain where endless sword attacks hit her.
“Incredible! How did you even…?!”
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
She was managing to stop every single attack from one of my strongest techniques; I literally used this against Blednica, even the Bleeding Scream, yet she was keeping up with it!
The Bleeding Scream is incomparably more powerful, but she was only a manifestation and lacks technique unlike her.
Meanwhile, Blednica was… incredibly strong, yet she relied heavily on her vampiric powers.
But Master is…
She’s just incredible.
Her precision, her movements, her dexterity.
There was no struggle at all, even against one of my strongest trump cards!
“Good enough, but not enough!”
She rushed towards me as she blocked and parried all blades. I attacked her with Gram’s draconic forms in their harmonious effect, yet that only created flashy explosions; she survived them all and pushed forward, kicking me in the chest and sending me blowing away.
Crack, crack…!
CRASH!
My Domain shattered like a sphere of glass, but Wai Tian and Zero One were right there, above her, rushing down and attacking her. She moved towards them to respond, easily blocking their blows with her bare hands and her Flames of Hope.
Yet I pushed forward in that very moment, creating chains made of Hope and wrapping them around her. She looked back at me with anger and surprise.
“YOU! How are you using my own unique technique?!”
“I told you already; you taught me, master!”
I pushed her down with all my strength; she ended up hitting the ground, but spreading her wings to receive our blows and rapidly defend with them as she fired several projectiles from her own feathers.
“Fuck!”
I stepped back with my friends as countless explosive feathers started bombarding us at once. I put my shield in front and conjured Gram’s Celestial Mark: Endearing Love around my friends, protecting them from fatal damage and taking all the damage upon myself.
“That I am on the floor doesn’t mean I am any weaker,” the empress talked. “But child, what technique is that? You’re willingly taking all the damage from your allies? You’re going to die.”
“Nah, I don’t die easily.”
Once enough damage was accumulated and I started bleeding all over, Gram glowed with its Demonic Stigma. Yes, this pain was agonizing enough.
“{Demonic Stigma: Agonizing Power}”
FLUOSH!
An Aura of crimson red surged from my body.
At the same time…
[You have activated Gram’s [Demonic Stigma: Agonizing Power (Rank 2)]!]
[A Demonic Stigma imbued with the Curse that saps Power from the wielder by absorbing their pain and agony. The stronger the pain they are going through, the more temporary power this Demonic Stigma will give to them, enhancing all Stats by up to 300%, Damage Dealt by up to 600%, and Defense Ignoration by up to 60% at their maximum pain level. The buff cannot stack but will increase. Maximum duration per buff: 40 Seconds.]
“Ah!”
Her eyes widened as she saw my sword’s Demonic Stigma activate. She swiftly conjured a shield made of Hope Flames, but Wai Tian and Zero One slammed it with all their force, shattering it with their white and golden flames and their electromagnetic energies.
CRAAASH!
“T-That’s…!”
As the Heavenly Queen saw her shield break due to the immense strength these girls had thanks to my privilege boosting them through the roof, I struck her down with all my might.
The roar of a lion echoed as the Nameless Axe-Sword transformed, becoming a giant club, a golden lion. For a moment, the lion’s golden fur covered my skin as well. I felt an immense, titanic strength surging from within me.
“{First Labor: Nemean Lion’s Wrath}”
“Another flashy technique?!”
The empress kicked Wai Tian and Zero One away within a second and quickly rushed towards me, boosting her strength to her limits, overflowing with a flame of golden hope.
Her surroundings twisted as space itself deformed; the heavens above responded, and gigantic golden hands rushed down towards me.
“{Golden Hands of Hope}”
“Damn.”
My master was incredible.
“ROOOAARR!”
The roar of the lion echoed again as I charged forwards, faster than the hands could move as I turned my body into pure lightning, and then, with all my weapons at once, I unleashed a rampaging barrage of blows, thirty attacks at once, within a split second.
She was unable to evade and unable to block them and took them all head-on. Of course, the lion also took fifty percent of my health, as I felt even more weak than before, but that didn’t matter; the boost of 1000% damage and the fifty percent defense ignoration were worth it.
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
“GUHHH…?!”
She resisted the damage, which was clearly powerful enough to make her bleed slightly, as she pushed forward, punching my face down before the last attack was to strike her head with tremendous force, the Nemean Lion’s paw striking her down into the ground.
CRAAASH!
“AGH!”
She gritted her beak and quickly looked at me hatefully. The Hands of Hope coming from the skies grabbed me and started to attempt to pull me apart, and she conjured a gigantic spear of gold, about to pierce my chest with it.
I’ve been waiting for this moment.
“{Bleeding World}”
My Mad Blood Rose Princess’ Armor had taken enough damage and accumulated enough Blood Energy, so I released it all.
RUMBLE!
The world around us changed; my master’s domain was overwritten by a world of eternal blood, and then something else surging from within all of it.
“W-What trick is this now?!”
She looked around, incapable of understanding anything as she appeared in the middle of this bleeding world.
And then…
Her scream.
“GRYYYAAAAAAHHHH!”
The scream of a Constellation accompanied by the end of this world of blood, the scream of the very manifestation of the cosmos entire suffering.
The Void Ruler that only seeks destruction and death, my armor that is only made of a single tear of hers, can do this.
“Uuuaaaagh!”
The Heavenly Empress screamed in pain, covering her ears as the blood engulfed her in a gigantic explosion of crimson color.
BOOOMMM!!!
Everything was red, and as I fell down, another fifty percent of my HP was taken away as the Nemean Lion ate almost all my health, but then his fur tightly wrapped around me and reduced all the damage I take by fifty percent, a fair trade.
“Hahhh… Hahhh…”
The Heavenly Empress was still standing; covering her body was an armor of pure golden flames, which was shattering and falling apart. She looked in pain, bleeding all over the place.
But she was still standing and seemed still just as strong as the beginning of our battle; her flames began healing her wounds. I couldn’t waste time; I had to strike her down now.
“You’re a terrifying monster,” she muttered. “Where… How! You…! Ah!”
Before she could muster any words, I appeared before her, horns growing from my forehead as I molded them into two giant spears, attacking her with them and my weapons.
“{Third labor: Ceryneian Hind’s Golden Horns}”
These horns not only had 500k durability each, capable of taking dozens of blows before breaking, but could do 600% piercing damage and ignore 30% of the foe's defenses.
However, the big thing about them was another.
“Another of your tricks?! It won’t work anymore, girl! Give it up!”
She rushed towards me, slamming the horns down only for me to manipulate them to curve upwards, piercing her stomach.
It barely did any damage; not even blood came out.
But that counted as a strike, damage.
“You!”
She moved her hands and shattered the horns within seconds; I knew she would do that.
Yet.
“Agh! W-Wha…?!”
She was shocked for one single thing.
Her movements became incredibly slow.
Her Speed and Agility have been reduced by 90% for 1 minute.
It was now or never.
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