Chapter 299: The Power Of The Thunder Goddess
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While Anna and the rest of her party fought the two Advanced Machine Lifeforms, and barely managed to defeat them, they suddenly realized things had become even worse.
While being completely distracted by everything, they were unable to see the dozens of gigantic metallic cocoons that had been created within that time frame.
Yes, dozens of the same hard-to-kill and cosmic energy-infused machine lifeforms everywhere!
“They… were they formed when we were fighting?!” Anna muttered. “This is ridiculous…”
[The Cosmic Throne {Mechanical Librarian} says that this is just the beginning.]
[The Cosmic Throne {Mother of Artificial Life} admires the resilience of the inferior lifeforms.]
“I know this is a simulation, but I have to admit it, it’s doing an excellent job and showcasing how annoying Constellations can be…”
Crack, crack…!
CRASH!
The cocoons began breaking apart one after another; Anna didn’t even have the time to destroy a single one before twelve more advanced machine lifeforms emerged.
They all resembled the same model as before: insectoid-like bodies with giant scythes and huge eyes; they overflowed with cosmic energy.
She couldn’t believe it…
“Are the Machine Constellations not limited to the amount of Avatars they can choose?” she thought. "No, but wait! The other guy did grow weaker once his avatar was killed… So how does this make any sense?!”
FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!
“Ah!”
Anna’s eyes widened, her senses through her newest Transformation as Raijin barely helped her notice as six of these machines reached her.
Yes, six of them!
They immediately saw her as the primary danger and sent half of their forces to eliminate her instantly.
“ELIMINATE GREATEST THREAT.”
“STARTING UP EXTERMINATION.”
“DESTRUCTION OF HOSTILINE LIFEFORM.”
“KILL!!!”
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
With claws loaded with cosmic power, Anna was attacked six times in the same time frame of a split second! However, her body turned into lightning a split second earlier, barely sneaking away from the deadly barrage of blows.
Her many hands made of thunder quickly slammed the drums around her entire aura, activating her transformation Skill’s special abilities.
BAAM!
BAAM!
BAAM!
Three drums of lighting gathered within her body at the same time as the machines moved towards her, their sharp legs about to pierce through her body.
“{One Hundred Thunderstorms: Kaminari}!”
TRUUUM!
One hundred lightning bolts emerged from her entire body, reaching the machines and hitting with immense prowess. The lightning was so strong and loud it made the skies split apart once again.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
The six machines suffered tremendous damage, their internal circuits beginning to slowly fail, and their bodies seemed to even be “spasming” as if they were having a hard time reconnecting their internal structure.
“This seems to be really good against them!”
Anna desperately swung Gram, unleashing his powers at full as she gathered all the damage she took from her friends and the barriers she conjured using the sword’s [Celestial Mark: Endearing Love], releasing it all through both Gram and also the Axe-Sword.
“Once again…! {Demonic Stigma: Agonizing Power: Rank 2}!”
SLAAASH! SLAAASH! SLAAASH!
Three slashes were all it took, as three slashing waves of demonic and celestial lightning impacted all machines within her range, which were about to recover from the paralysis state that her lightning left them with.
“GA-GA-GA-GAHHH…!”
As they were sliced apart, the machines quickly erupted, their cores containing cosmic energy exploding into pieces one after another.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
At the same time, Anna quickly twisted her body midair and spun upwards, barely parrying an incoming attack from a gigantic mechanical hand!
CRAAASH!
“What the hell is that?!”
Her eyes widened, seeing a massive amalgamation of hundreds of the lesser machines combined together, resembling a titanic silver-colored mechanical titan.
Her Divine Eyes analyzed the thing, noticing that inside of its chest, three of these insect machine lifeforms were controlling the giant.
“They’re using Electromagnetic energies and Cosmic energy to create a giant by fusing lesser machines together and empower it?!”
“DESTROY. ELIMINATE. EXTERMINATE. KILL.”
The titanic machine swung its four arms against Anna, trying to get to her with their tremendous, electrified power. Anna moved around the skies in her lightning form, hitting the drums of her aura and releasing more Kaminari spells one after another.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
The thousand lightning thunderbolts managed to destroy one of the arms, making it collapse as it fell apart, most of the metal on it melting away. However, hundreds of lesser machines took its place, reassembling itself anew.
“You’re kidding me!”
Anna quickly took out her shield before three titanic mechanical fists were to hit her from above, below, and the front. She gritted her teeth, unable to escape in time and with her Ki reserves rapidly depleting.
BAAM! BAAM! BAAM!
Although Anna had several effects, auras, equipment, and items that restored her Ki rapidly, she was still missing more. Raijin’s transformation consumed a large quantity of Ki, even more than what she could regenerate over time.
It gave her the temporary body of a God of Thunder, so it made sense it had such an extreme consumption level, but if this continued, Anna would be ultimately overwhelmed!
The reason why, despite her buffs, her Ki was low was also because she was within this area of the world where the atmospheric Ki was thin if nonexistent. Natural Ki restoration became almost null, if not incredibly slow, despite the boosts to its speed.
“I guess I have to use that then!”
FLASH! FLASH!
Suddenly, a Celestial Mark and a Demonic Stigma within her Necklace, the one she obtained from the Golden Emperor’s Dungeon, which had been imbued into them before coming here, activated.
Their powers encompassed her entirely, as the damage she continued to take accumulated; at the same time, her health and energies were being restored.
An aura of white light and of blood encompassed Anna’s entire body; the damage she suffered and the pain she felt both became her strength and also heightened her senses through suffering.
Ding!
[You have activated the [Celestial Mark: Heavenly Healing Cultivation Technique]!
[A Celestial Mark that blesses your physique as it is activated. Can automatically heal most wounds over time. Each time any wound or pain is healed, Celestial Energy and Ki are produced permanently, further increasing your reserves over time.]
[Additionally, once the effects activate, your body will go through {Celestial Harmony}, the more your body is healed, the more your Martial Art’s attack range increases, now also imbued with Celestial Energy. Maximum Boost: +200%. Duration: 5 Minutes. Once the Harmony is over, your body will become paralyzed if you don’t take any damage.]
[You have activated the [Demonic Stigma: Demonic Torture Cultivation Technique]!
[A Demonic Stigma imbued with a Curse that tortures their wielder and makes them go through extreme pain, inflicting wounds over their body but that cannot kill them, sapping away their blood and Ki to further strengthen their Physique and Inner Core Foundations.]
[Over time, more Demonic Energy and Ki can be increased permanently. Additionally, once the effects activate, you can go on a {Torturous Demon Frenzy}, the more damage you inflict on yourself, the more Damage your Martial Arts deal, imbued now with Demonic Energy. Maximum Boost: +300%. Duration: 5 Minutes. Once the frenzy time is over and you haven’t healed, you will pass out.]
[You have activated both the {Celestial Harmony} and the {Torturous Demon Frenzy}! Their combined power has increased their duration to 10 Minutes, and their power and effects have been increased by 50%!]
An Aura of blood that heightened the pain and damage she received but at the same time strengthened her even more, and a white, celestial Aura of light that healed her constantly.
Demonic Energy and Celestial Energy, combined with Ki, were now being rapidly restored!
But that wasn’t all… Her black gauntlet overflowed with Abyssal Energy, and her red armor was overflowing with Blood Energy as well!
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
As she continued being hit, their power rapidly restored more and more…
Anna knew that she wasn’t the strongest out there; she knew that there were ridiculous foes she would have to face.
Those that could deal tremendous damage to her…
So the best thing she thought was that… Why not gain power from their damage? If they’re so strong?
Therefore, her equipment, and even some of her abilities, were all about this!
Taking tremendous damage, gathering energies, healing back, and then unleashing it all out into a powerful attack.
Rince and repeat.
And such a strategy was now being brought to its limits right now, as Anna found herself almost completely overwhelmed.
Yet…
Amidst this despair is where Anna felt the most alive.
“Let’s do this.”
Her eyes shone brightly as her entire body suddenly transformed, demonic, celestial, and cosmic energies surging from her body.
Demonic and angelic wings, thunderous divine god body, and now…
Now that she had enough Ki…
“{Divine White Tiger’s Embodiment}”
RUMBLE!
Her Aura and her body transformed, suddenly giving her white and golden fur all over her body. A tiger-like tail grew over her back, and real tiger ears appeared over her head.
Her nose turned into a cute, black-colored tiger snout, and every inch of her body now had this fluffy white and red stripped fur with golden stripes.
Her power kept rising more and more, until the mechanical giant’s arms could no longer reach her…
Ding!
[You have activated the [Divine White Tiger’s Embodiment (SS)] Skill!]
[You have taken over the form of the {Divine White Tiger Warrior}, the Avatar of the Divine White Tiger, one of the Four Auspicious Cosmic Beasts of Murim’s Worldlines, giving you the appearance of a divine tiger beast and increasing All Physical Stats and Maximum Ki by 300%, while obtaining the {White Tiger’s Divine Aura} which enhances the power of all Ki-powered Abilities and Techniques by 500%.
[Additionally, your Senses have evolved into {Divine White Tiger’s Heavenly Senses} giving you the ability to sense and feel everything within a 100-meter radius around you with incredible acuteness. Your Physical Power has evolved into {Divine White Tiger’s Heavenly Burst Strength}, allowing you to unleash all your strength on short bursts, surpassing your current power temporarily at the cost of Lifeforce and Ki.]
[Duration: 10 Minutes.]
FLASH!
Like a flash of bright light, Anna disappeared from where she was, reaching the gigantic mechanical entity in front of her.
Its titanic arms moved towards her, trying to crush her.
Yet…
“Cleave! Divine White Tiger’s Claw!”
Her Aura transformed as her swords seemed to melt away and merge with the tiger’s aura, turning into titanic golden claws, tearing through the titanic mechanical arms one after another, and utterly destroying them with explosive blows.
CRAAASH! CRAAASH! CRAAASH!
The machines inside the titan quickly attempted to rebuild new arms and stop Anna’s charge, yet Anna didn’t let them, quickly encompassing her body with Blood Energy and activating her armor’s powers.
“[Maddening Scream]”
“GRYYYAAAAGGGHH!”
And then the replica of one of the maddening screams of a Void Ruler echoed, reverberating across the entire heavens and suddenly making all machines within a kilometer around Anna stop moving.
Anna smiled, rapidly moving from place to place, crushing the machines with her legs and claws, making them explode by the hundreds, and quickly reaching the titan.
“ELIMINATE!”
“EXTERMINATE!”
“DESTROY HER!”
The machines inside of its core quickly began transforming their giant’s body, materializing a dozen gigantic cannons, and firing cosmic beams from them.
“Hahah! I was waiting for this! SEPA!”
Anna smiled almost maniacally, summoning Sepa and then infusing her into the Golden Dragon Shield, at the same time as she activated one of the shield’s abilities.
BOOOMMM!!!
The beams hit her shield together, with so much intensity they could easily shatter several mountains into pieces.
Yet…!
“[Heavenly Draconic Eyes Of Ying And Yang]!”
The draconic, runic eyes within the shield activated, absorbing all the damage and then releasing it back as a titanic beam of cosmic energy and draconic ki!
Yes, this was one of the shield’s most broken abilities, something that Anna wouldn’t use because it reduced the shield’s durability tremendously!
But right now, did that even matter?!
BOOOMMM!!!
The beam pierced through the titanic mechanical being’s chest, exploding it and disintegrating the machines inside until nothing of them remained other than ashes.
And as Anna blasted the bastard into smithereens, she felt her Ki rapidly restoring past its hundred percent; her body was overflowing with ten times more Ki, and also more Cosmic Energy!
All thanks to this amazing ability.
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[Heavenly Draconic Eyes of Ying and Yang]: By harnessing the shield with large quantities of Ki, Celestial Energy, Demonic Energy, and Mana, it is possible to activate the two Runic Eyes imbued into the item. Whenever a magic attack is about to hit the user, it is possible to reflect 100% of its power and damage back to the user, dealing twice as much damage, while you restore 50% of that damage dealt as Ki. Durability lost and energy cost will be proportional to the damage of the spell -90%. Usage Limit: 3/3 Times a Day.
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[The [Harmonious Yin Yang Dragon Heavenly Shield] has taken 20.000 Damage to its Durability.]
[Usage Limit of [Heavenly Draconic Eyes of Ying and Yang] for the day: 1/3]
“DESTROY. ELIMINATE. EXTERMINATE.”
“Hahhh… You bastards sure are endless.”
Anna faced three more titanic machines.
Yet…
“ANNA!”
The voice of the person she had been waiting for this entire time echoed behind her.
Leading the unified army of Demonic and Orthodox Cultivators…
It was her!
“Master?!”
The Heavenly Empress!
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