The fight between the fifteen Tribulation Soldiers and the one dragoness was intense, shaking the Tribulation Plaza intensely as they all moved around frantically and exchanged blows.
The onslaught of the 15 Soldiers was unyielding and seemingly without end, forcing the dragoness into a purely defensive stance. Their attacks came from all directions, but she managed to avoid any strikes from below by fighting on the ground.
The attacks that targeted her back were covered by her reinforced tail, which could block the sword strikes from both Sun and Moon Soldiers. Her durable scales would crack ever so often, but her incredible regeneration could avoid the attacks piercing through her muscles.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The cacophony of metallic sounds reverberated around the Tribulation Plaza, creating a symphony of death and madness.
Yasenia, sensing the Celestial Pearl's effectiveness waning, felt the weight of the moment. With a deep breath, she decided to unleash one last, devastating attack before it happened.
As she fought, Yasenia summoned her [Empyrean Galaxy domain] and used a large number of skills to gather energies inside her body. Sun Assimilation, Moon Assimilation, and Star Assimilation had been activated; by now, her body was like the core of a star. She was filled with raw energy that was ready to explode.
As the time for the Celestial Pearl's duration to end came, Yasenia pushed her body and used several skills one after another, mainly her movements skills like Sun Charge, Firmament Battle Dance, and Heavenly Constellation Steps.
She became a blur and maneuvered around the battlefield with the help of her War Intent Level Four to end up in a position where she was facing every enemy in front of her.
As soon as all 15 Heavenly Tribulation Lightning Soldiers entered her eyesight, Yasenia unleashed her strongest attack yet.
BOOM!
The world around her slowed down as her aura explosion created a vacuum around her from its raw strength.
Yasenia's meridians stretched to the limits and filled with a mix of energies, pumping energy through her body in quantities that no one at her level should be managing.
Thanks to her unique constitution [Celestial Yin and Yang Body], Yasenia was able to control and mix every energy inside her body in an instant and gather everything in her raising sword.
A pillar of celestial light shot skyward, the deep blue filled with starlight impacted with the Phantom Sky summoned by her Empyrean Galaxy Domain, and the galaxy of stars, the Sun, and the Moon were detached and began falling as if the strings holding them in the firmament had been cut.
All these actions began simultaneously and in a single instant. The massive increase in pressure coming from the Celestial Dragoness left everyone spectating in pure awe as the world was swallowed by the catastrophic attack that would decimate an entire mountain range with ease.
Then, her low and imposing voice, sounding ethereal and godly, reverberated through the fabric of the world.
"[Empyrean Celestial Collapse]."
Her most potent attack: a mix of all her collapse skills that was incredibly boosted by all her buffs.
This attack that was making the World around her tremble even before it landed was her strongest trump card.
She had wanted to save it to deal with the final soldier looking at her from the skies, who was probably the most lethal. Still, to her frustration, she didn't manage to reduce the 15 remaining Tribulation Soldiers by even one during all this time. So, she had to deal with them.
Her sword fell, bringing down the cataclysmic attack with it.
Then, the world shrieked as Yasenia's Celestial attack bloomed into existence.
BOOOOM!
The fifteen Tribulation Soldiers reacted without a single moment of delay, unleashing their own attacks toward the wave of devastation rushing at them.
With the attack, the formation had to bear incredible pressure. The energy release, which expanded like a brutal tide, made the sturdy shield fluctuate, leaving the spectators' hearts shuddering.
Inside the space, Yasenia felt the strength leave her body right after she released the powerful attack. Not wanting to remain vulnerable, she forced her tired body and Dantian to pump more Celestial Energy into her system.
The second the wild Celestial Energy entered her system, Yasenia felt an electrifying pain as if her insides were burned. However, she gritted her teeth. She knew that until now, she was fighting with an unnaturally increased strength state. So, she needed an actual buff to her strength before the Tribulation soldiers attacked her.
'My attack was powerful, but that probably was not able to deal with all of them. I need to keep my guard up!' Yasenia roared in her mind while gritting her teeth through the incredible pain. 'DO NOT BECOME OVERCONFIDENT! [Celestial Assimilation]!'
The grueling effort it took to activate the skill made Yasenia's body tremble in pain for a few moments, but when the effect of skill came into effect, she felt as if she had entered a refreshing spring.
The energy absorption qualities of Celestial Assimilation made her pain temporarily recede, but Yasenia knew that when this skill lost effect, she would be in for a world of agony.
Just as her senses sharpened again and her body's strength was enhanced, a potent danger signal was sent up her spine, and she quickly turned around while swinging her sword coated in [Draconic Sunset].
CLANG!
The one that attacked her was a heavily damaged Sun Soldier. Although Yasenia knew that they were emotionless, she could somehow feel rage from the creature's damaged body. Her many years of fighting in the frontlines and seeing this situation played tricks in her mind for a moment, but she quickly snapped out of it. "EAT THIS!"
Using the ability to spam skills at will that [Celestial Assimilation] gave her, Yasenia released a barrage of Sunrise and Sunset strikes in less than a second.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Her sword brutally smashed against the Sun Soldier's, and her bodily strength and potent skills created cracks with each strike.
After the twentieth attack, the Sun Soldier's sword shattered, and Yasenia shouted as her sword descended and bisected the creature. "DIE!!"
However, she was far from done. Her attacks had blown the dust away, revealing 7 more Heavenly Tribulation Soldiers, one Sun Soldier, and six Moon Soldiers.
The Sun Soldiers had sacrificed themselves to protect the more fragile and faster Moon Soldiers, allowing them to escape the attack with heavy injuries.
Some of them lacked arms, others had their entire armor filled with cracks, and some even lost half their weapon.
However, the aura they gave off was not weak at all.
A brutal melee followed as Yasenia entered another high-paced battle with them.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The continuous sounds that reverberated one after another hit the hearts of the spectators. Yasenia started gaining wounds here and there as the swift Moon Soldiers sneaked attacks through her incredible defensive maneuvers.
Even then, Yasenia abused her skills and body, eventually managing to defeat the lone Sun Soldier who was getting in her way with a beautiful combination of sword and tail strikes.
The twenty-hit combination happened while she took time to defend herself from Moon Soldiers, creating an elegant yet deadly attack barrage.
As her sword smashed the Sun Soldier's chest and blasted it into pieces.
The Moon Soldiers wanted to take advantage of her vulnerable situation, but the [Empyrean Galaxy Domain] that had recovered the stars, moon, and sun fell down around her.
Even then, some of the strongest spectators could tell that the attack would not arrive in time. Some even felt their hearts rising to their throats as they thought that she was done.
Naturally, that would've been the case if Yasenia wasn't in her Celestial Assimilation state. While the powerful domain fell onto her enemies, from Yasenia's center, a gorgeous and sturdy silvery sphere expanded.
[Full Moon] was deployed simultaneously, giving her the much needed time for her attack to land.
Another series of devastating explosions cratered the Tribulation Plaza.
From It, three of the remaining six Moon Soldiers were decimated, while the other three, the healthiest ones, could dodge most of the attack.
Yasenia's draconic eyes focused on the three remaining ones, and she charged at them while tightly gripping her sword.
The tensing of her muscles forced blood to flow out of her open wounds, but at this moment, she did not care at all.
Quick steps and footwork carried her body in front of the closest Moon Soldier, and the swift silver blade of her enemy attacked her.
With a perfect parry, Yasenia blocked the attack using her sword as a shield. Right after, she spun around, and her tail landed on the waist area of the Moon Soldier.
BOOM!
The shockwave created by her mountain-flattening bodily strength sunk the armor of the Moon Soldier inward and sent it flying like a shooting star all across the arena.
Yasenia felt the other two approaching swiftly. However, she pointed at the Moon Soldier that she had just sent flying and activated [Starfall], ignoring those two.
The several meteor-like white stars rained in the area of the soldier's landing, killing it.
This action delayed her response against the remaining two Moon Soldiers, allowing them to come close to her.
However, the spectators saw that Yasenia had changed her massive broadsword into two draconic gauntlets that covered her forearm until her elbow.
As the Moon Soldiers' sword pathed toward Yasenia's heart and neck her arms extended, and she grabbed the swords.
Sparks flew as the two silvery swords tried to slide forward and pierce regardless of her incredible catch. However, the shrieking sound of their swords cracking because of the dragoness's grip strength was enough to tell everyone they would not succeed.
As she grabbed the two swords, her face cold and terrifying, her tail quickly began striking them alternatively.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of her tail releasing a barrage of attacks was terrifyingly brutal. The bodies of the two Moon Soldiers crumbled with each strike until their lower halves and top halves separated from the impacts, leaving Yasenia holding their upper halves by their swords.
However, this had an impact on Yasenia. The bodies of the Moon Soldiers were made of pure Heavenly Lighting.
While their swords couldn't reach her, they were creatures that naturally released lightning from their bodies, and many of them had landed on her body, leaving scorch marks on her skin.
By the time she was done with them and they disappeared, Yasenia's body was covered with cuts, burns, and blood.
The dragoness stopped using [Celestial Assimilation]. Breathing heavily, she looked skyward and crossed her eyes with the glowing orbs that could be seen with the last Heavenly Tribulation Lightning Soldier.
"Only you are left. Now, let's fight."
"[Empyrean Cosmos Dragon Transformation]."