In the blood-red sky, black lightning flashed once more.
Azrael, leading the remaining Heaven's Faction members still able to move, pushed herself to the limit, squeezing out the energy she needed to keep herself alive, as they charged towards the invaders.
Dark spirit energy surged once again. Glaring at Lumine and Keqing, who stood in her way, Azrael raised her scythe and shouted, "Monkeys! Get out of my way, nya!"
Watching the Heaven's Faction charge forward like moths to a flame, Keqing's red eyes showed a hint of emotion.
"God's followers, huh..."
She murmured softly. Lightning flashed across her body, and with a flick of her sword, a purple lightning domain appeared.
"Domain Expansion."
Amidst the vast lightning, Keqing stood in the sky, holding her sword. She looked at Azrael, who had reached her, and spoke gently, "Let me, someone who walks with the gods, end this sinful war of yours."
Purple lightning clashed against dark spirit energy as Azrael's massive scythe collided rapidly with Keqing's sword.
A flash of rage and disbelief crossed Azrael's face. She looked at the domain around her and Keqing, who stood in the lightning, and shouted angrily, "How could I be stopped by mere monkeys, nya?! And..."
"You're just insects of monkeys, nya! Don't speak to me of gods, nya!"
"Is that so?"
The two opponents were pushed apart by a huge surge of energy. Keqing glanced at the approaching Heaven's Faction members, then at Lumine, who was beside her, as their swords crossed.
"Domain Expansion!"
With a smile, Lumine tapped her foot, and a new domain opened. A golden space merged with the lightning domain.
Raising their crossed swords high, Lumine and Keqing shouted in unison.
"Thunderfall Domain!"
Boom!
Thunder rippled through the domain, and countless points of lightning appeared in the void, transforming into lightning that ran through the domain.
The Heaven's Faction members struggled but were struck down by the lightning, purple-gold bolts paralyzing their bodies, preventing them from rising again.
Azrael swung her scythe, slashing through the oncoming lightning, staring in disbelief at Lumine and Keqing at the center of the domain. "Mere monkeys! How could they have such power, nya?!"
"But! This level of power, nya—"
Wings behind her filled with dark spirit energy, Azrael brandished her scythe once again, charging at Keqing and Lumine.
"To Lord Arshute, you are not even dust, nya!"
Panting heavily, Keqing and Lumine saw the childlike Azrael charging with her enormous scythe. Tightening their grips on their swords, purple lightning and golden sword light appeared once again.
Buzz!
It felt like space itself was vibrating as a massive shockwave erupted from where the three collided.
The purple-gold domain vanished, and Azrael's small body, shrouded in lightning, fell towards Avant Heim. In her blurry vision, Azrael gazed at the enormous white light behind the exhausted Lumine and Keqing, whispering softly.
"Lord Arshute, nya..."
Gasping for breath, Keqing and Lumine supported each other, floating in the sky, their energy almost completely drained.
As followers of the War God, there were fewer than ten thousand Heaven's Faction members, yet every one of them was legendary. Their leader, Azrael, was at the semi-divine level.
Even if depleted, the Heaven's Faction could still kill Keqing and Lumine by sacrificing a third of their forces and then head towards the War God's temple.
So, Keqing and Lumine decided from the start to fully expand their domains, using the group technique they had all recently developed together, to take down the Heaven's Faction in one fell swoop.
Looking down at the now-silent Heaven's Faction members below, Keqing and Lumine let out a breath and smiled.
Gazing at the battlefields above and below them, they glanced at their status panels, sitting down quickly to recover.
Name: Keqing, lv21 [2500/4500] [Legendary]
Strength: 71
Constitution: 71
Agility: 81
Intelligence: 81
Spirit Energy: 12,150
Abilities: Lightning Elemental Mastery lv8, Space-Domain lv6, Yunlai Swordsmanship lv8, Eye of the Gods lv6
Derived Abilities: Tiger Subjugation max, Transcendent Body max, Walking on Air max, Calm as a Mirror max
Divine Abilities:
- Thunder Power lv5 (Awakened at 30 Strength points, transforms thunder into power)
- Hundredfold Tempering lv5 (Awakened at 30 Constitution points, grants a resilient body)
- Swift Form lv6 (Awakened at 30 Agility points, makes movements agile and clear)
- Divine Sense lv6 (Awakened at 30 Intelligence points, spiritual power becomes divine awareness)
- Precision Power lv4 (Awakened at 40 Strength points, grants precise control over power)
- Martial Body lv4 (Awakened at 40 Constitution points, circulation of internal energy enhances martial skills)
- Graceful Footwork lv5 (Awakened at 40 Agility points, light-footed and able to move through the air)
- Indomitable Heart lv5 (Awakened at 40 Intelligence points, spirit becomes unwavering)
- Thunder Punishment lv3 (Awakened at 50 Strength points, transforms thunder into punishment)
- Hundredfold Body lv3 (Awakened at 50 Constitution points, increases energy storage)
- Spatial Blink lv4 (Awakened at 50 Agility points, allows movement through space)
- Thunder Command lv4 (Awakened at 50 Intelligence points, commands the power of thunder)
- Divine Retribution lv1 (Awakened at 70 Strength points, represents justice on behalf of heaven)
- Immortal Body lv1 (Awakened at 70 Intelligence points, begins to condense immortal power)
- Thunder Escape lv2 (Awakened at 70 Agility points, transforms into thunder)
- Lifebound Body lv2 (Awakened at 70 Constitution points, regrows lost limbs and prevents natural decay)
- Indestructible Soul lv4 (Awakened at 70 Intelligence points, soul begins to condense immortal power)
- Path of Progress lv1 (Awakened at 80 Agility points, progress is unstoppable)
- Heart of Exploration lv1 (Awakened at 80 Intelligence points, begins a journey to discover new areas)
- Sword Mastery (Innate Divine Ability, unrivaled understanding of the sword)
- Rock's Blessing (Innate Divine Ability, blessed by a deity)
**Skills:** Stars Returning lv7, Celestial Training lv7, Land Management lv5, Matter Handling lv6, Part-Time Work lv6
---
Name: Lumine, lv27 [5000/95000] [Semi-Divine]
Strength: 100 (60)
Constitution: 100 (60)
Agility: 100 (60)
Intelligence: 87 (60)
Spirit Energy: 3000
Innate Ability: ?? [Revoked]
Abilities: Space-Domain lv6, Wind Elemental Mastery lv7, Iron Wind Swordsmanship lv8
?? Semi-Divine Body lv8 [Revoked Origin]
?? Soul lv1 [Revoked Origin]
Opening her eyes slightly, Lumine glanced at the fast-recovering Keqing beside her, looking at her own status panel with a face full of frustration.
From the semi-divine level, a being's body and soul began to transcend, absorbing everything accumulated before and becoming a sacred form. Once both body and soul were perfected, with the right level of innate abilities, one could ascend to the divine realm.
However, ever since Lumine and Aether were deprived of their origins by the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, she was nothing but a shell now.
With her old foundation, Lumine was now rapidly recovering her strength.
Raising her head, Lumine looked at Kuroneko and the other three approaching them, nodded, and closed her eyes to recover.
The battle on the ground below was also gradually coming to a halt.