Chương 43: Sky Severing Star

In my final moments, I realized that my Nightmare was merely a fragment of my own self. Once I embraced my dark side and became a Chaos Demon, I reversed my own existence through Harmonious Chaos Reversal, becoming the opposite, a Celestial of Harmony. Using the power of celestial harmony, capable of defying and destroying nightmares born from the chaos of the multiversal subconscious, I combined it with my Spiral of Eternity and its Incarnation, the Paragon.

I channeled the strength of both Mongrel and Dryad, transforming their deep, miasmic nightmare into radiant, harmonious light. With this power surging through me, I decided to cut the sky.

"Eternal Blade Arts – Third Form: Sky Severing Star." I fused the first and second forms, elevating them into an even higher state of power. With a single horizontal swing of my blade, blinding golden and white light consumed everything. The warped portal, the obsidian hand—everything was severed in that instant. SLASH! RUMBLE! The skies of the Ice Dragon Realm, perpetually shrouded in clouds, split open to reveal a clear blue expanse beyond the horizon.

The warped portal of darkness from which the Nightmare King emerged was cut off completely. Only his gigantic obsidian hand had managed to break through before I collapsed the distorted space that had created the portal. It was arduous and exhausting, but I succeeded. As I gazed into the newly revealed skies, I fell toward the snow, utterly spent. The giant obsidian hand twitched in agony, bleeding profusely, until it finally collapsed and lay still.

"H-HOW...!? WHAT...?!" The Nightmare Beast King gasped, his blazing skull-like face nearly shattering from disbelief and rage at what he had witnessed. His entire body trembled as he dropped his sword to the ground. The portal he had labored so intensely to open was now gone.

"How...! How could you do this to me?" he demanded furiously, glaring at me with overwhelming fury.

"After all we shared, is this how you repay me?! You damn ungrateful piece of garbage! Lowly worm who can only crawl in this pathetic world, this fake realm built for souls and spirits! How dare you?! How dare you believe you have the right to commit such a blasphemous act?!"

"Well, I just did," I replied, forcing myself to stand despite my complete exhaustion.

"What are you going to do about it, jackass?!"

"TCH!" He clenched his teeth in fury, glaring down at me with pure hatred.

"What am I going to do to you? Oh, it's going to be so much worse. You won't be able to forget it for an eternity!!!" He charged toward me, each footstep triggering massive tremors and scorching the earth. Flames erupted and devoured entire forests in seconds. Strange nightmare beasts surged from the burning woods, rushing straight at me.

"You will burn for eternity, suffering for all existence!!!" As he roared, the burning nightmares reached me. I swung my sword swiftly, cleaving through hundreds with rays of blinding light bursting from each strike. I infused my attacks with the Ice Element, overpowering his army with every blow. He groaned as he drew closer, merging his nightmares with even larger fire giants. Their claws, hands, and jaws descended to seize me, but I flew away using my angelic wings.

I transformed into pure light as I moved, evading every attack with ease. Yet each movement brought severe backlash. My body and soul screamed in protest, and the wings drained thousands of units of Fantasium per second. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! My energy depleted rapidly, with no time to recover. Still, I fought on—because fighting was the only thing I could do.

Giant blazing hands seized me, but I broke free and rained hundreds of knives made of ice and light down on my enemies. The titanic boss finally reached me.

"ENOUGH." His Fire Nightmare Spirits transformed into chains, accurately predicting my landing and trapping me. His jaws snapped shut.

"Ugghh?!" I roared and reversed the chains, turning them into brittle ice that shattered instantly. Without hesitation, I flew straight toward him and swung my sword once more.

"If I could do it against that thing, I can defeat you too!!!"

"FOOL!" He roared and swung his massive sword. Our blades clashed, unleashing immense pressure that drove me downward. I gritted my teeth, merging my Celestial of Harmony form with my Chaos Demon form—half my body angelic, the other demonic. At the same time, I channeled my dragon power—both Harmony and Chaos!

"Mongrel, Dryad! Fusion! Now!"

"Damn it!"

"Wait, what?!" Both entities fused into me instantly. Their nightmarish power flooded my veins as I unleashed my Chaos Dragon Form atop my devil and angelic states, combining them all into a single humanoid, draconian, demonic, and celestial being.

"What?!" The boss staggered as my power skyrocketed. I roared, blood streaming from my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears from the overwhelming backlash. With every ounce of strength, I swung my blinding blade. I channeled power through my equipment until it cracked and began to shatter, roaring as I pressed forward and unleashed all the Eternal Blade Art Forms in rapid succession. Eternal Blade Arts – First Form: Horizon Cut! A rumbling slash tore through the sky and the monster's hardened body.

Cracks spread across him as chunks of his main form broke away under the force of the horizontal, silver-colored strike. He retaliated instantly out of pure spite, spewing flames that engulfed me in agony. I reversed the flames into soothing ice and thrust my blade forward with explosive power. Eternal Blade Arts – Second Form: Heavenly Thrust! I poured every drop of power into the blade and released it in a single devastating stab.

His chest exploded, and the skies split open once more as a pillar of light flashed and vanished. Yet he still lived. Roaring in fury, he unleashed thousands of burning crystals that pierced my body and set my nerves ablaze. My Fantasium was critically low. As I healed myself with what little remained and my psychic powers, I unleashed the third form once more. It was now or never! Eternal Blade Arts – Third Form: Sky Severing Star!

With a roar that risked everything, thinking of my beloved aunt I had to save at any cost and all those who would suffer if this creature escaped, I released every last trace of my power—my remaining Fantasium, my soul, and my life itself. SLAAAASH! The potent slash tore through the titan's entire frame. His body split apart and exploded as starlight consumed him completely. I lost everything in that moment, reverting to my smallest form and plummeting from the sky into the snow.

"Elizabeth!" Mongrel used his squishy body to catch me before impact. My eyes barely opened as I gasped for air, utterly drained. I had given everything. I had poured it all into that single attack. I...

"Ugh..." I groaned.

"Astraea... is... is auntie okay? Astraea?"

"No..."

"It can't be!" Then pure dread washed over me as I heard Mongrel and Dryad speak in utter terror. I slowly turned toward where the boss had stood. His fragments lay destroyed, yet something rose from within them.

"Ah..." A giant composed of nightmare flames emerged—his true form as a Nightmare itself. No longer merely a Nightmare Beast King, but something far worse.

"A Nightmare Lord!" Mongrel gasped.

"It can't be! I saw you die! How is this possible?!" The flaming giant gazed down at us with narrowed eyes, transforming the surrounding ten kilometers into an inferno in an instant.

"I was merely discarding my vessel," he said coldly, "ensuring you exhausted every last bit of your energy before I finished you. Now, I am finally free to kill you."

"W-Wha...?!" I coughed blood, unable to believe my eyes. The titan advanced, shaking the ground with every step. My hands trembled in fear. My body refused to move even a single centimeter; I had no strength or energy left.

"It won't be an easy death," he declared, scooping me up with his burning hands. My skin roasted alive as agonizing pain tore through my soul.

"It will be a long, agonizing one—for ruining my plans, for everything you have done! YOU WILL PAY!!!" He paused, staring deep into my soul.

"Any last words before I end you? Begging for mercy, perhaps?" Hah.

"Yeah..." I smiled through the flames.

"I have only one thing to say, bitch." I raised my middle finger.

"Eat shit."

"YOU DAMN BRAT—" BOOOMMM!!!

"G-Gah...?!"

"What?!" To my utter disbelief, before I could be burned to cinders, an azure beam of blinding icy divinity pierced through his body. A titanic silhouette, hundreds of meters tall, loomed on the horizon.