Yasenia continued climbing the stairs for eight more days, each level becoming increasingly difficult. The first time she battled, she took around 25 minutes, while the second one took 50 minutes. For the third challenge, Yasenia took almost two hours. Then, for the fourth level, Yasenia took an astounding three hours of straight-up fighting against herself.
After the fourth challenge, Yasenia had to stop for a long while to recover her strength. Soluna was lying beside Yasenia; one of her sides was open, and blood was flowing down her side. Looking at Soluna's state, the dragoness couldn't help but sigh. "Are you okay, love?"
"It hurts…" Soluna pouted, her face full of tiredness.
Yasenia caressed the spirit's hair and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her lips. "Let's rest until we recover our peak. I don't think we can defeat the next level if we are not at our best."
"It has been only five levels…" Soluna sighed and looked at the white staircase. "I wonder how strong the copy in the 1000th stair is?"
Yasenia looked up, her eyes shining with curiosity as well. "I also wonder… It's honestly baffling. Are we that weak?"
She couldn't see the scores of other people. Therefore, she was unsure if defeating five stairs during the first ten hours of fighting was good or bad. "I wonder how far other people are going?"
Soluna looked at Yasenia and spoke with a guilty expression. "You will be limited by me… I am sorry."
"Hm?" Yasenia blinked and looked at Soluna with a confused look. "What do you mean, love?"
"That…" Soluna's fingers twisted with each other. "If my copy defeats me, then she and your copy will be able to overwhelm you. This time, I barely held up. Another two hours, and I would've probably lost to my copy."
Yasenia smiled and carefully picked up the heavily wound spirit girl. Using her long and thick tail for support, together with her arms, Yasenia nestled Soluna in her arms. "Love, you and I are one. So, if you are lacking strength, that means that I am lacking strength. You can see it in the way this trial allows you and me to participate together. If we weren't considered one big entity, would that be possible?"
Soluna's Sun and Moon pupils glittered as she shook her head softly. "No… We would've been separated."
"That's right." Yasenia smiled gently, her lips softly pressing against Soluna's forehead. "Therefore, if you are weak, I will help you become stronger. You and I will live together for eternity, right, love? So don't blame yourself."
Soluna's face flushed, almost forgetting the pain of her wounds. Instead, she pushed her face into the crook of the dragoness's neck and inhaled her scent greedily. 'Ah… I love Yasenia so much.'
Yasenia's right hand gently caressed Soluna's back, moving back and forth, while her left hand tapped the spirit's soft butt rhythmically. The little taps almost put Soluna to sleep in Yasenia's comfortable embrace.
After two hours of sharing energy through their connection, Soluna's wounds recovered. Yasenia and Soluna then meditated in each other's arms, absorbing the world's energy to recover to their peak.
It didn't take longer than thirty minutes for both to reach their peak. Soluna opened her eyes slowly and separated, looking up at the face of the most beautiful dragon woman. She closed her eyes, and soon, her lips were tenderly enveloped in a kiss.
After exchanging a loving kiss, Soluna smiled happily. "Let's go. I'll make sure to keep my copy at bay!"
The dragoness kissed the spirit's nose. "I am sure you will. I trust you, love."
"Hehe."
So, both of them went up to the fifth staircase.
Looking at their copies, Yasenia noticed that the bronze aura around them was now visible without the need to focus. 'Is that bronze aura an indication of something? The strength of the copy, perhaps?'
Shaking her head from distractions, the fifth battle started.
Yasenia and Soluna suffered quite a lot, but after five hours, their copies were defeated. Yasenia breathed heavily, a large gash running across her chest and dripping with blood, while her tail was mangled and her face pale.
Soluna lay in the distance, unable to move a single finger. During this exchange, the enemy Soluna had defeated Soluna and joined hands with Yasenia's copy. Thankfully, it was during the later stages of the battle, so Yasenia managed to beat them both by taking one of the copy's sword slashes to the chest.
She breathed roughly, her heart pounding and sweat running down her body. "If… I didn't use… [Heavenly Firmament Sanctuary]... I would've been done for."
Dramel transformed into her spiritual form and supported Yasenia's tall body with her petite one. The dragoness laughed and gently stroked Dramel's hair. "Let's go see Soluna's current state."
Dramel nodded, and they all arrived in front of Soluna. The poor spirit was sprawled on the ground, her body full of large and small wounds. Half her face was burnt, and one of her legs was completely frozen by Moon Ice.
Soluna whined, her eyes slowly moving towards Yasenia. "...So strong."
The dragoness smiled. "Indeed. Too strong. Let's rest, love."
Yasenia lay down and unfurled her wings, using them to hug Soluna. They worked as both a mattress and a blanket. Comfortable, Soluna closed her eyes and focused on recovering. Yasenia did the same.
'The next one… It will be too difficult to defeat. What happens when you lose? Do the copies continue until you die? Looking at Soluna, it doesn't seem so. When Soluna was defeated, I kept an eye and prepared to use the defensive formation to save her life. Nevertheless, Soluna's copy ignored the defenseless Soluna and rushed towards me.'
This meant that the copies were attacking to kill, but without the intention to do so. 'If I die straightaway, that's that. Nevertheless, if I surrender, the chances of the copy stopping are high. Should I try on the next floor? Or should I give it up?'
It took around 4 hours for both of them to recover to their peak. The Celestial Black Hole Energy Star worked tirelessly to heal and replenish wounds, as well as restore energy reserves.
After they stood up, Yasenia and Soluna looked at the stairs. Soluna spoke, her tone somewhat heavy. "Yasenia… The next floor might be too difficult."
The dragoness nodded. "I know. But it's not impossible. We still have the life-saving treasures. So, if we are in an impossible situation, I will use them. I want to try something, so let's go. Also…"
Yasenia saw Soluna's somber expression and grinned. "If you continue being so pouty, I will make you real putty. So you better steel your resolve to beat yourself."
Soluna's face became flustered, showing embarrassment. "Y-You! Now is not the time!"
"Is it really not?" Yasenia's voice lowered a pitch, making Soluna's insides tremble at the raw seductiveness it dripped with.
"I-If you continue teasing me, I will get turned on!"
Yasenia laughed and jumped on her. Soluna's moans echoed in the place for hours.
'With this, I hope she doesn't feel the guilt. Let's relax her now; she is too tense and will end up making mistakes if we go up straight away.'
After Soluna became Yasenia's victim for almost five hours, the spirit lost strength in her limbs and became a starfish. "I can't move…"
Yasenia laughed, hugging the spirit tightly. "Cute~."
After an hour to recover their bearings, Soluna showed a much better attitude. After going up to the sixth step, both Yasenia and Soluna froze.
On the other side, there were four individuals and four weapons. Soluna's eyes widened. "T-Two of us!? Two copies!?"
Yasenia's mind became messy. 'How is this possible? This is an impossible trial!'
As her mind became confused, the two Yasenia and Solunas were looking at them as if mocking. "What? Are you afraid?"
Yasenia's eyes hardened a bit, and she looked at the surroundings. 'Is there an allied copy? No. However… There is something different. What is it?'
After looking closely, her eyes flashed. "The aura around them. It is gone."
Soluna stopped panicking and focused. "Oh. You are right… So, these four copies have the same strength as the copies on the zero floor?"
"That seems to be the case if we base it on the aura that surrounds the copies."
Soluna crossed her arms. "If that's the case… It is not impossible. Still, it is more difficult than the copy with the bronze aura."
Yasenia agreed. "The sixth floor became different. Does it change every five floors? If that's the case… What happens when we reach the eleventh floor?"
While she pondered, she also knew that there was no time to lose. They took a deep breath and rushed forward, starting a complicated battle.
The fight this time took much longer, but thankfully, they avoided heavy injuries. Still, the number of light injuries was staggering, and blood stained most of the central floor where they clashed.
Plunging her sword out of the second copy's chest, Yasenia's legs almost lost strength. "E-Eight hours. Why are they so resilient! So annoying to kill with all the little tricks!"
Soluna smiled wryly. "Have you forgotten that they are us, Yasenia?"
The dragoness complained. "No. But they actually took a supporter and attacker stance! The one at the back was using Aquarius Rain and using Dramel actively to support the other. It was so… Ugh. I pity those fighting me."
Soluna laughed at the comment. Still, she was refreshed and happy. "I managed to defeat the two copies before you! Hehe."
Yasenia smiled and ruffled Soluna's hair. "Great job, love."
Dramel spoke, curious. "Draheart, I didn't know that you could fight on the real plane without Yasenia. I still remember how you fought that Sun God, but it happened when you were inside Yasenia's Soulscape."
Draheart spoke with her emotionless but adorable tone. "My strength without Yasenia is too low. It's better if Yasenia holds me, and you act as a support."
Dramel grumbled. "I also want to fight while Yasenia uses me…"
Yasenia gently caressed the Pipa's chords and smiled. "If I ever develop a musical technique, I'll use you more often. Draheart can turn into all kinds of weapons, but she can't become an instrument. So, you are not useless, Dramel."
Dramel cheered. "Hehehe. Yasenia's hands are so soft and nice~. I love it when you touch me…"
Soluna coughed. "Phrasing."
"What?" Dramel raised her tone. "Is the Spirit that was filled with cream until it spilled talking now? Speak! I dare you!"
Soluna coughed and looked sideways, unable to refute it.
Like that, Yasenia and company managed to fight their way until the eighth floor, where they encountered their first truly dangerous situation.
Soluna shouted, her body being pummeled by the energy attacks of the two copies. "Y-Yasenia! I can't hold on longer! They are too strong for me!"
Yasenia was not much better, her sword and tail moving fast enough to block the barrage of the two copies. "I am also at my limit."
The second she spoke, one copy hit Draheart strongly and the other snuck inside, punching her gut. "GAH!"
Her body flew back like a shooting star. Yasenia bit her lips and shouted. "We surrender!"
The second she did so, a new copy appeared.
A profound multicolored light enveloped this copy. Then, using Heavenly Constellation Steps to a level that Yasenia couldn't even follow, the copy appeared in front of her and palmed her chest lightly.
'What?'
BOOM!!!
Yasenia streaked through the white ground, returning to the seventh floor, and then fainted, her ribs sunk and her soul damaged. Soluna descended not long after with Dramel, both smashing against the ground like meteors and losing consciousness.