Celestienne entered the Forest of Death with eyes gleaming with determination and ambition, but her heart pounded fiercely, filled with suffocating fear. "Even though my heart is terrified, like a worm being boiled alive, I have to defeat her. For the sake of a leisurely life!" The whisper, initially trembling, hardened into an unwavering promise.
As Celestienne entered the forest, a horrifying sight greeted her. Amidst the ruins of rotting trees, sat a figure that was very familiar, yet terrifying. Another Celestienne, with a face filled with an arrogant smirk and eyes that radiated darkness.
"Oh, so you've come too. My good version. Naive and easily exploited," the evil Celestienne mocked, her voice creeping like poison.
The original Celestienne fell silent, her eyes as cold as ice. With a steady movement, she unsheathed her sword, Galaxy, a weapon she had never used before. Cosmic light pulsed along its blade.
"Hey, don't talk so much," Celestienne hissed, her gaze piercing her soul. "I don't have time for your chatter."
"Uh, your gaze is so scary. Do you think I'm afraid?" The evil Celestienne laughed, but there was a hint of doubt in her voice.
Fed up with the taunts, Celestienne shot forward, swinging Galaxy in a devastating vertical slash.
BOOM!
The surrounding trees shattered into pieces, the ground split into a gaping chasm. However, the evil Celestienne managed to parry the attack with ease.
"Patience, patience. We want to fight fairly, don't we?" said the evil Celestienne, her smirk widening.
"You better shut up. I've heard that those who are weak talk a lot, but those who are strong don't give their enemies a chance to breathe," Celestienne retorted, her eyes blazing with a cosmic blue light.
Celestienne, after parrying the attack, immediately threw the evil Celestienne towards the trees.
"You're the weak one, too naive. If I hadn't been obsessed with a leisurely life back then, maybe I would have already conquered this world," the evil Celestienne spat, then shot forward, swinging her sword in a deadly horizontal slash.
SWUSH!
Celestienne managed to dodge, but the shadow of the sword slashed through the trees behind her, felling them like matchsticks.
"Your movements are too predictable."
Celestienne retaliated with a series of rapid slashes, each attack leaving a trail of craters in the ground.
Feeling cornered, Celestienne flew into the sky, the battle continuing above the forest canopy. Selene, who witnessed the strange light in the sky, was speechless. The speed surpassed understanding.
"What the hell is that? That speed... it's beyond the gods!" Selene muttered, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Celestienne and her doppelgänger continued to spin and dance in the sky, leaving trails of dimensional cracks behind them.
"We can't fight in this world. Follow me, if you dare," Celestienne said, her voice cold and calm.
"Alright, I'll follow you. Where are we going?" replied the evil Celestienne, a bloodthirsty curiosity radiating from every word.
Celestienne shot upwards at full speed, followed by the evil Celestienne. Selene, confused, could only watch them disappear into space.
"Why is Celestienne going up? If she keeps going up, they'll be fighting outside the universe!"
Outside the Universe.
Celestienne faced the evil Celestienne. The latter smiled widely, full of madness. The original Celestienne remained calm, her eyes radiating burning determination.
"Oh, so this is where we're going to settle this. Alright, let's continue our dance," said the evil Celestienne, preparing to attack.
Celestienne shot forward, swinging her sword with full force.
BOOM!
The attack was easily parried by Celestienne. With an equally swift counterattack, Celestienne sent out a wave of energy that slammed into the evil Celestienne.
BOOM!
The evil Celestienne didn't give up, launching relentless attacks. However, each attack was perfectly parried by Celestienne.
"Why aren't you attacking? Are you afraid that if you kill me, you'll disappear from this world?" the evil Celestienne mocked, trying to provoke her opponent.
"No, this is my strategy. I'll get serious after you reach god form," Celestienne replied, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
They continued to fight, traversing the vast cosmic expanse, until the rulers of the world below were horrified.
"Please, don't destroy my world!"
However, even the wind from their slashes was enough to destroy entire planets. One by one, worlds crumbled behind them.
"Ah, I'm sick of this. Transformation: God Form!"
The evil Celestienne's hair turned fiery red, divine flames blazed around her. Her power multiplied.
"Well, now I'll get serious," said Celestienne, a terrifying smile replacing her usual composure.
Celestienne attacked first, her attack seeming calm, yet radiating unimaginable power.
"How is this possible? Your attack is calm, but why is it so heavy?" the evil Celestienne asked, panic beginning to creep into her voice.
"This is the attack of Balance. When you are calm, your attack is heavy. When you are angry, your attack weakens."
"Sword Technique #13: Dimension-Splitting Flame Slash!"
Celestienne dodged the attack, but the searing heat warped the space around her. The once peaceful universe turned into a chaotic battlefield.
The entire cosmos was filled with dimensional cracks.
"Give up, my good self. Otherwise, this universe won't be able to withstand our power!"
Celestienne grabbed the evil Celestienne's arm and shot into one of the dimensional cracks.
Inside the Cracked Dimension.
"Well, this is better. Let's fight to our heart's content," said Celestienne, a satisfied grin on her face.
The battle continued with unparalleled intensity, until Celestienne was fed up with ordinary attacks.
"Sword Technique: Dimension Splitter!"
The attack missed, but the impact caused the dimension itself to tremble. For a moment, they could see the universe outside.
"Argh, I'm sick of this! Now, die, my good version! Technique: Omni-Fractalization!"
"Crap! That technique... it's in the academy books," Celestienne muttered, a look of panic appearing on her face.
Celestienne remembered reading about Omni-Fractalization in the ancient books at the academy. It was a terrifying technique, capable of destroying reality itself.
"What was it again... ah, that's right!"
In her mind, she recalled the description from the book: "Omni-Fractalization is a high-level metaphysical technique that alters the fundamental structure of reality, transforming a finite universe into a boundless dimensional space. This technique is based on the principle that reality itself is a vast fractal, and by manipulating these fractal patterns on a cosmic scale, the boundaries of the universe can be erased."
"I have to stop her now!"
"Too late. Goodbye, my good self. Now, die!" The evil Celestienne laughed, unleashing the power of Omni-Fractalization.
Celestienne tried to resist, but the energy released was too great. She felt her body shattering into pieces.
BOOM!
The universe that was once filled with stars turned into a boundless white space. There was nothing, only endless emptiness.
"Hahahahaha! You lost, Celestienne! You're too weak!"
Celestienne lay on the ground, her body covered in blood and scorched. However, she was still breathing, albeit with difficulty.
"I... can't lose. If I lose, the world will be destroyed in your hands. I won't give up... even a little bit!"
"Oh, so you're stubborn too," said the evil Celestienne, her grin turning into a sadistic sneer.
"Princess Celestienne, what if we just kill this good version of you?" the evil Celestienne's sword spirit whispered.
"Hmm... good idea. It's time for you to die!"
The evil Celestienne raised her sword, preparing to finish off her opponent.
"Hahahahaha! Now, I am the ruler of this world!"
"Are you sure?" A calm, yet soul-piercing voice cut through her glee.
The evil Celestienne shuddered. She turned around and was shocked.
"How... how is it possible that you're behind me?"
Celestienne smiled faintly. "From the beginning of this fight, I've only been using a clone."
The evil Celestienne looked down. The body of Celestienne lying on the ground disappeared into ashes.
"I've been here all along. The one in that world was just my clone, which I created to rest in this boundless dimension."
The evil Celestienne staggered back, her mind racing. "Could it be... all those clues... why didn't I realize it? Her panic in the ancient library... her fear in the Forest of Death... her horrified expression when I hit her with my attack..."
"You only realized it now? Tsk, tsk," Celestienne shook her head in disappointment.
"Well, now, let's get serious," said Celestienne, brandishing her spear.
In the blink of an eye, Celestienne disappeared from sight.
"Where? Where are you?" The evil Celestienne shouted, her eyes frantically searching.
"I'm behind you." Celestienne's voice sounded as cold as ice.
SWUSH!
The spear slashed through the evil Celestienne's head. Although it missed, the slash caused the dimension to tremble violently.
"Just a slash alone can make this room tremble..." thought the evil Celestienne, panicked.
"Since this has been going on for too long, I'll end this now. I want to live a leisurely life!"
Celestienne snapped her fingers. The dimension changed, reshaped by her will.
"What is this? Why has this dimension suddenly turned back into a universe?"
"That's because I reversed time to the moment before you unleashed Omni-Fractalization."
Suddenly, the evil Celestienne found herself back at the moment when she was about to use that forbidden technique.
"Well, now die. First Technique: Light Spear Slash!"
The slash seemed calm, but the moment it hit, the evil Celestienne's head split open, her Omni-Fractalization technique destroyed with her.
"Well, that's done," said Celestienne, sighing in relief.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have completed the mission brilliantly! Rewards await! Accept?/Decline?]
"Yes."
[You Obtained God Sword (A legendary weapon with divine power) | Your Strength Increased by 50x.]
"Argh... when will this power of mine find a worthy opponent? I don't even have time to drink coffee!"
She looked up, staring at the glittering stars. The sight should have made her happy, but all she felt was exhaustion.
[Ding! Main Quest Available: Do You Want to Accept: Yes/No?]
Celestienne, who was about to return to Earth, stopped. She opened her system panel.
"Main Quest? What's that? Well, I guess I'll accept it."
[Ding! Main Quest: Defeat the World-Destroying Union | Failure: Trapped in a Boundless Dimension!]
"Oh, so there's no reward? Then, if I manage to save the world, what do I get?"
"You will be able to live happily ever after," the system replied, its tone sounding slightly suspicious.
Celestienne's eyes lit up at the promise of a happy and leisurely life.
"Alright, let's defeat those bastard Unions! Heheheh. Who knows, maybe after this I can really relax... as long as they don't have plans to destroy the multiverse."
---
Chapter 18 Completed.