OP Sister Chapter 527: Confrontation

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“{Freezing Ghostly Palm of Sorrow}”

My brother stepped forward calmly, his bare hands punching through dozens of elemental beasts, bursting their cores into pieces and causing their fiery bodies to explode and dissipate.

His palms unleashed explosive cold energies, infused with Yin Ki and Sorrow Curse, which transformed the landscape before us into a frozen expanse.

“W-Woah, Jack! What was that?!” Henrietta asked.

“It’s a new power my sister taught me,” my brother said with a smile. “I don’t know if it’s compatible with everyone though…”

“I want it!” Baihe exclaimed. “Anna, what is it?!”

“Ahhh, you need to get stronger before you learn it, or it could kill you,” I said bluntly. “So for now, let’s work hard to get all of you as strong as possible!”

We advanced through the second layer and reached its end, confronting the boss, a Giant Elemental Salamander Specter. I could see Vulcanus’ hand in its creation. He had fused dozens of souls from his experiments, forcibly crafting a spirit-ghost hybrid wracked with constant pain. Together with my brother, we dispatched it swiftly.

He transformed his Freezing Ghostly Palm of Sorrow into a full martial art, fighting with kicks, punches, and headbutts, freezing the beast from every angle. Meanwhile, I combined the power of Sorrow with Hatred, forging Blazing Flames of Regret and slicing through the monster’s core with a single strike.

“GRYYAAAAHH!”

BOOOM!

The creature unleashed an agonizing scream, a chorus of hundreds of cries, before exploding into ice and flames and dissipating. Its core shattered, and I collected the pieces, saving them as valuable materials.

“We’re about done here, let’s advance to the next layer, quickly!”

We moved to the third layer after I used Mass Gathering to collect all resources. The landscape grew hotter, the pressure heavier, but it wasn’t enough to force us to rest. Still, I summoned my Alchemy Cauldron in front of everyone to craft some elixirs.

I synthesized the chimeras’ blood, specters’ soul dust, a few monster cores, healing herbs, and my own Draconic Mana to create Dragon Blood Elixirs. These granted a temporary Dragon Mana boost, easing the pressure on everyone.

“Ah, this is much better,” Kevin said, sighing in relief.

“Anna, you’re so useful all the time, thank you,” Henrietta said, gently caressing my head.

“Alright, let’s keep it up, we’ve got two more layers to go,” Jack said.

“Yeah… sorry about this, and thank you for helping me,” Hilda said.

“No worries, Hilda, we’re doing this because you’re our friend,” I said with a nod. “Hurry, let’s go!”

We traversed the third layer without trouble, facing the same explosive chimeras, specters, and their fused forms, which we pummeled with spells and techniques. They posed little threat or challenge, but they offered a great way for everyone to train and refine their moves.

My brother wielded his new powers with greater ease, blending them with skills, weapon arts, and his aura, laying the foundation for his own Martial Arts.

“There’s a wall here?”

Our rapid progress halted when we encountered a giant, blazing wall of intense divine draconic flames, stretching high into the skies and forming a dome that sealed the fourth and final layer entirely.

“Did Vulcanus get scared of us or something? What the hell is this?” Hilda complained, clicking her tongue in frustration. “After all this time, we can’t even advance!”

“Hm…” My brother studied the wall silently for a moment. “Anna, how strong do you think this is?”

“Hmm, judging by its structure, form, and shape, it’s likely a special Spiritual Formation,” I explained. “It holds immense energy within the planes, creating a separate realm inside. To get through, we need the master’s permission or… well, enough power to tear holes through space.”

“That’s impossible, who can even do that?” Baihe asked.

“I believe it’s not impossible,” my brother said. “If Henrietta, Anna, and I combine our strength and synchronize it into a single powerful blow.”

“I see, I can use my Anti-Mana Swordsmanship to destabilize the barrier’s structure,” Henrietta said with a nod.

“And I can use my Arcane Hands to locate the core runes within the barrier and deactivate some,” I added.

“Good, let’s begin then,” my brother said. “Hilda, please protect the kids.”

“Sure,” Hilda agreed.

We approached the barrier, and as I touched it, the intense flames forced me to coat myself with a Myriad Self Aura, though even that began to burn.

“Sheesh, he even infused Cosmic Power into this, that damn lizard really doesn’t want us inside.”

He’s definitely afraid or preparing something.

Whatever the case, we started.

I searched for runes, uncovering hundreds of thousands within the barrier’s structure. The intricate design nearly overwhelmed my mind, but my physique and spirit body allowed me to handle the information.

“Okay… alright, done,” I said with a nod. “I found three hundred and sixty-three runes that can be destroyed to bring the whole thing down.”

“That many?! We’ll be here for days!” Henrietta complained.

“No, it won’t take that long,” I said. “I’m connecting them together with my Myriad Self Aura, which can even do this, I didn’t know. And done!”

“That fast?!” Jack asked.

“Yeah, that fast,” I said. “Okay, ready?”

My brother, Henrietta, and I powered up, unleashing our Auras and releasing all the strength we had conserved.

RUMBLE!

The ground beneath us cracked into spiderweb-like patterns, and the heavens trembled. Vast amounts of Draconic Mana tried to interfere, forming invisible dragons and spirits that roared at us.

Hilda, Baihe, Annabelle, Kevin, and my Familiars stepped forward, attacking them to keep them from reaching us.

Draconic Mana was indeed like a living being, enabling Dragons to kill with mere words, using their Mana as a weapon without spells. It was a living, invisible mass of their power, an extension of their souls and strength.

“Wow…”

On our way here, I had taught Henrietta a few things about the Heart of Hope and given her a manual…

But really.

“I didn’t expect her to grasp the principles so quickly!”

FLUOSH!

Within Henrietta, a mass of Flames of Hope manifested, merging with her divine sword and Anti-Mana Swordsmanship.

At the same time, my brother fused Hatred, Sorrow, and Pain into a giant blade of darkness, flames, and ice.

I unleashed the Heavenly Spirit Flames of Hope and Love, blending them with their swords of darkness and light.

A gigantic saber of pink, purple, red, and black fire surged, reaching the sky and striking the barrier at the blue-colored pattern that appeared on it.

CRAAASH!

RUMBLE!

The entire barrier shuddered and sprouted countless cracks…

And then!

BOOOMMM!!!

A massive explosion erupted, instantly dissipating the specters fighting our friends. Our attack struck the barrier’s interior, shaking the volcanic landscape and leaving a massive crater.

At the same time, a huge castle stood there… well, it used to.

It split apart, flames, blood, and flesh splattering everywhere.

“What the…?!” Jack gasped.

“Did we hit Vulcanus?!” Henrietta asked.

“…That huge castle had him inside,” I said. “Oops, did we kill him—”

“This is unexpected!”

A familiar yet repulsive voice echoed through the skies as a gigantic dragon manifested from flames, gazing down at us with amusement and… slight irritation.

He was actually furious, and terrible at hiding it!

“You didn’t just destroy my Seven Blazing Star Dominion Barrier in minutes,” he sighed. “You even… destroyed my castle and the decoy I left inside… What a strange group of beings you are. I cannot wait to turn you into my adorable puppets. Let’s see, that blonde girl would do well as a warrior-type chimera, right? Ah, yes, I can see it! If I infuse you with the bloodline of titans, you could even—”

“VULCANUS!!!”

Hilda roared, her eyes blazing with vengeance, as she opened her inventory and pulled out a giant cannon she hadn’t shown us before.

The cannon, crafted from gold, red, and green metal and adorned with scales and monster bones, trembled as she charged it with a dozen cores.

“DIE!!!”

TRUUUM!

The cannon shook, and Vulcanus’ form quivered as his eyes widened.

“A Divine Relic?! How did you even get your hands on something like that—”

BOOOMMM!!!

Fear flashed in his eyes as Vulcanus dodged the massive beam of divine power, rising into the skies. The beam pursued him, ultimately striking his massive form, too slow to escape easily.

“Nnnggh…! This is…! Hahaha! I see…!”

He exploded into flames, only to reappear from the skies, formed from the blood, flesh, and souls of his own subjects.

I see, this bastard isn’t even here in person, it makes sense.

As a Constellation-level entity, he cannot simply descend and remain here, even within his own Realm.

But he was preparing a place for his descent during the Second Awakening.

Constellations can partially descend in the Second Awakening when Living Relics of Mythology and History manifest.

Like Anubis and other Egyptian Gods appearing in their Pyramids, or the Norse Gods manifesting on the floating Continent of Asgard.

Unlike them, Vulcanus has no roots in this world, no history or myths, so he was crafting his own “tomb” to appear in.

That’s why he’s not here physically, but his soul is part of it, allowing him to reform infinitely…

“This entire Dragon Realm is a vessel for his soul!” I shouted. “Hitting him with normal attacks won’t hurt him, he can regenerate instantly!”

“What?!” Hilda asked, her eyes wide. “But then what can we do?!”

“We have to strike his cosmic soul directly using the link he has placed here!” I said. “Brother, remember when we killed Uroboros? Well, the same way.”

“I see!” my brother nodded.

“Huhuh! I’ve heard rumors that you killed a foolish Demonic Throne that descended, but unless I fully descend, you cannot harm me!” he laughed. “I am invincible here; I’ve been from the very beginning! You were always walking into a battle you could never, ever win! Now stand there, I will end you quickly!”

Vulcanus laughed as his giant blazing claws rushed toward us, while countless draconic chimeras and blazing specters emerged from pools of lava and magma.

“Anna, is that true?!” Jack asked.

“Why don’t you ask me too?! I’m a Constellation!” Fenrir complained. “It’s possible he thinks that way because unless we harm his Soul Core, he cannot be killed… but as long as we use the piece of soul attached to this plane, and as long as our attack can reach between planes… hm, maybe it’s really impossible. Okay, let’s bail.”

“No, there’s a way,” I said.

As the claws rushed down, I swung my blade upward, and a giant shockwave of pink flames surged, splitting Vulcanus’ claws apart and exploding his entire body.

BOOOM!

“HAHAHA, USELESS, USELESS~!”

Vulcanus, however, fully recovered, opened his jaws, and charged blazing flames, releasing a gigantic beam of fire toward us.

TRUUUUM!

The skies cleared of clouds as the towering, descending fire was about to strike us, inescapable in its magnitude.

This is the power of Elder Dragons…

Terrifying in every sense of the word.

And yet.

“This much…! Even I can do it!”

Baihe stepped forward, her Mana absorbing the surrounding Draconic Mana, activating a skill she hadn’t revealed before and conjuring a massive blue magic circle.

“{Frost Dragon Breath}!”

A dragon head formed from ice manifested, firing a freezing dragon breath.

RUMBLE!

The beams clashed, the flames burning and melting the ice, gaining the upper hand.

But not for long.

“{Myriad Self Arts}: {Arcane Boost}”

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