Game World: I Can Share Talents

They were not the type for dramatics, especially not at a critical juncture. Mivana simply slung the Silver-haired Princess over her shoulder and fled at top speed.

BOOM—

In the very next moment, the Dragon God Illusion's phantom claw swatted aside countless clouds, raining down innumerable meteor missiles upon Westheid and the others. Rumbling thunder, even faster than the missiles, arrived in an instant.

Even more beams of laser light, faster still than the meteor missiles, erupted from the Dragon God Illusion's body.

Yet even under this seemingly inescapable laser blockade, Duke Qinghui was the first to react, his body vibrating as he shifted and teleported to nimbly dodge the beams. He practically grazed past them. Even for the few beams he couldn't dodge in time, Westheid's shield could just barely absorb the impact.

As long as he wasn't the sole focus of the attack and forced to tank every single laser, it wasn't a major issue.

However, the Dragon God Illusion's arsenal was far from one-dimensional. Besides the sky-filling laser barrage, the entire nebula swirling within the Dragon God's massive claw came crashing down. Starlight cascaded like a tidal wave, a cataclysmic deluge that threatened to overturn the heavens themselves.

Evasion was nearly impossible. In a decisive battle against a Celestial God, so-called skills and Body Techniques were practically useless. All that mattered was the clash of pure will and power.

"Hahaha! Is this the extent of a Celestial God's power? This won't be enough to stop us!"

Westheid laughed, charging straight through the wave of starlight. He was like a petrel soaring over a stellar ocean, his clear, booming laughter echoing through the void.

The tides surging around the Dragon God came one after another, yet they allowed this tiny boat in the storm to soar freely. The turbulence did not impede Westheid's charge in the slightest as he unleashed the full extent of his Magic Power.

He activated his Soul Burning Technique at the first possible moment, pushing his parameters to their absolute limit.

As long as his shield wasn't shattered in a single blow, Westheid could quickly conjure even more and thicker Defense Techniques. Not only that, he even dared to launch an attack against the projection of the Star Abyss Wings!

While dodging, Westheid continuously hurled Light Spears condensed to their absolute limit.

Before becoming a Demigod, he would never have been this audacious. When a mortal fights a being with Divinity, their damage reduction is no joke. You could spend all day attacking and not even outpace their passive regeneration.

But once you mastered the use of Divinity, you earned the right to compete on the same stage. It didn't matter if you could win; at least you could land a hit. Of course, compared to a true Celestial God, the difference was still a complete joke.

'But this isn't a true Celestial God! It's just a projection! At best, it's at the level of a top-tier Demigod. What's there to be afraid of?!'

The Light Spears Westheid threw sank into the Dragon God Illusion, shattering the phantom stars within. The released Divinity then escaped the Illusion's grasp and dissipated into the void.

"ROAR—!!!"

The Dragon God Illusion, unable to stop the Divinity from escaping, reacted with something akin to rage. The Star Sea trembled with Its fury, and the entire celestial vault seemed on the verge of collapse.

More starlight, meteors, Blazing Flames, and lasers descended, blotting out the sky in wave after relentless wave, as if vowing to extinguish Westheid's minuscule figure.

But amidst the commotion, the Dragon God Illusion decided it would no longer allow Westheid to chip away at Its Divinity. It began to move. The stagnant stars that filled the sky started to flow rapidly, and the Domain unfolded by the Dragon God Illusion came alive, shifting with Its master's movements.

Any subtle motion from the Dragon God Illusion manifested as a cataclysmic shift in Its magnificent body of a Star Sea, to say nothing of the fact that the Dragon God was now dragging Its entire form against the current, charging straight for the true starry sky beyond.

The flowing river of stars surged upward. The phantom stars, the multicolored starlight that saturated the Star Sea like paint—all of it began to ascend rapidly. The Dragon God Illusion brought its grand body, the very substance of the Star Sea, to bear upon its foes.

"Bring it on!"

Westheid could not let the Dragon God Illusion charge unchecked toward the fleet. He immediately moved to intercept it, tying it down to prevent it from running rampant.

Meanwhile, the Celestial Vault Legion retreated, not stopping until they were far enough from the battlefield to avoid being swatted out of existence by the Dragon God Illusion. Only then did they look back, their hearts still pounding, and became utterly captivated by the battle unfolding before them—

The Dragon God unleashing shockwaves that shook the cosmos and pulverized actual meteors; the man breaking free from a scouring torrent of starlight that flowed like a vast river; the human weaving desperately amidst a pincer attack of homing dragon's breath and light beams; his flight path chased by exploding waterfalls of countless meteors...

Every magnificent scene mortals could possibly imagine—and those they couldn't—was effortlessly displayed in this battle against a Celestial God. Compared to the sheer scale of the Star Abyss Wings's attacks, Westheid, the challenger, seemed much less ostentatious.

Like a voyager challenging a tempest, Westheid rode the winds and broke the waves again and again. Against the colossal surges stirred up by the Star Abyss Wings, he fearlessly raised his Great Bow and unleashed god-slaying Light Spears.

Even myths and legends could scarcely describe such a miraculous battle. Alexia and the other Imperial generals watched with feverish intensity, sighing with heartfelt admiration.

"To dare engage a projection of the Dragon God in battle... If this were the early era of the Imperial, Duke Qinghui would surely be recorded in the epics and celebrated as one of the great dragon-slaying Heroes!"

"One of them? He'd be the strongest!"

"It's absolutely thrilling. I wish I could be out there fighting alongside Duke Qinghui. But alas... and don't laugh, but just standing in that thing's presence, I can't even hold my sword steady."

"The same is true for me. It is, after all, an illusion of a Celestial God. It's not something mortals can possibly contend with."

"..."

Listening to their praise, Reiya frowned and said,

"Enough of this useless chatter. What's the plan to support West?"

At that moment, a Celestial Vault Battleship drew near. Several Celestial Vault Elders observed the scene and stated dispassionately,

"It's no use. Duke Qinghui is trapped. He has been targeted by the Dragon God's projection, and it will hunt him relentlessly until it dissipates."

"The only way out is to break through the obstruction and reach the area of the Crimson Throne. Only then can he break the Celestial God projection's lock."

The White-haired Dragon Lady suddenly shot the Celestial Vault People an icy glare and said through clenched teeth,

"Are you... truly unable to think of another way, or are you deliberately trying to send West there?"

"It's both."

The Celestial Vault Elders admitted it freely.

"Duke Qinghui himself agreed to this course of action," they said. "In order to re-establish contact with our Divine Ancestor, any amount of sacrifice and risk is worth it."

Reiya clenched her fists. Although she was terribly worried for her lover's safety, she knew Westheid must have been confident when he made this decision. Still, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Meanwhile, Westheid was beginning to feel his power wane. Faced with the Dragon God Illusion's unending assault, he was running out of options.

'That was a satisfying fight, but it's time to pull back.'

'This is still too much to handle. I'll see if I can make a run for it.'

Though he wasn't very hopeful, Westheid still preferred to take the safer route. He turned to leave.

BOOM—

The instant the thought of escape crossed Westheid's mind, the Celestial God's projection made a grasping motion with its phantom claws. A vortex of swirling nebulas enveloped him, giving him no room to resist. Duke Qinghui found himself being dragged uncontrollably toward the Dragon God.

'Some kind of auto-target lock? Why didn't you use this sooner?'

'Now this is bad.'

Westheid's face paled. He couldn't let himself be dragged toward the Celestial God's projection; 'I'll be crushed to death instantly!'

"Wan Qi, lend me your strength!"

Hesitating no longer, Westheid pushed his Soul Burning Technique to its maximum output. He struggled with all his might to break free of his bonds, and before the Dragon God Illusion could prepare another Control Technique, he shot past Its projection and charged straight into the void enveloped by the Temporal Turbulence.