With Ruyue and the rest joining the battle, Rose's burden was greatly reduced. After all, these three were fighters just as capable as she was.
And with them present, she could use the safer powers of her pupils effectively.
Such as…
"Ruyue, go to the far depths and take care of the beasts there. The dark aura in that location is extremely condensed, and all the species are Yin attributed. There are some hostile and some peaceful, so only kill if you can't tame."
Ruyue nodded without question and took off, making it evident that this kind of routine was well practiced at this point.
"As for you two, spread in opposite directions. Your affinities won't have much of an advantage here, but your sword styles are best used differently. Long Chen, focus on mammalian and reptilian creatures. Xue Fang, you take the insects."
The two followed Ruyue's example and spread.
Long Chen had a lot more raw power, so using him to crush those without the hard carapaces of bugs was best. Xue Fang, on the other hand, had extreme cutting power that could slice carapaces into oblivion.
After watching the three reach their assigned positions, Rose nodded to herself.
'Good, they can take care of the combat. Now, my job should be…'
She raised into the air once again to gain a vantage point where she could watch the entire battle situation.
And once she'd mapped it out in her head, she moved her hands through the empty space like she was conducting the most exquisite symphony.
Was it reality or illusion?
Even her allies could never tell when she used her power.
The cavern separated into dozens of rooms, each connected by a series of tunnels. While the structure itself was simple, the mechanics behind it were anything but.
Under Rose's precise control, each room was filled with only beasts from opposing tribes that would fight amongst each other. The rooms were constantly shuffled, and the amount of space they took up changed every few seconds.
There was no consistency for the enemy, but those who'd fought within this formation knew very well.
They were already inside Rose's Illusory Throne Domain.
Rose could truly do as she wished in this domain, but her actions were part of an extremely long sequence that didn't repeat very often, a sequence that couldn't be easily followed unless the battle was prolonged to a great extent.
But why would these geniuses who'd long since memorized the pattern of Rose's manipulation allow their enemies to reach the same understanding?
It was mainly Long Chen and Xue Fang. The duo moved between rooms and incited chaos among the already tense relations between these tribes, assassinating beasts who held importance and instigating enmity.
Ruyue's job was separate. The space she'd been granted was operating under different laws from the main labyrinth.
These laws, in this universe only Rose and Ruyue knew them.
Currently, Ruyue moved among the darkness as if it was her closest friend.
The species around her were strange, just as Rose said.
While they showed blatant hostility towards her presence, they didn't move to attack, almost as if they were wary of something.
'Only kill those that can't be tamed? What do you expect to do with tamed beasts?' Ruyue wondered to herself.
What Rose wanted wasn't to form permanent bonds with these beasts as Damien had done with Zara. She wanted Ruyue to control and dominate these beasts so they could be used later.
The only question was: for what?
'Never mind, I've never been able to comprehend her mind.'
Ruyue dropped the thought and raised her arm into the air, summoning her mana and spreading it thinly through the atmosphere.
The mana of Yin was a powerful force.
Some believed yin and yang to be mere human concepts, created to explain the universal law. Others saw yin and yang as the pinnacle of universal forces, the two sides of the coin from which all other laws and concepts emerged.
In reality, the role of yin and yang in the universe wasn't quite known, because not many experts had risen while using these elements in their raw form.
However, Ruyue knew.
The mana of Yin had untold power.
All those beings who existed under its umbrella…
Voom!
…would submit under a force of Yin more powerful than their own, almost like dragons.
Ruyue's mana cast a terrifying suppression through the atmosphere that forced every yin-attributed beast in the vicinity to its knees.
Her eyes panned the surroundings coldly, picking out every entity that struggled against her pressure and tried to escape.
And within seconds…
Pah! Pah! Pah!
These beasts exploded without a chance to fight back.
Ruyue just recently remembered the flexibility and serene nature of yin. Until this point, she'd been refining her ability to use its other face.
Absolute suppression.
The class she received upon completing her Baptisk was Yin Spirit Queen, and there was no such thing as a benevolent ruler.
If she wanted to truly rule the Law of Yin, she needed the cruelty and judgement to control all things.
In the distance, Rose watched her display with a smile.
'Stupid sister, shouldn't you learn to be a bit more graceful?' She joked happily.
With her comrades aiding her, cleaning up this cavern was no trouble at all.
And finally, when those beasts were exterminated, they'd be able to find out what great treasure existed in this space.
With all the effort it took to clear the place, there had to be one…
…right?
***
Rose was usually the one in their group who made the strategic decisions and whatnot, however this time, Ruyue was the one who made a scarily accurate prediction.
The skies of Holy Light Star were already darkened by the smog from the previous firestorm, and the environment itself was almost completely destroyed.
If it wasn't for the vibrant vital aura in the earth, one would believe this star was utterly barren and unable to support life.
Rumble!
An earthquake.
In the silence following the blaze, it was incredibly noticeable.
There wasn't a single genius that didn't notice it.
Thousands of guards went up at once. After their experience with the previous calamity, they weren't planning to take the next one lightly.
RUMBLE!
The rumbling of the earth became fiercer. It didn't originate from one specific source, but from the entirety of the ground itself.
And after many moments of shaking…
BANG!
A cloud of dust rose on the horizon.
A shadowy figure rose into the sky along with it.
ROAAAAAAAAAR!
It let out a deafening roar that shattered the sky around it.
It was a dragon.
A true dragon whose pressure swept across the lands and struck fear in the hearts of all those who witnessed its majestic gait.
It was the first of many.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
All across Holy Light Stars, portions of earth imploded and beasts rose up from below.
The Second Calamity, a calamity of beasts, was beginning.
And at the same time, many more forces arrived in Luxurion.
Countless geniuses were eliminated from Holy Light Star, but an equal or even greater number was always present to replace them.
Yet…
Perhaps entering the realm at this time wasn't such a good idea.
After all, for most, it would only lead to a humiliating and extremely fast defeat!
