"What the... hell is this girl made of?" Celestia thought to herself, still trying to make sense of what she had just read.
Before she could ponder further, one of the men in the room broke the silence. His voice was rough, impatient. "So... when are we doing this?"
Another man standing by the table, tapped his fingers against the wood, eyes darting between the group. His usually calm demeanor was slipping, the tension in his voice barely contained. "Liam, calm down," another man interjected, his tone much more measured. "It'll start soon enough. We've been searching the entire area for over three years. We've pinpointed where the damn thing will be next month. It'll be right here in the heart of Menrove."
Liam's lips curled into a sneer as his fists clenched. His impatience was palpable, like a beast just waiting to be unleashed. "I just can't wait any longer to kill this son of a bitch, Varek."
Celestia's eyes flicked to him, her own frustration mirrored in his. The waiting, the uncertainty, the years of chasing shadows—it was all beginning to weigh heavily on everyone.
Celestia looked at them all, her now crimson long hair swayed in the wind.
Two months had passed by in a blink of an eye and the air was thick with anticipation, and the skies held no moon—only the swirling cosmos above, countless stars gleaming down upon the vast, open grasslands.
The field was endless, bathed in silver light, the tall grass swaying as if whispering secrets of ancient battles long forgotten. And there, scattered across the land, were specks of blue light—fragments of the stars themselves, dancing among the grass, shifting and flickering like fireflies.
The place where legends were born.
A place where gods and mortals clashed in the past.
A bell rang. Once. Twice.
"WAKE UP!" Varek's voice boomed across the camp. "IT'S TIME!"
In an instant, the entire camp was alive.
Weapons were gathered, armor strapped on, final prayers whispered to gods who may or may not have been listening. The scent of iron, oil, and sweat filled the air as warriors prepared for the battle that would decide the fate of Menrove.
Celestia stood among them, gripping the hilt of her weapon. She raised her hand, and in an instant, mana surged.
A blade materialized in her grasp.
White mana crackled around it, but within the glowing edges, fragments of the stars shimmered—galaxies, constellations, a vast cosmic power condensed into steel. It pulsed in her palm, humming with the very essence of the heavens.
Varek stepped forward, his golden eyes ablaze with fury and determination. He turned to the assembled warriors, his voice carrying across the field like thunder.
"We're going to kill that damn First Dawn bastard—" He raised his sword high. "—AND TAKE OUR LAND BACK!"
A deafening roar erupted from the warriors behind him.
Twenty men and women, hardened by war, surged forward as they charged into the night.
Celestia lingered at the rear, staring after them.
'I can't believe I'm doing this…'
The battlefield stretched far beyond the horizon, an ocean of tall grass swaying under the endless night sky. The stars above gleamed with an ethereal glow, their light cascading down like falling embers, settling within the grass and weaving the land into a dream realm. Each step disturbed the cosmic specks, sending tiny galaxies spiraling through the air.
And in the center of it all, the air trembled.
The First Dawn had arrived.
A beast unlike any other, towering over them like a living nightmare. It stood on four massive legs, the body of a great tiger, fur black as the void, pulsed with veins of molten gold. Its elongated, serpentine tail coiled and uncoiled like a whip, crackling with crimson lightning. Wings, massive and ancient, spread wide behind it, each feather lined with a translucent sheen that refracted light like stained glass.
But its eyes—its eyes were what struck terror into the souls of those who gazed upon it.
Twin stars burned within its sockets, swirling like galaxies caught in an eternal storm. And in its maw, gripped between gleaming fangs, was its weapon—the Katana of Dawn, forged from the fang of its own ancestor. The blade shimmered with an eerie radiance, an artifact of destruction that had cut down gods themselves.
The wind howled as the First Dawn stepped forward, each movement impossibly fluid, graceful—yet carrying the weight of absolute devastation.
"CHARGE!"
Varek's voice tore through the night, and the battle erupted.
The first wave of warriors surged forward, blades drawn, magic igniting the air. A clash of steel and power filled the field as the First Dawn met them in a blur of movement.
In a single, effortless motion, it vanished—then reappeared in the heart of their ranks.
A flicker of light. A flash of steel.
Three bodies fell before anyone could react.
Liam roared, leaping high, his greatsword descending with a force meant to split the skies. The First Dawn's tail snapped upward, meeting his blade mid-swing. The impact sent a shockwave across the field, scattering the cosmic embers in a dazzling explosion of stardust.
The moment the light faded, a sickening crack split the air—Liam's body hurtled backward, blood spraying across the starlit grass as massive claws tore through his chest. His scream barely left his lips before he crashed into the earth, rolling lifelessly across the field.
"Liam!" Varek bellowed, his voice raw with fury and desperation. But there was no time to check if he was still breathing—because the First Dawn moved again.
Celestia-Astra's heart pounded in her ears as she watched the massive beast advance, its eyes gleaming with primordial wrath. It was fast—too fast for something that large, a blur of scaled muscle and pure power.
Celestia gritted her teeth.
[Curse of Relentless Pain] Activated.
A ripple of black energy coiled from her fingertips, latching onto the First Dawn's massive frame. Instantly, the beast's body convulsed.
A low, guttural snarl left its maw as an invisible agony clawed through its being—muscles seizing, movements faltering. The beast staggered, its massive claws sinking into the earth as a furious, pained growl rumbled deep within its chest.
[Divine Barrier] Activated.
A translucent golden shield flared into existence around her, casting a celestial glow upon the battlefield. The moment it took form, a powerful gust of wind erupted from the First Dawn, its agony twisting into rage.
Celestia tightened her grip on her blade, calling forth another surge of power.
[Spirit-Lightning Infuse x5] Activated.
White lightning coiled around her sword, flickering like living veins of power. The crackling storm of energy illuminated the field, searing streaks of light into the sky as she dashed forward.
The First Dawn swung its massive, tooth-forged katana meant to end her in one blow.
Their weapons clashed, the sheer force of impact sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. The ground beneath them cracked and caved, sending chunks of earth into the air as arcs of white lightning tore through the sky.
Celestia-Astra gritted her teeth as the beast pressed down, its monstrous strength threatening to overwhelm her. But she refused to falter. The pain she inflicted upon it was turning its own power against itself—every movement slow, every attack tinged with a hesitation it had never known before.
"You're not invincible," she snarled, pushing forward. "You bleed. If you bleed, you can die."
The First Dawn let out a furious roar, its entire form trembling with primal fury. Then, in an instant, it adapted.
The beast twisted its massive frame, wrenching its sword away with a movement so fluid it was almost unnatural. In the same breath, its massive tail lashed out.
Crack!
The impact sent her skidding backward, boots carving deep trenches into the earth. She hissed as the force reverberated through her bones, but before she could recover, the First Dawn was already lunging.
A blur of scales and flashing steel filled her vision. She barely had a moment to breathe before she was forced to parry, deflecting a strike that could have bisected a mountain. Sparks erupted from their weapons as their battle raged across the field, each exchange faster, more ferocious than the last.
Celestia's crimson hair billowed as she leaped back, her feet barely skimming the ground. Then, [Curse of False Hope] activated.
From the depths of the earth, tendrils of pure darkness erupted—black serpents, writhing like shadows given form, slithering toward the First Dawn. They coiled around its limbs and burrowed into its flesh, vanishing upon contact. The beast froze for a fraction of a second, golden eyes flickering with disorientation. Its world twisted.
Its massive, scaled arm shot forward, claws gleaming like polished obsidian, raking across Celestia's body. She barely managed to twist mid-air, but the force of the strike sent her crashing into the ground with an earth-shaking impact.
Before she could recover, a shadow loomed over her.
The First Dawn's katana descended.
Steel met flesh. The weight behind the strike was crushing, pinning her against the broken earth. Blood trickled from her lips as pain bloomed across her torso.
Suddenly from behind the beast, Her blade flared to life, bathed in a dazzling white glow, the very air around it vibrating with raw force. Wind surged violently, twisting around her weapon like an untamed storm. [Tempest Blade x7] activated.
With a single, precise slash—
She carved through the First Dawn's massive frame.
The impact sent the beast hurtling through the air, its body carving a path through the celestial field. Starlit grass was uprooted, scattered into the sky like glowing embers.
Celestia wasted no time.
[Flames of Yugoth] activated.
A trail of fire followed the First Dawn's tumbling form, igniting the sky. The once serene clouds, and bright blue skies erupted into a wall of crimson flames, stretching into infinity like a divine judgment cast upon the battlefield. The grass below turned into rivers of fire, the heat distorting the air itself as tongues of destruction curled toward the beast.
The moment the First Dawn hit the ground, the flames engulfed it.
Its agonized roar tore through the world, a sound so deep it rattled the bones of those still standing.
Celestia-Astra raised her hand, fingers tightening around the hilt of her blade.
[Blade of Summoning x7] activated.
From the sky, dozens of ethereal swords materialized, hovering like divine executioners awaiting her command. The silver glow of the celestial weapons contrasted against the hellish inferno below.