My Celestial Ascension Chapter 955: Valeria’s Dominance

"Are you injured anywhere?" Anna Grace’s gaze was immediately fixed on Lily, her hands gently probing Lily’s body as a worried expression creased her brow.

"I’m perfectly fine, don’t worry," Lily responded with a soft smile. "That pile of bones was far too weak to cause me any harm. You truly don’t need to be concerned—I’m completely alright."

Hearing this, Anna Grace felt a wave of relief wash over her, her hand instinctively flying to her chest as a quiet sigh escaped her lips.

"That’s good to hear… but you must tell me at once if you feel unwell later," she advised with a smile that held a hint of motherly concern. "After all, you expended quite a substantial amount of your energy to subdue that dragon," she added.

Her attention then shifted towards the Undead King, and the instant her eyes fell upon the grotesque figure, they turned ice-cold.

A foul, rotting stench permeated the air around him, and the oppressive, ominous aura emanating from his form cast a heavy, dreadful pall over the surroundings.

Anna Grace observed the Undead King with a touch of surprise; his bones appeared to have undergone a bizarre mutation, transforming into a stark, pitch-black hue.

Furthermore, his body was marred by grotesque deformities, with sharp spikes erupting from his skeletal structure, and his very skull was adorned with these menacing spikes.

What captivated her attention most prominently was the dark crown perched atop the Undead King’s head—an artifact that radiated an immensely ominous energy, both weighty and potent.

’So, this is the Undead King… the true architect behind this entire devastating war… He is utterly dissimilar to any of the other undead creatures here,’ Anna Grace mused, her eyes narrowing into sharp slits.

The majority of undead beings maintained the common appearance of skeletal figures. However, a select few had seemingly mutated or evolved into more advanced forms.

Yet, the Undead King… he was in a league of his own. Whether judging by his unnerving appearance or the overwhelming aura that enveloped him, he existed on an entirely different plane compared to the other undead, including even the formidable Undead Dragon.

’I must proceed with extreme caution when dealing with him… his might appears to rival that of an expert at the peak of the Grandmaster Realm… he poses a significant danger,’ Anna Grace calculated, her expression hardening with resolve.

The Undead King remained fixated on Anna Grace, utterly silent, the flames dancing within his eye sockets intensifying as the very atmosphere around him grew palpably hotter.

"You have irrevocably shattered years of my meticulous efforts and elaborate schemes… For this transgression, I shall exact a terrible price from all of you, ensuring your lives end in abject misery!"

Abruptly, the Undead King’s voice sliced through the battlefield, a cold, devoid-of-emotion proclamation that reverberated across the entire expanse.

A ferocious surge of aura exploded from his form, causing the surrounding air to convulse and the heavens to once again descend into darkness.

Dark, menacing clouds swiftly blotted out the moon’s gentle light, plunging the battlefield back into an oppressive gloom.

Every gaze snapped toward the Undead King; his imposing presence was simply unignorable, and the intensity of his aura continued its relentless escalation.

A great number of individuals felt their knees buckle and their bodies falter upon sensing the sheer power radiating from the Undead King, their vision swimming and their legs growing uncontrollably weak.

"You display considerable audacity for one who is about to meet the same ignominious end as that pathetic excuse for a lizard," Anna Grace’s voice, sharp and devoid of warmth, suddenly echoed from several meters above the disquieted battlefield, her eyes momentarily aflame.

"Oh? You presume to possess the capability to vanquish me?" The Undead King directed his gaze toward her, followed by a burst of chilling laughter. "I am an immortal entity… insurmountable by any means."

"Do not make the critical error of underestimating my prowess as you would a mere subordinate… My strength far surpasses that of my previous, inept servant. After all, that was but a single dragon—I command countless others of its ilk," the Undead King declared with blatant arrogance, raising both his arms skyward.

And precisely as these words left his lips, an unmistakable sensation rippled through the assembly as multiple terrifying presences began hurtling toward the battlefield with horrifying velocity.

Mere moments later, hundreds of spectral undead dragons materialized in the heavens, their colossal forms and overwhelming presence rendering the very air across the battlefield suffocatingly heavy.

"Now, prepare yourselves to witness the utter annihilation of all that you hold dear as my undead dragons descend… Hahahaha!!" The Undead King’s sinister laughter boomed, reverberating throughout the war-torn land.

An inescapable encirclement of hundreds of undead dragons now loomed over the battlefield, sealing off any conceivable path of retreat.

The allied forces—comprising royalty and the Emperor himself—were overcome with profound despair at this dire predicament. The notion of confronting a single dragon was already daunting; the prospect of facing hundreds was utterly unimaginable.

"T-There is utterly nothing we can do against such an overwhelming force…" King Evander stammered, his voice a low, trembling whisper, his legs betraying him with uncontrollable shakes of fear.

"It appears our underestimation of the Undead King persists once more… is this truly to be our final moment?" Queen Lilith’s voice quivered as she took an unsteady step backward, her words laced with utter weakness.

Her countenance grew grim, shadowed by the horrifying spectacle unfolding above; the undead dragons remained suspended in the sky, their monstrous forms wreathed in ethereal blue flames.

A profound sense of helplessness washed over her, causing her heart to falter for a moment.

It wasn’t just her; an oppressive feeling gripped everyone present, as if they had been mere puppets manipulated by the Undead King’s will since the very start of the conflict.

The unsettling roars of undead dragons reverberated through the atmosphere, making the very ground beneath them tremble while the ambient temperature surged dramatically.

Yet, astonishingly, the presence of numerous undead dragons did not elicit even a flicker of unease from Anna Grace and her companions.

In succession, Mireya, Valeria, Vrasha, Julie, Ava, Rose, Emma, and Sylvia congregated around Anna Grace. Meanwhile, Nerith and Isolde remained immersed in their meditation, seated steadfastly within the protective formation.

Once the assembled group was complete, Anna Grace turned her gaze towards Valeria, her voice devoid of emotion and chillingly resolute.

"Eliminate those abominations from the sky."

"With pleasure," Valeria responded instantly, a wide, wicked grin spreading across her face as she tightened her grip on her colossal sword.

"The rest of you, shield the allied forces from the dragons’ assaults. They are incapable of defending themselves against such potent monstrosities."

Then, shifting her attention to the Undead King, Anna Grace allowed a subtle smirk to grace her lips. "I will handle this unsightly creature personally… there’s no need for any of you to intervene."

"Understood," everyone affirmed, nodding in unison before promptly dispersing to shield the allied troops from the onslaught of the undead dragons.

Valeria covered the immense distance separating her from the airborne dragons in a flash, her nascent Sword Aura enveloping her blade.

Slash! With effortless grace, her sword cleaved through the dragons’ formidable bones, shattering their cores instantaneously. Empowered by her developing Sword Aura, she bisected the dragons cleanly with each strike.

One by one, she annihilated the undead dragons, obliterating their cores and dispatching them with swift finality.

The dragons unleashed retaliatory volleys of blue flames and lunged with razor-sharp claws. However, none of their attacks proved effective against Valeria’s overwhelming Sword Aura.

She sliced through their fiery projectiles and severed their claws with singular, decisive swings of her sword, while brilliant explosions illuminated the heavens with every dragon core that met its destruction.

The allied forces observed this unbelievable display, their eyes wide with profound astonishment.

Many struggled to comprehend the spectacle before them; some even rubbed their eyes repeatedly, their gazes fixed blankly on the sky.

Registering the ceaseless concussions originating from above, Isolde and Nerith slowly opened their eyes, curiosity piquing their interest as they looked skyward.

But the moment they took in the unfolding scene, they froze in utter shock, their faces contorted in disbelief.

"W-What in the blazes is transpiring here…?"

"Since when did so many Undead Dragons materialize?!"

Their eyes widened almost comically as they bore witness to the impossible events unfolding.

Yet, the most staggering revelation was not the sheer number of undead dragons, but Valeria herself.

She traversed the sky like a celestial projectile, darting from one point to another with terrifying velocity, each movement unleashing a cascade of explosive detonations that shook the entire combat zone.

"I-Impossible… How can one woman decimate my kin so effortlessly?!" The Undead King’s composure fractured as he watched his undead dragon hoard being systematically slaughtered.

Valeria embodied the image of a true War Goddess, gracefully maneuvering through the heavens, her sword a blur as she dispatched the undead dragons with an ease that suggested not even a bead of sweat was shed.

The Undead King instinctively recoiled, a surge of genuine fear for his own existence beginning to dawn upon him.

‘Why did they have to intervene and shatter my grand design? Why?!’ he raged internally, his thoughts a vortex of bewilderment and frustration.

"No… I cannot permit my plans to be so easily undone… I must eliminate that woman first…" The Undead King promptly conjured yet another undead dragon.

However, just as he prepared to mount the creature, a gentle voice echoed from behind him.

"Do you truly believe I’ll permit you to target my daughter-in-law?"

Before he could even register the sound or turn, a sword’s edge bisected the summoned undead dragon cleanly in two, propelling the Undead King backward as the dragon’s core detonated in a colossal explosion.

The Undead King was sent hurtling several meters across the battlefield, yet he swiftly regained his footing, completely unscathed.

‘What was that attack? I didn’t even sense it before it struck my subordinate!!’ he inwardly shrieked, utterly astounded by Anna Grace’s lethal sword thrust.

That precise blow could have easily obliterated his physical form had the Undead Dragon not intercepted—he had narrowly escaped annihilation.

Though he possessed immortality, one undeniable truth remained clear: the instant his core was destroyed, his very existence would cease to be.