Inertia: Beneath The Starlit Veil Chapter 76: Chapter 76

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Chapter 76 Ezra Pov Our blades clashed, creating a shockwave that rippled through the ruins of the First Civil War. Even though my blade had the elemental advantage, I could still feel that my opponent possessed the upper hand in terms of raw cosmic energy. Yggvalk—this colossal guardian—drew its strength from the environment and was further amplified by its connection to the Eldertree of the Syltharion Clan. The more my flames burned against the colossal sword Yggvalk created, the more the bark regenerated—restored by the forest itself—as the guardian pressed its weight and indomitable will down upon me. Straining beneath the enormous weapon, I understood why this creature had long been considered immortal. It had what was essentially an endless supply of cosmic energy. No matter how much damage I dealt, it simply healed—never faltering, never yielding to attrition. Releasing one hand from my blade caused me to sink deeper into the crater beneath my feet, now bearing the full force of the strike with only one arm. With my free hand, I formed a ball of solar energy in my palm. The sphere pulsed with heat of a miniature sun. But unlike when I fought the man with the Iron Warden Constellation, I knew this wouldn't be enough. So I poured more of my reserves into it. The miniature sun grew exponentially, blazing with intensity. It was in moments like these I was thankful we were in the Astral Realm. The physical realm wouldn't have survived the full extent of my power. Now matching the size of the guardian's gargantuan sword—crafted from trees as tall as building, I let out a guttural roar and hurled the sun at Yggvalk. Vines whipped forward in an attempt to intercept the attack, but they disintegrated into ash before even touching the sphere. Yggvalk withdrew its sword and reshaped it into a towering wall, hoping to shield itself. But the guardian wasn't foolish, it began layering itself in barrier after barrier, pulling from the surrounding environment to reinforce its defenses. Still, I knew it wouldn't be enough. My sun was potent enough to vaporize half a planet if left unchecked. "Out-heal that, you big pile of sticks," I muttered as the radiant orb consumed everything in its path, chipping away at the guardian's defenses. To my surprise, Yggvalk held up better than expected. My attack burned through every barrier, but it bought the creature just enough time to reinforce its body with layer after layer of bark infused with cosmic energy. It was only thanks to its rapid healing that it survived. Just as one layer was burned away, another replaced it instantly. This creature was truly a frustrating adversary. After observing its regeneration rate, I knew what I had to do: match its endurance with my own limitless energy. The only way to do that was to activate my Celestial Domain—but only once I was sure Arya had made it to the seal. Even at the Empyrean Stage, she wouldn't survive the activation if she remained within the radius. Now that the solar orb had burned itself out, Yggvalk had a brief window to recover—and used it well. Before I could react, it appeared in front of me with blinding speed and launched a devastating kick that sent me flying into the air. Fortunately, the heat generated by my attack had replenished a significant portion of my cosmic energy, thanks to Dawnbringer's passive ability. I was able to erect a barrier of cosmic energy just in time to blunt the worst of the blow. As I tumbled upward in the air, I regained my bearings, forcing solar energy through my feet to stabilize my trajectory. Now in control again and safely out of range, I scanned the area in desperation, hoping Arya had given the signal. But she hadn't. And worse—Yggvalk began moving in her direction. Without hesitation, I sheathed Dawnbringer back into my Astral Forge, then pushed solar energy into my limbs and rocketed down like a meteor. In an instant, I crashed down onto Yggvalk's back, delivering a cosmic-energy-infused punch that s