Heaven, Earth, Me

When Yasenia started playing the instrument, no one expected her to enhance them. After all, until now, Yasenia's skills have all been about strengthening herself. And yet, the moment [Lyra's Harmony] was completed, a powerful wave of energy expanded outward and enveloped them together with the beautiful melody that created it.

The melody was not only an enhancement, but it also created a phantom image of Yasenia on her back. This image was a gorgeous starry blue with stars glowing all over the transparent figure. This phantasm illustrated the top half of Yasenia's body, following her movements with pipa.

When Yasenia's skill reached them, the beast on the other side reacted and lunged at them with ferocity once more. As it approached, Selena and another three maids stepped forward with their shields, standing in front of the beast and prepared themselves to be sent flying once more.

Yasenia looked at them and played a low and steady melody. 

BOOM!

The beast collided with them, and to everyone's surprise, the three maids weren't violently sent backward. Instead, they slid backward. This stunned everyone, the beast included. 

Cecile saw the beast pause for a second in confusion, and she naturally wouldn't lose her next chance of attack. "[Moon Shredding Shot]!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

FWOSH!

The crystal arrow created a massive whirlwind of frost as it zoomed forward and landed on the core once more. 

CRACK!

"GRAAAH!"

The Moon Phoenix's eyes widened when the beast's core was damaged, and several cracks appeared with the strike. 'What did Yasenia do? This buff is too strong!'

On the other side, when everyone attacked the beast, they also realized that their attacks were hurting it very lightly. Everyone began doing some damage to it. Evelyn appeared by the beast's side and made five instantaneous strikes.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The rapid spear strikes pierced the skin of the beast, leaving a few charred holes. While not large, the damage she was doing was incomparable to before. "What is happening? Why is Yasenia's skill so powerful?"

Tatyana muttered. "[Celestial Energy] is extremely violent and powerful. It is notorious not only for its ability to manifest incredible attacks but also for the enemy's inability to defend against it. The unstable and violent nature of the energy makes regenerating wounds caused by it much more difficult."

Valeria agreed and smiled. "With this, we can actually kill it. Yasenia, don't stop humming and playing the pipa! Your music is truly… Celestial!"

Yasenia smiled faintly and continued moving, her steps ethereal as she followed the shape of the Lyra Constellation. She would jump, spin, laugh, and give looks to the beast as her fingers constantly played the pipa she held. 

Quick notes, one after another, created a soft and gentle melody while everyone moved in tune with it. When they were being attacked, Yasenia would lower the pace and tone, increasing everyone's ability to defend. Then, when it was time to attack, the music's rhythm would increase, making their attacks swift and penetrating.

Tatyana shouted. "Continue the barrage! It is getting weaker!" Then, she added. "However, don't lower your guards. It might still have something before it dies- Hm?"

Everyone looked sideways, and they saw the Spirit Beast that had guided them here. Its shape on Cecile's dimension continued being the eight-legged horse. However, on Yasenia's side, it showed up as the same eight-legged spider-like beast with a bear-like head and ten eyes.

Tatyana squinted. "Are you going to attack us?"

The Spirit Beast shook its head. "I am not. You've all passed the trial, so I am here to recover what I lost in the past."

Then, the white Spirit Beast rushed forward toward the dark beast.

BANG!

Its tackle sent the heavily injured dark beast tumbling. Cecile was confused when she saw that. "Won't the trial fail if you help?"

The Spirit Beast continued pummeling the dark beast with its limbs as it answered calmly. "Worry not. I can only interfere if things have already been overcome. You've injured it enough that it would have died from its injuries regardless of the outcome of the final battle."

Cecile focused on the dark beast's core and saw that it was about to shatter. The energy spilling from it constantly made it clear that they were a few hits away from actually finishing it off.

Yasenia stopped playing the pipa but didn't store it, looking at the brutal pummeling from the white-colored beast to the black one. "So… It was incomplete." The dragoness said, her mellow voice carrying a touch of interest. 

Smiling, Tatyana commented. "So, we were wrong thinking that the Spirit Beast just took its resemblance. They were actually related."

"To be fair… It was quite obvious. Why did we think otherwise?" Evelyn asked, confused. 

Tatyana shook her head. "Appearance is the last thing that you can trust in the cultivation world. It was not obvious at all since one of them is an actual physical beast and the other is a Spirit Beast."

Thinking of the implications, the dragoness asked, her fingers gently tracing the strings of the pipa. "Do you think that one is the soul and another the body? Sixth Realm beings can survive even if their bodies are destroyed, right?"

Andrea looked at her and couldn't help but pause for a second to admire her. Holding the instrument gave their dragoness a touch of elegant beauty that perfectly blended with her other qualities, making her look like a muse. Clearing her throat to snap out of her lovestruck state, Andrea spoke. "Are you suggesting that the body we are seeing is the remnants of the white beast's body that gained a mind of its own because of something? And, since the soul of the Spirit Beast was not strong enough to get it back, it needed someone to weaken it first?"

Angel, who was resting on Andrea's back, asked with a mutter. "[Descent Of Luna Nova]. That's what this dark beast was supposedly protecting, right? Now that it is defeated… what will happen?" 

Yasenia crossed her arms. "Honestly, if Cecile didn't want to make this Spirit Beast her companion, I wouldn't have allowed it to approach it."

"How so?" Evelyn asked, looking at the white beast that was already starting to absorb the dark one. 

The dragoness pointed at them and smiled. "Well… We needed to defeat the beast for the trial, right? Why should I allow another thing to fuse with it, probably increasing its strength, when we want to kill it."

"Oh…" Evelyn's eyebrow twitched, and everyone looked on with trepidation. If there was a second phase to this battle that happened because of what Yasenia just said, they would probably curse the high heavens.

As the beasts fused, Cecile saw that the core in the middle of the beast was shrinking. Not only that but the overall energy and strength were falling at a noticeable pace. "Fluffy, are you okay?"

Fluffy glanced at Cecile as it fused with the other beast. "Oh? You don't doubt my intentions?"

Cecile blinked and asked flatly. "Why should I? You have accepted to become my contracted spirit, right? I should place my trust in you."

The beast smiled faintly. "The ritual that this… amalgamation was protecting is a ritual for the Moon Goddess's powers to descend and be recovered by her. When I assimilate this beast, made from my essence, the seal will break, and the [Descent Of Luna Nova] will start."

Cecile hummed. "And then what?"

"Then… You need to break the Moon Goddess's chains and set her free." 

Those words were strange for Cecile. "Isn't she just a Soul Strand? Why would she need… or even want to be freed? Soul Strands are created to guard and guide people in trials, no?"

It didn't deny those words. However, it added. "While that's the truth, Soul Strands can be wrongly created. The Moon Goddess trapped in this palace has actual wants and emotions because this is one of, if not the first, trials the Moon Goddess created."

Cecile couldn't help but feel a slight shock. 'One of the first?' Cecile pondered for a while and asked. "I understand… However, what about these weapons we took?" 

The Spirit Beast hummed. "Those treasures are your reward for completing the first and second trials. None of your people were greedy and took all of them, so you'll be allowed to take them with you... Well, that dragon woman was about to swipe the place clean if she wasn't stopped."

Imagining the greedy face of her dragoness, Cecile laughed faintly. "Yasenia would certainly do something like that if she had no one supervising her."

The Spirit Beast finished assimilating the dark beast, and its body faintly changed. Instead of pure white or pure black, it became a mix of both. A being with a dark body and a gorgeous white mane and hoofs. Five of its right eyes were a stunning emerald green, while the other five were a beautiful icy blue.

The overall aura became much less ethereal, now making those who looked feel as if the beast was right in front of them. Not only that, the shape on Yasenia's side changed to its eight-legged horse-like form. 

Yet, things didn't end here.

Once it gained this shape, the beast roared skyward with a touch of draconic voice. Everyone was stunned as a final change occurred.

The horse-like legs gained muscles and lost their hoofs, becoming gorgeous dragon claws, while a pair of antler horns sprouted on its head. The head gained reptilian traits, and even the tail became slightly thicker.

Cecile saw the beast and muttered. "You… You are a Qilin?"

A Qilin! A dragon descendent created from a perfected bloodline mixing. It was a creature of legends, on the same level as dragons and phoenixes. A being that, like anything carrying a bloodline of mythical creatures, had incredible potential to reach heights that most would never even dream of.

Once the changes finished, the white and black Qilin looked at Cecile, its ten eyes shining with a gentle light. "I am the [Moon Spirit Qilin]. I could be called a cousin of yours, Moon Phoenix."

Cecile blinked a few times. "Cousin?"

"Now that I have recovered my whole self, I have also recovered many of my lost memories. Your existence, the Moon Phoenix, is a direct descendant of the Moon Goddess. Similarly, I have been created from the pure energy of the Moon Goddess after several millions of years."

"Several million…" Cecile's lips twitched. "You are a bit old, eh?"

The Qilin laughed. "I've lived like a mindless beast for the grand majority of my life. My experience and knowledge are perhaps even more limited than yours."

Cecile rolled her eyes and asked, curious. "So… What do I do now to liberate the Moon Goddess's strand? Also, what will be the rewards for liberating her?"

The Qilin commented. "Come, the ritual should be starting soon. We need to return to the throne room." The Qilin smiled. "You'll also be reunited with your people as well."

Cecile's face lit up, showing happiness.