Chapter 216: Chapter 216 - Spears from the Sky
Atlas gripped his spear tightly, muscles tensing, eyes locked on the treeline just ahead.
The first wave of monsters tore through the forest like a living avalanche. Massive, snarling beasts, their bodies colliding and clawing over one another in their frenzied charge. Some leapt, others crashed forward with brute force, smashing through trees and even trampling their own kind in the chaos.
Right in the middle of it all, Kurogasa moved like a whisper in the storm. His form weaving between monsters so effortlessly it was surreal. Anyone else would’ve been crushed or torn to pieces in seconds, but for him? It was as if the chaos bent around him.
Above, Serenith danced through the branches and sky, dodging long, spiked vines that whipped up from below, each one narrowly missing her as she drew the monsters closer to the trap.
Atlas took a breath, and then began activating more items from his inventory:
[Elemental Damage Booster – Increases elemental damage output by 20%]
[Mana Flow Crystal – Boosts mana regeneration by 30% for 3 minutes]
He scanned the rest of his inventory and quickly selected additional support items:
[Kinetic Core Amplifier – Boosts movement speed and impact force by 15% for 2 minutes]
[Stormcaller’s Tincture – Enhances lightning elemental affinity for the next three abilities]
[Resilience Ward – Absorbs the next instance of fatal damage once, lasting 5 minutes]
He couldn’t afford to hold back.
This was a make-or-break moment. He had to end this in one strike, or risk facing a disorganized, deadly brawl against nineteen monsters. More than he’d expected.
"My Lord, there are nineteen of them," Lyrassa whispered, her voice steady but lower than usual.
Atlas said nothing, only nodded slightly.
He watched, waiting for the perfect moment. Just as the cluster of monsters funneled into the blast zone. They weren’t packed tightly, but they were close enough. Some noticed the group’s presence and veered toward them, roaring in unison as they charged.
Now.
No more waiting.
Atlas surged forward.
His body blurred as he activated his speed buff, lightning crackling around his legs. This wasn’t just about damage.
He sprinted toward the incoming horde, every skill, every buff, every ounce of mana he had—primed and ready to be unleashed in a single, devastating assault.
[Epic - Bloodlink Command (Active) Lv. 4 activated.]
[Epic - Bloodrush (Active) Lv. 7 activated.]
[Epic - Spiral Tide (Active Skill) Lv. 3 activated.]
Atlas surged forward, his body glowing with raw energy as his spear pulsed to life. Water and lightning spiraled outward in a violent vortex, the Spiral Tide tearing across the battlefield. The swirling torrent whipped around him, pulling several of the monsters into its center with a roar of rushing current and cracking thunder.
But it wasn’t enough. The field was too wide. The monsters were too scattered.
Not all of them were caught.
[Ocean’s Wrath (Active) activated.]
He swung his spear forward, and a massive wave exploded from the ground in front of him. It surged outward like a living wall of sea, crashing into the advancing monsters, sweeping them back with brutal force.
[Sea of Storms (Active) activated.]
In an instant, the skies above responded.
Dozens of water spears materialized in midair, glinting with violent blue light. With a snap of energy, they plunged down like divine javelins, pelting the monster horde. The force of the storm fractured their momentum—sending some tumbling, others screaming in rage.
But still, they advanced.
All eyes locked on Atlas.
He was the source of the pain. The one standing between them and victory.
And that meant he had their full attention.
The attacks had landed true, drawing blood and fury, but the monsters’ thick hides and high levels dulled the impact. Even with all that power, he couldn’t take them down in one go.
Not yet.
But he had drawn them in.
Atlas’s eyes flicked across the field, they were in position.
He spun on his heel and darted back, his feet pounding against the ground as he raced away.
Then.
B-BBOOOM!!!
The first explosion ripped through the field with deafening force.
A shockwave slammed into Atlas from behind, hurling him forward as a wall of fire and smoke tore upward.
Then another.
BOOOM!!!
And another.
BOOOM!! BOOM!!
One by one, the charges erupted in a chain reaction. Fire swallowed the battlefield. Each detonation lifting chunks of earth, flame spiraling high into the air, consuming monster after monster in molten shockwaves.
Atlas gritted his teeth, still moving.
He spun midair.
[Ocean’s Wrath (Active) activated.]
A second wave launched from his spear, this one merging with the explosion’s aftermath, water crashing into burning soil and stunned monsters with bone-breaking force.
[Sea of Storms (Active) activated.]
Again, water spears rained down from above, each impact now perfectly synced with the blast timing, piercing through the chaos, striking wounded beasts as they tried to recover.
But the force of it all began to push Atlas back.
He skidded along the ground, the pressure hammering at his back as the next charges ignited—
[Epic - Lightning Step (Active Skill) Lv. 4 activated!]
Crackling lightning enveloped his body. Weightless. And then, he vanished in a flash of electric light, just as another wave of detonations blew the battlefield apart behind him.
From afar, Lyrassa stood focused, hands raised, casting a soft green aura of support magic. Her spell synchronized perfectly with Atlas’s movement, boosting his speed and stamina as he darted through the storm of destruction.
It was chaos. Controlled, precise chaos. And Atlas was at the heart of it all, carving a path through the inferno.
[You have killed The Blooming Maw Lv. 125]
[You received 290,406 Exp]
[You have level up]
[Level 65]
[Exp: 222,383/316,261]
And damn. The experience points he just earned were massive.
A surge of radiant energy blasted through Atlas’s body the moment the level-up triggered, racing through his limbs like a current of raw power. His vision flared with a pulse of blue light, and in the next instant, he felt it:
His stamina and mana, fully restored.
Every muscle in his body felt renewed, recharged. The fatigue from earlier, the drain of casting so many skills, gone.
Atlas spun mid-air, cloak billowing behind him, as he watched the aftermath of the destruction unfold. Smoke still curled upward from the scorched earth, the remnants of the chained explosions glowing like embers in the fading light.
The monsters, those who had survived, were a mess.
Their bodies were torn, scorched, limbs mangled from fire and force. Some of them still moved, growling and struggling to rise, but they were no longer a threat. Not in their current state.
Yet Atlas didn’t wait.
He wasn’t done.
[Epic - Spiral Tide (Active Skill) Lv. 3 activated.]
His spear flared once more, and a spiraling vortex of water and lightning erupted outward, sweeping across the field like a tempest reborn. The currents pulled the staggering monsters back into a central point.
[Ocean’s Wrath (Active) activated.]
A roaring surge of water slammed through the battlefield again, rising high and crashing down in a rolling tide, dragging the beasts further into its force.
[Sea of Storms (Active) activated.]
Once again, the skies responded.
Dozens of water spears rained down with merciless precision, crashing into the gathered monsters one after another. Each strike drove them deeper into the ground, ripping apart what little resistance remained.
Wave after wave. Spear after spear.
Atlas stood at the edge of the devastation, spear still glowing, eyes locked on the battlefield he had just reshaped.
[You have killed The Blooming Maw Lv. 123]
[You received 262,158 Exp]
[You have level up]
[Level 66]
[Exp: 168,280/322,587]
Atlas leveled up again.
Another wave of searing energy surged through his battered body, but this time, it hurt. His limbs trembled from the toll of constant spellcasting, the burn of overexertion now creeping into his bones. He had pushed himself to the brink.
Still, he kept going.
Waves of water continued crashing down, spears of liquid lightning rained from the heavens, tearing through the battlefield like divine judgment.
[You have killed The Blooming Maw Lv. 123]
[You have killed The Blooming Maw Lv. 123]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have killed ...]
[You have killed ...]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have killed ...]
[You have ...]
Just how many levels had he gained?
He barely had time to process it. His vision blurred. Everything was spinning. His legs heavy, his chest tight, like the mana was burning through him from the inside out.
And then he saw it.
One of the monsters. Half-burned, one eye missing, yet still alive, charging straight at him.
Atlas gritted his teeth, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He tried to summon another skill. To cast anything.
But his mana pool was flickering. Empty. Overdrawn.
The monster was already upon him.
And then. SNAP.
The beast lunged, maw wide open, rows of jagged teeth closing fast around him.