CHAPTER 303: CHAPTER 303 - THE SKY BURNS FIRST

Bai Yun, the opposing lord, could fly without using those flying blades. That made him a difficult opponent if Atlas had to face him alone, especially since Atlas did not have any special ability to fly. There were, of course, a few ways Atlas could try to fight an aerial opponent like this, but none of them were as simple as fighting an opponent on the ground.

The long black-haired man crossed his arms and lifted his chin. "I am rather impressed you had the nerve to answer this challenge, Atlas," he said.

Atlas shrugged and replied, "I am also impressed you kept pressing this challenge even after I had won two all-out confrontations and one defense. Do you honestly think those wins were only because of support from higher ranks?"

The man smirked at Atlas’s words. "I will admit you have good potential. You climbed the ranks fast, and your victories were striking. But I think that streak has closed your eyes to caution. You are up against an alliance far stronger than you. I suppose you have already lost the chance to step back. You could ignore my challenge and leave with only the shame of your people. But I suspect you would rather choose destruction than shame."

"You have no right to lecture me about shame, Bai Yun, when you yourself admit you have support from your higher ranks. Can you not fight on your own?"

The man’s smile tightened. "Did you expect to meet a lord who was naive enough to rush forward without thinking? Power, backing, alliances, do you think they exist for no reason? They are there to crush the naive like you. Those who think that winning once against weak opponents makes them untouchable fall right into the trap. You have walked into that trap. You will never repay them, because this will be your last breath, ATLAS. You will be destroyed. Mark my words: you will be obliterated, and you will not even have the chance to surrender."

"Your threats really scare me," Atlas answered in a flat tone.

"I will destroy you completely!" Bai Yun continued. "I will leave none of your people alive. I will wipe everything out. Just let me take your islands. I will make this battle a punishment for the wrong choices of everyone who stood under your banner. You are clearly too early for these lord battles. War is not won by brute force alone, you need brains."

Atlas gave a small, dry laugh. "How ironic to hear that from someone who admits he has reinforcements from his higher ranks. You try to scare me and all you make me want to do is laugh until I cry."

The man narrowed his gaze. "Well, at least you’re good at believing in yourself. I’ll give you that."

The official battle was still ten minutes away, but it was clear they had gone to extra lengths to provoke this fight. Their aerial troops hovering above Gacha Haven showed how confident they were in destroying the floating island before them.

Bai Yun then flew back toward his island, and Atlas’s side finished their final preparations. They were ready to face the real battle in a few minutes.

But when the countdown reached thirty seconds something unusual happened. Or maybe it was not unusual at all. Edrik had warned them about this possibility.

About thirty of the flying blade riders gathered in one spot. They moved into a ring formation in the air and a magic pattern quickly formed between them. The formation flared with bright light as mana concentrated at its center.

"They are charging their attack to release it when the barrier opens," Edrik said.

"How cunning," Atlas said. "They do not even hide this shameful trick."

The magic formation burned brighter as mana pooled, growing more intense with every second of the countdown.

It was clear the attack was aimed straight at Atlas, who sat on his floating island.

Fifteen seconds left, and Atlas stayed where he was.

"They are using all their mana and stamina," Edrik said.

"No wonder. It is a group of thirty. The attack will be devastating," Atlas replied.

Edrik nodded slowly. "We have a few options to respond."

"Use the safest one first. Save the bigger ones to counter what comes after," Atlas answered.

As the countdown ticked down, the formation shone ever brighter and a massive sphere of magic took shape, spinning violently at its center.

Then, just as the countdown reached zero and the protective barrier opened, the great sphere readied to launch toward its target.

But before the sphere could fire from its source, something streaked in from behind Atlas. A red energy like a cannon shot flew toward the enemy with terrible speed. Time seemed to slow, then a huge blast hit.

The explosion tore at the air itself. The sound was deafening and the shockwave rolled across the island. The blast obliterated the thirty who had been charging the spell.

Serenith could always be relied on for moments like this. Her strike had become the opening drumbeat of the battle. The fight had begun in earnest now. Enemy flying troops hurried to fill the sky.

They should have used all three hundred for that same attack. Why only thirty? Had they underestimated Atlas?

Magic portals then formed from several directions, circling the entire outer edge of Gacha Haven. Besides the enemy’s ability to strike from the sky, they were now ready to send ground troops as well.

That was a good sign, because Atlas’s ground forces could join the fight. It would have been far more difficult if every enemy had stayed in the air.

Edrik, Kurogasa, and Krythalis still stood behind Atlas, waiting for the enemy to make the first move. They were meant to handle anything that appeared in the sky.

The enemy forces remained spread along the outer ring and had not fully entered Gacha Haven.

Edrik gave a small, knowing smile. "They are very cunning," he said. "They deliberately distracted us with those airborne troops."

Krythalis bowed slightly. "Should I face them as well?" he asked.

Edrik had meant that, even if the enemy was not visible, a team of assassins was flying straight toward Atlas in invisible mode, ready to strike him down.

At that moment, someone stepped forward beside Atlas and bowed. It was Kurogasa, the ninja rat. "Let me face these, my lord," he said.

Atlas nodded slowly. "Yes, I think assassins should be met by an assassin," he replied. "Let Krythalis handle the others over there."

Kurogasa straightened and stepped forward to the front of the floating throne. In his right hand, a chained blade appeared, its edge glimmering faintly as dark energy began to wrap around his entire body.

It seemed this was the first time Kurogasa had truly looked serious in the middle of a battle.

After all, today Atlas fully intended to let all of his elite subordinates show their true abilities without restraint.

Moments later, several figures appeared from every direction surrounding Atlas and the floating throne. Enemies clad in black robes and light armor, wielding swords and various weapons. There were dozens of them, attacking from above, below, left, right, front, and back.

However, at that same moment, something astonishing happened.

Kurogasa, or rather, multiple Kurogasas... burst forth from his position, each one darting toward the attackers in perfect synchronization, matching their number exactly.