Chapter 243: Chapter 243 - Dancing with Thunder
Atlas was hurled once again, his body spinning through the air at high speed. But still, not as fast as when he used Lightning Step. He fought to steady himself, remembering how he’d once seen Kurogasa control his fall from great heights.
He twisted mid-air, flipping rapidly, using his spear as a pivot. And when he crashed into one of the rocky peaks, both feet slammed down hard. He crouched low, using the position to balance his body against the impact.
He held his ground. His legs felt like they were nearly shattered. But it was better than before.
He spun his spear again.
And he went back in.
He repeated the process. Again and again. Through the daylight hours, through every bone-jarring slam. When his legs nearly gave out, he paused, took a break, and received healing from Lyrassa. Then, the next day, he returned to the storm.
They spent their nights resting in a makeshift tent nestled between the jagged peaks, getting just enough sleep to recover. But as soon as his strength returned, Atlas would rise and resume the same brutal training.
And before they knew it... five days had passed.
Atlas stood still at the edge of the cliff, just before starting another day of grueling training. Then, the Awakening Device buzzed in his hand. An incoming call from Edrik.
"My Lord," Edrik reported, "we can hold off on accepting any challenges for the next two weeks. That should give you enough time to complete your quest. Or, if necessary, we can engage in a single battle and then hold back again until you’ve reached level 100..." He continued, laying out the strategy in detail.
Once the planning was settled, Atlas ended the call with a sharp tap. "We can work with this plan."
[A New Battle Season Has Begun!]
[You have received two Attack Tokens.]
[...]
Ah, so the new Lord Battle Season had finally begun. At least for now, their opponents were still Rank-1 Lords. Though not to be underestimated, Lords in Division 5 were likely nearing level 100. They were on the verge of becoming Rank-2, and their troops were just as close.
Well, there were plenty of former Lords on his island. Atlas could rest easy knowing the Lord Battle Season could continue in Gacha Haven without his presence. What he was doing now was just as important.
**
He resumed his training as usual. He could now use Lightning Step with far greater precision. Enough to leap across three peaks in a single burst.
He was able to let the tornado pull him in and still position himself correctly. It felt... almost like riding a roller coaster. Except here, there were no safety restraints.
Each time the storm slammed into him, he would use every elemental combination at his disposal to control his fall, crashing into the rocky peaks in just the right way to reduce the impact.
More than once, it felt like his legs were broken. He would get healed, his limbs stiff and aching. Yet with every blow, he grew stronger.
He even received stat boosts. All of his basic stats had increased just from this relentless training.
At this point, it no longer felt like he was being thrashed by the tornado. It felt like he was dancing with it.
Until the tenth day arrived.
Atlas stood alongside Kurogasa and the others. It was time to raise the intensity of his training. Now, he would have to face the lightning storm that raged at the very heart of this region.
He swallowed hard, steeling himself for what was to come.
He could run. He could dodge the lightning strikes if he wanted to. But deep down, Atlas knew. The quest demanded he take the hit.
The quest was practically asking him to throw himself into death.
But Kurogasa had told him he wouldn’t actually die. Atlas tried to trust in that. They would pull him back if it got too dangerous. Serenith was there. Lyrassa too. They would cover him. He would survive.
Atlas let out a small, crooked smile and turned to the others. "I’ll go," he said, grinning with quiet determination.
Kurogasa gave him a slight bow in return. Lyrassa stayed silent, her face drawn with worry. And Serenith, ever bright, saluted him cheerfully.
"I’ll always be ready to catch you, my Lord!"
Atlas turned sharply and launched forward once again.
He activated Lightning Step, leaping with explosive speed. He could feel it now. His body merging with the lightning, the wind, the storm itself. He ran faster, with more force, more power in every step.
Hell, he wanted to scream from the thrill of it. All the pain, all the brutal training. Now amplified by Lyrassa’s rapid recovery spells, was pushing him to his limit.
And he loved it.
He let out a fierce roar, shouting from the depths of his throat as he bounded across the jagged peaks.
Then, in a single moment, Atlas hurled himself directly into the heart of the tornado, letting its violent pull spin him wildly.
At the perfect instant, he broke free. Twisting through the air, only to crash into another peak on the far side. And somehow... he enjoyed it.
He kept running. Leaping. Sprinting again. Strike after strike, through the endless roar of thunder and the crashing winds, the sound beating against his ears like a drum with no rhythm, no end.
He charged straight into the heart of the lightning storm, where bolts rained down in a relentless downpour.
Heavy rain filled the air. His golden lightning burst outward, crackling into the sky, into the rain. Splitting droplets with sparks as his body surged forward, wrapped in raw elemental energy.
Then. Bam!. He slammed into yet another peak.
Atlas paused for a moment, standing still as lightning crackled and roared around him. Flashing above, to his right, to his left. Each strike slammed into the peaks nearby, shattering stone, splitting the sky.
He steadied himself.
This was going to hurt. He knew that. This wasn’t going to be easy. He knew that too.
But still. This was better than taking a blade through the heart in the middle of a battlefield. At least with this, he had a way back. Death in war didn’t offer that luxury.
This was different.
He planted his feet, body tensed as lightning continued to scream through the sky. All he could see now was rain. Endless sheets of rain. And flashes of white-hot lightning cutting across the heavens.
Thunder boomed, the sound crashing over him without mercy.
He had to face the lightning.
Then—BOOM! A massive bolt struck the peak right beside him!
The impact was deafening. The shockwave hit him like a giant’s fist, slamming into his chest and sending his body flying to the side. But he managed to find footing mid-fall, activating Lightning Step just in time to launch himself toward another peak.
The lightning didn’t stop. It chased him. Each flash faster than the last, strikes raining down in rapid bursts, even when he was mid-air, leaping from one jagged rock to another.
Until. A moment of raw, blinding light.
A bolt struck him, directly!
The lightning tore through the sky, crashing into his body with brutal precision. In an instant, his entire form lit up. Pure electricity surged through his limbs, racing down his spine, cracking out from his fingers and toes.
The bolt didn’t just hit him. It used him, coursing through him, grounding itself through his body into the earth below.
His muscles seized. His vision turned white. Every nerve ignited at once.
It felt like his heart stopped.
The pain was so sudden, so total, that his brain could barely register it.
His eyes shut tight as his body gave out.
Kurogasa said I wouldn’t die. Right?
Just before the darkness could take him, just before his body hit the unforgiving stone below, he saw it. A soft green light drifted toward him.
A surge of warmth and life wrapped around him as he fell. In the middle of that free-fall, Atlas managed to crack his eyes open just a little. But all he could see was pure green energy flooding his vision.
And there, right in front of him, was Lyrassa’s face, calm and close. Her eyes gently shut in focus as she poured her power into him. Their bodies were enveloped together in a cocoon of healing energy.
Just like before.
Yes... I’m going to survive.