Chapter 422 - Halo of a Thousand Lights
[Epic – Seraphic Radiance Wings.]
[Summons radiant wings, granting flight and increased movement speed.
Nearby enemies take 45% Light Element damage per second.
Grants 25% damage reduction and 40% dark-element resistance.
When fully deployed, allies gain minor regeneration, and enemies suffer 15% reduced combat efficiency.]
If the first skill gave Atlas a light-based spear that could truly replace his Legendary-grade weapon, then this second skill gave him something entirely new. Wings. Real wings.
He could actually fly using this ability. Though, admittedly, the duration drained much faster whenever he used it for sustained flight. That was fair enough. He had not mastered it yet, and his control was still far from perfect.
[Unique – Halo of a Thousand Lights activated.]
[Summons multiple Radiance Guardians across a wide area.
Each guardian deals 60% Light Element damage per second.
Dark and abyssal enemies take +50% Light Element damage and suffer disorientation.]
The third skill was the surprising one. A Unique-grade ability. Small points of light scattered across the entire area, drifting calmly through the battlefield. They did not explode or strike dramatically. They simply existed, constantly dealing light-based damage to everything they touched.
Atlas clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the spear. He was ready this time.
He shot forward in a burst of speed and slashed low. In an instant, two hands from whatever creature was emerging were severed cleanly and fell limply to the ground.
He moved again, fast, slashing over and over, striking wildly while never staying in one place. He made sure nothing could fully crawl its way out.
Honestly, it felt like playing one of those arcade games where things popped up and you hit them as fast as possible. The only difference was that these were real hands, and he was cutting them off without hesitation.
Then the hands stopped appearing.
Heads began to rise instead.
Atlas felt his stomach tighten. This was no longer funny. He kept slashing, splitting, cutting everything apart as fast as he could, the spear flashing with radiant light as it carved through flesh and bone without mercy.
Until he stopped.
Atlas stood still and stared.
The hands and heads he had already cut apart were pulling themselves back together. Reattaching. Reforming. Nearly every grave now had half a body emerging from it.
They looked like walking corpses. Thin, skeletal frames wrapped in tight skin, bones clearly outlined beneath, scraps of old clothing still clinging to them like they had been buried in a hurry.
"At least they are easy to cut," he said. Then he frowned. "But if they can keep putting themselves back together..."
That was going to require some actual thinking.
They moved quickly, and now all of them stood fully on the ground, both arms raised, their bodies swaying in an unbalanced posture.
They did not look strong.
Atlas clenched his teeth. He knew this was the second guardian. Naturally, it was supposed to be more challenging than the first.
Still, Atlas also knew that the reward waiting at the end of this challenge would be incredibly tempting. He had learned that lesson well from the first reward alone.
He steadied himself again.
Then... He felt a jolt of surprise.
The zombies suddenly moved, all at once, rushing straight toward him.
Fast. Way too fast. Damn it.
Atlas shot into the air at full speed, narrowly avoiding them. He flipped in midair and landed back on the ground, still gripping his spear tightly.
There were at least twenty of those zombies, and they immediately charged at him again.
There was no way they should be moving this fast.
Atlas spun his spear as the first zombie reached him. Too fast.
The creature threw a wild attack with its arms, but the speed was terrifying. Atlas blocked with his spear, yet the impact shoved him backward. The zombie lunged forward again, slamming both hands toward him.
Atlas did not have time to block. He ducked low and barely avoided the strike.
Another zombie came from the side and kicked him hard. Atlas was sent flying from the force of the blow.
In the next moment, all of them rushed in together, swarming him at once.
**
Atlas snapped his eyes open as light stabbed into his vision. He was gasping for air, cold sweat soaking through him as his chest rose and fell rapidly.
Dullorak was sitting right in front of him. Atlas took a moment, forcing himself to calm his breathing.
Damn it.
"Those zombies," he said after a moment. "They are insanely strong."
"How about the Light element abilities you have mastered, my lord?" Dullorak asked.
"Yes, they work well," Atlas replied. "But..."
He let out another breath, still clearly annoyed by what had happened inside. Every single attack from those zombies, all of them, felt disturbingly familiar. Just like the attacks from the first guardian.
Why did it feel like each of them was trying to grab his soul and rip it out?
"They do not look as fast as the first one," Atlas continued, rubbing his face. "But because there are so many of them, it becomes a real problem."
He stood up, irritation still clinging to him like a bad aftertaste. Damn it, he thought.
He really had to think carefully about how to clear each challenge. This was harder than fighting other lords. Much harder. Because here, he could not rely on brute force alone. He had to think, analyze, and figure out the right answer.
Simply cutting down abyss creatures was no longer enough.
Atlas turned to the side and saw Edrik standing there as well. The man gave a small bow as he faced Atlas.
"You already have the report from Baldric?" Atlas asked.
"Yes, my lord," Edrik replied.
Atlas began walking, and the man quickly followed beside him.
"The pets seem happy with their food, so their growth has been fairly rapid," Edrik said.
Atlas fell silent for a moment after hearing that. "Good. Li Feng and Xia Yun will be pleased. That is thanks to your help, Edrik."
"Baldric also mentioned that within three months, we should be able to supply full Soul Binding Armor sets to at least the current residents of Gacha Haven."
"Three months?" Atlas repeated. "That means we will go through at least one more lord battle season. Well, three months is still a reasonable amount of time."
They continued walking as Edrik spoke again. "And I believe our guest will arrive soon."
"Guest?" Atlas echoed, slowing slightly.