Chapter 132: Secret Realm [7]

Boom! Boom! Boom!Atlas could hear the sounds of Kallos letting loose blow after blow in order to protect the unconscious Drya.

The Beast Soul grew with Atlas and represented his strength. Against undead beings, it was no different from an impenetrable wall.

The sound became one with the forest as he moved at the speed of lightning. His every step was filled with as much power as he could possibly muster, and regardless of the pain in his meridians, he did not stop.

Atlas was sustaining serious damage. His [Regeneration] ability was able to make up for much of what was happening to his internal body because of his qi usage, however, it wasn't enough.

Atlas didn't want to waste mental energy, therefore he actually limited what [Regeneration] could do to him and took the brunt of the damage with his body in order to put most of his qi towards finishing the trial.

The soreness in his meridians made his movements and mind sluggish.

'Huu…'

Atlas put the sounds of Kallos' struggles out of his ears. He also ignored the constant communications coming from the talisman.

The members of Drya's group were concerned for obvious reasons. Their leader had not yet responded to a single message. Yari was the same. Atlas was the only person left, but the seventh position had been activated. How were they going to fill the eighth?

Their worries would have been put to rest if Atlas picked up his communication talisman, but he did not. It wasn't that he didn't think they deserved the information, but he couldn't provide it to them. Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The only thing that mattered was the eighth terminal. Their concerns would also be somewhat answered when it was activated.

Atlas had a bit of an advantage. After all, Drya's body was still being cleansed from toxins by the antidote pills. In the current instance, she still looked like prey to them.

The majority of the waves following Atlas went after her. The Beast Soul, as an energy body, was able to withstand any force they could create while also attacking and destroying their bodies.

This set up a few minutes where Atlas was free from pursuit.

'Drawing the crowd is no longer important.'

The six other members of Drya's group would have to fend for themselves in these last few minutes. Atlas had no interest in the undead horde. Rather, he pretended like it didn't exist.

He whooshed through the jungle, moving through the treetops until he landed at the eighth point. A blaze erupted around him and offered temporary protection. With it, he placed the final symbol on the earth.

Clang!

It was a sound like a hammer hitting an anvil. The moon once again became entirely dark, and in the next moment, it flashed awake.

VOOOM!

A wave of light spread through the realm. No longer was the moon a mere projection. Its light showered every corner of the jungle, illuminating it in a way that the true moon never could.

Atlas panted heavily as the blaze around him died down. He looked over his shoulder and heaved a great sigh.

"Haa…"

He collapsed to one knee and leaned back to sit on the ground. No, that wasn't enough. In that moment, he laid his body down entirely and closed his eyes.

"Huu…"

'How straining.'

A small ring of fire appeared around his body. It was necessary in order to keep his place of rest undamaged.

After all, the scene around him was both an apocalypse and a beautiful scenery. The light of the moon shined down, painting the jungle white. It illuminated the plants and created a beautiful mirage as it bounced off of the eight symbols engraved in the earth.

However, perhaps what was most beautiful was what happened when that light touched the undead. Their bodies melted and their bones became mush. Their root of being, the darkness, was disrupted and destroyed. Without any energy keeping them moving, they were forced to disintegrate and die.

'However, is it really true death, or are they merely slumbering until the next time the same situation occurs?'

Atlas pondered over the intricacies of corpse control as he allowed his body to heal.

He could hardly feel it at this point. Truly, if it weren't for his experience, he would have been finished.

The pain wasn't too severe anymore. It was more of an ache than anything else.

'But I won't be able to continue like this.'

Unless he had days to rest between every step he took, he would not be able to proceed further.

After staying still for a few minutes to give his body some rest, he finally grabbed his communication talisman.

"Everyone, let's gather."

He stood up and returned to the seventh symbol. The Beast Soul had been unsummoned some minutes ago. Drya still remained, but she wasn't in the best condition.

Atlas had a wry expression on his face. It was his fault that she'd received some extra injuries, but there was nothing better he could do in the moment.

'Instead, I will give you the remaining healing pills I have. I hope that is enough.'

Grabbing her wrist, he carefully inserted qi into her body and used it to follow her qi channels. His energy went to every corner of her body, assessing both the damage taken by toxins and the damage of ordinary physical attacks.

'It will take some time, but she will heal.'

It was good news, but at the same time, they couldn't just wait for days on end and then move on to the third trial space. By then, wouldn't everything be over already?

Atlas could only hope that Drya would wake up by some miracle in a matter of hours. Until then, he once again picked her up and returned to the rendezvous point.

The shocked expressions from the remaining six members could be imagined. Klaus immediately took Drya from him and checked her condition as Atlas explained what the rest of them didn't experience.

Understanding the story now, they were forced to forgive him for not contacting them. After all, at what point in his experience could he sit down and grab his communication talisman?

Drya's injuries were reassessed and the healer of the group, a demon who studied the Dao of Wood called Hemaphrya, took charge of the healing efforts.

Meanwhile, as Atlas sat down and focused on his meridians, the rest of the group went out to search for Yari.

They did not find anything.

Their dear friend, someone they'd been traveling with for years, was gone in an instant. There was not even a body remaining for them to recover.

She was just gone.

The perpetrators behind her death were gone as well. It was a closureless experience that only ended in feelings of emptiness and loss.

When they returned, their expressions were morbid. Atlas didn't need them to speak to know what happened. Continue reading at mvl

However, he did encounter a surprise.

Roughly an hour after their return, Klaus approached him.

"I truly wish I could blame you."

Those were not friendly words.

But the tone they set for the proceeding conversation…

It was not hostile at all.