Tower of Heaven

A four-colored energy spread through the space, destroying countless pieces of property and killing more people. Rather than being killed by the energy itself, most of them were slaughtered by its aftereffects.

They were impaled by falling metal beams and crushed under the weight of buildings. They were cultivators who had built their bodies, but when they were struck by materials that were equally powered by qi, they were no better than mortals.

The mine site was big. This operation alone controlled thousands of slaves, so naturally the work site was like a settlement of its own. Atlas couldn't get rid of all of it in a single day.

A single day's work was enough to absolutely decimate the entrance area, but Atlas retreated after that much. When he returned the next day, his enemies were more prepared for him.

They stood against him even as the four-colored energy returned in front of their eyes. They kept their qi radiating into the world with hostility despite knowing that everyone else who faced this man had died.

And they went to battle.

Despite knowing that they would die, they went to battle.

Was it because they wanted to prove themselves to their leaders, or was it because Dusk oppressed them and forced them to fight?

Atlas was definitely curious about their reasons. Their strength wasn't much lower than his on paper, but in reality, they couldn't stand in front of him. Why did they approach him like their lives depended on it?

Whatever the reason, they were still members of Dusk, so mercy wasn't something that existed in his heart for them.

He slaughtered them when they approached. No longer did he hide his appearance. At this time, he started to use his chain sickles openly, proudly proclaiming his identity.

The world wouldn't find out about his abilities because nobody who'd seen them survived. They'd only hear the stories of the reaper that the mine slaves told, a story so embellished that nobody could ever take it seriously.

There was only one truth that could be ascertained from their words.

That attacker was a familiar person.

He was the same person that Dusk sent its people to chase to the death not long ago.

However, now that he'd returned, he was the hunter.

"Good."

By the end of the week, every person existing in the mine site had either run away or died. Atlas could feel their attention on him, the Gods that could sense his desire for chaos.

"I'll be sure to entertain you plenty more, so make sure you don't leave."

He made a promise to those Death Gods. They knew what he was looking for, and he knew that they were aware of his plans. When all of the information was out in the open, there wasn't much left to do.

Atlas made his promise, and they heard it. They were present because they had high expectations for his promises, and all he had to do was deliver on them.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The 23rd Floor was his choice not because he would do the most damage to Dusk here, but because he would be able to cause much more widespread chaos.

Atlas spent the next several months focused on his prerogative. He stayed on the 23rd Floor and dismantled every operation Dusk had existing there.

The number of cultivators that died by his hands directly was over one hundred. As for those who died as a result of his actions, that number was already in the thousands.

When he was causing this kind of damage, it was curious that Dusk hadn't sent stronger cultivators to stop him, but it became less strange when one looked at the rest of the world.

The hidden worlds of Dusk were being sieged by that red-haired man's group while using his name as a guise. Much more damage and death was being caused by them.

On the other side, Euryale and Sky Garden also began their siege. Atlas knew this because the symbol of Pangea started to appear in the world for the first time.

There were now four separate forces that unintentionally ended up attacking Dusk together. As their combined efforts struck the influence, naturally, Dusk was forced to fight back.

All of the other three forces were facing severe pushback from Dusk, but Atlas was kept out of the mix. Because he was an individual, they chose to use the same approach they'd used before.

An attack force was sent after him. Each and every member of it was armed with Serpentseal Marks that would latch onto him the moment they died.

It was a ploy that would leave Atlas once again trapped in a cycle of running and hiding.

Well, it would have been.

He stayed on the 23rd Floor for so long that they assumed he would still be there when they arrived, but that was incorrect. At that time, Atlas was already long gone.

Information came from the other side.

"A Mystic Realm has been found that is very likely to hold a Death Relic."

With that news, he immediately left for Minora and met with Scarlet Fox. She gave him what he wanted and he gave her the appropriate payment before he vanished in pursuit of that very Mystic Realm.

It didn't exist in the Tower, but on another hidden floor. This one was not owned by any specific influence, but it also wasn't a new and unknown world.

It was a "Wilderness."

Wildernesses existed as parts of the world that were isolated during the creation of the Tower and left in areas with great concentrations of qi. They evolved into homes for much more powerful beasts than ordinary worlds, as there were no restrictions coming down from the Heavens.

They were usually used by cultivators to train, and as the appearance of hidden realms was more common in these kinds of qi-rich places, they were often home to treasure expeditions.

When Atlas arrived in the Wilderness, he already knew that he was not the only one who knew of the mystic realm. There were tens of other cultivators arriving at the same time and moving in the same direction, watching each other warily the entire time.

This was fine. There was never a problem with this.

Nevertheless, when he finally arrived…

'Tch.'

Standing in front of the Mystic Realm, Atlas clicked his tongue.

He never thought that he would be here alone. Maybe he was the only one specifically searching for the Death Relic, but every secret realm or mystic realm opening was accompanied by an influx of cultivators.

Atlas knew he would have to fight to earn the treasure he wanted. Problems only arose when he saw "who" specifically he was going to have to fight.

Because, standing in the crowd and staring at him from a distance was a man who knew he would meet his gaze.

With bright red hair that framed his entire face, he knew that he stood out. There was even a chance that he kept his hair like that because he wanted to stand out.

To everyone else, he was nothing more than an ordinary cultivator who was here for the same reason as everyone else.

But to Atlas…

'He's going to find me.'

…regardless of why that man was here, he was undoubtedly going to find Atlas at some point while they were inside that realm.

And, there was no possible way he came alone.