Level Up: Voidwalker

Hearing her taunting laugh, Atlas quickly cast a Void Bomb at the Ghoul Queen. She dodged with lightning speed, retaliating with a punch that landed squarely against his chest, sending him flying back as his bones rattled from the impact.

'Arghhh fuck that hurt!'

he thought while spitting up blood.

Atlas used Void Wave to get the queen away from him before spamming Void Barrage at it until he ran out of mana. Soon enough, Atlas returned to the real world. When he came to, he found himself wrapped in blankets, his body aching as he blinked away from the haze.

Once back to normal, he tried opening a portal to the Otherworld, but nothing happened, causing Nulia to explain, ''Storms in the Northern Waste disrupt mana; it best we jump in before it starts tomorrow or whenever we leave this place.''

He nodded as Artemis commented as she sat by the nearby fire, ''What's the plan after we find a spirit mage?''

''We start attacking the Achaemendians in Astoria,'' Atlas responded, pulling out some dumplings and handing them to the five women. ''They won't stop hunting us until we do something about it.''

''That could work; there are dozens of rebel groups all across Astoria attacking the occupiers, which is fun,'' Grishna said with an excited smile while wrapped in a Giant Mammoth hide that Nulia gave her.

This scene made him smile, but Amethyst climbed into his blankets and snuggled up to him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled the phoenix woman close as she spoke, ''I'm sorry for making you wait to take the next step with the others.''

When Atlas heard the purple-haired woman speak, he replied with a warm smile, ''It's okay. There's no need to rush things—we have years ahead of us to enjoy together.''

Amethyst beamed at this and put her head on his shoulder while he played with her purple hair, which caused the young woman to fall asleep, causing Estelle to comment from nearby, ''That girl truly loves you, Atlas. Don't take her for granted.''

''I'd never do that; before this, I was lonely and had no one who loved me until I met her,'' he said while brushing a lock of hair from her face. ''I would never let any of you go.''

After he spoke, silence took over the cave as Grisha teased, ''So you're claiming all of us? It looks like we have a greedy Voidwalker in our hands, ladies.''

Everyone giggled at the Orc woman's words as Atlas spoke, ''We shall see how things go, but I find you all beautiful.''

Just as he said, Atek popped up and growled, causing the group to laugh as the Frostfang Tiger approached Atlas. The cat climbed into the blankets and cuddled up to him alongside Amethyst.

He smiled, gently stroking the creature beside him when Nulia interjected, saying, ''We should get some rest. The weather is going to worsen.''

As Atlas settled in, he felt Amethyst and Atek cuddle against him, their warmth soothing. The other women found their spots around him, creating a cozy circle. With the weight of their presence and the soft patter of rain outside, a content smile spread across his face as he drifted off to sleep.

After that, the mana storm outside worsened as thunder boomed overhead; the chaos froze over the entrance to their hideaway. Hours passed, and the following day, Atlas woke up to see his breath due to the cold air.

'So cold, let's get up and start a fire to warm up the cave,'

he mused.

Atlas shook his head and lit the fire using a Void Bullet that burned bright. Atek woke up alongside him and meowed. He turned to the little creature and stroked it while giving it a Horned Rabbit Kebab to eat for breakfast.

Following that, he sat down and started eating some dumplings while looking at the entrance, only to see chaos, which caused him to think, '

I can't wait to go south; these storms will grow annoying soon.'

While eating, none of the women woke up, causing him to give the Void Realm ago, and before he activated the skill, Atke jumped in his lap as he reappeared in the destroyed city. Atlas looked at the Frostfang Tiger and shook his head, ''Looks like you're helping me, boy.''

Atek let out a deep growl, growing bigger as the duo walked toward the Ghoul Queens arena. When Atlas stepped onto the stone ground, a barrier blocked them from leaving, but he pulled out his blades while casting Void Infusion.

'Now its time to fight and finally beat this level,'

he mused excitedly.

The creature chuckled before dashing forward, causing Atek to jump to the side as Atlas cast Void Lance at it. The azure projectile sliced through the air and slammed into the Ghoul Queen,

It let out a hate-filled screech as she was sent skidding backward, but Atlas followed that up with Void Barrage as Atek lunged at her lower half. The tiger sliced through the queen's flesh.

Atlas managed to get close as the creature swiped at him with her sharp claws, allowing him to hit the Ghoul with a Void Blast. The azure flames struck and sent the boss flying across the arena. Stay connected with empire

It crashed with a thud, sending a tremor through the ground, and Atek lunged at her. Atlas watched intently as the Ghoul Queen punched the Frostfang Tiger, but the beast deftly dodged, using the momentum to unleash a Void Bomb.

The explosive force erupted on contact, lighting up the scene with a blinding flash as chaos unfolded around them. Once a dust cloud appeared, Atlas grinned before dashing forward and managed to carve through the queen's flesh, which brought her down.

Atlas spun around and used Void Step to appear above the creature before falling toward it, but the Ghoul Queen quickly slid to the side. He grew frustrated but couldn't think much as her claws tore through his armor and flesh.

'Fuck that hurt!'

he thought before blasting the creature with Void Wave, allowing Atek to pounce on her.

The Frostfang Tiger lunged at the Ghoul, ripping into her with ferocity, leaving her bewildered by the unfolding chaos. Atlas rose to his feet, feeling regeneration activating and healing the injuries he sustained.

'Now let's end this fight to move on!'

As the creature hurled Atek aside, he sprang forward, drawing upon every ounce of his strength. Atlas slashed through the Ghoul's arm, severing it cleanly and sending it tumbling to the ground.

The queen let out a furious roar and lunged to slash at him before he could react. But Atek, wounded yet determined, sank his teeth into her leg, causing her to stumble and fall. At that moment, Atlas seized the opportunity and charged at the Ghoul, moving like a blur.

He struck with lightning speed, his blade slicing through the air as he unleashed a flurry of blows—dozens of strikes aimed at her torso, arms, and legs. Each strike landed, the sound of steel against flesh echoing through the chaos.

The Ghoul, taken aback by the relentless assault, struggled to regain her footing, unable to counterattack. Atlas moved with fluid grace, weaving in and out; his strikes left no room for her to retaliate.

Blood sprayed, and the ground beneath them became slick as he pressed his advantage, the creature's defenses crumbling under the onslaught. Soon enough, the Ghoul Queen released a screech that summoned thousands of the weaker monsters.

When Atlas saw this, he spammed Void Bullets into the crowd as Atek did his best to keep them off him. He turned back to the queen with a grin as he cast several Void Lances that sliced through the air.

She dodged most of the attacks, but a few still connected, which sent the Ghoul Queen stumbling back. Atlas's fist crackled with dark energy as he gathered every ounce of his mana, the power surging and swirling around his fist.

'This should be enough to kill this creature,'

he thought with determination.

With a fierce glare, he lunged forward, his fist glowing with the condensed might of Void Smash. The Ghoul Queen snarled and raised her claw to strike, but he was faster—his fist collided with her chest in an explosion of raw power.

The impact unleashed a shockwave, tearing through the air and shaking the ground beneath them. Shadows rippled outward as the Void Smash punch sent the Ghoul Queen hurtling backward, her shriek echoing as mana cracked through her form.

When the energy dissipated, she lay crumpled, her twisted figure defeated, as Atlas lowered his fist, the shadows slowly fading from his arm. Following that, the creature vanished into the Void Realm.

Once the fight ended, Atlas returned to the real world, feeling extremely tired. Atek quickly supported him before licking his face, ''At least we beat that bitch,'' he said while stroking the Frostfang Tiger.

Following that, he leaned against the fluffy monster and nodded off as Atek made sure he was comfortable.

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