Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord-Chapter 59 - Avatar of the Ancient Wilds

"Oh, I’m genuinely impressed that someone could assess my level just by looking," said Takashi, the newcomer from Soren’s side, as he offered a slight bow. "Might I have the honor of knowing the name of the master standing before me?"

"Kurogasa, the Shadowed Fang," Kurogasa replied evenly.

"Takashi here. A humble warrior who serves at the side of my master’s son," he said with a respectful nod.

So... Atlas’s guess had been right. Soren wasn’t just any Lord.

He had backing.

Someone powerful.

Someone like his father, who very well might be a Lord himself within the Saharian cluster.

Atlas allowed himself a faint, knowing smile. Whatever the case, Soren’s father wouldn’t be stepping into this battlefield himself. He’d only sent a guardian. A proud son’s safeguard.

"Takashi, kill them at once! Take their island. I want all of their women!" Soren bellowed. "Don’t delay for even a second. Do your job now!"

The man in heavy armor stood tall and pointed directly at Atlas.

"Kill that man! He dared to use deceit against me!"

But Takashi didn’t flinch. He remained calm, his gaze light as ever, drifting toward Kurogasa and Atlas.

"Not deceit, Soren. You simply lack discipline," he replied casually.

"Shut up, Takashi!" Soren snapped. "You’re here to follow orders. Now fight and kill them all! This has gone on long enough. I’m sure you don’t want to face my father’s wrath, do you?!"

Takashi exhaled slowly, lifting his sword and moving it through a precise, practiced flow of martial arts maneuvers. With each motion, he carved silence into the air. Until he settled into a balanced, focused stance.

"I’ll be taking on this master ninja," he said calmly, eyes flicking to Kurogasa. "Look after yourself, Soren. I won’t be able to protect you while I’m busy."

"You really are useless, Takashi," Soren scoffed. "Just get it over with and stop talking so damn much."

Takashi allowed himself a faint smile.

"Judging by their response, their level isn’t much higher than mine. That gives me a decent edge," he said. "It’s a shame, really. A master ninja who looks as sharp as you, still underleveled."

Kurogasa didn’t answer. He simply took his stance in silence.

"I’ll make this quick," Takashi added. "But just so you know. This will be the last time I work for you, Soren. You’d better ask your father for a new bodyguard."

"Shut up! You’re worthless to me anyway!" Soren spat.

Takashi and Kurogasa stood ready, facing off. Atlas took a few steps back, giving them space.

And then. Without warning.

A sudden crash behind Takashi shook the ground. Dirt and debris shot upward, and a shockwave rolled outward. Everyone’s heads snapped around in unison.

From the cloud of dust, a massive figure rose.

It was Raze.

His chest heaved with rage, and then, he let it out.

"Oarghhh! Roarrghhh!!"

Raze?!

Eyes wide with fury, Raze locked his gaze onto Takashi. In that instant, nothing else existed. And before anyone could react, he moved.

Takashi tried to leap away, but Raze was faster. Much faster.

He lunged, fists flying in a brutal rhythm. Takashi managed to raise his sword, slashing back. But it barely mattered. Raze was already inside his guard.

With one monstrous hand, Raze caught Takashi’s right arm in a crushing grip.

Then, without hesitation, he hoisted him into the air, and slammed him down.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

And again.

Each impact cracked the ground beneath them. Takashi’s body flailed in Raze’s grip, helpless against the sheer force.

Then came the final throw.

Takashi hit the ground hard, sprawled and dazed. But Raze wasn’t finished.

He dropped down and drove his right fist into Takashi’s face. Then another. And another. Until... Takashi’s head was driven deep into the dirt.

"Stupid warrior," Raze snarled. "You look like Edrik, and that pisses me off. Just die already, idiot!"

He kept punching, until the battlefield went quiet.

It had all happened so fast. Too fast.

The once-proud warrior with the mustache, gone in seconds.

"...Heh? That fast?" Atlas muttered in disbelief. "You said his level was high, Kurogasa?"

"Indeed, My Lord," Kurogasa answered quietly. "Even higher than Morganna."

And yet. He was dead.

Everyone stood frozen, stunned by what they’d just seen. Takashi had been torn apart before he could even fight back.

There was only one target left now.

Their Lord.

Soren.

Atlas turned his focus back to Soren, his grip on the spear tightening.

"Stop right there!" Soren shrieked, panic cutting through his voice. "Don’t push me! Don’t make me do this!"

Atlas didn’t even hesitate.

He lunged forward, his spear spinning through the air in a deadly arc, striking clean and hard toward Soren.

The blow hit. Soren caught the shaft with both hands, but the impact sent him crashing to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, rage and fear burning in his eyes.

"Stop right there, you idiot!" he screamed. "Don’t you know who you’re dealing with?! I could kill you all! Just stop. Turn back now!"

His voice cracked with desperation.

Atlas didn’t flinch. "Too many threats, Soren. You die now."

He surged forward again, spear aimed straight for the kill.

But then, Soren did something no one expected.

He ripped off his gloves and bit down on his own palm, blood spilling instantly.

"You filthy bastards... If I’m going down, you’re all coming with me!!" he roared.

Atlas froze mid-step. A sharp, unnatural scent hit the air.

Kurogasa instantly stepped between them. "Step back, My Lord."

Raze narrowed his eyes, still full of fury. "That little coward still has tricks up his sleeve? Fine, let’s see it."

Violent bursts of light exploded from Soren’s body. Sparks, energy, raw force, all erupting in wild flashes as his entire frame began to glow, too bright to look at directly.

"Get back!" Kurogasa shouted.

He made a move to stop Soren, but the heat and force of the energy wave forced him to fall back. He grabbed Atlas, dragging him away just as the shockwaves burst outward.

An explosion, no, a detonation.

A self-destructive surge.

Was Soren really trying to take them all down with him?

The ground quaked violently as stone, steel, and shattered earth flew into the air. Cracks split across the battlefield, and from deep within the destruction came a low, guttural roar.

What just happened?

The dust began to settle. Debris fell like ash from the sky. And then, they saw it.

A massive figure rose from the heart of the ruin. Towering three times the height of Raze, it loomed like a nightmare given form.

The creature was monstrous. A fusion of predator and power. A thick, muscular body like that of a bear, a fierce wolf’s head with gleaming fangs, and atop it all, the regal, branching antlers of a stag, glowing with ghostly light.

[Avatar of the Ancient Wilds]

Atlas stood unmoving, spear in hand. Kurogasa flanked him on the left, eyes sharp and focused. Raze snarled beside them, slamming his fists into the ground in frustration.

On Atlas’s right, Morganna emerged from the mist, her scythe glinting.

"So... he’s turned himself into a monster now?" she muttered.

Behind her, Karian stepped forward, greatsword slung over his shoulder, eyes locked on the beast. Edrik moved beside him, dagger drawn, his expression calm.

And just above, Lyrassa hovered silently. She was small, but floating just above Karian’s towering presence.

Then, Soren’s voice thundered through the air.

"I warned you!" he roared. "Now, none of you will stop me. This is where you all meet your end!"

Atlas stood his ground. Behind him, his allies and troops lined up in a solid wall. Soren’s army had been wiped out. All that remained now was this towering, spectral beast. Their final opponent.

"What do you think, Master Kurogasa?" Atlas asked.

Kurogasa gave a firm nod. "My Lord, he is strong... but so are we. And we are many."

With a smooth motion, Atlas summoned his floating throne, leaping onto it with ease. He drew the Rank-A item, Stormcaller’s Amulet.

"Elites, attack! Troops, find an opening and strike from a distance!" he shouted.

And at once, the battlefield exploded into motion.

A unified roar rose from the troops as they surged forward.

Dark energy ignited along Morganna’s left side, her form twisting with power as a shadowy wing burst from her right. She launched herself into the sky with terrifying grace, her scythe trailing behind her like a comet’s tail.

Below, Raze let out a roar of his own and charged.

The others moved like a storm following lightning. Kurogasa, Karian, Edrik, and the rest, all falling into their roles as if born for this moment!

This had to end quickly.

It would end quickly!

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