Tower of Heaven

"So, where are we headed to?"

Though she didn't act like it, Artemia had been seriously injured. Now was a few minutes later, after she had taken several of the healing pills Atlas provided.

As if nothing happened, she was already up and ready to go. Getting her power back clearly made her excited.

"I'm not sure," Atlas responded.

"Your mother only told me to come save you. For us to play a role in the rest of this…"

Before Atlas could finish his sentence, his attention was taken by a vibration on his hip.

'Isn't this…the purification talisman?'

It was indeed, but that was not its only function. The cleverly designed talisman was able to hold multiple functions. It was such an intricate technique that it wasn't included in what the Formation Spark provided Atlas.

'It must be something from the Immortal Realm.'

After all, the Formation Spark only gave him knowledge of the mortal variants of each of the subsidiary professions.

Atlas took the talisman off of his hip and injected qi into it.

"You finally answered, brat! Have you saved my daughter yet?!"

A loud voice almost deafened him from the other side. It was practically impractical how loud Alaric could be even with his voice transmitting through some paper and a bit of qi.

"I have. She is here with me right now," Atlas responded without missing a beat. He was already used to the old bastard.

"Good! The two of you should be enough. You're both ready to fight, right?!"

Looking over at Artemia and seeing her already trying to find something to do, Atlas already knew her answer.

"We are. What do you need us to do?"

"The brats from the other Divine Beast Clans have been captured. It looks like the people behind this are finally acting. Go help them escape and work with them. It'll be good practice for you."

There were two people from the White Tiger Clan, one from the Black Tortoise Clan, and two from the Vermillion Bird Clan. Apparently, they'd been in the realm for the same reason as Atlas, training. However, they'd been kidnapped when their strength disappeared and were currently being held captive for unknown reasons.

The identity of the attacker was unknown, but the location of the geniuses had been tracked. Atlas and Artemia, as people who currently weren't busy, were given the job of rescuing them.

'The attacker will be…good practice for me?'

Those were the words that threw him off. It was rare for Alaric to say something like that about another person.

'The location is only a small distance from the city.'

It would take only an hour for them to reach it.

And they were on their way the instant the communication line with Alaric closed.

***

The city of Rona was surrounded by forests. It was one of the most dense regions of the mostly water-filled world. Within that forest, perhaps because they were on their way to the city, the five of them were captured.

Their attacker kept them in the same location. It had already been confirmed that they were still there.

As Atlas and Artemia approached it, they brought as much of their qi into their bodies as possible to conceal their presence. They slowed their steps as they noticed a trail of smoke ahead.

In the current atmosphere of the world, wild beasts were rampaging just as much as demons. The forest was one of the most dangerous possible locations.

For there to be a fire and a camp here, a camp that was not being approached by a single beast…

'We have reached our destination.'

The two geniuses looked at each other and nodded. Without speaking, they went in opposite directions and circled around the camp.

Atlas quietly climbed a tree to get a higher vantage point.

[Intrinsic Foresight]

'There they are.'

As the tents faded away, Atlas immediately caught sight of the hostages.

'They have been separated from each other and split into the three tents. Each tent is guarded by an Earth Sage, and their leader…'

Their leader was likely the one sitting at the campfire, the person with the strongest aura.

'That woman is a Sky Sage.'

Was this what Alaric meant by "good practice?"

'I am yet to attempt fighting above my level, however, the gap between Earth Sage and Sky Sage is far smaller than the gap between my current level and the Core Formation Realm. Hypothetically, it is possible.'

To turn a hypothetical into reality was Atlas' job, right?

He peered over the camp to where Artemia was. She also grasped the situation but was holding herself back due to the Sky Sage in the middle.

'Then, I will leave the Earth Sages to you.'

She couldn't hear his thoughts, but Artemia was bound to understand his meaning.

He said it quite loudly with his actions, after all.

He jumped off of the tree and brandished his chain sickles. His feet slammed down into the ground with a great "Thud!" and drew the attention of all those around them.

Atlas immediately dashed towards the Sky Sage, and as soon as he started moving, Artemia dashed into the camp to support him.

'With her current strength, I do not need to worry about her.'

He said it before, didn't he? Artemia at her full strength could even cause trouble for him.

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Atlas made the first attack, but the robed Sky Sage raised her arm and blocked it.

Clang!

What Atlas struck was not armor, but a metal prosthetic. His eyes widened slightly as his opponent stepped back. Before he could attack again, she raised her voice.

"Ah! It's you!"

Her words were curious. Did she recognize him?

"It's a different mask, but it's hard for me to forget the person who slighted me out of such a great treasure. You're that guy, aren't you? The one they call Atlas Vaun."

Atlas' heart dropped a little. From the way she spoke, she had to be present inside Kallos' tomb when they raided it.

'There weren't many of us who made it to the end. Of those who could be a Sky Sage right now…'

In Atlas' mind, such a genius didn't exist, but if it had to be one of those people and a woman at that, then there was only one real answer.

"You are…that person called Gloria. Then, the Den of Mysteries is behind this?"

"Hehehe~" Gloria giggled, removing the hood of her robe.

"I mean, the Calamity Dragon and them probably already guessed it, so it doesn't really matter if I reveal it. Yup! It's us! This is a pretty interesting night, isn't it?"

She spoke with a smile on her face. She truly was enjoying every second of what was happening.

"But why?"

Atlas couldn't help but ask. The Den of Mysteries had done ruthless things before, but they were never the type to act without purpose. What did they want to achieve through such senseless chaos?

"Hahaha, that isn't something you need to know yet. In time, my Master's results will be known all across the Tower. You'll get your answer by then."

Atlas nodded.

"Unfortunately, you will not live to see that day. I will make sure to inform your spirit in the underworld of the outcome."

Gloria grinned wildly.

"You really think you can beat me? I'm a Sky Sage, you know? My Master's artifacts have improved my body and even my cultivation. You have no choice but to die quietly now that you've challenged me."

With the robe worn loosely, Atlas could glimpse what was under it. Both of her arms and legs as well as a portion of her stomach were all made of metal. It could be said that Gloria was no longer entirely living.

'Has she modified herself and artificially raised her cultivation?'

If that was the case…

'...then I am even less worried.'