Level Up: Voidwalker

As Nulia broke into a steady run across the snowy tundra, her massive paws easily crushed through the snow, leaving deep prints in her wake. Now and then, she swiped at clusters of snow insects buzzing too close, her powerful claws sending them scattering.

While sitting on her back, Atlas activated the Void Realm to fight the bird to bring their numbers down, but this time, Artemis and Amethyst were joining him. The three of them appeared on the grasslands.

The brunette glanced around before asking, ''Is this a new part of this realm? What happened to the Ghouls?''

''Me and Atek cleared them; now we have to fight big birds,'' Atlas answered as the screeches started ringing.

After that, Amethyst took to the sky and started battling with the creatures while Artemis used her sling to target the Bloodhawks. Her mana bolts sliced through the air and wiped out dozens of them.

When Atlas saw this, he chuckled before using Void Barrage to take out even more. The Bloodhawks and Haast's Eagles were sent back to wherever they came from. Following that, the three of them started battling with the monsters.

Artemis continued her onslaught with her sling while Amethyst fought fiercely in the air, unleashing Cosmic Blasts and Bolts that painted the sky purple. Suddenly, larger eagles swooped down, targeting the phoenix-like woman.

One massive eagle dove toward her, talons outstretched, but Amethyst met it with a powerful blast, sending it to the ground. Atlas watched as the eagle crashed below, disintegrating into nothingness.

He started flinging Void Bombs into the horde of monsters; the projectiles exploded, wiping out hundreds of them and causing the counter to soar up, which excited him. Atlas continued fighting while the two women helped out.

The Bloodhawks and Hasst's Eagles stopped appearing for a few seconds, allowing Atlas to check the total.

[Void Bloodhawk – 3998/10000]

[Haast's Void Eagle - 179/5000]

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'This is going good,'

he thought while hitting a Haast Eagle with a Void Lance that pierced through its body.

The monsters plummeted toward the ground as the two women continued fighting until Amethyst got hit by a swarm of Bloodhawks before being returned to the real world. This left him and Artemis dodging the bigger monster while hitting it with mana projectiles.

Atlas unleashed a final Void Blast, banishing the creature back to the Void Realm. But before he could catch his breath, Artemis was overwhelmed by more enemies, leaving him to face the swarm alone.

The sky darkened as flying monsters closed in, but he cast Void Wave. An intense azure wave erupted from him, striking down a dozen Bloodhawks in a single surge. Just then, a wagle collided with his torso, its powerful impact forcing him out of the realm.

In a flash, Atlas jolted awake, finding himself back in the real world, clinging to Nulia's back as they traveled across the Northern Wastes. He shook his head and asked the women, ''Where are we?''

''We're are coming up to the Golden Lions Fortress where we were staying before meeting you,'' Estelle answered.

Following the blonde words, he spotted a castle in the distance that looked chaotic as explosions rang out. When the group saw this, Grishna spoke, ''It looks like the Achaemendians found the Golden Lion Legion. We need to help them.''

When Atlas heard this, he nodded before standing up and speaking, ''Nulia, stop for a moment.''

The Frostbear woman stopped as he activated his Dungeon Conquerer Skill and summoned a swarm of Landsharks before their leader appeared and greeted Atlas when he jumped on its back.

''Where are you going?'' Amethyst asked.

This caused Atlas to grin before explaining, ''I will hit them once you're fighting; it will throw the soldiers into chaos.''

They all nodded in agreement as the Landsharks dove underground, except for the one Atlas was riding. This allowed him to summon dozens more to aid them in the battle. Clinging tightly to the back of the leader, he felt the thrill of anticipation as they approached.

While closing in on the soldiers, Atlas mused,

'Now its my turn to strike at these fuckers.'

Just as they neared it, the leader suddenly vanished, diving deep into the earth. Following that, explosions rang out as the women attacked the Achaemenidians. Seconds passed as Atlas and the Landsharks passed under the enemy lines.

'It's time,'

he thought excitedly, ordering the creatures to strike.

Without warning, a massive Landshark erupted from the earth, its jaws wide open, roaring with primal fury. The creature burst through the surface, sending debris flying in every direction.

As the dust settled, the Achaemenidians stared in shock, their eyes widening in disbelief. The Landsharks lunged forward, snapping its jaws around a group of soldiers. They barely had time to react before the creature clamped down, scattering them like rag dolls.

Atlas leaped off the monster's back while ramming his blades through a commander's head. He quickly noticed the enemy soldiers surrounded him, but he cast Void Wave that sent them flying everywhere.

Following that, he started slicing through the shocked soldiers before meeting up with the women who killed hundreds of them. When they spotted him, Amethyst spoke worriedly, ''There's too many!''

He grinned before activating Call Of The Void and summoned dozens of Savage Void Ghouls that poured out of the Azure portals. They let out horrifying howls and shrieks while crashing into the Achaemenidians who tried to flee.

Atlas felt the experience pouring into his body as he cut down hundreds of soldiers who tried to overwhelm him. That's when Nulia and Atek tore through the enemy ranks, using their claws to clear a path to the fortress.

The combined might of the Landsharks and the Void Ghouls mercilessly slaughtered the attackers. Once the last of them fell, Atlas commanded his forces to dispose of the bodies into the Otherworld.

As the fortress gates creaked open, a group of armored men emerged, rushing toward the women. But as they approached, all the monsters turned on them, snarling and ready to strike.

The stunned soldiers halted in their tracks, their expressions a mix of confusion and alarm. Artemis stepped forward, her gaze steady as she approached, ''They're loyal to you, Atlas,'' she assured him. ''Just wait until Rollo sees you.''

Following that, the group of soldiers got close, and when the leading man noticed Atlas, his eyes widened in shock. The commander approached him and dropped to one knee as he spoke respectfully, ''Azhar'Zul, you're finally here.''Nôv(el)B\\jnn

When Atlas heard this, his eyebrow raised before replying, ''How do you know who I am? And why do you want to serve me?''

The old man stood up with a happy smile and answered, ''The Golden Lion Legion's patron is the Goddess of Darkness Nyx and told me about you.''

'Those sisters! But wasn't Nyx the moody one?'

Atlas thought with a small smile.

After that, he nodded. "Okay, how many soldiers do you have left?" he asked Rollo.

''Two-thousand four hundred, My Lord,'' Rollo answered. ''We must recruit more men when we finally get to the wolf kingdoms.''

Atlas agreed with a nod before speaking as he dismissed the Landsharks and Void Ghouls, ''Get them ready to move; we're heading south to mess with the Achaemenidians.''

When Rollo heard this, his eyes widened, ''We're finally hitting back? We will get thousands of recruits after what the southern dogs have done to Astoria,'' he revealed.

This information excited Atlas, who decided to let the Golden Lion Legion into the Otherworld during their travels. Following that thought, he spoke up, ''I will give your soldiers a place to rest, but they have to listen to everything I say, or death will come for them.''

Rollo looked concerned, but Atlas ignored it, entered the Otherworld, and appeared at the bottom of the treehouse. He walked into the forest while checking out the options for new additions.

[Camp: Build a safe place for your soldiers to rest and recover - Cost: 5000 Mana]

[Monster Hunters: Creatures that hunt down monsters to bring them into the Otherworld - 6000 Mana]

When seeing these options, Atlas grinned before selecting both, but it drained him of mana, causing him to drop to one knee as Mana Regeneration kicked in,

'Need to increase my pool even more.'

Following that, he returned to the real world, and when the women saw him, their eyes narrowed. Amethyst stepped forward while speaking in a concerned voice, ''Did you use most of your mana again?''

Atlas nodded with a tired smile while explaining, ''Yes, but there were some things the Otherworld needed that would help us in the long run.''

The phoenix woman agreed with a nod before he opened a portal, and hundreds of Stone Men rushed out. This shocked everyone, including Atlas, as the monster started running in all directions.

Grishna and Artemis were about to attack, but he stopped them. ''They are my Monster Hunters; I created them in the Otherworld.''

They all nodded in understanding as Atlas smiled, then turned to Rollo. ''Rollo, gather the soldiers. You're heading to the new camp I set up. But be careful—don't cross its perimeter, or the monsters will start hunting you.''

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