Tower of Heaven

The two of them were almost Sky Sages. Their control was far better than the other Earth Sages in the forest, and their firepower didn't even need to be mentioned.

With the two of them standing on both sides of him, Atlas had no choice but to run straight and hope he could make it through.

Either that, or he stopped and faced the entire horde that was trailing him from behind.

'That is simply not an option.'

It would be a bit pathetic for him to die here after just starting his second life, wouldn't it?

"Kallos!"

The Beast Soul that his close friend had become for his sake; Atlas didn't have much control over it yet, but it immediately responded to his call.

A giant golden form roughly ten feet tall appeared behind Atlas.

It was much smaller than the form Kallos held in real life, and even smaller than the caged version of itself that existed within the Beast Emperor's Tomb.

The Beast Soul was naturally powerful because it contained Kallos' essence. To naturally obtain one of this quality could be considered extremely lucky even for experienced cultivators.

In some cases, the benefits of having a Beast Soul like this one would provoke certain people to destroy their cultivation and restart to incorporate it into their power.

After all, Beast Souls grew with their owners. Their power would be suppressed to a cultivator's strength level, but it would never increase to match them.

Unless raised from a time when one had almost no cultivation, it was hard to draw out a Beast Soul's full potential.

ROOOAAAR!

Kallos roared, beating his chest like a true ape. He did not have any intelligence, but his essence still remembered the instincts he carried in his original form.

The instincts of a Behemoth were simple.

Protect allies and destroy enemies.

As the golden Beast Soul appeared behind him, Atlas planted his foot in the ground and shifted all of his weight into it.

'Burst!'

It wasn't a skill, but rather an intuitive use of qi.

Pure qi shot out of his foot and launched him into the air, leaving only Kallos on the ground.

As he reached his apex in the sky, Atlas flicked his hand forward and summoned his qi.

[Exploding Runes]

Voom!

His qi turned hot as the essence of fire embedded itself in its form.

Energy dripped out of his fingertips, coalescing to form a collection of runic characters that didn't look like they were written in any known language.

This was a skill that Atlas had found long ago while exploring an ancient underground city. It had stayed with him throughout his journey, and regardless of how powerful he became, it was always useful.

As for what it did…

That was fairly obvious, wasn't it?

As soon as the runes formed, Atlas flicked his finger again. His qi was depleted as the runes charged themselves and shot towards the ground like comets.

The effect was almost immediate.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

'Hm?'

Four runes struck the ground with relatively equal distance between them. As they exploded in tandem, the debris they sent into the air came together to form a large dust cloud that inhibited the vision of all those below.

'Go!'

Using the link between them, Atlas sent a mental command to Kallos, ordering him to attack.

Without hesitation, the Beast Soul charged towards the larger of the two peak Earth Sages.

Bang!

He threw a punch, catching the blind cultivator off-guard and striking him square in the chest.

Despite being limited by Atlas' power, Kallos was still quite strong.

An Earth Sage wouldn't be able to withstand his power. At least, not the type of Earth Sage who'd willingly spend time on the 11th Floor.

"Kahak!"

The man coughed out a mouthful of blood as his body was flung back. Several of his ribs had been broken in that single instance, and while he could still fight, it would definitely be hard for him to stay mobile.

'Now, the other side!'

Atlas didn't quite understand what was happening, but he rode the momentum anyway.

He didn't remember himself being this powerful.

Whether it was the strength Kallos was able to exhibit or the power behind his own [Exploding Runes], both far exceeded the strength he had when he was in the Beast Emperor's Tomb.

'Has something changed?'

He couldn't help but wonder. Maybe it was Kallos' presence that raised Atlas' level, or maybe…there was something else at play?

Whatever the case was, escape was starting to look more and more possible with every passing second.

Atlas' feet touched the ground not long after he'd launched himself. He didn't yet have the capabilities to stay airborne.

Nevertheless, he didn't remain static. The instant he felt dirt beneath him, Atlas pushed off and sprinted in the same direction he'd been running.

[Eyes of One]

The Eyes of One opened, slowing the world and allowing Atlas to see past the cloud of debris that was still falling through the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Earth Sage who'd been attacked by Kallos was randomly throwing his energy into the cloud in hopes of hitting anything.

Most of them flew by several feet away from him, but Atlas was forced to dodge just as many times as he pushed closer to the Celestial Ladder.

Meanwhile, the second peak Earth Sage was forced to take his eyes off of Atlas as he noticed a large golden halo approaching him at fast speeds.

The path was left open.

[Burst Steps]

It was difficult to use so many techniques one after another, but as he was already passing through the final stretch, Atlas didn't know if there was a better time for him to use his energy than now.

His figure blurred as he gained speed from the fire bursting out of his feet.

The attacks of the injured peak Earth Sage, who could now see him, became inconsequential.

And as if it had all been planned from the start, Atlas reached the edge of the cliff.

"STOP!"

A thunderous voice boomed through the air, shaking Atlas' balance.

He turned around to see none other than the very Heaven's Gate Elder who had called for his capture standing at the other end of the clearing.

"Boy, you do not want to make an enemy of our Heaven's Gate! Make the wise decision and return the treasures you took!"

It seemed the Elder was absolutely certain of his identity, and even more convinced that the treasures he'd earned were not meant for him.

"What a laughable attitude."

Atlas sneered, unimpressed with the man's arrogant behavior.

"You are quite proud of the influence you belong to. If I was greying and still stuck in the Earth Sage Realm, I would also be obsessed with the few advantages I still possessed. However…"

Altas grinned.

"...if your Heaven's Gate is as great as you say, then it should not be too difficult for you to find me, correct?"

"BOY, YOU DA–!"

The Elder's face was redder than a tomato. He roared furiously, but even then he wasn't able to finish his sentence.

Atlas stood with his back turned to the chasm and spread his arms to the side.

Kallos' golden form turned into shimmering light before disappearing into Atlas' body.

"Then, I wish you good luck in your pursuit."

Several attacks were fired in the moment between the first half of his sentence and the second, but it was already too late.

Atlas took a single step backwards.

And his body plummeted off the edge, straight into the darkness below.