Atlas spun his spear again. He would have to leap again and again until he reached the edge of the raging whirlwind. It felt almost the sa as when he had faced towering waves before. Enduring, adapting, rging with the storm itself.
He steadied himself, drawing in the elental particles thick in the air, weaving them through his body. Activating the Lightning Step skill once more, he sprinted forward, lightning bursting around him as he launched across the yawning gap between two peaks.
Once, in the past, he would have shuddered at even crossing a bridge, haunted by that first fall into the abyss. Now he flew through open air, montum carrying him with explosive force, and landed hard.
This ti, his footing held. Atlas grinned, pushing off again, his body still cloaked in golden arcs from Lightning Step. He made another jump.
But mid-air, the skill flickered out.
He slamd down fast, rolling with the impact to bleed off the force, his movents sharp and disciplined. Rising with a breathless laugh, he surged forward again, repeating the rhythm, again and again.
**
Atlas stood firm, bracing himself against the raging winds that roared in from every direction, as if simply standing there wasn’t enough. But he’d faced trials like this before. This ti, he was more prepared.
He held on with everything he had as the massive tornado surged closer. His teeth clenched. He tried to twist his spear, continuing to channel elental particles into himself.
Then... the enormous whirlwind crashed down around him, and Atlas couldn’t hold his ground. He was yanked violently by the sheer force of the wind, unable to strike back.
"ARGH!"
He gasped for air as the pressure closed in on him, the pull of energy nearly unbearable. He clung tightly to his spear, refusing to let it go, but his body was dragged relentlessly into the swirling vortex. He spun through the air, whipped around with incredible speed.
But still, it wasn’t as fast as when he used Lightning Step.
He had to breathe. He held his breath, tried to draw in even a little air, but his chest felt like it might explode from the strain.
Atlas was caught in the sa brutal state over and over again. He could barely see. Everything around him blurred, moving too fast. Rocks and debris slamd into him from all directions. Thankfully, he was wearing his armor.
He shut his helt and closed his eyes. In conditions like this, sight was useless.
He let himself beco part of the storm. Part of the howling wind, the powerful vortex. He let himself feel the pattern. But it was too strong. His body felt like it was about to be ripped apart.
It was too fast. He was tossed around violently, trapped in the sa brutal motion. His entire body was thrown without rcy. It felt like his insides were about to spill out from the sheer force of it.
Then, in a sudden, jarring mont, a surge of force hit his body.
"Damn!"
Atlas’ eyes snapped open as the storm flung him out of its grasp. The impact was brutal. He was hurled uncontrollably through the air.
A flash of panic hit him, but he fought to steady himself. He spun his spear, trying to counter the wind’s force with his elental energy. But it didn’t work.
He was about to crash into the rocks. He could survive it, if he angled his body just right. If he let his side take the hit!
But in that blinding, breathless instant, he saw a streak of red energy dart toward him. And suddenly, sothing caught him mid-air.
"I got you, my Lord!" Serenith called out as she caught him from behind.
She tried to beat her wings, but the wind was too wild. It threw them both backward with incredible force.
Serenith clung tightly to him as they were flung further away by the storm.
"Sera, don’t use your body!" he shouted.
And in the final mont, Atlas used the montum to twist their position, wrapping his arms around Sera protectively.
In the next instant, they slamd into the jagged cliff wall, both taking the full brunt of the blow from the sides. Like every bone in his body shattered.
They tumbled violently down the slope. Atlas still held Serenith tightly. But the girl opened her eyes and grinned. Then, just before they hit the ground, Serenith snapped her wings open with a powerful flap, slowing their fall.
They landed safely.
Both of them stood, feet firm on the ground. Atlas released her, and they turned to face each other just as the girl let out a soft laugh in his direction.
"That was pretty fun, my Lord."
"Thanks... for showing up just in ti."
"As promised," she said with a confident smile.
Serenith glanced upward, her eyes following the towering height above them. Then she smiled. "We fell from all the way up there. Do you need to help you get back up, my Lord?"
She turned back to face Atlas.
"Technically, climbing all the way back to that peak wasn’t part of the training," he replied with a grin.
A little help wouldn’t hurt, right?
"All right~" She stepped behind him. But Atlas shifted to the side slightly.
He reached for her hands. "Can you do it this way?"
She smiled warmly and nodded.
Their hands clasped together, and as Serenith’s wings spread wide once again, she launched into the air—pulling Atlas with her as they shot upward at incredible speed.
In an instant, they were back at the summit. Serenith soared closer, then gently released him, letting him land firmly on the peak once more.
She saluted him with a playful grin. "I’ll be waiting further ahead, my Lord."
"Alright!"
With that, the girl lifted off again and soared into the distance, leaving Atlas standing on the peak, watching her silhouette shrink against the sky.
Atlas summoned his spear once more, his focus sharpening. This was only the beginning. He could do this again. Dozens of tis, even hundreds. Until he mastered this storm!
Without hesitation, he sprinted forward, using Lightning Step to launch himself toward the heart of the massive tornado. He allowed his body to be pulled into its center once again, thrown and battered as the vortex tossed him like a ragdoll through its violent spin.
But this ti... it was better than before.
From afar, Kurogasa and the others watched, seeing Atlas’s body—no more than a speck, being whipped around like a fragnt of stone caught in the storm’s fury. A massive burst of force struck again, flinging him violently from the tornado’s grasp.
Serenith shot forward imdiately, catching Atlas mid-air in the distance. This ti, they managed to land with more control atop another peak.
Serenith then lifted off again, heading back to a safer vantage point.
Wrapped in golden lightning, Atlas leapt from one peak to another, surging upward. And just like before, the storm pulled him in again. Even from a distance, the trails of his golden lightning could still be seen spiraling within the vast tornado like a streak of energy threading through chaos.
Another violent throw launched him once more.
"He can do it!" Kurogasa finally declared.
"Are you sure, Master Kurogasa?" Serenith asked, hesitating just before she took off again to help.
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