Atlas stood with Luna and Tessa as the battle between Nysera and the opposing force finally began.
Nysera, dressed in her assassin outfit, stood on one side at the edge of a cliff. In front of her stretched a vast open field, followed by forests and even mountain ranges beyond. It was an enormous battlefield, far wider than anyone could have expected.
The enemy had begun to reveal themselves in the distant horizon. Their army, numbering in the hundreds, maybe even more than a thousand, slowly showed their shapes one by one, clearly ready to attack whatever stood in their way.
The screen focused on Nysera’s face, her expression firm and unshaken, her long black hair tied neatly behind her head. Then, as if the world itself heard the command of this lord, a massive black shadow suddenly spread across the ground.
Atlas noticed the area around him growing darker.
He glanced up at the sky and saw part of the sun beginning to disappear.
Eclipse Dominion had begun to show its power. This was a system ability that allowed the lord to cover the battlefield in darkness, weakening the enemy’s energy flow while strengthening forces aligned with shadow or night.
Normally, it was supposed to be a domain that only enclosed a limited area. But what was happening now was sothing entirely different.
The bright dayti sky from monts ago suddenly dimd at an alarming speed. Even the sun looked as if it had sunk halfway, slowly being covered by what seed to be the moon.
There was no way a system ability could truly cause sothing like this, right?
Was this an actual eclipse happening in real ti? A system ability powerful enough to affect nature on such a scale? Was that really possible?
Luna stood beside Atlas and leaned in closer, whispering to him. "It really is incredible that we can witness a real eclipse like this, all because of a system ability," she said in a soft voice.
"She said this is her ultimate ability," Atlas continued. What that ant was that Nysera had sacrificed sothing to make this happen.
"The price she had to pay was extrely heavy. And it was not paid by her alone, but by every soldier under her command."
"Nysera," Luna went on, "and everyone involved in this war will not be able to use their abilities for the next thirty days."
It was a truly devastating price to pay.
This was truly a massive gamble. The enemy they were facing was also a rank-two lord, but one who commanded an army with an average level higher than Nysera’s forces.
On top of that, she had suffered a major defeat in the previous battle. Even though she had mostly recovered by now, thanks to reinforcents from Atlas and the others, the number of troops she could bring this ti reached around a thousand soldiers.
Not long after, Atlas shifted his perception. He stopped relying on his eyes and switched to detecting his surroundings using his other senses. The world around them had fallen into complete darkness. Even the massive floating screen in front of them was now entirely black, showing nothing at all.
"Nysera has successfully activated her ability," Luna said quietly.
After a mont passed, a light appeared across from him. Bolin’s figure erged, faint light wrapping around his body, making him visible in the darkness.
Bolin clapped his hands, the sound clear and deliberate. The applause was slow and low. "Truly impressive. You really did not hold back this ti."
Atlas, even while subrged in the darkness, responded calmly. "There is no way it is this easy, right? Do not tell you ca here unprepared. In complete darkness, Nysera and her army will dominate the battlefield entirely."
"Hah!" Bolin laughed again. His satisfied and arrogant expression was clearly visible, even in the pitch-black surroundings. "I like your confidence, Atlas. I really do. But of course, we did not co into this war without preparation. We would not be foolish enough to challenge her power without a proper answer."
And just as he said that, sothing happened.
A light appeared.
It was blindingly bright.
Atlas instinctively looked toward the edge of the floating island, where the intense light had erged, right from the center of the war zone.
The light was overwhelming, clearly coming from sothing massive, though its shape was not yet visible.
Then, on the huge screen in front of them, sothing enormous could be seen forming above the battlefield.
It was a gigantic ball of fire.
It appeared suddenly, rapidly expanding, growing larger with each passing mont.
The complete darkness that had covered everything was pierced by what looked like a miniature sun. In an instant, the battlefield that had been swallowed by shadow was illuminated again, its surface clearly visible.
Atlas had to narrow his eyes from the sheer brightness. And more than that, the heat was intense. Even for Atlas, soone who was used to burning himself, the temperature felt far higher than anything he expected.
Everyone stared with their mouths slightly open. Nysera had brought the presence of an Eclipse into this war, fully covering the sun and plunging the battlefield into complete darkness. And yet, the enemy suddenly answered by bringing their own sun.
Now the war zone was completely bright again. The miniature sun that had appeared so suddenly began to scorch everything beneath it. Trees and anything else within the battlefield started to wither and lt at an alarming rate.
Atlas could feel a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead.
"I think the battle is ready to begin, Atlas," Bolin said.
Atlas watched closely. Nysera and her army remained in position, not making a single move. anwhile, the miniature sun began to rotate. At first it spun slowly, then faster and faster.
From within the miniature sun, massive fireballs were launched at terrifying speed. In just a mont, hundreds, no, thousands of blazing spheres spread across the sky, as if the heavens themselves were about to rain down colossal fire.
Every pair of eyes widened in shock as the countless fireballs streaked toward Nysera and her army.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Bolin laughed loudly, his voice filled with triumph.
"Look at this. This is the difference between us. You thought darkness alone would decide the war. You thought you had already won the mont the sun disappeared. But now, witness it clearly. Even in your precious night, my light will burn everything you stand for. This battlefield, this war, and your so-called advantage, all of it will be reduced to ashes!"
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