There was a limitation on how many troops a Lord could summon per day into the Dominion Skirmish Battle Zone.
For Rank-2 islands, the daily summon cap was 20 troops, with a total limit of 150 troops per Lord on a single island.
Because of this restriction, strategy and troop managent were critical for survival in this battle. Every soldier lost mattered.
If a Lord lost more than 20 troops in a single day, replacing them would beco a serious challenge, as they would be unable to replenish their forces until the next summon cycle.
This limitation was even harsher for Lords who only had a limited number of troops from their original islands.
That said, 150 troops was still a significant force, and so Lords did bring their full cap into a battle. However, most chose to spread their forces across multiple islands to maximize their influence and secure multiple fronts.
Due to these constraints, Atlas could only summon Mira and Lyrassa's forces over a span of three days at maximum capacity. To prioritize efficiency, he decided to summon the leaders first, while the rest of their teams would arrive in waves over ti.
And so, that day, Atlas prepared a temporary summoning gate. This gate was a one-ti setup per day, allowing a Lord to summon their troops to the designated island.
The structure itself was simple—a large doorway-shaped fra, its top forming a half-circle, with a swirling vortex of energy at its center.
Beneath it, a massive glowing magic circle pulsed with energy, illuminating the gate's foundation as it prepared to bring reinforcents into the battlefield.
It was early morning, and the other troops were already preparing for their daily hunting routine.
The swirling energy within the summoning gate spun violently, pulsing with power.
Then—a foot stepped through first.
A small, delicate foot clad in brown leather boots.
And soon after, the rest of her figure erged.
A girl with porcelain-white skin, radiant with excitent, and a pair of rabbit ears twitching cheerfully.
"My Lord—!"
Mira imdiately sprinted toward Atlas, her face beaming with joy. Without hesitation, she threw herself at him, wrapping him in a tight embrace.
Atlas chuckled at her usual enthusiasm—he had grown used to this by now. Smiling, he returned the hug, giving her a few reassuring pats on the back.
More personnel began stepping through the summoning gate, arriving one by one.
anwhile, Mira refused to let go, clinging to him tightly.
"My Lord, I missed you so much!" she exclaid, her excitent so intense that she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.
Atlas smirked slightly. "Are you doing okay out there, Mira?"
"Yes! I'm very okay!" she finally released him, her eyes sparkling with excitent. "I have so many stories to tell you!"
"About the battle?"
She nodded rapidly, her enthusiasm contagious.
"I'll make ti to hear all of them."
The cold air and the grim atmosphere inside the cave seed to lighten instantly. Mira's cheerful energy had a way of lifting the mood, no matter how tense the situation was. And today was no exception.
With a bright grin, she turned toward the others, waving playfully.
"Hi, everyone! How are you? Why do you all look so stiff?" she teased before giggling.
As the last of the troops erged from the summoning gate, the final figure stepped through. A woman with golden blonde hair and a peaceful smile.
Lyrassa.
"My Lord… I'm here." she said softly.
Atlas felt an imnse sense of relief wash over him. Having Lyrassa here made all the difference. Without her, recovery was slow and difficult. It wasn't impossible, but the lack of rapid healing had been a constant struggle.
For the first ti, Atlas realized just how much he needed her presence. And now, seeing that calm, warm smile again—it was as if the weight on his shoulders lessened, even if just a little.
Lyrassa approached him, her soft gaze full of concern. Then, she placed both hands gently on his cheeks.
It was that sa worried expression she always had whenever she sensed that soone needed her help.
"You don't look well." she said, her voice light yet firm.
Before Atlas could respond, a wave of green energy flowed from her hands, washing over his body.
He instinctively closed his eyes, feeling the rush of vitality filling his system. He hadn't realized just how much he needed this.
Not until now.
After a full week of struggling in the relentless cold, the warmth of Lyrassa's magic was like breathing again after nearly drowning.
"We're okay. No one is seriously injured." Atlas finally responded, exhaling as he opened his eyes. "And I'm glad you both made it."
Lyrassa nodded, her expression gentle yet resolute.
"No one on my side was seriously hurt. I made sure of it—just as you instructed."
Atlas gave her a small but genuine smile.
"Thank you, Lyrassa. You and Mira did an incredible job fulfilling your mission."
After exchanging greetings and a brief reunion, Lyrassa moved through the group, checking on the troops one by one.
It was clear that their spirits had lifted—partly due to the presence of the best healer in the group, but also thanks to the best entertainer among them. Mira's boundless energy had a way of brightening the mood, making everyone montarily forget about the bone-chilling cold.
Even though most of them had begun adapting to the freezing temperatures, including Atlas himself, nights remained difficult. They had to force themselves to stay awake until late—if they slept too early, they risked waking up in the dead of night, when the cold was at its absolute worst. That was a nightmare scenario. Waking up shivering and unable to fall asleep again was a form of torture in itself.
anwhile, Kaida, the leader of Team Blaze, had also added to the lively atmosphere in the cave. Her fiery spirit matched her high affinity with the Fire Elent, making her a natural mood booster for the team.
"Hey, you all look pale—like corpses. Want to warm up with my flas?" she teased, grinning mischievously as she conjured two blazing fires in her hands.
"Kaida, NO! Thanks! We already got healing from Lyrassa—we don't need you!" The troops imdiately protested.
"Oh, co on, don't be shy! Hahaha!"
With a playful laugh, Kaida unleashed a burst of flas toward them, sending several troops scrambling away.
So laughed hysterically, while others yelled in mock terror. The atmosphere in the cave had completely changed. The arrival of reinforcents had revitalized the team—not just physically, but ntally.
Veylor, the wolf beastkin, the leader of Team Eclipse, stepped forward and bowed respectfully before Atlas.
"My Lord, Veylor reporting in."
Atlas glanced over the troops, quickly observing their levels. It was clear—most of them had gained at least one level over the past week. Whatever they had been doing, it should've involved a lot of hunting.
What exactly had they been fighting?
He knew they had conquered the island in just two days, but what had they been doing after that?
Surely, they hadn't just slaughtered every enemy they encountered… right?
Still, the results spoke for themselves.
"I see most of you have leveled up. That's good news." Atlas remarked, intrigued.
Mira bounced excitedly back to Atlas, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm, her expression beaming with joy. She hopped up and down repeatedly, her energy boundless as she launched into a rapid, giggling-filled retelling of the past week.
"Lyrassa—" she started, barely able to contain her laughter, "she conjured a massive fake nature monster! Like—this huge giant! And a whole fake army surrounded the enemy! Hahaha!"
Atlas raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"The enemy freaked out! They thought we had this huge army, and suddenly, they didn't want to fight anymore!" she continued, her innocent face brimming with excitent.
Then, without warning, she grabbed her battle hoe and started reenacting her mont of victory.
"See, My Lord—" Mira said, dramatically swinging the weapon. "I chopped off the enemy Lord's head like this! And his blood splattered all over my face! Ugh… but that was so fun! Hahaha!"
Her giggles filled the air as she casually described the battle like a child recounting a fun day at the playground.
anwhile, Atlas listened, half-amused, half-concerned.
His adorable bunny-eared elite subordinate was describing a massacre in the sa tone soone would use to talk about baking cookies.
The other troops who overheard her story? They weren't laughing, even though from Mira's perspective, it was supposed to be amusing.
No—most of them had gone pale, visibly shivering. And not because of the cold.
Mira, still cheerfully swinging her weapon, continued:
"Chop, chop, chop! I dug right into their bodies like this—"
That's— Atlas internally sighed.
That's people you're chopping, Mira!
After Lyrassa finished checking on the troops, Atlas gathered his Elite Subordinates and team leaders to discuss their strategy and plans for the next two weeks. The eting included Edrik, Morganna, Kurogasa, Baldric, Lyrassa, and Mira from his core team, along with Garren, Kaida, and Veylor as the leaders of their respective squads. With everyone assembled, it was ti to plan their next move.
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