It unfurled like a grand red carpet. A huge strip of land that extended as far as the eye could see was carved out of the surrounding scenery by Hel's power.
When Anubis showcased his power, he did it for that purpose. As such, it was grand and spectacular, but it didn't have any real effect.
This was obviously different. Hel was directly interfering with the land in her dominion. Atlas was able to see the qi of a Divine Being in action.
It was truly wondrous.
He couldn't see or sense its movents at all. It was almost as if when Hel gave the command, the entire world turned to answer her.
The strip of land was roughly a hundred kiloters across, which was more than enough space for Atlas to walk alone.
The ground within this area changed, becoming a mulch-like substance. The two sides were bordered by large fortress walls topped with flaming decorations that emitted light onto the path.
There was a haze within the walls that made it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of one's body, but otherwise, Atlas couldn't see any imdiately dangerous entities or traps.
"Is this it?"
Atlas still hadn't comprehended exactly the kind of position he was in.
He was standing next to a God. Not just any God, but Hel, a Goddess with great importance. She was much taller than him, at least double his height. Her form was difficult to ignore, but for so reason, he didn't feel bothered by it.
He was able to speak comfortably. Really, it was because Hel had specifically altered her presence so he couldn't feel her Godhood.
In part, this was out of consideration for him. But, on a much less perceptible level, there was also another reason for it.
Was it…wariness?
Regardless, Atlas couldn't sense it. He only looked over at that Goddess for a mont before directing his eyes back at the path she'd created.
[If you take this route, you will enter the Underworld you are searching for. However, that is the extent to which I will interfere.]
"I will have to go through trials when I arrive?"
[That will be determined by those present in that place. I will tell you no more.]
Atlas approached the pathway with cautious steps and took a deep breath.
'Alright.'
He prepared himself for what he would experience. Even in the blackness of Purgatory, there was great torture. He didn't underestimate the pathway just because it didn't have any obvious dangers.
'I wish I could have longer interactions with these Gods.'
Unfortunately, he wasn't enough for them to take seriously yet.
They t him only for the sake of entertainnt and then rushed him to leave because they didn't actually want to interact with him.
Was it because they looked down on him or had sothing against him?
It was nothing of the sort. Clearly, Hel wasn't antagonized to him.
They didn't give him the ti of day because he could not take their ti yet. He was not strong enough to converse with them properly from a position anywhere close to equals.
It was both because he couldn't comprehend the thoughts of soone at such a high realm and because the difference between millions of years of experience and thousands of years was very, very substantial.
He, of course, wanted to dig into the minds of these great beings and understand them better. However, they had no reason to entertain him.
He had to accept that these were connections he'd only be able to further far in the future.
Atlas took his first step into the pathway and imdiately felt a weight on his shoulders. He turned around just in ti to see the environnt of Helheim fading away, leaving only the pathway.
[Rember the Relic that you have brought with you. It will beco useful soon.]
The final words that ca from that side made Atlas' eyes widen.
'I see…'
So that was who she was. She was the very sa person who told him to fight the Hell Guardian and keep the Death Relic for himself.
He had forgotten entirely about the fact that he needed the recomndation of a God of Death in order to enter the Underworld. As it turned out, she had given him that recomndation long before he'd actually completed the Hell Guardian's trials.
'She said the people around her are also looking at . Do they want as an ally…?' Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire
They were scouting him as talent, but rather than trying to recruit him, they were trying to partner with him.
It was an interesting approach he hadn't seen before, but he didn't mind it. It remained to be seen how their relationship would pan out.
But, that was a matter for the future. At the mont, there wasn't much else Atlas could focus on but his surroundings.
He hadn't stepped more than a single foot into the pathway, but the sky and the space beyond had beco darkness.
The only light present ca from the flas atop the walls. They were the only ones keeping Atlas aware of what direction he needed to move in.
'There's no reason to wait.'
He knew that nothing good would co from following the path, but since that was established from the start, he could traverse it without fear.
He stepped forward once, then twice, then three tis. He walked through the pathway, patiently waiting for things to get worse.
It started with nothing more than an increase in the suppressive force he felt. The weight on his shoulders was barely noticeable at first, but once he'd moved a few feet forward, it felt like he was carrying sothing small on his back.
'Will it just be like this?'
If so, wasn't it more of a physical thing than anything else?
Atlas kept moving forward.
Ten ters, twenty ters, fifty ters…
When he reached the one-hundred-ter point, he felt as if he was carrying a boulder. Sweat started to collect on his brow, but only in the smallest quality.
'This is the kind of training I did in order to build my strength.'
As such, a boulder wasn't necessarily concerning.
'What causes concern is the fact that I can perspire at all.'
Wasn't he supposed to be a soul body? Wasn't he supposed to be unable to physically excrete anything?
How was he able to sweat?
His eyes narrowed as he looked down the path. Realizing that his physical body had also been semi-materialized, his attitude shifted.
'The weight hasn't stopped increasing.'
His steps started to slow as he reached the two-hundred-ter mark.
The boulder on his back beca larger and larger. It beca large enough to be called a hill, and eventually, it beca large enough to be called a mountain.
A mountain…
A World Core Realm expert was right about strong enough to obliterate a mountain with a single fist, but what about soone at the Law Sea Realm?
Atlas' steps slowed until he was barely walking at all. The weight on his back was already imnse, but it was only the first of his problems.
After all, Hel said that he would have to suffer if he wanted to take the easy route.
And if the goal was to make him suffer, then the weight could only be the first of many tribulations.
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