The man was large, at least twice the size of soone like Atlas. The pressure of his natural aura was also sothing most people would be unable to bear.
In all ways, the man looked and felt like he truly deserved the title, [Calamity Dragon].
Yet, his attitude remained that of a grandfather that every child loved dearly, the sa kind of grandfather who made his own children endlessly sigh in weariness.
'Kallos was also this kind of person, and until my final day, I was never able to win against that attitude.'
He learned that it was just better to accept it and go along with it. So, that was exactly what he did even in this mont.
"It is a pleasure to finally et you, sir. I have long heard of your great na."
He decided to be cordial. Alaric was not soone he could treat as a friend even if his attitude suggested it. He was a powerhouse of unbelievable strength. His words weren't fooling anyone. The look in his eye and that aura filled with blood were not friendly in the slightest.
"Hmm…"
Alaric rubbed his beard, scanning Atlas up and down.
"So, my wife sent you here?" He asked, sowhat dropping his original deanor.
"Yes. She said that we both may find sothing by eting," Atlas responded.
Alaric scratched his head.
"Well, if she said it, then it must be true. Since you are Ari's friend, I don't mind spending so effort on you, but you'll have to prove yourself first."
"Sorry?" Atlas said with confusion.
"What? You ca here to beco my disciple, didn't you? I won't just accept you because you look good," Alaric replied.
"No, I–"
"Anyway, let see what you're capable of. Everything else can co after."
In the seconds that followed those two sentences, Atlas had that thought.
'I truly should have ran.'
BOOM!
Alaric disappeared, only becoming visible enough when he was right in front of Atlas.
[Intrinsic Foresight]
The ability activated automatically.
'He has lowered himself to my level.'
The fact that Atlas could see him was enough proof.
When the attack finally struck, Atlas was already prepared. He dodged to the side and slamd his foot into the ground.
[Exploding Runes]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The impacts occurred directly on Alaric's skin. They did no damage whatsoever, but they did their job well enough.
While his body was covered by their light, Atlas moved behind his target and jumped into the air. Two chain sickles appeared in his hand, and in the next mont, they were striking towards Alaric's neck.
"Good battle sense!"
They were re words spoken in a direction facing away from Atlas, but the force they created was massive.
Each syllable felt like an explosion that made Atlas' ears ring. He was thrown back on three separate occasions before he could stand up again, and when he was finally reoriented, he was already in the midst of another collision.
'This speed…'
Alaric did nothing but throw punches. He didn't even mobilize a fraction of his qi, using purely a fraction of his physical strength.
Yet, none of that mattered. This was never a fight that Atlas could win. It was rely a place for him to show off his skills.
BOOM!
Atlas crossed his arms and took the attack. The shock reverberated through him, but the actual level of damage was surprisingly low. There were a few cracks in his forearms, but they could be easily regenerated without wasting too much ntal power.
Plus, the strike allowed Atlas to make so distance. He threw a chain sickle at Alaric and another one at a faraway pillar. Naturally, a chain sickle wouldn't do anything to Alaric, but by the ti he was slapping it away, the second blade successfully stabbed into the top of the pillar and anchored itself.
Atlas gripped the chain with all his strength as he saw Alaric gearing up for another approach. Just as the man disappeared from his sight, Atlas was able to make his move.
'Return.'
The chain sickles were able to extend infinitely as long as Atlas gave them qi. This was the sa in the opposite direction as well. As long as the sickle was anchored properly, the mont he retracted his qi…
Whoosh!
Alaric appeared in front of thin air. Atlas flew into the air on a path to the pillar he was anchored to. Turning around, he raised his hand and mobilized as much qi as he could reasonably allow.
[Hidden Fla Lance]
The technique was used three tis in quick succession. As the fla lances moved towards Alaric, Atlas dropped to the ground and prepared for the next attack.
He knew that the array of explosions ongoing at the other side of the arena ant nothing.
As he expected, a shadow appeared amidst the chaos, walking through the flas to reveal itself as an unhard Alaric.
"Interesting! You are at the Core Formation Realm, yet in control alone, you surpass a common Earth Sage. Still, your skill is shallow. You clearly have sothing to rely on, but you are choosing not to rely on it."
Alaric spoke and slowly approached. Atlas maintained a stance prepared for battle only until he confird that he was no longer interested in fighting.
"Relax, kid. That was enough. I've seen your level clearly."
Those words, along with his lack of sudden movents, gave Atlas so assurance. He put his weapons away, but he did not stop circulating his qi, just in case Alaric was bluffing.
Fortunately, he was not.
"You don't need my help when it cos to comprehending the Dao. It's probably not sothing I can help you with anyway. If my wife wants to help you, though… I guess there are so things I can teach you."
This was the story of how Atlas unwittingly beca the disciple of the Calamity Dragon. He never asked for it or planned for it, but as the days passed, he realized that it was better for him to stay and learn properly.
First and foremost, there was nothing embarrassing or shaful about becoming the disciple of soone far stronger than oneself, especially if that person could truly improve one's strength.
The matter of the soul that he wanted to solve originally was put on hold as it was not sothing to be easily understood. Nevertheless, when Atlas finally settled into his temporary life with the Azure Dragon Clan, he found that the things he received here were too good to pass up because he didn't directly desire the situation.
This was an environnt where he could truly accomplish everything he ca to Vanatos for, and he could do it at a far faster pace than if he did it alone.
'My mind tells to walk a lonely road, as it is the only road that I have ever known. However, in this life, I am being thrown allies from all directions. It is almost as if so higher entity is trying to send a ssage.'
He couldn't walk this path with absolute confidence because of that worry.
'Does it originate from the darkness?'
The darkness originated from the mysteries of his past, and the worries impeding him originated from the darkness.
At the end of the day, the only solution was to climb the tower, continue to develop, and find the truth.
And if the Azure Dragon Clan was destined to be a part of that fate, then he was more than happy to ignore his instincts.
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