Level Up: Voidwalker

Seeing an opening, he hurled firebombs at the ground, each exploding into roaring flames that surged in waves over the monster. The fiery assault forced the beast to recoil, granting him the chance to close the distance.

Wasting no time, he lunged forward, his blades slicing through the creature's thick hide with ferocity. While fighting with the king, a deep menacing voice echoed in his mind, 'Why do you fight? Tell me, young Voidwalker.'

When Atlas heard this, he ducked until a tail swing before blasting it with Void Lances that burrowed into the Tarrasque's torso. He used Void Step to clear some space while answering, ''A home and peaceful life, I want to live a fun life with my women, but the empire refuses to leave me alone, so here I am.''

The monster stopped moving as it eyed him with its blood-red eyes. 'Why such a simple wish? Why not become a king or a god?'

He shook his head with a smile, ''Simple moments are the ones that shine the brightest in life.''

As Atlas finished speaking, the monster fixed him with an intense gaze, its immense form still and imposing. After a tense moment, it dipped its head slightly.

''I understand,'' the creature rumbled, its voice resonating with an unexpected calm. ''You are truly unlike the previous master. I forfeit this battle and declare you the winner.''

Atlas blinked in disbelief. 'What the fuck?' he thought.

Before Atlas could fully process what had just transpired, the Terrasques dissolved into nothingness. In the blink of an eye, he was back in the real world. He shook his head, still trying to make sense of it all, then muttered, ''Weird monster... but at least he made it easy for me.''

They were still flying across the wolf kingdoms, but suddenly Raymond dived as a wave of spells shot toward them. Atlas looked over to see a group of men standing on a hill targeting them.

The Stormeagle dived and fired a stream of lightning at the attackers. When the spells hit the mages, it turned them into blood mist. Impressed by this, Atlas praised the monster, saying, ''Well done, Ray! Good attack.''

Following that, the monster continued flying across the snowy landscape, the chilly wind howling as they soared through the sky, the landscape below an endless stretch of snow and ice.

The snow-covered peaks glistened under the pale sunlight, their jagged edges cutting into the horizon. Atlas noticed there weren't any monsters flying around, but Raymond's voice echoed in his mind, 'I have to rest, Master. The wind is getting stronger.'

''Okay, land on a mountaintop where nothing can get us,'' he replied. ''It's getting late, anyway.''

Raymond dove toward a nearby ledge and landed with a resounding crash, giving Atlas and the women a chance to dismount from his back as he settled to rest. Atlas gently stroked the exhausted bird with a grateful smile, saying, ''Thanks for the help, Ray.''

The monster nodded before vanishing into the Otherworld as a rainstorm started lashing the world, causing them to retreat to the treehouse. Once inside, Estelle and Amethyst, alongside Zena, started cooking.

They were busy planning a meal that made Atlas smile when hearing them bickering. Grishna and Nulia went to have a bath while Artemis walked over to him with a big smile as she spoke. ''I'm going to join those two in the baths. I have blood all over me, but can we spend the night together?''

When Atlas heard this, he agreed. ''Yes, that's fine. Once you're done and I get tired, I'll come to your room.''

The brunette beamed before rushing off to follow the others. He watched her vanish before starting a fire using Void Bullet. A blue flame erupted, which sent hot air washing throughout the treehouse.

Following that, Atlas relaxed and looked out the window as the storm worsened and Zena spoke from behind him. ''North Astoria is the worst place to be during the winter. It always gets cold.''

He looked back at the dark-haired wolf woman who joined him. Atlas smiled at her before answering. ''Ever since arriving here, all I've been is cold. I've got winter clothes, but they don't seem to do anything.''n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zena giggled while nodding. ''Yes, it's bad, but this treehouse seems to hold up good.''

Atlas smiled at the wolf before the two fell into a peaceful silence as the smell of cooking food wafted through the air. His stomach rumbled, which made Zena laugh once more than she spoke. ''You're always hungry, aren't you?''

''I love the girls' cooking. They are getting better every time,'' he answered as Amethyst brought him a plate of meat.

The phoenix woman beamed, ''Here you go. Estelle asked me to bring this to you after hearing your stomach rumble,'' she said with a giggle.

Atlas thanked her before she returned to the blonde, who was busy cooking for the group. He began eating, savoring the meal. Zena chuckled, rising to her feet and heading toward the bathroom.

''I'm going to freshen up for dinner,'' she called over her shoulder with a grin.

After that, Atlas began eating, his gaze drifting to the window where rain lashed against the glass, driven by the storm. He leaned back in his chair, the last bite of his meal resting on his fork.

He watched the storm raging furiously outside the window. Raindrops streaked down the glass, illuminated by flashes of lightning that briefly lit the darkened room. The low rumble of thunder rolled in the distance, a soothing contrast to the chaos outside.

Atlas chewed slowly, savoring the rare moment of calm as the storm raged outside. A deep yawn escaped him as he stretched before reaching for a nearby blanket. Wrapping it around himself, he settled onto the sofa, exhaustion weighing heavily on him.

Within moments, he was curled up, drifting into a peaceful sleep as the women continued going about their business while he rested.

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