CHAPTER 307: CHAPTER 307 - THE REAL ONE BLEEDS

Atlas was surrounded from every direction by the enemy’s copies. Whether they were illusionary projections or physical clones, he couldn’t tell yet. He would only know once they struck simultaneously.

With foes circling him on all sides, it would have been nearly impossible to face them all at once. If he relied on his eyes alone. But Atlas had trained far beyond that. He could fight even without sight, relying on the rhythm of movement, the vibration of mana in the air, and the pressure that his enemies released with every motion.

One clone darted in from behind. Atlas clenched his teeth, spinning sharply as his spear cut through the air. The attack missed, his weapon slicing through nothing but mist, as the clone slipped past him effortlessly and its hand darted forward to strike.

Damn! Even the clone moves this fast!

Two more charged from his flanks, closing in from the right and left. Atlas reacted instantly, propelling himself upward with a burst of lightning. But as soon as he rose, two more clones met him midair, their feet whipping toward him in synchronized kicks.

Atlas twisted his spear and swung in a wide arc, meeting their attacks head-on. The blade slashed through them cleanly. Both clones shattered like glass, dissolving into blue light.

Yet more emerged, rushing him from every angle at once. Atlas tried to block and counter, but in that brief instant, a powerful strike landed squarely on his back.

"Ugh—!" The blow hit hard. The impact sent him flying upward, spinning through the air uncontrollably.

More clones surged after him, streaking toward his path with killing intent, their movements so precise it was as if they anticipated every motion he would make.

But Atlas wasn’t done. He twisted midair, forcing his body into alignment, and landed hard on a floating platform. His feet struck the surface, and in that same moment, lightning burst from beneath him.

Lightning Step!

His figure vanished in a flash of golden light, reappearing behind his pursuers as his spear tore through them in rapid succession. One, two, three. Each clone burst apart under the force of his attack.

How foolish of him, only now, in the middle of this chaos, did Atlas realize that his conditional passive skill, Crimson Tempest Guard, wasn’t triggering at all. The ability was supposed to activate whenever he successfully parried an enemy’s strike, yet no matter how many hits he deflected, it didn’t react.

So that was it, the skill only worked against weapon-based attacks. Against bare-handed assaults like Bai Yun’s, it was useless.

The fight raged on, and the endless flurry of Bai Yun’s clones overwhelmed him from every direction. Their fists and kicks struck in perfect unison, forcing Atlas onto the defensive.

He was thrown through the air again and again, his body spinning as he struggled to regain balance. Each time he found his footing, another blow would land, driving him back into the storm.

A pair of powerful hits smashed into his chest and back, sending him hurtling downward like a comet. Atlas gritted his teeth, forcing his focus into his core. A glowing platform of light formed beneath him just in time. He struck it hard, then pushed off with explosive force, propelling himself upward once more as several clones dove down from above to finish him off.

[Unique – Stormcall Domain (Active Skill) activated.]

The sky darkened instantly, and thunder cracked across the heavens. Bolts of lightning cascaded downward, striking furiously around the battlefield. Atlas surged through the air like a golden tempest, his armor blazing with arcs of power, every movement shaking with raw energy.

But the clones reacted just as fast. The moment the storm took form, they broke formation, diving and spinning through the sky, evading every bolt of lightning with fluid precision.

"HAHAHA! THE SAME TRICK WON’T WORK ON ME TWICE, ATLAS! TRY SOMETHING MORE CREATIVE!" they shouted in unison.

Atlas dove sharply, using the air itself as leverage as he launched another jump, propelling himself at incredible speed toward the fleeing clones. Yet, within seconds, they had already slipped beyond the range of his Stormcall Domain, the edge of the storm fading behind them.

At that moment, the twelve Bai Yun clones aligned themselves vertically in the air, forming a circular formation that spun like a spiral. Their hands blurred as they performed rapid hand seal movements, their bodies glowing with blue light that pulsed in unison.

Behind them, the massive azure dragon arched its neck, its jaws opening wide as it began charging another devastating blast.

[Epic – Storm Chain: Judgment Spear (Conditional Active Skill) activated.]

Lightning roared in answer. Atlas’s spear pulsed as he drew in the bolts from the raging sky above, the energy surging violently toward the weapon’s tip until it glowed blinding gold.

"YOU’RE A FOOL, ATLAS!" the clones shouted as one.

But Atlas’s focus never wavered. In that perfect instant, he stopped midair, twisting his body with explosive precision, and hurled his spear forward with all his strength. The weapon shot across the sky, pulling the storm with it. Bolts of lightning followed like a divine chain, all converging into a single colossal strike.

The impact came like the wrath of the heavens. The spear met the enemy’s energy blast head-on, and for a fraction of a second, the sky went white. Then came the explosion—massive, deafening, swallowing everything in a wave of fire, smoke, and ash. The shockwave rippled through the clouds, shaking the air for miles.

Atlas surged forward again, teeth clenched, lightning bursting behind him.

[Unique – Crimson Reaper’s Descent (Active Skill) activated.]

A surge of crimson lightning erupted at his back, twisting into the spectral form of a dark crimson reaper. The ghostly figure spread its wings wide, following him closely as if mirroring his every move.

Atlas clenched his fist tightly, and at his command, the Wavebreaker Spear reappeared, spinning through the smoke and flames, drawn back to him like a bolt of fate itself.

This was one of the exclusive abilities granted through his merge with Zefyros. The power to control the Wavebreaker Spear, to throw it at will and summon it back through sheer force of will and command.

The weapon spun into his grasp again, lightning sparking violently upon impact with his palm. Atlas narrowed his eyes toward the veil of smoke ahead.

The real battle was only just beginning.

Through the smoke and the fading light of the explosion, Atlas narrowed his eyes. His vision cut through the swirling ash until he saw them. Bai Yun and his remaining clones, still hovering defiantly in the air. They were already moving, preparing another synchronized assault.

But Atlas only smiled faintly.

[Elite – Flurry of Spears (Active Skill) Lv. 9 activated.]

His body blurred, lightning exploding beneath his feet as he launched himself forward. In an instant, he was right in front of one of the clones. And the man’s eyes widened in shock.

Atlas had found the real one!

The Crimson Reaper behind Atlas flared with violent energy, hurling a chain of blood-red lightning straight toward Bai Yun. The enemy lord hastily raised his hand, summoning a glowing protective magic formation before him.

The chain struck it, sparking with force. But the barrier held, nullifying the first impact.

It didn’t matter.

Atlas was already there. His spear thrust forward in a blur of golden arcs, blow after blow crashing against Bai Yun’s defense. Sparks scattered, the sound of impact shaking the air as Bai Yun was forced back, his expression twisting with frustration.

Then came the follow-up. The reaper, still hovering behind Atlas, raised its crimson chain once more. It tore through the remnants of the magic barrier and struck Bai Yun square in the chest.

The man’s eyes went wide. A choked gasp escaped his throat as blood sprayed from his mouth, scattering through the air. His body was hurled backward violently, crashing through the clouds with tremendous force.

The moment he was hit, the remaining clones flickered, then shattered all at once, dissolving into fragments of blue light that vanished into the air.

Only the real Bai Yun remained, tumbling helplessly through the storm.

Atlas smirked, lightning crackling along the edges of his armor as he launched himself forward once more. The Crimson Reaper behind him had faded into mist.

Now he understood.

He had seen the limits of Bai Yun’s ability. How long his barrier could last, how many attacks it could nullify, and the delay before he could conjure another one. That brief window was all Atlas needed.

"Now I know your limits," he murmured, his grin widening as golden lightning exploded beneath his feet.

In the next heartbeat, he vanished from sight, surging through the air like a thunderbolt straight toward his wounded opponent.

**

(Author’s Note:)

Hey everyone!

I know action scenes can sometimes feel a bit slow when all you really want is to see how it ends already. Trust me, I get it! But there are parts I just can’t rush through. Because they show how hard Atlas has worked to grow stronger.

I promise, I skip the boring, copy-paste fights. Only the juicy stuff stays. But yeah... Some fights are just too epic to wrap up in a single Chapter. Cliffhanger included. You’re welcome.

Thanks for sticking around even when the final blow hasn’t landed yet.