CHAPTER 345: CHAPTER 345 - DEMONIC REAPER

"There’s a consequence," Luna explained. "This ability can only be used either on my own people or on someone outside my system. But once I apply it to you, Atlas, you’ll be registered into my system link. Later, the synchronization process will be smoother."

"Oh, so Ember will revert to her normal form once you apply it on me? Interesting," Atlas said with a smirk. "Her blazing aura is too bright for my eyes anyway."

"How funny, Atlas," Ember replied dryly, rolling her eyes.

Atlas chuckled as Ember’s fiery aura began to fade, dispersing into faint embers that drifted away like ash. Her appearance returned to normal.

Then, a system notification appeared before Atlas.

[Luna is attempting to apply "Celestial Vanguard Transformation" to you. Confirm?]

He nodded, accepting the prompt.

A surge of light burst around him as his Nightfall Sentinel Armor Set resonated with Luna’s energy. A thick, dark-blue aura enveloped his body, swirling like living shadows. Atlas stepped back slightly, squinting as the transformation sequence grew brighter and more intense.

"Please don’t make the outfit too weird..." he muttered under his breath.

[Applying transformation...]

The light flared, arcs of lightning tracing over his armor. When it finally faded, Atlas looked down at himself. The original armor had changed subtly.

A glowing blue vein-like pattern pulsed across his chest, channeling streams of energy. From the sides of his temples, two crimson energy horns extended outward. A sleek mask then materialized over his face, seamlessly matching the dark-blue metallic design of his armor.

[Demonic Reaper Form successfully applied to target.]

[Transformation Effects:]

[ - The user now channels Animus as a replacement for the Stamina stat.]

[ - The user no longer experiences fatigue or requires sleep.]

[ - Killing an enemy instantly restores a portion of health and Animus.]

[ - Significant boost to Shadow Element Affinity.]

[ - New Ability Unlocked: Umbra Limbs – allows the user to manifest and control shadows as physical extensions of the body to attack, defend, or manipulate objects.]

[ - Increased movement speed and strength in darkness.]

[ - Boosted killing instinct and combat precision.]

[ - Passive effect: "Predator’s Presence" – instills fear and hesitation in nearby enemies of lower rank.]

"Demonic Reaper," Atlas muttered, swallowing hard as his voice rumbled beneath the mask.

"And the effects... are incredible." He turned toward Luna. "Honestly, calling this an S-rank ability feels like an understatement."

Luna gave him a small, knowing smile, but before she could respond, Ember chuckled softly. "You really do look the part, Atlas. This demonic form suits you perfectly. It reflects exactly what’s inside you. Truly, the title ’the most cunning lord’ couldn’t fit anyone better."

Atlas exhaled with a half-smirk, gripping his Wavebreaker Spear tightly.

With this form, he could now use Animus, the same stat possessed by Dullorak and Everburn, both undead beings. And damn, it felt incredible.

With Animus flowing through him, he no longer needed rest. If only I could stay like this forever, he thought briefly, feeling the raw energy vibrating through every fiber of his body.

"I bet now you’re thinking about marrying Luna just because of how amazing that ability is," Ember teased, smirking.

Atlas turned his masked face toward both of them. "That actually sounds like a great idea."

"Shut up!" Luna snapped instantly. "You’re about to dive into a battlefield with hundreds of people below, in case you forgot!"

Atlas chuckled lowly, then turned to Tessa. "Ready?"

The short-haired woman in heavy armor nodded, her gaze sharp and focused.

"I can only maintain my ability for up to two minutes. Once I cast my Domain, everyone above level 140 will be locked out of their abilities. They’ll also become immune to all forms of damage. Essentially, they’ll be removed from the fight temporarily. But anyone below that threshold will remain vulnerable. That means you can go visit Bolin untouched there."

"Understood," Atlas replied firmly.

Tessa continued, "I’ll activate the Domain the moment you’re halfway down, so your opening attack hits just as their higher-level members lose access to their skills."

Atlas’s expression hardened again. "I’ll leave it to you, Tessa."

Atlas double-checked everything one last time. The buff potions, the active skill boosts, every cooldown timer. He had done this twice before in the past few days: unleashing a storm of massive area skills against dozens, even hundreds, of targets. By now, he had learned to control the flow of his power, managing each burst with better precision and timing.

He turned to his left, where Elyndra stood ready at the edge of the floating throne. She would be descending alongside him, both to ensure his safety during the fall and to pull him out quickly once his "conversation" with the enemy leader below was finished.

Once everyone gave their signal, Atlas stepped forward to the edge. For a brief moment, the night wind howled around him. Then he let himself fall.

The air screamed past him as his body sliced through the darkness. But this time, something was different. The energy surrounding him had transformed. Black and blue auras spiraled around his body, forming thin, flowing veils of energy that trailed behind him like ribbons of living shadow. They moved with him, responding like extensions of his armor.

Then, from his back, the shadows flared and solidified. His shadow tendrils extended outward, shifting shape until they resembled vast spectral wings. With a powerful motion, he beat them once, and his descent steadied, his body gliding through the night like a dark reaper descending from the heavens.

Elyndra followed close behind, her figure gleaming faintly. Two silhouettes cut through the sky. One cloaked in black with a crimson-tinged aura, and the other radiant in white and gold. Both spread their wings wide as they dove together toward the battlefield below, the light and the dark descending in perfect unison.

Atlas prepared to unleash his most devastating area skills. An attack with multiple layers of impact and overwhelming reach. Against enemies clustered together, exhausted, and caught without proper defense, the result would be catastrophic.

They had no idea what kind of destruction was about to rain down on them.

Even worse for them, Atlas’s new Animus system meant his energy would keep regenerating with every kill he made. The more enemies fell, the stronger and faster his recovery became.

His only real limitation now was Mana Regeneration, and that was exactly why Elyndra dove with him tonight, to ensure he had a steady mana supply throughout the assault.

"Now!" he roared through gritted teeth.

A thunderous crack tore through the night. The already dark sky turned pitch-black as massive storm clouds gathered above, swallowing the moon and covering the entire island beneath them.

Lightning erupted. Thick, jagged bolts crashing downward in torrents. The ground below was struck again and again as colossal pillars of lightning rained from the sky like a divine storm of judgment. The entire battlefield lit up in blinding flashes, followed by the deep, rolling boom of the heavens splitting apart.

Atlas clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on the Wavebreaker Spear, his body trembling with raw energy. One by one, he activated every combo skill he had in perfect sequence.

Massive lightning bolts tore through the sky, and one of them streaked directly past Atlas. The golden bolt illuminated his entire body midair, making his silhouette blaze against the storm-filled night.

From the ground below, both of them looked like divine executioners descending from the heavens. Like two angels of death falling toward the earth with vengeance in their wings.

Those on the ground could never have imagined that this night... would become their last!