Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord-Chapter 388 - Goldwing

Two full categories were nearly finished, with only Atlas left to carry out an offensive battle in the next round. The opponent he would face was a rank 3 lord. That was never going to be easy, even though, from the very beginning, this battle had already looked almost impossible as a whole.

But… the results spoke clearly. Atlas had nearly secured total victories in two categories. From the calculation of rank points alone, Atlas was already far ahead. No matter what happened after this, his alliance was guaranteed to win the battle event this time.

The only real concern lay in the limited number of lords within his alliance. If a lord were to be killed, or if too many were lost overall, they would lack the personnel needed to be sent into the next battles.

And perhaps the biggest issue was Atlas himself. He would have to face rank 3 lords twice in the next two battles. That was not something he could afford to underestimate.

Still… he always chose the right timing to take a break, to level up what was needed, and to ensure that all preparations were perfect before moving on to the next fight.

That morning, he was once again in Serenith's room, as usual, checking the progress of the mana supply she had been feeding into the Egg over the past few weeks.

He stood beside Edrik as Serenith placed both of her hands on the Egg. Moments later, a dark red aura began to vibrate intensely, wrapping itself around the surface of the shell.

"The Egg truly likes that mana," Edrik commented. "Perhaps it is because Sera possesses a talent similar to that of the beast itself. That is why the compatibility is so high."

Atlas nodded in response. "You said that beasts with talents similar to Phoenix Mockery are quite rare, did you not, Edrik?"

"Very much so, my lord."

They watched for a while longer, clearly seeing how massive the amount of mana being absorbed from Serenith truly was. The Egg's surface trembled with excitement, perhaps even more than when Atlas himself supplied his mana to it.

Atlas gave a slow nod and began to turn away, but stopped when Edrik made a subtle gesture. "My lord, I believe you should stay a little longer."

"Why?" Atlas asked quietly, then turned his gaze in the same direction as Edrik.

And in that moment, they saw something… the surface of the Egg had cracked.

Atlas stepped closer to see what was happening. At the same time, Serenith had already stopped supplying her mana.

"Is it time for this egg to hatch?" Atlas asked softly.

Serenith only laughed in response. "This baby really loves to eat. I am completely exhausted. Good thing we do not have a battle today," she said, followed by a light giggle.

Atlas watched for a moment while Serenith was still touching the surface of the Egg, her head slightly tilted. Then, the cracks began to spread further. And they kept spreading.

Serenith pulled her hand back, looking a little startled.

The cracks expanded rapidly, until the shell was nearly split apart. And… Atlas's eyes widened slightly when a small sound came from inside the Egg.

Serenith slowly reached out again, touching the shell and trying to help whatever was trapped inside.

Soon, the Egg broke apart, and something burst out from within. Sparks of electricity flared wildly, glowing in a blazing red color.

Then, as the shell finally fell away completely, it revealed what had been waiting inside.

The figure of a bird, its feathers a deep reddish hue with faint golden patterns, and large, bright eyes. It was clearly still a newborn, yet its size was already enormous for a baby bird.

"Oh… you finally hatched," Serenith said softly as she gently held the beast's head. A small cry echoed from the bird.

Atlas smiled when he saw that the beast's appearance was different from its previous form before it was killed and turned into an Egg.

Edrik then commented, "The beast still retains its primary lightning element. However, it seems to have absorbed a massive amount of Blaze elements as well. Because of that, it can now wield an advanced form of fire with equal power."

Serenith then giggled and lifted the bird, placing it gently on her lap. "Oh, just look at you. You are so cute."

The beast cried out, and at the same time, streaks of golden lightning shot out from its body.

"Do I need to form a contract with it, Edrik?" Atlas asked.

"No need, my lord," Edrik replied calmly. "The beast already has a very high affinity with both you and Sera. We can let it grow naturally, and allow it to take part in hunting and battles when possible."

Atlas then checked the beast's status.

[Unique - Goldwing Lv. 89]

What!

"Even at birth, it is already level eighty nine. Even more incredible, its grade has risen to Unique."

"That is one of the benefits when the Egg is supplied with mana during the hatching process," Edrik explained. "The potential becomes extremely high, especially when the one supplying the mana also has a strong emotional connection."

Wait…

Atlas turned toward Edrik. "What do you mean by that?"

Hearing those words, Serenith also turned to Edrik with a questioning look. "Is that because Lord Atlas and I slept together in the same bed that night, Edrik? So that really did happen?"

"Edrik?!" Atlas pressed again, his tone sharper.

"I mean," Edrik replied in the same flat voice. "I mean, it is because of Sera's loyalty to you, my lord, and also the way you treat your subordinates. That positive bond had a good influence on the Egg as well."

"Alright. That is convincing enough," Atlas responded.

After that, they spent some time testing the bird beast's abilities. Once they were done, Atlas decided that Serenith would be the one to take care of the bird. Since she could also fly, the two of them would be able to synchronize easily in future battles.

Next… Atlas felt his curiosity rising. He still had not managed to conquer the demon within the Void Core. However, he had a good feeling about today. He had a theory he wanted to test.