Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord-Chapter 389 - Already Found the Answer

Dullorak had said that, in truth, Atlas could do almost anything inside the Void Core just as he could in the real world. The only limitation was that he could not summon his equipment or weapons there.

Even so, Atlas should still be able to fight at full capacity, using all of his skills and every element he possessed. He had many tools to face whatever demon existed within the Void Core.

Still, it was incredibly irritating and traumatic. Truly traumatic. Every time Atlas entered the Void Core to face that demon, he felt the same sensation again. As if his soul was being torn apart and dragged away. More than once, those sensations even followed him into his dreams.

It was a brutally direct assault on his soul.

Once again, Atlas found himself inside the dark chamber, standing atop the massive magic circle platform. It was the ritual site, the same place as before. This time, the moonlight shining down was slightly brighter.

"Khi! Khi! Khi!"

That horrible laughter echoed again. It was so irritating that Atlas felt like ripping the demon's tongue out from its throat. That laugh alone was enough to drive anyone mad.

"You will lose your mind and your soul every time you come here," the voice hissed mockingly. "Do you not realize that I have already sucked in part of your soul and devoured it? Little by little, I will feast on what remains, until there is nothing left but an empty shell."

The threatening voice continued as a vortex of shadow energy appeared not far from Atlas. The darkness twisted and writhed, as if dragging something out from the void itself. Slowly, the figure emerged once more.

A person. Or something close to one.

It wore tattered clothes. Its body was thin and frail, almost sickly. Long, tangled hair hung forward, hiding most of its face.

No matter how many times Atlas saw this demon, it was still deeply unsettling.

The figure slowly raised its bony right hand, brushing aside the messy strands of hair. One wide, gleaming eye was revealed, staring straight at Atlas. Its mouth stretched into a grotesque grin, exposing a row of crooked, uneven teeth beneath that unblinking gaze.

"I brought something new this time. And this will be the last time," Atlas said calmly.

"Khi! Khi! Khi! Such false confidence, human. You are that weak," the demon mocked. "Your kind is fragile, fleeting, clinging to borrowed power you do not truly understand. Every human who steps into this place believes they are different. And every one of them ends the same."

"I will absorb you. I truly need it," Atlas said. "That ability you use is quite impressive. It would be far better in the hands of someone who is still truly alive, like me."

"Shut up."

The demon screamed, unleashing a violent surge of energy that blasted outward, sending rocks, fallen debris, and shards of stone flying in all directions.

"You humans have no right," it roared, "to speak so boldly in my presence. You will feel what it is like to be dragged into the abyss, where your soul will be swallowed whole. I will peel you apart layer by layer until there is nothing left!"

"Can we skip the pointless talk and move on to the fight, like usual?" Atlas replied casually. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The demon clearly was not amused by Atlas's words. The writhing shadows around it surged forward, crawling over its body and wrapping it tightly, like layers of shadow bandages encasing the demon's small frame.

Atlas immediately set his stance and gathered all elemental particles he could sense around him.

He knew, and had learned the hard way, that the composition of this place was dominated by dark elements. However… he could not use Dark to fight this demon. That meant he needed the Light element.

Atlas had already managed to use Light in several recent battles. The problem was that the concentration of Light here was extremely thin. There was simply not enough of it to fully block or withstand the demon's attacks.

The demon dashed forward in an instant.

Atlas was already wrapped in the Light element, his body glowing like a burning beacon in the middle of the darkness. He raised both arms and crossed them in front of his face just as the demon slammed its fist forward. The shadow energy caused the demon's arm to swell larger, heavier, and far more destructive.

This was going to hurt.

Atlas endured the impact, and it felt as if his heart was being torn apart. It was not just a physical strike, but a direct assault on his soul.

The blow sent Atlas flying backward. Still, he did not lose control. He twisted his body midair, landed roughly, and immediately ran in another direction to evade.

But the demon did not stop.

It chased after him relentlessly, its presence pressing closer with every step.

The demon surged forward at terrifying speed, its movements several times faster than Atlas.

"Do not run, you worthless human!" the demon screamed, its shrill voice piercing Atlas's ears. "I will tear you apart and drag your soul into the abyss!"

In an instant, the demon was already in front of Atlas. It lunged forward and delivered a lightning fast kick straight at him.

Atlas had to take it.

He blocked again with both arms. Once more, a crushing impact slammed into his body, and that same tearing pain struck directly at his heart. The force was overwhelming. Atlas was hurled backward violently.

But… he endured it this time.

"I will kill you!" the demon roared as it chased him again, launching another relentless assault.

Each time an attack landed, Atlas blocked it. Each time, he was thrown back several meters. And yet, every single time, he recovered, repositioned himself, and stood up again with a perfect stance.

He did not fall.

After some time, seeing that its attacks were no longer producing the same results as before, the demon stopped. It stood there, its sharp eye fixed on Atlas beneath the pale moonlight that highlighted its gaunt face.

"You think you have already won just by blocking my attacks?!" it screeched.

Atlas only responded with a smirk. "I already told you that this would be your end. Remember my words."

Because yes, Atlas had found the answer to this battle.