[Atlas of Gacha Haven, Seeker Division 2, has accepted the defensive challenge from Orlen of The Shard of Solace, Seeker Division 2.]
Another defense challenge approached, and this time, Atlas intentionally chose an opponent with a strong potential for attack. Morganna had mentioned she was feeling ’a bit bored’ and wanted to fight against humans.
Atlas frowned at her request, unsure how to take it, but he agreed nonetheless.
As usual, he activated the Rank-A Item: Veilstone Cloak, cloaking himself, his troops, and several critical structures from the enemy’s view.
In the distance, an island drifted closer, and a figure appeared at its edge, staring in their direction.
It was a tall man, a gaunt swordsman clad in tattered yet noble attire. His darkened silver armor shimmered faintly with a weird ominous energy. He held a glowing, cursed rapier, and his cold gaze was piercing.
This had to be the Lord, Orlen.
He raised his rapier and pointed it at Morganna, who sat atop a floating throne, legs crossed.
"So, you’re my opponent this time?" the man called out. "Don’t mock me! My rival would be someone named Atlas! Where is Atlas?"
Receiving no response, Orlen pressed on. "I challenge Atlas to a one-on-one duel! The loser hands over all their resources to the winner!"
What was this Lord thinking? A one-on-one duel? Did he think this was sparring? This was war. War meant everyone fought, not just a single combatant.
Morganna finally stood. "No need for Atlas. I’ll slaughter all of you myself."
Atlas, still hidden, turned to Edrik. "Looks like we won’t be getting any prisoners this time if Morganna kills them all."
"This woman... Are you sure you didn’t do something to upset her, my Lord?" Edrik asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Upset her?" Atlas murmured, his mind spinning. What could have made her angry?
Over the past few nights, Morganna had been coming to his room at midnight.
Atlas sighed inwardly. Perhaps he needed to rein himself in. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t control himself. It was just that the desire seemed to arise naturally. Not because he consciously wanted her, but because... wasn’t that normal for anyone?!
He swallowed hard and focused on the moment, waiting for the battle to begin.
[The battle begins now.]
Several portals opened from different directions, and enemy troops began pouring out from each one. It was clear Morganna was steering the floating throne toward the largest group, where the numbers were overwhelming.
This time, the enemy’s forces were significant, around 30 soldiers emerged from each portal. Was this normal for someone in Seeker Division 2 to command over 100 troops like this?
It seemed unlikely Morganna could handle all of them coming from multiple directions at once. To counter, Atlas’s troops appeared from the remaining three directions to intercept the other groups. They held their positions, however, staying within the protection of the Flame Beacons.
The battle began!
Morganna shot forward at an incredible speed, her body cloaked in shadow and blood energy. A single bat-like wing unfurled from her right side as she launched herself into the fray. With her scythe in hand, she slashed, tore, and darted through the enemy ranks relentlessly.
Slash, slash!
Morganna struck with brutal efficiency, her blade severing limbs and heads without pause. Blood splattered her armor as she cut down soldier after soldier.
Watching from a distance, Orlen, the enemy Lord, smirked as he raised his rapier.
"It seems I’ve found a worthy opponent this time," he said. "Corner that woman! I’ll deliver a punishment she’ll never forget!"
"A warrior never retreats! We fight to the end!" Orlen bellowed, rallying his troops.
Morganna moved with astonishing speed. It wasn’t that she avoided every attack, slashes from swords and the sting of arrows landed on her. But it was as if she felt no pain.
With every life she took, she instantly recovered, her wounds knitting themselves back together. That was one of the frightening aspects of this woman.
Morganna could fight endlessly as long as she had the blood of her enemies to fuel her.
Her fighting style was unique, unlike anyone else’s. While Raze preferred to smash and destroy with raw power, Kurogasa struck with deadly precision, targeting weak points with efficiency. Karian, wielding his massive greatsword, fought with overwhelming brutality.
But Morganna? She didn’t just kill. She sliced and tore her enemies apart, leaving trails of blood and carnage before finishing them off completely.
This woman was utterly insane.
Edrik leaned toward Atlas, whispering, "Good thing she’s on our side."
"Yes," Atlas replied, focused on the battle he was participating in.
"Usually, when a woman’s that angry, it’s because her needs aren’t being met," Edrik added casually.
"Her needs aren’t being met? What’s that supposed to mean?"
Did Morganna need more blood to keep her from getting angry so easily? The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
"Yes," Edrik nodded.
"What do you mean by ’yes’?"
"Maybe she needs more blood."
"Are you kidding me?! I’ll run out of blood if this keeps up!"
"You could ask Lyrassa to share her vitality with you, My Lord" Edrik suggested with a smirk. "You’d regenerate everything a lot faster."
"Share vitality? You mean healing?"
"Healing... in a unique way," Edrik replied. "Just tell her you want her to share her vitality."
"All right, I’ll try," Atlas said, though he sounded unsure.
Once Atlas was a bit farther from Edrik, Karian, who had been nearby, spoke up.
"I know what you’re thinking, Edrik."
Edrik muttered. "I’m doing this to make our Lord stronger, faster."
"But you’re deceiving him. You traitor!"
"I’m not a traitor. I suggested this to help him grow stronger quickly... and instantly."
"There’s no good in something instant," Karian countered.
Edrik snapped. "You think it’s not instant for a new Lord to already have so many elite subordinates in the early stages? We just need to support him to keep this momentum going."
Edrik smirked as he added, "Besides, there’s nothing wrong with a Lord having more than one partner, huh?!"
Morganna approached Orlen, who was already prepared with his rapier. Without hesitation, the woman launched a brutal assault. To his credit, Orlen proved to be a capable fighter, managing to parry many of Morganna’s strikes.
However, in terms of speed and raw power, they were worlds apart. It didn’t take long before Orlen’s body was torn apart by Morganna’s scythe. As if that wasn’t enough, she went the extra mile, decapitating him with a single, merciless stroke.
Turning around, Morganna wore a strange smile on her face, as though she had thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the fight.
The battle was over.
The good news? Atlas’s side didn’t suffer a single casualty.
The bad news? Almost all of the enemy combatants had been wiped out, most by Morganna, who had been relentless, and the rest by Raze, who had done what he did best: throwing people violently off the island with his usual brute force.
[You successfully defeated the opposing Lord during the defense.]
[You have earned 15 rank points.]
[Bonus: An additional 10 rank points awarded.]
[You are entitled to claim the opponent’s resources.]
.
[Congratulations on your victory!]
[Your island size will be upgraded.]