DoorBound

Atlas saw Sebastian be the first in the group to swing his weapon at the attackers. His longsword moved with such speed that it seemed like an afterimage formed. He thought it would not only kill the people who jumped at them but also cut apart the slab they were standing on. If that were possible, it would have made things much easier, allowing Sebastian to cut through the maze itself.

Although this swing was mighty, something incredible happened. A small, tan man from the attacking group met Sebastian's blade at the hilt, sending a large shockwave that almost pushed Atlas into the water. The sheer force coming from both fighters made Atlas wary, wondering how they could generate such power from their bodies.

Atlas watched as the opposing group each took on a different person, leading to a five-on-five clash.

Iris was in a heated battle with another female who looked almost like a giantess. Their fight was fast but didn't produce the shockwaves like the clash between the small man and Sebastian. The other three each held their ground, seemingly in a stalemate.

Atlas felt lucky that his group wasn't weak enough to be easily overtaken by this hungry cohort. But even so, what if the enemies had full bellies and plenty of sleep? The odds were certainly in the oppositions favor when at full strength.

To Atlas, this thought didn't even matter. The only thing that mattered was the present, and he had to take advantage of every opportunity, including the fact that he was the sixth man with no direct opponent.

The sword he was using was a short sword—the same one that Mia had used to kill her own friend.

Readying himself he decided that winning this fight was paramount, even if it meant blowing his Edmund cover. Though using his Warp ability was something he would only do as a last resort. This Edmund persona may have been that of an affluent rich kid, but that didn't mean the rich kid couldn't contribute to the fight.

Atlas decided to intervene in the battle between Iris and the giantess. The woman was using a large spear and was somehow keeping up in close quarters combat with Iris, despite Iris being nimbler and using a sword.

He moved from his position at the back of the team to the right, positioning himself to the left of Iris. He was patient, acting as if he was too scared to join the fight. This aura of weakness was picked up immediately, not only by the giant woman but also by his own group. Even though he had survived past battles, Atlas's true combat prowess had never been discussed.

Iris and the giantess exchanged blow after blow, each one moving in perfect sync. When Iris attacked, the giantess dodged. When the giantess swung, Iris parried. The duel lasted only a dozen seconds, but to Atlas, it felt like an eternity.

Then, Iris angled the fight, pivoting ninety degrees, leaving the giantess within reach of Atlas.

This was his chance!

With his sword in hand, he jumped in directly at the tall woman, swinging down. The woman, who had been locked in an intense battle with Iris for over thirty seconds, didn't think he would be a threat with such a basic attack.

That would be the case, of course, if she didn't have to fight two people at once. In battle, a single mistake or disadvantage can mean the difference between life and death.

Atlas's attack was easily blocked by the shaft of the spear, but this break in the flow of combat gave Iris the opportunity to lunge forward. The tall woman slammed the spear's shaft down, trying to hit Iris's back before her sword could plunge into her abdomen. Fortunately for her, the giantess did manage to hit Iris in the back, as the momentum made it impossible not to.

Unfortunately for her, it was only after Iris had left a gaping hole exactly where her heart should have been.

The woman's eyes went blank before she dropped her spear and fell backward into the water. Atlas was surprised at how quickly she died. Iris had truly shown remarkable battle prowess for someone who was supposed to be just a healer in the group. This one opportunity she was given was taken advantage of perfectly.

After his attack was blocked, Atlas quickly retreated from the fight, his whole body turned away from the ongoing clashes. He needed a second to analyze the situation. If everyone else was still in a stalemate, victory was almost guaranteed.

But when Atlas looked around, he saw the harsh reality of the situation.

Blood was everywhere.

The battle between each person was far from a simple exchange of parries and blocks. It wasn't like a normal fight scene where the main character was never hit until they landed the final blow. This scene looked like something out of a horror movie. Every combatant was covered head to toe in someone else's blood, or even their own.

He saw that Sebastian's opponent had lost the fingers on his left hand, leaving nothing but a stump, yet he was still fighting toe-to-toe with Sebastian, seemingly growing stronger with each passing second. Sebastian himself was covered in cuts, with a major wound in his leg.

Atlas saw that one person from the opposing group had lost their right arm, while another had their nose partially hanging off their face. This was a sight Atlas had never experienced before. Although he was willing to kill, even gruesomely, his mind had always rationalized it as a matter of survival—kill or be killed.

Before entering this insane trial, Atlas had been a humble librarian. The closest thing he had experienced to a fight was fending off an angry customer who had groped a female coworker. Even then, the man had been old and out of shape, barely scratching Atlas.

Now, he was in a fight against people who could slice a tree in half with a single swing.

Finally seeing the full picture, Atlas looked at Iris and pointed toward Sebastian. She instantly understood—they would go help defeat the small man and turn the tide of the battle.

Atlas rushed forward, past the other fights that seemed locked in stalemate, toward Sebastian, who was inching closer to defeat. He readied his sword and positioned himself on the left side of the fight, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The small man was incredibly fast—it felt as if he knew what Sebastian was going to do before he did it. Despite his injury, he was working Sebastian into a losing position.

The man's weapon of choice was two black daggers, each emitting a dark glow that could easily keep up and outpace Sebastian's sword.

Atlas feared that instead of distracting the man to help Sebastian win, his interference might lead to a counterattack, resulting in a heavy loss or even death. Just because you have four palms doesn't mean you automatically beat two fists.

But what about six palms?

Iris was there, and if they could both strike simultaneously, at least one of their attacks would land. Atlas looked at Iris, hoping to communicate a plan through a glance. Their eyes met, and instinctively they knew—they would strike together, leaving the man with no way out.

Atlas stood on the man's left, Sebastian in front, and Iris to his right. As soon as Sebastian swung overhead with all his strength, forcing the man to dodge, Atlas knew this was their chance. Now was the moment…

He forced out as much strength as his body could muster, feeling more refreshed than ever since unlocking his Aether Core. His goal wasn't only to strike the man down but at least to cut off any escape route on the left. Iris mirrored his actions, making it impossible for the man to move to his right.

It seemed the man was destined to lose. He had to either block or dodge, but he couldn't block all three attacks.

Time slowed for Atlas as he watched the man raise his daggers in an X position to block Sebastian's strike. This left him defenseless against the strikes from Atlas and Iris. Just as Atlas's blade was about to land, something unbelievable happened.

The man didn't vanish from view. Instead, Atlas saw a flow of Aether surge through the man's body. His defensive posture shifted from tension to relaxation—his arms dropped to his sides, and his legs tensed. In an instant a dark glow of Aether ran down his body. The man used the force in his legs to kick backward, dodging all three strikes at once.

Atlas, Iris, and Sebastian were shocked. The man had moved fast enough to dodge all of them at once, and he did it effortlessly.

Atlas couldn't figure out how the man had done it. His first thought was that the man had used some type of technique to burst backward, but that didn't match what he had seen. Aether seemed to have flown into his legs and remain there, as if it had supercharged his muscles, allowing him to move at such a blinding speed.

Atlas's mind wanted to analyze how to use this power in the future, but something even more insane grabbed his attention. The man had jumped back so far that he should have fallen into the water—the slab they fought on was relatively small. But instead, Atlas saw the man spin in mid-air, extend his legs outward, and press against an invisible wall. It looked as if he had pushed off the very air itself. Once again, the man channeled Aether into his legs.

He shot forward at incredible speed, raising both daggers simultaneously. His movements were hard to follow, even for someone with years of battle experience.

Whatever the target of the man's attack was, it would be destroyed—that much was clear.

Unfortunately for Atlas, that target was him!