Tower of Heaven

'A continent of dragons and a continent of giants.'

They were expected choices, so there wasn't anything particularly special about it. What was special was instead the identity of those Atlas saw on his sides.

"I guess wishes come true sometimes, huh," a woman's voice said from the side.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"This is the perfect stage for a moment like this. I was just thinking that it would be most fun for us to fight side by side," a man's voice answered from the other side.

Atlas shook his head with a smile.

"Well, neither of you are wrong."

The trio who had been hoping to meet each other in this trial found themselves encountering good fortune.

Atlas wanted to say something more, but they were already looking at each other's continents with competitive gazes.

"Giants, huh. As expected, you went with something easy."

"I don't think you can say that when you chose dragons. Don't you feel embarrassed by taking the easy route?"

Those two got along quite well when they were in serious situations, but otherwise, they were rivals overall. As geniuses of the same caliber, it was only natural for them to fight and compete.

Usually, Atlas would be involved in these competitions as well, but this time was a little different.

"What did he do? Those aren't humans, are they?"

"No, they are completely different, but I think they're Neurics. What did he do to them to make them like that?"

"Ah, as expected, something incomprehensible happened. Is this any different from the usual?"

"Not in the slightest. That is why I wasn't looking at it from the start."

"Ehem…"

Atlas cleared his throat with mild annoyance. Did they have to talk about him like he was some sort of freak of nature?

"Rather than looking at what I did, shouldn't we be focusing on the enemy?"

As if they only remembered when he mentioned it, the two of them suddenly widened their eyes and looked across the ocean. Those three were relatively distant at the moment, but they would soon come far closer. The space between them was actively shrinking, after all.

"Recognize anyone?" Horus asked.

"All of them, actually," Artemia responded with a nod.

"On the left, the one with the Giant Continent, is one of the young geniuses from Den of Mysteries. I think his name was Tyrion or something along those lines, but I don't remember which one he follows, but his master should be a Sage."

A Sage was one of the highest level members of the Den of Mysteries, someone just under the Great Sage, Faust, himself.

"The one in the middle with the demons is–"

'–Drya.'

Atlas didn't interrupt out loud, but he knew exactly who that demon was. He didn't expect that he'd be seeing her again so soon.

"And the guy in front of me who thought it was a good idea to try dragons…" Artemia continued.

"...that guy is called Horgen. He's a part of Heaven's Gate. More specifically, the Incendio Dragon Clan. Those guys come from a different vein of dragons than our Azure Dragon Clan and those who follow us. I wouldn't doubt that he came to this trial now knowing that I would be here. They're always desperate to prove that they're better than us."

Their opponents had already been decided by the order that the continents were set in. Artemia seemed more than happy to show Horgen that she was superior, and Horus was also happy to face someone who had chosen the same race as him.

As for Atlas, with Drya as his opponent, he could feel less guilty about what was about to happen. Since they were familiar with each other, he could ask for forgiveness later.

'Even if it will be short, this is the best part of the trial.'

Atlas had absolute confidence in his Khanii Neurics, so he didn't believe that Drya would win, but that was only because his own forces were so strong.

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Drya's continent could not be underestimated either. Like Artemia, she used her racial advantages to make full use of a species that others could not tame and grew them into great beings.

Looking around, Atlas realized that there wasn't a single person in this trial space who was lacking. Horus and his opponent both had incredibly powerful-looking Giants with great numbers.

Artemia's Dragons were giving off auras that Atlas almost couldn't believe belonged to a mortal race, and though her opponent's momentum wasn't nearly as impressive, his dragons were no playthings either.

As Artemia and Horus discussed those three enemies, their two groups arrived before each other. A round table was formed in front of them with three seats on each side, which pulled out by themselves as if asking the people behind them to sit down.

They did as they were told. None of them were going to argue with the Tower's mechanisms. Looking at each other from across the table, there were many expressions flying around.

Horgen glared at Artemia and sneered.

"We meet again. You won't win so easily this time."

"Shut it. Not a single person asked for your opinion."

"You–!"

Meanwhile, Horus and Tyrion had a more friendly competitive atmosphere between them.

"I noticed that you evolved your Giants using fire. I used ice. It should be a fun battle."

"Indeed. I was looking at your continent as well. It will be exciting to see who comes out on top."

Atlas and Drya didn't speak out loud, but that wasn't to say that they were not communicating.

"I apologize for not greeting you earlier. These two seem harmless, but both of them harbor a vast amount of killing intent towards your team. It wouldn't be good for me to act too friendly."

The message was expertly sent through the use of qi. It entered Atlas' ears and Atlas' ears alone.

This kind of technique could be tracked by someone with stronger qi, but there wasn't anyone like that present.

And, now that he was on the verge of the Law Sea Realm, he was more than capable of using the same technique to respond.

"No worries. I appreciate the information. I'll keep an eye on them."

Drya was surprised for a moment, but she shook it off with a smile.

"That aside, what the hell is that massive continent you made? Is that even fair?"

"I was feeling apologetic about it. I may have taken the trial a bit too seriously, as I've created monsters in the best way possible. It will be a good battle, but…"

Drya shook her head.

"No need to worry about it. I'll pass this trial regardless, since my demons managed to dominate the continent. This part is mostly for show, anyway."

She truly didn't seem to mind it, which put Atlas' mind at ease.

This war was indeed just for show as she said, but it wasn't a worthless show. It had been 10,000 years since they first came in contact with these races. With so much growth and evolution, this was not only a place for them to see the result of their hard work, it was also a place for those they raised to show them what they were worth.

Above the clouds, the six Ascenders were merely conversing. However, soon enough, the table in their center transformed. Its surface became a map and in front of each of them was a representation of their own continent.

Their forces would be the ones doing the fighting, sure…

…but, they, as the ones who raised them, would not be left watching idly.