Chapter 366: Initiation

Atlas immediately turned toward the sudden presence and voice of Oriendar. He stared at the projection for a long moment without saying anything, his expression remaining relatively calm.

Meanwhile, the seven Grand Regents had risen from their seats, no, they were bowing with their heads lowered in respect toward the figure before them.

"We greet the Third Pillar! We are grateful to be in the presence of our Ancestor!" all seven spoke in unison. Regardless of their status and authority, none of them dared to remain seated before Oriendar, and that alone spoke volumes about who he truly was.

Hearing their sudden greeting, Atlas, Seraphiel, and Oriendar all turned their attention toward the seven Regents.

After a moment, Oriendar spoke up, "You may lift your heads now. I had been hearing your interesting conversation regarding Atlas, and after listening to it, I decided that I might as well see for myself. After all, I haven’t witnessed his capabilities with my own eyes either."

The moment those words left his mouth, all seven Regents widened their eyes slightly before raising their heads. None of them had expected their Ancestor to take such a personal interest in a human they had only recently begun discussing.

They could hardly believe that the Third Pillar was showing such interest in Atlas without having witnessed his capabilities firsthand. The man wearing glasses couldn’t help but form a particular conclusion as he thought, ’That means this human is beyond special. An anomaly unlike anything we’ve encountered before.’

As the thought crossed his mind, the black cloak draped around his body fluttered slightly, though he soon returned his attention to Oriendar.

Oriendar then turned toward Atlas and spoke in his usual calm tone, "Atlas, what you need right now isn’t resources. What you need is knowledge." Atlas’s eyes widened ever so slightly at those words, his thoughts drifting toward how little he still knew about the galaxy and everything that existed within it.

Oriendar seemed to understand that perfectly well as he continued, "You know it yourself, you need information about the Worlds, the stars, and the galaxy itself."

Oriendar paused briefly before turning his attention toward Seraphiel. "And several other things, including mythical and forbidden knowledge that remains unknown to most." Atlas immediately understood what he was referring to, and his gaze shifted toward Seraphiel for a moment.

Oriendar then continued, "We can provide both of you with protection and the knowledge you seek through our established Primartia Library."

Atlas turned back toward Oriendar and remained silent for a long moment as he considered the offer. He understood that this was a form of negotiation, even if Oriendar hadn’t explicitly stated what he wanted in return.

In exchange for protection and access to the Primartia Library, Oriendar wanted to learn more about the powers Atlas possessed, and Atlas couldn’t blame him for that. He exhaled quietly as he thought, ’If this had happened before, I would have preferred to keep my strength and abilities hidden.’

’But things are different now. I still won’t reveal everything, though. My hidden cards must remain hidden.’ As that thought crossed his mind, he recalled the moment he had erased Harbinger’s clone with nothing more than an exhale.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to recall what had happened at that time, ’That power... Can I use it again?’ Unfortunately, he couldn’t clearly remember how he had activated that particular state, leaving him unable to answer his own question.

Atlas sighed and temporarily dismissed those thoughts before looking at Oriendar. "Alright. How would you like to test me, then?" Oriendar immediately smiled at his response before turning toward the seven Grand Regents.

"You all know what to do from here on, so I’ll take my leave for now." The seven Regents nodded at his words, acknowledging his command before turning their attention back toward Atlas.

"You will be challenging the Test of Kiumuludo. Further explanations regarding its nature are prohibited for challengers," the man wearing glasses informed him. Atlas frowned slightly at the restriction but nodded nonetheless, showing no particular concern about the test.

As long as he wasn’t facing someone on the level of Harbinger, Oriendar, or the seven individuals standing before him, he believed there were very few opponents capable of matching him.

Seeing his response, the seven Regents exchanged glances before nodding to one another. The man with the glasses raised his hand and snapped his fingers, "Then, we shall begin right now." The instant the snap echoed through the Celestial Sanctum, the environment surrounding Atlas and Seraphiel began to change.

The ground beneath their feet started trembling as the enormous room of the Celestial Sanctum slowly transformed. The rows of seats where the seven Grand Regents had been sitting remained visible for a brief moment, but the space between them began to distort, as though an invisible force were pulling the entire room apart.

Seraphiel tightened her grip on Atlas’s hand and closed her eyes, while Atlas remained still, carefully observing the strange transformation taking place around them.

Gradually, the walls of the Celestial Sanctum began to fade, their outlines blurring as the surrounding space stretched beyond what the eye could follow. The seats, the pillars, and even the distant ceiling slowly dissolved into a vast expanse before disappearing completely.

For a brief moment, Atlas and Seraphiel seemed to be suspended in an empty space, with nothing beneath their feet and no clear direction in which to look.

Then, the emptiness began to take shape. A massive stone floor emerged beneath them, followed by towering walls that rose in a wide circle around the arena. Countless rows of ancient seats appeared along those walls, forming a stadium of enormous proportions, yet not a single spectator occupied them.

By the time the transformation finally came to an end, Atlas and Seraphiel were standing at the center of the ancient stadium, while the seven Grand Regents had appeared at separate positions around its perimeter.

Atlas glanced at the seven Regents surrounding the arena, noticing that each of them had raised their hands and was forming some sort of sign to activate the construct. Just as he began wondering whether Seraphiel would be included in the test, he suddenly felt a force pulling her away from him.

He tried to keep her beside him, but the pull was so sudden that even he failed to prevent her from being separated.

In the next instant, Seraphiel appeared in one of the seats overlooking the arena, as though she had been placed among the spectators of the ancient stadium. Atlas’s eyes immediately registered her new position, and before he could say anything, he heard the man wearing glasses speak.

"Do not worry, we give you our word that your lover will remain safe there." Atlas stared at him for a brief moment before feeling a faint glow emerge from beneath his feet.

A small smile appeared on Atlas’s face as he looked toward Seraphiel one last time, ’Don’t worry, Sera, I’ll be back.’

He sent the message to her telepathically, reassuring her before the light beneath him grew brighter.

In the next instant, Atlas’s figure vanished from the center of the arena.