Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

Atlas stared at the floating Monster with slightly shaking pupils. Every instinct inside him screamed at him again and again to run, yet he remained where he was as his eyes stayed fixed on those hollow white eye sockets. The Monster simply floated above the Palace, its gaze slowly sweeping across the people and everything beneath it, as if every living being in the city truly existed below its presence.

Everyone beneath it wore almost the same expression. Their legs trembled uncontrollably, some could barely remain standing while others had already fallen to one knee. They were not the only ones either. People rushed out from the Inn, nearby buildings and even their own homes, while many leaned out from rooftops and windows just to see what had appeared above the Palace. The moment their eyes landed on that Monster, their faces immediately turned pale.

Atlas slowly suppressed the shock inside him, not because he no longer feared that kind of existence...but because this one was different. It was far different from the Black Monster he had encountered inside the Eternal-class Ruin. The first difference was its eyes. Instead of complete darkness, only hollow white sockets remained, and the second difference was the faint Null pressure surrounding its body. Though it was only a small amount compared to the previous one, Atlas could still sense it clearly.

That alone made this Monster terrifying beyond imagination, yet...it did not give him the same feeling of absolute death. It lacked the overwhelming despair that the Black Monster had imposed on him inside the Eternal-class Ruin, the feeling that resistance itself had become meaningless the moment it appeared.

Atlas did not know why that feeling was absent now. Was it because he had become stronger after reaching S-rank? Had he simply overcome part of that fear? Or was there another reason entirely? He had no answer, but one thing became clear after recalling the S-rank Monster he had fought before reaching Solara and connecting it with the strange glass tube he had found inside the Abyss-rank Ruin.

’This one was originally an SSS-rank Monster...someone injected Null into it and made it even stronger.’

His thoughts immediately raced after reaching that conclusion. What Atlas did not know, however, was that although his deduction was partially correct, it was still far from the complete truth. His knowledge only reached SSS-rank, and he had never heard of an existence beyond that. Because of that, he naturally assumed the Monster floating above the Palace was merely an unusually powerful SSS-rank, completely unaware that it had already stepped into an entirely different realm of strength.

Even with that assumption, Atlas knew he stood absolutely no chance against it. However, unlike before, he did not feel the need to flee immediately. Several SSS-rank powerhouses were gathered inside Solara, and only a few hours earlier he had witnessed the Guildmaster’s terrifying Unique Ability with his own eyes. That alone convinced him that escaping now was unnecessary. Instead, he remained where he was, silently watching to see how the battle would unfold.

But...what Atlas expected to witness never happened. Instead, something even more unbelievable unfolded before his eyes. Space rippled slightly in front of the Monster before a figure silently appeared out of thin air, standing directly in its path. It was a woman wearing a long golden gown that flowed naturally around her body, while a pair of magnificent Angelic wings spread open behind her without releasing even the slightest pressure.

The moment Atlas saw her, he instinctively knew who she was.

The Queen herself.

’What?...Why is the Queen here herself? Shouldn’t the other SSS-ranks be the first ones to respond?’ Atlas wondered inwardly, though he thought the Queen also as an SSS-rank, it still felt strange that the ruler of the entire Angelic Continent had personally appeared before anyone else.

Before he could think further, countless voices erupted from below.

"Her Majesty is here!! That Monster is finished now!"

"I don’t know how something like that even came out of a Ruin, but it’s over now! Her Majesty herself has stepped in, the strongest among all Angels!" another man shouted while standing atop his Spirit Jet, which had long since stopped moving like every other one in the sky.

Similar voices echoed throughout the city, confidence gradually replacing the fear that had filled everyone’s faces moments ago. Atlas silently listened before lifting his gaze toward the sky again. The moment he did, the Monster’s hollow white eyes slowly shifted toward him for only a brief instant. That single glance sent another chill through his spine, and his right hand trembled slightly.

Atlas instinctively looked toward it and saw Reiden reacting on its own. A faint glow spread across his arm for only that brief moment before disappearing completely. When Atlas immediately raised his head again, the Monster had vanished from sight.

Only the Queen remained floating there.

Her arms stayed calmly crossed while her gaze never left a single empty point in space, as though she was looking directly at something no one else could see.

After several silent seconds, she finally spoke.

"What’s the delay for? I know you understand what I am capable of...so why not stop hiding and finish this?"

The instant her words fell, everyone felt it.

An overwhelming pressure suddenly descended upon the entire area. It wasn’t Gravity or any Fundamental Force. It was pure Spirit Energy, so dense that it crushed everything beneath it.

"Kheukkk!"

*"KHAGH!"*

"Ughhh!!"

People riding Spirit Jets were forced down from the sky while those standing on the streets collapsed to one knee or were smashed completely against the ground. Even Atlas found one knee hitting the floor as his muscles trembled under the weight.

’That Monster...how is it this strong? Even Gravity doesn’t feel this dense.’

The next moment, the Queen casually waved one hand.

As if sweeping away dust, the crushing pressure vanished from the entire city.

She looked toward that same empty patch of sky once again before speaking in the same calm voice, "Now...why not start this without involving my people? You are quite the Monster to remain invisible while continuously releasing your Spirit Energy."

No sooner had those words left her mouth than the space barely an inch before her face suddenly twisted.

Atlas’s pupils shrank.

The air itself folded inward before something burst through it.

A fist.

It tore through the distorted space with unimaginable force, sending cracks racing across the surrounding air itself as it shot directly toward the Queen’s face. Atlas could not even perceive when it had appeared, To him and everyone, the fist simply existed before her in the very next instant.

BOOOOOOM!!

The collision erupted with a deafening explosion.

Circular shockwaves swept across the sky, shattering windows throughout the nearby buildings while countless Spirit Jets were thrown violently off balance. Thick clouds of smoke spread in every direction before slowly beginning to clear.

Only then did everyone finally see the result.

Atlas’s eyes remained locked on the Queen from the very beginning. He had never managed to see her move, nor had he seen how she responded to that attack.

Yet the answer stood plainly before him.

His pupils contracted.

The Queen had not moved from her position even a single step.

And in her right hand...

...she was calmly holding the Monster’s severed arm.

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