Chapter 334: A Sovereign [Super gift Bonus]

The same question that had been buried in the deepest part of his being resurfaced through a different path. His thoughts drifted toward the mysterious voice he had heard, and he began recalling the words it had spoken about his future.

‘She said all my hurdles would come to an end once the seed of something sprouted? What could that mean…?’ He didn’t think much about whose voice it had been, as he already seemed to know that some parts of his memories had been altered.

‘Whoever erased those parts of my memory is connected to this, and whoever it is…will pay for that.’ Atlas gritted his teeth as he considered the possibility that someone had been manipulating his life from the very beginning.

He didn’t care whether that person was his parent or someone else, nor did he particularly care whether they had acted out of good intentions or malicious ones. If the ones who had erased his memories were indeed his parents, then he would ask them for an explanation if he ever got the opportunity to meet them.

‘If they were really my parents, why would they do this to me? I’m a living being too, My memories are my own…no matter what reason they had for protecting me, erasing those memories doesn’t excuse the fact that they were the ones who initiated my struggle.’ His thoughts grew increasingly complicated as he considered the possibility that the people responsible for his suffering might have been the very ones who had brought him into existence.

He gradually loosened his clenched teeth and relaxed his hands, but the question remained in his mind, ‘But…do I even have the right to ask them that, if I ever get the chance?’

‘They gave birth to me, along with all the struggles that came with it. They are the reason…I came into existence.’ Atlas lifted his hand and clenched the fabric around his chest as sorrow began building inside him.

He couldn’t understand why those thoughts were affecting him so deeply, especially when he didn’t even know whether his parents were still alive, ‘Why do I feel like crying? Hah…I must have lost my mind. I don’t even know if they’re alive or dead.’

He immediately wiped away the tears forming in his eyes and forced himself to calm his sorrowful expression. ‘Let’s not think about it. If I can’t blame them or praise them, then I’ll simply remain indifferent, regardless of whether they’re alive or not.’

With that decision, Atlas pushed those thoughts aside and shifted his attention toward the Domain he had formed. Maintaining it required a continuous supply of energy from his Astral Core, and even keeping it active for a short period consumed a considerable amount of his reserves.

What Atlas noticed next was that every asteroid covered by his Domain had disappeared completely. He examined the surrounding space for a moment before considering what the result meant. ‘It consumed quite a bit of energy because of the size of those objects. That must mean the Domain’s energy consumption depends on both my reserves and the strength of the target.’

He nodded slightly as he recorded the observation in his mind, then continued experimenting with the Domain to understand its other properties.

His first experiment involved changing the size of the Domain according to his will. The moment he attempted to shrink it, the Domain responded immediately, reducing its radius from a million kilometers to a mere kilometer.

Atlas observed the change carefully before reaching his conclusion, ‘The smaller the Domain, the greater the density of Nothingness, I see.’ He then extended his hand and completely deactivated the Domain, allowing it to shrink back into his own existence.

‘With this, all my preparations for the next rank are complete. Now then—!’ Just as Atlas was about to begin his breakthrough toward the next rank, a presence suddenly descended upon him. He recognized it without even needing to look at the person responsible, and his eyes immediately snapped upward.

‘That woman?!’

Trelisa was floating high above him in the empty space, her crimson eyes fixed on Atlas. ‘How did she find me here?’ Atlas wondered as he considered whether she might have placed some kind of tracker on him during their previous confrontation.

Even then, he doubted that any tracking method would work on him because of his Trait, which prevented anyone to perceive him. Before he could consider the possibility any further, Trelisa’s voice echoed through the empty space where the asteroids had been erased.

“I said you would pay, right? It is time for that.” Trelisa spoke while pointing toward Atlas, her eyes narrowed as she prepared to deal with him. However, as she examined him more carefully, she noticed something that immediately caught her attention.

‘How did he grow so strong so suddenly? The aura around him…he still isn’t an Emperor.’ A golden glow briefly appeared within her crimson pupils as she assessed his condition and realized that his strength had increased considerably despite his rank remaining unchanged.

‘Nevertheless, I’ll need to bring him to my King.’ Trelisa made her decision while continuing to observe Atlas, but she soon noticed a small smile appearing on his face. “Didn’t I tell you that if you met me again a few days later, you would die?”

Atlas chuckled slightly before continuing, “It is time for that.” He had repeated the same words she had spoken moments earlier, causing Trelisa’s expression to turn serious.

“You underestimate the power of a Sovereign just because you possess unusual abilities. Do you know why those three stopped me?” Trelisa asked as she looked directly at Atlas, her expression no longer carrying the same amusement as before.

She blinked once, and in the very next moment, Atlas appeared directly in front of her with his eyes widened, “It wasn’t simply because of the matter involving that stolen world. It was because the power of a Sovereign encompasses the Laws of Reality.”