Chapter 357: Stand No Chance

"I told you, didn’t I? A mere soldier won’t be enough." Atlas repeated his earlier words, causing Piscela’s entire body to flinch for a moment before anger took over her expression.

Her dignity as an Eternal and as a soldier assigned to complete this seemingly simple task had been challenged by a mere Human, something she found impossible to accept. Unable to tolerate the humiliation any longer, she slowly straightened her body and remained silent for a moment, her eyes never leaving Atlas’s figure.

"HOW DARE A MERE HUMAN LIKE YOU!!" Piscela shouted, and the moment her voice echoed through the surrounding space, all five spatial layers shattered like glass under the force of the shockwaves released by her voice.

Atlas narrowed his eyes slightly before speaking in a calm tone, "You are strong in your own right. If you had met me a few days ago, you might have won, but now..." He didn’t bother finishing his sentence and simply shook his head, as though the conclusion was obvious enough that it didn’t need to be spoken aloud.

"ARROGANT HUMAN!!" With one final shout, Piscela moved and vanished from her original position. She hadn’t teleported, nor had she transformed into a blur or a streak of light; instead, she had crossed the distance between herself and Atlas in an instant.

Her speed completely surpassed even what Trelisa had been capable of, despite Atlas having already determined that both of them belonged to the Sovereign rank.

The world around Piscela seemed to slow down as she moved, her fist drawn back with one of the spherical masses of stellar energy gathered around it. Even within that slowed perception, however, her fist continued moving at a speed that made it appear as little more than a streak of motion.

In the next instant, her attack reached Atlas and struck directly against his jaw.

At least, that was what Piscela believed had happened before the expected impact failed to produce the result she had anticipated. "Huh?" Piscela questioned as she suddenly found herself standing in the exact same position from which she had launched her attack.

She had been about to look around and understand what had happened when a sharp sensation emerged from behind her. Before she could react, something pierced straight through her stomach.

SHHHK!

Piscela coughed up blood as the weapon passed through her body, the same white liquid spilling from her mouth.

"KUGH! COUGH!"

She struggled to turn her head and look behind herself, only to discover that the other person who had been standing beside Atlas was now floating behind her, holding a sword that had pierced her stomach.

Her eyes widened as she tried to understand how she had been attacked without noticing the movement, but before she could reach an answer, another figure appeared behind the Human she had been fighting.

The newcomer immediately crushed Atlas’s skull as though it were nothing more than an insect. However, just as the attack connected, Kael’s body vanished like mist, and even the crushed skull dissolved into the same mist-like substance.

Piscela stared at the scene in confusion before finally recognizing the figure who had appeared behind her, causing her expression to change completely.

"M-My Lord..." she muttered, her voice trembling as she realized who had arrived.

Standing behind Piscela was none other than Harbinger, the General of the Army of Eternals. At first glance, his appearance resembled that of Piscela and every other Eternal aboard their spaceship, with countless stars and planets scattered across his entire body, forming the appearance of a miniature universe.

However, his presence was entirely different, carrying a density that made his existence feel far beyond that of an ordinary Eternal. A large, glowing golden ’+’ mark rested at the center of his forehead, its edges curving slightly as it stood out against the cosmic patterns covering his face, which had no visible pupils.

Harbinger glanced at Piscela and the sword still embedded in her stomach, examining the situation without changing his expression. In the next moment, the weapon vanished from her body, and her entire being began healing until the wound disappeared completely.

The sword then appeared in Harbinger’s hand as though it had been there from the very beginning, allowing him to examine it briefly, "A peculiar sword, capable of sealing one’s every power..." he muttered before casually throwing it away, seemingly having already analyzed its mechanics and found no further reason to keep it.

His eyes then shifted toward a distant direction where their own spaceship was located. "They have been orchestrating your fight from the beginning, merely playing with you." His deep voice resonated through the surrounding space, carrying an unusual quality as though space itself welcomed his presence.

After speaking, Harbinger raised one hand and snapped his fingers, producing a simple gesture that seemed to affect the very structure of their surroundings.

SNAP!

The moment his fingers came together, a wave spread outward from that central point without producing any actual sound. Space itself began breaking apart like glass, revealing a sight that caused Piscela’s eyes to widen once again. "They had prepared a double deception, with approximately ten spatial layers, five of them could be detected, while the other five were completely undetectable."

Harbinger explained the arrangement calmly, as though exposing the trick required little effort.

Far away, both Kael and Atlas could now be seen floating directly in front of the spaceship. The two looked toward Harbinger, who had exposed their concealment and appeared to have understood what they had been doing.

Atlas turned toward Kael, who suddenly chuckled and spoke, "I told you that if we killed her, the boss would come running, right?" He seemed rather pleased with the result, as though Harbinger’s arrival had been part of the plan from the beginning.

Atlas nodded before turning his attention back to Kael. "How did you know, though?" Kael chuckled again as he recalled a familiar pattern.

’Hehe, it’s one of those trope formulas in novels. Kill the minions, and the boss eventually shows up.’ After a moment, he answered Atlas, "That’s a secret. Let’s just call it intuition." Atlas frowned slightly at the answer before shifting his gaze back toward the so-called General, who was now looking directly at them.

Atlas narrowed his eyes as he attempted to gauge Harbinger’s strength, ’He is strong... too strong.’ He couldn’t sense even an ounce of strength from the man, nor could he determine his rank through his usual methods, yet Harbinger’s mere presence was enough to tell him that the General was far stronger than the three individuals he had encountered a month ago in Frostars.

The difference was apparent even without being able to measure it, and Atlas understood that this opponent was on an entirely different level.

As Atlas and Harbinger continued staring at each other, the General finally spoke. "You are a strong and unusual Human, just like the one I met a million years ago. However..." He paused before closing his eyes and opening his palm, holding it outward as though he were attempting to touch something beyond his immediate surroundings.

"The difference between the me of that time and the me of today is like the distance between the sky and the ground." Harbinger finished speaking and opened his eyes, his expression remaining unchanged as he looked at Atlas.

"You stand no chance as you are now."

By the time those words left his mouth, he was already directly in front of Atlas, with his open palm resting against Atlas’s chest.