Chapter 381 Try Killing

Meanwhile, Atlas was sitting in the reading area on the Entry Level of the Primartia Library, flipping through one book after another as though he were merely pretending to read. Several piles of books had accumulated on the holographic table before him, each gathered from a different location throughout the entire level.

He would open a book, rapidly flip through its pages, and move on to the next one without showing the slightest hesitation, creating a rather unusual scene for the other visitors.

Some of them couldn’t help but glance in his direction whenever he picked up another book, wondering whether he was actually reading or simply passing the time. A few even chuckled quietly at the sight, finding it amusing that someone could go through so many books in such a short period.

After all, even the most knowledgeable individuals required time to understand what they read, and Atlas’s behaviour hardly resembled that of an ordinary reader.

Atlas, however, couldn’t care less about their opinions. He continued flipping through the pages, processing the contents of each book at an incredible speed while searching for the information he needed. Yet, just as he was about to turn another page, something caught his senses, causing his fingers to stop moving.

’She did it... But what’s with this power?’

Atlas’s expression changed slightly as he concentrated on the distant presence he had sensed. He immediately closed his eyes, allowing his perception to extend toward the chamber where Seraphiel had awakened her Phoenix Soul.

The scene unfolded before him with remarkable clarity, almost as though he were standing inside the chamber himself, and he began observing the situation from the moment his perception reached its destination.

’Huh? She transformed?’ His attention was drawn to Seraphiel’s altered appearance and the unfamiliar power radiating from her body. The flames that had once surrounded her were no longer behaving like an external force; instead, they seemed to have become an inseparable part of her existence.

Atlas watched as she rose into the air without any apparent effort, her long golden mixed with orange hair and newly formed forehead symbol catching his attention. However, what concerned him more was the sudden change in her expression.

Seraphiel’s eyes had filled with rage, and the surrounding space began to crack as her emotions caused her newly awakened power to fluctuate. Atlas couldn’t understand what had provoked such an intense reaction, especially when she had only just completed her awakening.

Before he could examine the situation more closely, however, he noticed Oriendar turning his head toward the very direction from which he was observing.

Atlas immediately withdrew his perception.

He calmly opened his eyes and returned his attention to the book resting before him, turning another page as though nothing had happened. From the outside, his behaviour remained unchanged, but his thoughts had already moved away from the library and back toward the chamber he had just observed.

’Seems like the technique I created worked perfectly. Except Oriendar can still detect me.’

A faint sense of disappointment crossed his mind. He had expected his technique to conceal his presence more effectively, and the fact that Oriendar had noticed him meant that there was still room for improvement.

Nevertheless, Atlas didn’t consider the attempt a complete failure. The technique had worked against the surroundings and allowed him to observe a distant location without physically being there; the only problem was that someone of Oriendar’s calibre could still detect his presence.

He could work on that later.

For now, Seraphiel’s condition mattered more to him than refining the technique. He recalled the moment she had awakened and the immense power that had surrounded her, then considered whether the Phoenix Soul had done something to her during their merger. The transformation itself wasn’t necessarily a problem, but her sudden anger was something he couldn’t simply ignore.

’I should go and see her-!’ Just as Atlas was about to act on that thought, a familiar voice sounded directly within his consciousness.

’Don’t bother. At the moment, she needs to learn how to control her power, and I will personally take over her training from now on.’

Atlas’s fingers stopped on the page once again. He didn’t need to ask who had contacted him, but the timing of Oriendar’s words still caught him by surprise. The Third Pillar had apparently noticed what Atlas was planning to do before he could even make a move.

’...He can read my thoughts?’

Atlas’s mind drifted back to his first encounter with Oriendar. At that time, even the man’s projection had demonstrated the ability to stop time, making it difficult to judge the full extent of his capabilities. If such an ability was possible for a mere projection, then reading someone’s thoughts didn’t seem particularly far-fetched, either.

Before Atlas could reach a conclusion, however, his second self’s voice sounded inside his mind.

’I can’t read anyone’s thoughts. You would understand if you were in my shoes. If that were really possible, we Awakened beings wouldn’t need to sit around figuring out one another’s intentions.’

Atlas frowned slightly at the explanation. It was a reasonable point, but it didn’t answer the question that had initially bothered him. If Oriendar couldn’t read his thoughts, then how had he known that Atlas intended to visit Seraphiel? The timing was simply too precise to dismiss without consideration.

He remained silent for a while, mentally reviewing the conversation before finally shaking his head. There was no point in wasting time on a question he couldn’t answer at present, especially when the person involved was someone like Oriendar.

’He’s right, though. If he could literally read other people’s thoughts, he wouldn’t need to bother investigating their plans in the first place.’

Atlas nodded slightly at his second self’s reasoning before returning his attention to the conversation. Regardless of how Oriendar had anticipated his intentions, one thing remained clear: the Third Pillar intended to take responsibility for Seraphiel’s training. Atlas could accept that decision, provided it didn’t become an excuse to keep him away from her.

’I see, so you’ll be taking over Sera’s training. But why the sudden decision? Is it because she has awakened her Phoenix Soul and can’t control her powers yet?’

’More importantly, I can still meet her, right? It’s not within your authority to stop me from seeing her, is it?’

The final question carried a noticeably colder tone than the ones preceding it. Atlas wasn’t particularly concerned about who trained Seraphiel, as long as the person was capable of helping her control her newly awakened power. However, the thought of someone attempting to dictate whether he could meet her was an entirely different matter.

On the other end, Oriendar remained silent for a long moment.

Then, a burst of laughter echoed through Atlas’s consciousness, ’Hahaha! It’s been millions of years since someone last spoke to me like this. If you were anyone else, you would have died a thousand times over by now-!’

Oriendar’s amusement was genuine, though there was an unmistakable edge to his words. He had existed for an incomprehensibly long time, and few beings would dare to challenge him so casually, much less interrupt him while he was speaking.

Even among the powerful individuals who knew of his position, most understood the difference between questioning his decisions and directly provoking him.

Atlas, however, seemed entirely unconcerned.

Before Oriendar could finish his sentence, Atlas grinned and interrupted him, "Oh? I could die a thousand times over? Then I really want to see you try that right now..."

The amusement in Atlas’s voice made Oriendar’s expression tighten. For a brief moment, he wondered whether the boy genuinely believed himself invincible or whether he was simply too reckless to understand the danger he was inviting.

Having observed Atlas’s behaviour for some time, Oriendar had already realized that the young man possessed an unusual degree of confidence, but this particular challenge was still difficult to take seriously.

’Does this boy think he’s invincible or something?’ Oriendar couldn’t help but feel as though he were speaking to an unruly child who had grown only slightly more mature. Nevertheless, Atlas’s next words caused his thoughts to pause.

’Except for sealing my abilities like the Harbinger did, try killing me.’