Chapter 397: Deadly Invitation

Atlas smiled and answered, "Yes. It means I can now use Logic Interference more freely, with almost negligible mental pain."

The second self’s eyes widened for a moment before he let out a long breath. "I am sure you still won’t be able to interfere with time like I can inside here." His voice carried unmistakable confidence, making Atlas look at him with an indifferent expression.

"We will see about that. For now, I think I need to go. I received a telepathic message from Oriendar telling me to come urgently while I was enduring that pain." The second self nodded, already aware of the message. Atlas finally stood up and looked at himself, repeatedly clenching and opening his fists as though measuring how much sturdier his soul had become.

"Alright, go away now. I need some sleep." The second self turned away and jumped onto one of the tree’s branches before lying down comfortably. Seeing him settle in so casually, Atlas couldn’t help wondering whether his second self was living a better life than him. After a moment, he shook his head and turned away, vanishing from the inner world without wasting any more time.

Once Atlas was gone, the second self opened one eye and muttered, "Hehe, it’s time to experiment with how much my abilities have grown in here. I am sure the expansion of this space has given me more freedom to execute certain abilities that the original me hasn’t experimented with..." As soon as he finished speaking, he jumped off the branch and landed on the darkness below.

"After experimenting... maybe I will just transfer all the knowledge to the original me this time. Tch! Tch! I am such a helpful guy, and he beats me up? Tsk." He shook his head while cursing under his breath before beginning his experiments within the inner world.

...

On the other hand, Atlas had already emerged from the separate space. Dravia was standing in front of him, apparently assigned by one of the Regents to take him directly to the emergency meeting room.

"Just shake my hand, and we will be there," Dravia said.

Her uniform had changed completely. She now wore a robe similar to the one worn by the bespectacled man among the Regents. Atlas continued looking at her for a few moments before finally extending his hand. Something about seeing her dressed like that felt strange to him. Her presence had already seemed unusual from the beginning, but now that feeling had become even more pronounced.

’Previously, I couldn’t tell what it was, but now... I can feel it. It’s almost as though I am seeing two different people at the same time.’

Nevertheless, he kept that observation to himself and simply shook her hand. The moment their hands met, Dravia smiled and spoke, "Zeshia, Spell: Void-Blink."

Her words echoed through the surrounding area, sounding as though two different voices were overlapping. Before Atlas could even understand what she had said, he felt his entire being disappear. It happened so quickly that, by the time he blinked, his surroundings had already changed.

The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a completely different location within the Conclave. Dravia was retracting her hand before turning away. Atlas watched her walk toward one of the seats and settle into it before finally glancing around to examine his surroundings.

He was inside a massive chamber, its high ceiling supported by several enormous pillars standing along the walls. The walls themselves were dark and smooth, decorated with intricate silver patterns that extended across their surfaces like an enormous network of interconnected symbols.

Soft, pale lights illuminated the entire chamber without any visible source, giving the place a calm yet imposing atmosphere.

At the centre of the room stood a massive rectangular table, its polished surface reflecting the faint light above. Nine seats had been neatly arranged along its two longer sides, facing one another across the table. Each seat was considerably different in design, some appearing simple and elegant while others looked almost like thrones, clearly reflecting the status of those meant to occupy them.

However, only five of those seats were occupied.

The first figure was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a stern face and short, silver-grey hair. Sitting several seats away was a slender woman dressed in a similar robe, her long violet hair cascading over her shoulders. Another occupant was a heavily built individual with rough, stone-like skin and a pair of curved horns protruding from his forehead.

Beside him sat a young-looking man whom Atlas instantly recognized as none other than Kael. ’Huh? What’s he doing here?’ Atlas stared at him as Kael silently waved his hand with a smile. Finally, his gaze shifted toward the last figure, a pale, white-haired woman whose presence carried an almost suffocating stillness.

All five were different, yet each possessed an unmistakable air of authority. "I would have started with the introductions; however, we are tight on time," Dravia spoke before raising her fingers and snapping them. The moment she did, a holographic screen emerged at the centre of the table, hovering just an inch above its surface.

Everyone, including Atlas, immediately turned their attention toward it. The screen displayed a scene unfolding in real time, revealing a place engulfed in smoke and destruction. The moment Atlas’s eyes fell upon it, his expression darkened.

’Frostars? And that’s definitely Melina... but what’s with all the smoke and destruction?’

"The World Frostars was attacked once again by the Weimbrons. Even after we deployed some of our Elite members to protect it, they were killed on the spot. And now..." Dravia paused briefly, her gaze shifting toward Atlas. "Both the Mermaid race and the Weimbrons are looking for you, Atlas."

In an instant, Atlas’s eyes widened and he blurted out, "What?"

Dravia and the others looked at him and exhaled a long breath. "Even after the Black Arbiter and the other two transcendent chased them away that day, the Weimbrons seem quite persuasive when it comes to you." She snapped her fingers once again and immediately, the holographic screen showed something else.

Melina and her father’s figures were hung on a wall with heavy black chains locking their wrist and legs. Two men holding their swords at their necks while a woman spoke as she stood at the front as though she was directly looking into the screen itself.

"Recognized me, Human?" Atlas’s eyes widened from pure unfiltered shock; he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. ’How is she-’ Just as he was questioning, the woman who was none other than Trelisa spoke up again, "How am I alive? Is that what you are thinking?"

"Hmm, to give you an answer you could say that you didn’t kill me to begin with. Anyways, that matter is of the past now, what matters right now is that if you want to save this world or this girl." She paused before turning back toward Melina, who was bleeding constantly as the water washing away that blood as it moved.

"If you want to save this...’thing’ then you must come here alone."