Chapter 80: Killing Atlas

When Arthur said that, the six arch dukes all looked at him so venomously that, if looks could kill, he would have died at least three hundred times.

Atlas, however, did not show much emotion on his face. His expression remained calm and composed, displaying the firm heart and unwavering resolve of a truly strong person.

"You are still too green. I don’t know how you gained such power, but the human race is only around a million years old. We Merfolks, on the other hand, ruled Aethelgard a hundred million years ago. It was only a great catastrophe that forced us to hide inside the ocean, and over time, we mutated."

Atlas suddenly revealed a piece of information that Arthur had never heard before.

Arthur had just been preparing to attack Atlas while he was distracted and kill him within a short period of time. However, the moment he heard those words, his movement abruptly stopped.

This was a piece of information he had never encountered in his previous life.

"Keep talking. What was the catastrophe?" Arthur asked curiously.

A cold smile appeared on Atlas’s face.

"Want to know more? Then defeat me. Maybe I’ll tell you afterward," he said with a smirk.

"Hmph! I’ll extract the information from you after making you one of my Shadow Generals," Arthur snorted inwardly.

However, this conversation was also being heard by the international leaders watching everything inside the conference room. This piece of information was undoubtedly significant news for them.

"Huh? They once lived on land? Do we know anything about a great catastrophe from a hundred million years ago?" one of the world leaders asked.

The military personnel nearby shook their heads.

"If such a powerful race once lived on land and ruled Aethelgard, they should have left behind some traces at least, shouldn’t they? Yet we have never discovered any trace of an intelligent civilization that existed before us," another world leader analyzed.

"Could it be that he is bluffing?" another leader wondered.

"Who knows? We can only rely on the Dark Lord to learn more information. But can he really defeat this guy? He looks incredibly strong. He actually shattered the barrier with a single punch, despite the enormous amount of seawater it was holding back."

Everyone immediately focused their attention on the screen.

The footage was being transmitted through a camera held by Sebas, who was standing behind Arthur and the team. It was a task Arthur had specifically entrusted to him so that every moment of the battle could be recorded.

Arthur looked at Atlas, and Atlas looked back at him.

Just as the two were about to move, the six arch dukes suddenly stepped forward to stop Atlas.

"Your Majesty, please let us handle that mongrel for you. If you have to fight while we are standing here, it would be a disgrace to our names."

Atlas calmly shook his head.

"You are not worthy of fighting him, he is on par with me in terms of strength alone. You stand no chance against him."

He then glanced toward the distant city.

"Go back and activate the barrier of the city."

The six arch dukes widened their eyes. They had not expected their king to hold this human in such high regard.

"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" one of them asked.

"Don’t make me repeat myself. Go. Now."

Atlas’s voice became cold and authoritative, leaving no room for argument.

Although he was absolutely confident in his own strength, he would never lower his guard against an opponent of this caliber. This very caution was what had made him one of the most dangerous enemies of humanity in Arthur’s previous life.

Atlas turned his attention toward Arthur.

"Now, come, human. Let me see what you are capable of."

However, immediately afterward, he said something else.

"Wrath of the Sea God."

Boom!

Instantly, a gigantic creature made entirely of pure water formed behind Atlas. It held a massive trident in its hand and stood behind him like a divine guardian.

A horrendous pressure erupted from the Sea God, combining with the terrifying aura radiating from Atlas himself.

Arthur’s ten cousins, Sebas, and Anastasia all felt as if they were standing before a real god.

The sheer pressure was so horrifying that they felt as though their bodies were being crushed. Simply remaining upright under that pressure required nearly all of their strength.

"His Majesty is using his ultimate technique from the very beginning? How terrifying is that human?" one of the arch dukes muttered while moving farther away from the battlefield.

"Hmph! He killed one of us like an insect and took his strongest attack bare-handed. How much more proof do you need of his strength?" another arch duke retorted.

"But even so... His Majesty is a god among men. How could he make His Majesty this cautious?" the first arch duke asked again.

"Stop talking and move faster," the other replied coldly.

Arthur looked at Atlas and the enormous Sea God standing behind him, his eyes flashing intensely.

If he could obtain this ability, his combat prowess would enter an entirely different realm.

"Since you started with your strongest attack, let me begin with my strongest as well," Arthur said calmly.

"Domain of the Shadow God."

Instantly, a domain with a radius of one kilometer appeared around Arthur, enveloping the surrounding ocean and giving his ten Shadow Generals a fivefold increase in strength.

"Go deal with that Sea God. That thing is extremely powerful," Arthur ordered.

"As you wish, my Lord," Kaiser replied in a deep voice.

Suddenly, four enormous dark wings appeared behind Kaiser as his Demon Emperor form was fully unleashed. At the same time, the Angel unfolded all twelve of its wings, while the other Shadow Generals transformed into their true forms as well.

They had been suppressing their strength until now.

But there was no longer any reason to hold back.

Instantly, a similarly horrifying aura erupted from all ten Shadow Generals, their combined pressure almost equal to that of the Sea God.

The two terrifying pressures collided and canceled each other out, causing the surrounding seawater to violently churn.

Atlas’s eyes widened slightly.

He had not expected these mysterious shadow creatures to be this powerful.

Under Arthur’s domain, every single one of them had reached a level of strength comparable to Arthur himself.

Boom!

Arthur activated his Atomic Body Control and moved through the ocean at supersonic speed, followed closely by his ten Shadow Generals.

Atlas moved as well, the Sea God following directly behind him.

Boom!

Atlas attacked Arthur with his enormous trident, while Arthur raised his dagger and blocked the incoming strike.

At the same time, the Sea God swung its own trident toward the ten Shadow Generals.

The instant the attacks collided, the surrounding seawater vaporized from the sheer pressure generated by the impact.

A moment later, the water rushed back into the empty space, but the brief vaporization was enough to demonstrate just how horrifying the force of their collision was.

Arthur and Atlas both looked at each other.

For the first time, genuine respect appeared in both of their eyes.

"Atlas, if you were not an enemy of humanity, perhaps we could have become good friends," Arthur said as he launched another full-force attack.

Atlas met the attack with his trident, but the tremendous force sent him flying backward hundreds of meters.

Yet even with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, a crazed smile appeared across his face.

"Same here. I really think we could have become friends," Atlas said.

"Then let me finish this battle and make you my friend," Arthur suddenly said with a smile.

A deep and unsettling feeling immediately emerged in Atlas’s heart.

However, he forcibly shook the thought away and prepared to rush toward Arthur once again.

"Your strength is only equivalent to that of a Level 50 Royal Boss," Arthur suddenly muttered.

Instantly, a terrifying suppression descended upon Atlas.

To his horror, he felt his strength being forcibly reduced by some strange and incomprehensible law.

Arthur’s face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Suppressing an opponent as powerful as Atlas with his current Spirit value placed an enormous burden on his soul.

But this was his opportunity.

He needed to finish Atlas as quickly as possible and prevent any unexpected anomaly from occurring.

"What did you do?" Atlas roared in disbelief.

Arthur did not answer.

In the very next instant, he appeared directly behind Atlas.

Before the mighty ruler of the ocean could react, Arthur’s dagger flashed.

Slash!

Atlas’s head was severed from his body in a single decisive blow.

The mighty ruler of the ocean, the same existence who had caused countless catastrophes for humanity in Arthur’s previous life, had fallen here.

The enormous Sea God also vanished along with Atlas, its massive form dissolving into the surrounding ocean.

It had given the ten Shadow Generals an extremely difficult battle and had even managed to kill one of them during their brief confrontation.

Arthur slowly exhaled in relief before appearing in front of Atlas’s corpse.

His gaze fell upon the fallen ruler of the ocean.

"Arise," he muttered gently.