Level Up: Voidwalker-Chapter 341: Ready, My Assassins?

Atlas woke up the next morning with Amethyst cuddled up to him and a dozen small Blood Bats lingering around the room. While lying there, his senses came to life as the inn was surrounded by soldiers.

'They already found us?' he thought, yawning.

Moments later, the phoenix woman woke up with an adorable yawn as she muttered. ''What's going on, handsome?''

''Night Owls are surrounding the inn,'' he revealed. ''Want me to deal with them?''

''Yes, please,'' Amethyst replied before curling up.

Atlas chuckled and set her back to the Otherworld as he summoned his armor and weapons with a thought. Just then, the enemies moved him, forcing him to summon some of the Kenku Assassins.

The crow-like humanoids appeared all around the room as he spoke in a quiet voice. ''We need to break out of here, the empire has us surrounded, but they don't know about you guys, so let's give them a shock.''

As the words left his lips, the creatures got excited as they readied their daggers and other weapons, just as the Night Owls appeared in the inn. Atlas glanced at the Blood Bats. ''You guys take the door, we will clear the enemies outside while heading for the town walls.''

Following that, the Achaemenidians moved up the stairs, prompting him to open the door as the bats flew out and caused chaos. They quickly attacked the enemies with their claws and teeth, which scared the soldiers.

Atlas chuckled at this before talking to the Kenku's. ''Ready, my assassins? Remember, clear out the Night Owls, those guys are pests.''

A chorus of shrieks echoed out as he rushed toward the window and exploded out while spinning as he sliced through two of the attackers, just as the flood of bird men rushed out and pounced on the unsuspecting enemies.

He moved like a whirlwind of precision as he darted through the fray, cutting down the stunned Night Owls. His body seemed to blur, mana surging through his veins to amplify his speed, transforming him into an untouchable specter of destruction.

With each swing of his weapons, infused with Void Infusion, they gleamed an ethereal blue, their edges now impossibly sharp. The air crackled around him, charged by his movements, as he wove through his enemies like a storm, leaving only chaos in his wake.

The Kenku's got excited when they saw their master killing the enemies and quickly moved to join him. They rushed across the rooftops while killing any Night Owl or Empire soldiers without stopping.

Atlas and the monsters moved like a shadow as he jumped over a group before casting Void Bomb into the middle of them. Explosions erupted, but soon enough, he was surrounded, making him laugh.

Moments later, three giant Savage Void Bears appeared and crashed into the soldiers, tearing them into meat chunks, allowing him to rush past, only to reach the town walls that he Void Stepped onto.

When he arrived, a portal opened and Amethyst appeared in her phoenix form, letting out a loud screech before attacking the enemy army outside the town. He watched her purple flames take out any soldiers blocking his escape route.

Following that, he jumped off the wall and started sprinting through the chaos as the foes tried to stop him, but they were taken out by a jumping Kenku. Atlas was moving so fast that he created a sonic boom.

Just then, several waves of spells slammed all around him, but he used Void Blast to send himself skyward. Once high enough, he smiled before spamming Void Lances at the attacking Giant Eagles.

As Atlas fell toward the ground, several portals opened as Raymond and the Blood Hawk King rushed out while letting out a threatening screech before crashing into the enemy monsters.

Seconds later, Nala appeared and let out a roar as her voice sounded in his mind. 'Get on my back, son! Powerful enemies are coming and we need to escape.'

When Atlas heard that, he listened and jumped on the lioness's back as she summoned more of her kind to hold off the Achaemenid army that was pressing toward them with overwhelming numbers.

Nala started sprinting across the battlefield as Amethyst and his monsters followed behind, as more enemy soldiers appeared. He glanced back and noticed all kinds of creatures controlled by the empire.

'How did they get so many?' he thought while seeing the soldiers riding some of the bigger beasts in the horde.

Atlas witnessed a horde of monsters so large that it would put his own to shame. It worried him, but he needed to get away so he could enter the Otherworld, causing him to speak to Nala. ''Try to go faster, mother. We need to get out of here.''

The lioness listen before suddenly speeding up prompting him to grab a hold of her thick fur as they entered a forest just as a massive eagle swooped down on them. Seconds later, it crashed into the trees and got angry.

Without waiting, Atlas sent every living monster back to the Otherworld just as he and Nala entered. They collapsed to the ground just as Amethyst crawled over to him while breathing heavily.

''How did they find us?'' she asked quietly. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Atlas sat up and shrugged. ''Maybe they have Mana Detectors in every settlement across the empire? It's not like they don't know my signature, considering we've fought them for years now.''

Just then, Grishna, Estelle, and Artemis appeared with a concerned expression as the blonde questioned. ''What happened out there, my love?''

''I believe the empire has detectors that can locate me,'' he revealed. ''Maybe they have teleportation mages, it wouldn't surprise me. Especially with how big the empire is.''

The four women looked worried, but Grisha commented. ''It doesn't matter, we can hide your mana so you can travel freely.''

''Or us girls can go pick up supplies from the settlements while Atlas waits outside for us?'' Artemis added with a curious tone.

Everyone looked at the brunette as Estelle spoke with a big smile. ''That's a good idea, Arty.''

Following that, they made their way back to the treehouse, where the group relaxed as the Empire soldiers went mad in the real world. The emperor dispatched more armies and even more Night Owls, but they couldn't find him.

Atlas was too busy relaxing in the Otherworld to be bothered by the empire. The girls were training while he relaxed. Lilith, Noorah, and Medusa clung to him, making the others laugh when they saw this.

Ten minutes later, exhaustion claimed him, and he drifted into a peaceful slumber, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. Curled atop his head, the fluffy fox nestled snugly, its soft fur a warm crown against his tousled hair.

Medusa, the sleek serpent, coiled gently around his neck like a living scarf, her scales glinting faintly in the dim light. Sprawled across his lap, the Honey Badger lay in a comical sprawl, its tiny snores adding a quiet rhythm to the peaceful scene.

As the other girls entered the treehouse and caught sight of the cozy tableau, their faces softened with fond smiles, their hearts warmed by the sight of Atlas so peacefully entwined with his companions.

Amethyst, ever thoughtful, stepped forward, her movements quiet to avoid disturbing them. She unfurled a thick, woven blanket and draped it carefully over the group, tucking it around them to shield them from the chilly air creeping through the treehouse's wooden walls.

The simple act brought gentle smiles to the girls' faces, their eyes reflecting a shared affection as the cold night was held at bay, leaving only warmth to fill the space.

***

Amethyst stared at Atlas with a smile as Zena commented. ''He's getting lucky escaping the empire this time, we have to be more careful in their lands.''

''Nulia has a spell that can hide his aura,'' she revealed. ''We need to start taking out their forces anyway. Estelle believes we should begin in the central part of the continent.''

When the wolf woman heard that, she agreed with a nod. ''Most of the empires' armies are on the border. If we cause chaos in the center, and when one gets dispatched, we can ambush it using Atlas's monsters.''

''That's the plan, it will give the rebellion a chance to regroup if even one army marches south to deal with us,'' Amethyst revealed.

As the two spoke, Grishna and Lilith appeared, which surprised her as the Honey Badger was sleeping in their lover's lap. She looked at the white-haired woman who smiled at her. ''Why are you looking at me like that? I had enough sleep with handsome, he makes it so much better.''

The group started laughing as the Orc exclaimed. ''We can keep training while letting the empire panic. Once it calms down, we can attack again.''

Everyone agreed just as Estelle offered from behind. ''Do you girls want some tea? It will warm you up and keep this horrible cold away.''