Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord

The war drums had been sounded. Atlas had taken his biggest step yet, marching straight into an even greater battle. He was determined to wipe out the entirety of Alliance B with the meticulous plan he had devised.

Before this, he had already taken several actions to weaken Alliance A, particularly by luring monsters into their smaller camps. He forced them to fight the beasts in the freezing darkness of night, then capitalized on their vulnerability by unleashing Morganna and Kurogasa to slaughter them when they were at their weakest and most chaotic.

But, Atlas had fully revealed his position, stepping into the open against a much larger enemy, the entire Lord Alliance.

His enemies now knew his true identity. They were aware that he was only a Seeker-rank Lord, someone they had once attempted to recruit into their alliance. Yet, instead of accepting their offer, he had turned against them, trapping and massacring their forces.

In truth, all of this was happening because Alliance B had grossly underestimated him. They saw him as a weak Lord with an equally weak army. Had they taken the threat more seriously, they would have approached this conflict with a far better strategy.

At this point, it seemed that wounded pride was also a factor, especially since Atlas had once rejected their invitation. And now, rather than crafting a proper strategy, Alliance B appeared to be relying purely on brute force to settle the matter.

Which, honestly… was not a wise choice.

Right after the death of twenty members of Alliance B that night, it became painfully clear, they were fully committed to annihilating Atlas and his entire army. They had even taken drastic measures, pulling their forces back from two key zones and regrouping at the closest key zone near the cave.

They had also stationed troops at several points to ensure that not a single one of Atlas's soldiers could escape. No one would be slipping out of that cave unnoticed. Once night fell, they would launch a raid, storming inside to hunt down their target.

This time, there would be no mercy. Surely, their target would surrender under the sheer weight of absolute power. There would be no escape from this pursuit.

Exactly… dozens, hundreds. Kurogasa was closely monitoring the enemy's movements, and sure enough, they had deployed over 200 troops that night. Right at the dead of night, when the cold was suffocating and the darkness lethal, they moved under the cover of the pitch-black sky. Silent, undetected, they advanced through the howling blizzard.

And then, as their figures emerged one by one from the shadows, the target of tonight's raid stood before them, the cave.

The entire force rushed forward, tearing through the snow with swift, calculated precision. They poured into the cave entrance with the efficiency of soldiers trained to move in perfect coordination.

Was this overkill? Yeah, definitely overkill. Or was it? Instead of deploying such a massive force, wouldn't it have been wiser to send a skilled scout ahead? But the decision had been made. Now, their target's fate would be sealed before the night was over.

No one had left the cave since the massacre the night before. That was why the enemy was so confident that Atlas and his army were still inside. And they weren't wrong, Atlas's forces were indeed within those walls.

Well… except for Atlas and Kurogasa, who had already slipped out unnoticed.

Oh, and one more thing, Morganna was inside that cave now, too.

**

Atlas and Kurogasa emerged from the shadows into a campsite in the dead of night, and it was evident that the camp's inhabitants had already sensed their presence. The figures within stood alert, their eyes fixed on the two hooded newcomers.

From the group, two people stepped forward, both cloaked in thick robes, their faces barely visible in the darkness.

"Atlas?" A familiar voice called out. It was Luna.

"This guy… seriously… You've got some insane guts, you know that? Hahaha." Another voice chimed in, belonging to the fiery red-haired sniper, Ember.

Atlas and Kurogasa approached, offering a slight bow in greeting, which was met with a similar gesture from the two women.

And of course, they knew this conversation couldn't continue out in the middle of a blizzard under the pitch-black sky. With a small gesture, Luna signaled them to follow her toward the center of the camp. Soon, they were led into one of the tents.

The moment Atlas stepped inside, the snow clinging to his cloak began to melt instantly.

After shedding their heavy outer robes, revealing thinner layers underneath, they settled in the center of the tent, where the lighting was far better than the oppressive darkness outside.

Atlas took a deep breath, relieved to finally be in an environment where the temperature wasn't as brutal as it was outside. His hands were still trembling, and the numbness that had spread throughout his body was only now starting to subside.

Even so, he knew he had to get used to it, though living in a place this cold was definitely not ideal for him in the long run.

Fortunately, this island was a dynamic environment, meaning its weather wouldn't stay the same forever. Who knew how long this unbearable frost would last? If he had to be honest, he would much rather burn in fire than freeze to death in this kind of merciless snow.

"Was that your doing?" Luna broke the silence, her question clearly referring to Alliance B's sudden retreat from two key zones on the island.

"That's sure because of me," Atlas replied casually.

"What exactly did you do to provoke them into taking such drastic action? Are you here to seek protection?"

Atlas gave a small smirk and shook his head. "Like I said before, I told you I would wipe out Alliance B entirely. And right now, I'm in the middle of making that happen."

Luna let out a sigh, shaking her head. "You really are…" She paused, taking another breath before continuing. "So, why did you come here tonight?"

Atlas remained silent for a moment, letting the atmosphere settle before speaking, making sure his next words would lead the conversation exactly where he wanted.

"There are two empty key zones right now. Who do you think will take them?"

Luna fell into thought at his question. "Logically, Alliance A would claim them since they have the strongest military power compared to the rest. Unless Alliance B decides to return and reclaim those key zones."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Surely, they will come back once they've dealt with whatever enraged them?"

"Alliance A won't take those two key zones," Atlas replied.

Luna tilted her head slightly. "They'd have an almost guaranteed victory if they just held their ground at the central fortress. All they need to do is defend their position and wait for the Dominion Skirmish to end in their favor. Is that what you're getting at?"

"In a way, yes."

"Then why?"

Atlas gave a small smirk before continuing, "Because I've already wiped out about sixty of their troops."

Luna narrowed her eyes at his words. "How? Were you the one who lured the beasts into the night and caused chaos in several areas?"

"So, you figured that out? And yeah, that was me."

Luna gave a slow nod, absorbing the information. "So, Alliance A won't leave the central fortress because they're playing it safe. Alliance B is still a threat because they might return to reclaim the key zones… And as for us… splitting our forces into smaller units would be too risky. That means whoever tries to take over those two key zones will first have to fight off the others."

Atlas didn't respond to Luna right away. Instead, he let the silence linger, giving her time to process whatever it was he was trying to imply.

"I've been thinking about something," she finally said. "But I want to hear it from you directly. What do you want?"

"I'm going to take over the key zones," Atlas answered.

"One of them?"

"No, both."

What should have been a tense moment was unexpectedly broken by Luna's soft laughter.

"Sorry… but every time you say something, I can't help but wonder what exactly goes on inside that head of yours, Atlas. You do realize that exposing yourself and your army to those key zones so openly would make you an easy target, right?"

"That's why I need your collaboration. I'll take the key zones, and you'll help me secure them."

"What?" Luna blinked in disbelief, clearly caught off guard. She looked genuinely surprised.

Meanwhile, the girl beside her, Ember, suddenly burst out laughing. "You're seriously so much fun, Atlas. Hahaha! I like people like you!"