Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord

Brigid had a system that allowed her to adjust her stat allocation freely. Because of this, she was able to match her stats to Atlas's overall stats before the battle even began, ensuring they started on equal footing.

But of course, no Lord would have a system with just a simple ability that seemed not particularly advantageous for her. At least, not at first glance.

Atlas had been trying to figure out just how far this ability could go.

That was why, during the first phase of their battle, he focused entirely on analyzing her combat style and understanding how her ability actually worked.

They had both agreed not to use active skills in this duel.

However, from what Atlas observed, Brigid's stat-adjusting ability, while not classified as an active skill, still influenced her fighting style.

For example, how could she have such overwhelming power in her attacks?

That kind of strength required high Strength stats.

But at the same time, how was she attacking with such speed?

Speed demanded high Agility.

Balancing those two attributes alone was already difficult, but on top of that, she still needed enough Constitution and Stamina to sustain the fight. Even if she completely ignored Intelligence, her power and speed were still far too extreme.

Throughout the entire battle, Atlas had been forced into constant defense, unable to land any real counterattacks.

But then, at some point, he noticed something.

Brigid's stat allocation wasn't fixed.

It was shifting and changing mid-battle based on the situation.

For instance, when Brigid needed more speed to chase and strike, her attack power slightly decreased.

When Atlas caused chaos by scattering massive chunks of ice around the battlefield, she struck harder to break through them.

He was sure of it. He had also developed a general sense of how this momentum-based stat shifting worked for her.

Though he couldn't grasp the full complexity of the system yet, he had enough information to exploit it.

He had to force Brigid into full Strength mode, maxing out her power output.

Then, at the perfect moment, he would capitalize on his speed advantage to deliver a fatal counterattack and win this battle.

But before he could make his move, Brigid landed a devastating swing with her greatsword.

A direct hit.

The impact sent Atlas flying backward, his body propelled across the battlefield with incredible force.

His momentum carried him deep into the frozen forest, where rows of ice-covered trees stood tall, shrouding the area in complete darkness.

And yet, his glowing aura of blue and gold energy still made his position clearly visible to his opponent.

Brigid wasted no time. She charged forward, tearing through the snow, racing toward where Atlas had landed in the darkness.

The battle had reached a point where it seemed inevitable. Atlas was going to lose soon. He had taken multiple hits, barely managing to block them with his spear.

Then, just as Brigid stepped into the frozen forest, surrounded by towering ice-coated trees.

Crack. Boom. Boom. Boom. Small explosions erupted around her.

The trees splintered and collapsed all at once, crashing down in every direction toward Brigid.

And just like that, Atlas was gone.

His presence vanished from sight.

"Where did Atlas go?" Luna gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

She and the others rushed forward to get a better view of the fight, the growing darkness making it nearly impossible to see from a distance.

Brigid reacted instantly.

She swung her greatsword with sheer force, cleaving through the falling trees like they were paper.

The sheer power behind that strike was insane.

But the chaos left her momentarily trapped within the collapsed trees.

She tried to reposition herself quickly, but Atlas was nowhere to be seen.

And in this pitch-black environment, finding him would be even harder.

Brigid slashed wildly, stepping and swinging in multiple directions to avoid being cornered. Her flaming aura burned brightly against the darkness, illuminating the battlefield.

But still, no sign of Atlas.

Every eye was searching for him.

And then, in an instant, it happened.

Atlas appeared, dropping down from the air. His spear was already poised for an overhead strike aimed directly at Brigid!

Everyone watching saw it, Atlas had abandoned the Wavebreaker Spear. He had switched with a different spear.

His glowing aura disappeared completely, allowing him to move completely undetected.

Brigid was currently in full Strength mode, this was Atlas's chance.

In this state, she wouldn't have enough time to parry his attack properly!

Atlas's Dragonfang Cleaver was already descending toward Brigid's head.

But, she reacted!

Even at the last second, Brigid was fast enough to lift her greatsword to block the attack.

"Brigid will block it!"

"Atlas is smart, but Brigid is faster!"

Atlas's spear was just inches away from striking, but the greatsword met it first.

Atlas failed!

No!

Because at the exact moment of impact, Brigid's footing shifted.

The sheer force of the clash cracked the ice beneath her, causing her stance to break.

And in that moment, her greatsword dropped slightly downward. Leaving just enough of an opening for Atlas to follow through.

His spear was about to slam directly into Brigid's head.

"No way…" Ember whispered.

"Seriously? Brigid?!"

Atlas had set his feet firmly on the ground again, and his spear stopped just short of striking Brigid's face. The warrior lord stood frozen in shock, realizing that she had failed to counter Atlas's final attack.

The warrior planted her greatsword into the ground, while Atlas pulled back his spear and held it firmly.

The battle was over, and Atlas had won.

Brigid, still wearing an expression of disbelief, turned her gaze toward Atlas. After a brief pause, she finally moved, bowing slightly before speaking.

"You managed to use everything in the environment to defeat me. You analyzed my battle style well enough to trap me and land that hit."

It was perhaps the longest sentence she had ever spoken.

"I am certain that in a proper arena, you wouldn't be able to defeat me, Atlas. But that is what defines a true fighter. You must be able to use whatever is at your disposal to win. And today, you proved that to me. You have won, and as per our agreement, I will accept all the terms you have set forth. From this moment on, you are the leader of this alliance."

Atlas took a deep breath, knowing just how narrow his victory had been. He had carefully set up the battlefield, ensuring that Brigid lost her footing at a critical moment. He had even thrown his Legendary-grade spear to obscure his position and used small explosives to make a tree collapse just as Brigid passed by.

It was a plan that might not have worked if the fight had happened a second time. But in the end, he had won.

The two of them stepped toward each other, and Brigid extended her hand. Atlas reached out, and they shook firmly.

"That was an invaluable battle. I learned a lot from you," Atlas said.

"Sorry for putting you in such a difficult position, and for dragging this battle out. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if you took the leader's position without all this. But my thirst for battle pushed me to do this."

Atlas smiled at her words, realizing that beneath this strict and seemingly emotionless girl was a kinder side, hidden behind the thick walls of her unshakable resolve.

The battle had finally come to an end. Atlas had proven himself, and the three lords in Luna's alliance had accepted the terms, cementing his leadership.

"Atlas, man, how the hell did you pull that trick to beat Brigid? Haha!" Ember approached, clapping Atlas on the shoulder with a grin.

Luna stood nearby, bowing slightly before offering him a warm smile. "Congratulations, Atlas. You did it."

"Yay! Atlas, you're so cool!" Celestia giggled softly. "Finally, we have a male lord in our alliance!"

As the night deepened and the temperature dropped, they made their way back to the tents. This alliance was only the beginning. To succeed, they would need to unite their strengths and make full use of every advantage at their disposal.

Because the enemy they faced wasn't one they could simply overpower with brute force. They needed strategy, the right strategy, to secure their victory.

But how would this newly formed alliance carve its path to triumph as the Dominion Skirmish grew more intense?

Time was not on their side. The longer they waited, the harder it would be to claim victory.

Their opponents had already amassed a significant number of Dominion Points. Points that would only become more difficult to challenge with each passing moment.