Tower of Heaven

There wasn't a need to describe the process of Atlas reaching the platform. He and Artemia moved together until they reached the specified platform and he moved alone for the rest of the distance.

On the way to the main platform, it was easy. The steps leading to it were evenly spaced and could be crossed with small jumps.

The problem only appeared when Atlas made it to the end and looked back.

There was nothing but empty space for over fifteen meters before Artemia's platform. The distance between there and Horus was even greater.

'Tch.'

It was an annoyingly stressful situation to be caused by such a simple problem.

'Putting that aside, is this the end of it?'

This platform was the endpoint itself. Here, there was an armor stand with the treasure that Artemia was seeking, a treasure chest, and more spare pills of assorted uses.

Atlas took a second to focus on them before moving on.

'This armor will be useful until the World Core Realm. It has an inherent affinity for water, so it is indeed the perfect piece of equipment for Aria.'

He placed his hand on the armor plate and injected his qi into it.

'It only responds to water qi, but when it receives an influx of it, it returns the energy back to the wearer with its power amplified.'

In a fast-paced battle, it wouldn't be able to do much, but it would be perfect for critical moments, giving Artemia the ability to guarantee a fatal strike at the end.

'This armor piece is definitely the so-called "hidden piece" that Aria was referring to. More than likely, it has other functions that will only blossom when it accepts an owner.'

There was no need for him to look into it deeper. The armor felt his qi and didn't accept him, so there was no point at all.

'In the chest…'

Atlas opened it, only to frown.

'Well, it isn't a bad reward, but wasn't this supposed to be rare?'

It was a block of Iridescent Metal. It wasn't as much as Atlas found earlier, but if it was being used to forge a weapon instead of as a complete replacement for one, it was more than enough.

'This will be good for Horus.'

And, finally, the pills.

'There are only a few related to cultivation, but healing pills and energy replenishment pills are plenty good enough. As long as most of these are still in good condition, it saves me a lot of effort.'

It wasn't too bad of a reward considering that the difficulty of reaching this island was not high.

'However, to keep these rewards is another issue.'

They were only still in this place because nobody could successfully make the return journey. When the person challenging the hidden piece fell into the abyss, all of the items were returned to the platform to entice the next set of greedy Ascenders.

'This time will be different.'

These items wouldn't appear on the 37th Floor again.

"Are you ready?!"

Atlas yelled so his voice could reach Artemia. As for Horus, he could not hear it. The force of the abyss completely diminished its presence by the time it traveled that far.

"I'm ready! But, are you sure you want to do this?!" Artemia yelled back.

"It'll work, so it's fine! Be prepared to catch me!"

The plan was simple.

Atlas brandished the Iridescent Steel chain sickles and lowered his body. Gathering power in his arms, he threw the chain sickles into the space in front of him.

Whoosh!

They traveled through the air with great speed and crossed many meters in mere seconds. When they started to lose momentum, they'd already made it as far as they needed to.

Atlas yanked on the chains, and the sickles were forced to return in his direction. However, instead of completely returning, their blades caught onto Artemia's platform and latched there.

He took several steps back on the platform and then rushed forward, pulling on the chains as hard as he could to propel himself forward.

He flew off the main platform and back towards Artemia with great speed. As he got closer, the sickles lost their grip and fell down, but their job was done for the moment.

Atlas was able to reach the platform where Artemia stood, but with so much momentum, it was impossible for him to land on it.

That was where teamwork became the answer.

Artemia's eyes narrowed as she watched his approach. Extending her arms, she caught him with her feet planted to dispel as much momentum as possible.

However, she couldn't completely disperse it. The two of them tipped off of the platform as it vanished behind them. Artemia held onto Atlas' body while his gaze remained entirely focused on Horus.

In that moment, the world turned grey. Horus nodded, ready to do his part, and Atlas was the same.

There was nothing around him and Artemia but blackness, but he could still very clearly feel the sickles at the ends of the chains he controlled.

He whipped his arms, expelling qi for the first time. The chain sickles straightened suddenly and flew towards Horus. Atlas and Artemia were already falling, but the chains extended at a faster pace.

And…

"Keugh…!"

With a loud grunt, Horus caught them in his hands.

"HOLD ON!"

He roared as his body was covered in a golden hue. His muscles bulged to twice their size as he brandished all of his strength to hold the weight of the two people at the end of the chains.

Atlas gritted his teeth. He withdrew mana at a constant rate, allowing the Iridescent Steel to shorten and shorten. With Horus maintaining his grip, he was able to haul himself and Artemia out of the abyss and back into the world above.

They worked together until they were both sweating severely, but even their sweat was frozen by the cold of the abyss. Their bodies and minds remained cool, allowing them to absolutely focus until they were all safe.

It was an incredibly risky maneuver, but, in the end, Atlas and Artemia were grabbing onto the platform where Horus stood and pulling themselves up onto solid ground.

"Haa…haa…haa…"

"Haa…haa…haa…"

Their labored breaths synced as the three of them sat there without a word.

Artemia was the one to break the silence.

"So…we did that," she said.

"We did that indeed," Horus added.

"Hahaha…that was a little too close for comfort."

Though he said that, there was a smile on Atlas' face.

There were smiles on all of their faces, as despite the danger they faced…

"That was exhilarating!"

Artemia said it best.

The danger was precisely what made it so fun.

The three of them glanced over at the land of the 37th Floor that was still decently far away, but it didn't look intimidating anymore.

Instead, it was just a casual jump in comparison to what they'd just done.

"Hey, Atlas…" Horus said.

"What is it?" Atlas responded.

"I was a little hesitant to cooperate with people when we first started, but…"

He grinned sincerely.

"...I'm glad I decided to take your offer."

Atlas smiled as he stood up.

"I'm glad you accepted it as well."

This sense of camaraderie felt oddly foreign, but equally warm.

Though the three of them found each other and decided to work together on a whim, their cooperation would not end there.

These three who realized just how well their strengths complemented each other…

Their stories would take the Tower by storm for many years to come.