Chapter 4 - Queen of the Eternal Dusk

Atlas stood frozen as Morganna shot toward him with blinding speed. Everything happened so quickly that his mind barely had time to process the danger. Her long, razor-sharp claws were already inches from his throat.

[System detects a threat against the Lord of the Floating Island from his subordinate.]

[The Lord has full control over all subordinates within the Floating Island, but only to prevent harmful actions that threaten the Lord.]

[High-level threat containment has been activated, rendering the individual immobile until the harmful intent subsides.]

Suddenly, Morganna stopped in her tracks. Her claws hovered mere millimeters from his neck, but they never made contact. The Vampire Queen's face twisted in fury, her crimson eyes glowing fiercely as she bared her teeth, lips curled in a snarl. She was seething with rage.

"Argh... I'll kill you... Argh!" Morganna snarled, her voice trembling with fury and pain. 

Her entire body was stiff, trembling as she fought against the invisible force holding her back, struggling desperately to wrap her claws around Atlas's throat. But she couldn't move any further, locked in place by the system's safeguard.

Karian, standing nearby, froze as well, wary but not moving an inch. Everyone present understood the fundamental rule: a summon could never harm their Lord, no matter what. And this Rank-S exclusive Vampire Queen should have known that.

"How dare you summon me to this barren island! I'll kill you, I'll kill you, you fool!" Morganna screamed, thrashing in vain as she tried to move.

Edrik let out a sigh, shaking his head. He patted Karian on the shoulder, and the warrior straightened up, returning to his usual composed stance.

"What's wrong with you?" Atlas asked casually, looking down at the woman who, despite her deadly aura, still appeared to be in her early twenties.

But then again, her title was the Queen of the Eternal Dusk—a title that definitely sounded intimidating. She was, without a doubt, a Vampire. And a Queen.

"How dare you summon me! You're nothing but a lowly creature, unworthy to command me. I'll kill you, drain your blood dry, and leave your corpse for the dogs in the streets!" 

"Ssshhh." Atlas hushed her with a calm gesture, and Morganna's mouth snapped shut. Though she was still visibly fuming, muttering angrily under her breath.

"Can you calm down a bit and stand up straight?" 

Morganna grudgingly stepped back and stood upright, still fighting against whatever invisible force was keeping her from attacking. Her muffled grumbles continued behind her closed lips.

"Hamu hemu hemu, haumu, hamu, homu," she grumbled incoherently.

"What?" Atlas leaned in, bringing his ear closer to her face. "What did you say?"

Morganna's mouth flew open again. "Don't come any closer! I refuse to let you near me. I swear, I'll kill you if you even dare touch me!"

"Oh, you mean something like this?" Atlas replied casually, immediately reaching out and grabbing her chin. Morganna jerked, but couldn't fight back, her body frozen in place.

Atlas tilted her face from side to side, feeling the tension in her muscles, aware of how deeply she resented the situation. Then, with deliberate ease, he released his hold.

"See, I can go this far. But I'll respect you," he said. "I'll give you a chance to accept the situation, and later, we can talk once you're ready. Deal?"

Morganna's anger was still palpable, her muffled grumbling continuing behind her sealed lips.

"Now," Atlas continued, "you stand here for now. When you're ready to speak peacefully with me, you'll be able to move again. Understand?"

Her furious glare didn't waver, and she strained to move, still desperate to launch another attack.

Atlas sighed. He hadn't expected things to escalate into something quite this... unique. She was undoubtedly a ruler in her own right, likely a lord in her past world—just like Edrik and Karian.

And of course, Morganna had suffered a major defeat—one that led to her losing her island. Now here she was, having fallen from her previous status, only to face another humiliation as a summon under another lord, a human lord.

Her pride was surely towering. Her title alone reflected her high rank. Who knows what level she had achieved in her world, or how vast her army had been. And now, what fate had befallen everything under her command? It was impossible to tell.

But one thing was clear: his first Rank-S summon definitely had some issues. Still, he wasn't too worried. He had plenty of time to figure things out and set everything straight.

After all, they had no choice but to survive together. 

Atlas had no intention of treating them harshly, like slaves. His goal was to build a strong team under his leadership, treating them more as companions and allies—even though there was a system guarantee in place ensuring none of them could ever harm him.

The memory of what had happened just moments earlier flooded his mind—the moment he had nearly died, all thanks to them, the other members of his expedition. 

Damn! I'll hunt them down, he vowed silently, his fists clenching. Every last one of them. And when I find them, I'll hurl them into the abyss, just like they did to me.

Now, Atlas was curious to see just how powerful this new Rank-S summon really was. Morganna, the Queen of the Eternal Dusk, was bound to have impressive stats!

[Name: Morganna Nightshade]

[Level: 69]

[Strength: 212 | Agility: 324 | Intelligence: 122 | Constitution: 119 | Stamina: 132]

[Job: Specialized Fighters]

[Eternal Dusk Mastery (S) - Blood Sovereignty (A) - Frenzied Reflexes (SS) - Reaper's Precision (A) - Fearless Confrontation (A) - Emotional Outburst (A) - Emotional Surge (A)]

Level 69! Morganna's level was even higher than Karian's, and at this early stage, having someone of her caliber under his command was nothing short of extraordinary.

But that wasn't all. While most people gained about 10 stat points per level, Morganna's total stats were far beyond that. How much exactly? Atlas did a quick calculation. 

It's over 900 stat points!!!

Damn!

A level 69 with stats that high? She was easily comparable to someone in the level 80 range! Truly remarkable.

Now, Atlas shifted his focus to her talents. Even a brief glance revealed that each one had a minimum rating of A. Absolutely incredible.

[Eternal Dusk Mastery: Taps into the powers of eternal darkness, increasing her strength, speed, and magic when fighting under the moon or in darkness, making her nearly unstoppable during nighttime.]

[Blood Sovereignty: Allows her to drain life force from her enemies with every strike, using it to heal herself and prolong her life, making her exceptionally hard to defeat.]

[Frenzied Reflexes: In moments of emotional volatility, Morganna's reflexes become unnaturally sharp, allowing her to dodge attacks and counter with lightning-fast precision. However, these reflexes become harder to control as her emotions grow more intense.]

[Reaper's Precision: Morganna wields the scythe with such finesse that each strike targets vital points, maximizing damage with every swing. Her precision allows her to deliver deadly blows with minimal effort, cutting through armor and defenses with ease.]

Atlas's eyes locked onto the first four talents. Eternal Dusk Mastery—rated S—and Frenzied Reflexes—rated SS!

She was clearly designed to be a killing machine with talents like these. In darkness, she could become incredibly powerful, able to survive longer in battle by absorbing the blood of her enemies. Not only that, but her fighting speed increased when she was emotionally unstable. No wonder she flew into a rage the moment she arrived!

And then there was her Reaper's Precision—a clear sign she was a close-range fighter, using her scythe for devastating attack.

[Fearless Confrontation: Morganna has no fear of confrontation and will aggressively challenge anyone who opposes her. This talent makes her particularly intimidating in face-to-face encounters, though it often leads to unnecessary conflicts due to her harsh temperament.]

[Emotional Outburst: Her emotions often manifest in loud, dramatic outbursts, which might cause a scene or distract others.]

Next, Fearless Confrontation caught Atlas's attention—it made her aggressively confront anyone, regardless of their strength. This one could definitely be troublesome for him. Controlling that kind of reckless aggression would be a challenge.

And then there was Emotional Outburst—pretty self-explanatory. It likely amplified her power in the heat of her emotions, but also made her harder to manage. 

[Emotional Surge: Her emotions fuel her magic, causing her spells to grow more potent when she's overwhelmed with rage or other intense feelings. However, this can cause her to lose control, leading to devastating collateral damage.]

Lastly, Emotional Surge—a surprisingly powerful talent. Her anger didn't just fuel her aggression; it actually enhanced her magic. In other words, the more unstable her emotions, the more brutal and unstoppable she became. Stronger, harder to kill!

"Cool," he thought with a faint smile. She truly deserved her title as an Exclusive Rank-S character.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. He had been incredibly, very lucky to get her. Now, the urge to pull more tickets burned inside him. He had plenty of time, and he was ready to spend every ticket he had.

"Let's do it!" he whispered eagerly.