Chapter 167: Unveiling Atlas

The last day of the week-long wait was the toughest. The workshop was filled with a nervous, electric energy.

The team stood in the large, circular chamber of the Synthesis Loom. Their eyes were all fixed on the huge, black cocoon that hung in the center of the room. For seven long days, it had floated there in the middle of the runic platform. It had been beating with a slow and powerful heat, a deep pulse that felt like a sleeping volcano.

But now, in the final hour, it had gone completely still. The steady beating had stopped. The deep, radiating heat had faded away. The whole room felt cold and silent.

Draven crossed his big, muscular arms over his chest. He was looking at the cocoon with a nervous expression, which was very unusual for him. “Is it supposed to do that?” he asked. “Did it… you know… die in there?

“The incubation is complete,” Vanessa said. She was standing next to her main console, her eyes fixed to a screen that showed the cocoon’s energy levels flat-lining. “It’s not dead. It’s ready to be born.”

As if her words were a magic key, a low sound came from the cocoon.

Groooaaan.

A thin, glowing red crack, like a line of fresh lava, appeared on the surface of the black shell.

The team took a step back.

CRACK!

The sound was sharp and loud, like a thunderclap inside the room. More cracks appeared across the surface, each one glowing with a volcanic light. The deep groaning got louder, becoming the sound of huge pieces of the earth’s surface being pushed apart.

With one last, big CRACK-BOOM

, the shell exploded outwards, breaking into many sparkling black pieces that turned into dust before they even touched the floor.

The light and heat covered them, forcing them to shield their eyes. When the light faded, they all stared, speechless.

The creature that stood in the center of the Loom was very huge. It was a monster of myths and legends, a thing of incredible power and impossible greatness.

It was built on the body of a giant turtle, with four huge, pillar-like legs that ended in thick, dark claws. But its shell was not the smooth, round shell of a Titan Turtle. It was a rough, mountain-like surface of sharp, volcanic rock, with streams of molten gold flowing through glowing cracks.

Then, from the front of the shell, a long, serpentine neck made of black plates that fit together went up into the air. At its end was the head of a mighty Wyrm, with a horned nose and eyes that burned with the fire of a lava flow. It was a walking mountain of destruction, a terrifying fusion of unstoppable defense and overwhelming power.

The creature took a heavy step off the platform.

THUD.

The entire chamber shook as its massive foot hit the floor. It let out a low sound, not of anger, but of ancient, hidden power coming to life. They felt the sound deep in their bones.

A new prompt, the most powerful one Jonah had ever received, flashed in his mind.

[Nexus Synthesis Complete. Grade-5 Progeny Created: Obsidian Earth-Shaker.]

The prompt detailed its abilities, but one skill stood out, its purpose clear and scary.

[Primary Skill: Siege Cannon.]

Draven made a low sound, his eyes wide with pure wonder. “What the hell… Jonah, you didn’t just build a sledgehammer. You built the god of all sledgehammers.”

Seraph simply stared, her mind, always thinking in terms of strategy, already figuring out the huge fighting advantage this… this creature gave them. It was not just a Progeny. It was a weapon of mass destruction. A single-unit army that could knock down cities.

Jonah felt a deep connection to the creature. He felt its immense strength, its volcanic heart, its unyielding nature. It was a part of him now. He had created a monster born to protect, not to destroy. He felt a huge pride, but also a heavy, difficult responsibility. This kind of power was a weight that could break a person.

He took a step forward, looking into the creature’s fiery eyes. It lowered its massive head, its burning eyes somehow gentle as they looked at its creator.

He needed a name for it. A name that fit its immense power and the heavy duty it was created to carry. A name for a being that could hold the world on its shoulders.

“Your name,” Jonah said, his voice filled with authority, “is Atlas.”

The monster let out another low sound, a sound of acknowledgment. Of acceptance.

It was a moment of pure triumph for the entire team. They had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They now had the power to face Thorne, to storm his hidden fortress, and to finally end this terrible Genesis War.

Just as Jonah started to smile with relief, a sharp, urgent sound went through the air.

PING! PING! PING!

It was the emergency communicator that connected them directly to General Ironwood.

Seraph quickly moved over to the terminal and activated it. The General’s face appeared on the screen. He was not in an office, but in what looked like a mobile command center. His expression was serious, his eyes burning with a terrible urgency.

There were no greetings. No congratulations. Just a cold order.

“Our long-range satellites have confirmed it,” Ironwood spoke loudly, clear and brief. “Ariana’s intelligence was correct. The facility in the Shattered Peaks is active.”

He paused, and his next words struck with great force.

“Its energy signature just went critical. It’s spiking, growing bigger than anything we’ve ever seen. Thorne isn’t just experimenting anymore. He’s preparing for something big. He’s about to unleash whatever he’s been cooking in that lab.”

The team’s brief, happy moment of victory vanished in an instant. It was replaced by a cold fear. They had just built their ultimate weapon.

But the enemy was about to make his move first.

“You need to move,” the General commanded. “Now.”

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