Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

Atlas’s body streaked through the barren land before striking the ground backward like a ragdoll, the sheer force behind the kick causing his mind to go blank for a moment. His body continued sliding across the destroyed terrain as he struggled to process the strength he had just experienced.

’I knew she was strong, but this... it’s way too much.’ Atlas compared the force of her attack with what he had experienced from Orivian. Orivian was undoubtedly strong, but this woman’s strength was on a completely different level, exceeding even what that monstrosity had displayed against him.

’It can’t be helped. I need to use ”that”...’ Atlas thought as his body finally came to a stop, his legs skidding backward across the destroyed ground and leaving marks through the barren surface. The Flames of Nothingness surrounding his body immediately vanished under his will as he steadied himself, and a single thought entered his mind.

’Event Absorption.’ The moment he invoked the Trait, Atlas remembered the information displayed within his Codex, specifically the strange classification it had received because of the nature of its existence.

[Event Absorption — Rank: Undesignated]

[Note: This Trait possesses an authority originating from a Higher Plane of Existence and therefore cannot be assigned a conventional rank. As the user is not bound by the ’Existential limits’, the Trait can be utilized without restriction.]

Atlas immediately used the Trait after remembering the information. Just as Orivian had done before him, he absorbed the entire Event of the impact that had struck his body, removing the consequences of that Event from his current existence.

The moment the absorption was completed, his figure instantly appeared at the position from which he had been sent flying, directly in front of the woman who now possessed legs instead of the fish tail she had previously displayed.

The transition happened so naturally that it was almost as though Atlas had never been sent flying in the first place.

The woman’s eyes widened in complete horror as she stared at him, unable to believe what she was seeing. She couldn’t understand how Atlas was still capable of moving after receiving that attack, much less how he had returned to his original position as though the impact itself had never existed.

Her body instinctively retreated again while her grip tightened around the spear already in her hand, her eyes remaining fixed on him with obvious disbelief. Atlas, however, simply stood motionless for a moment before slowly lifting his head.

’I see... so that’s how he was growing stronger after each absorption.’ Atlas finally understood the process after feeling the power of the absorbed Event moving through his body.

The strength contained within that Event wasn’t simply disappearing after being absorbed; it was becoming part of his own physical strength. He could feel the changes spreading throughout his entire body, and a faint grin appeared on his face as he looked toward the woman. ”Are you not going to reveal your ability even now?”

The woman’s pupils contracted as pure, unfiltered horror filled her eyes, causing them to tremble uncontrollably as she continued staring at Atlas. ’H-He grew stronger? How?!!!’ She couldn’t believe what she was seeing through the thermal heat radiating from his flesh.

The increase was not temporary, nor was it simply an enhancement that would disappear after the Event ended; his physical strength had increased permanently. His bones, muscles, tendons, organs, and even his brain were now significantly stronger than they had been before, far beyond what his current attributes of 100 should have allowed.

She narrowed her eyes at his question before finally responding, ”I acknowledge you, Human. You are strong even though you are weak. It seems you possess some unnatural abilities.” Her expression remained serious as she continued examining Atlas, clearly realizing that the strange ability he had just used was responsible for the sudden increase in his strength.

She had already expected him to possess unusual powers, but watching him absorb the very Event of an attack and return stronger was something she had never expected to witness. Her grip on the spear tightened as she prepared herself for the next exchange.

”And to respond to your strength, I will reveal my ability.” With those words, she extended her right hand while holding the spear horizontally. Her voice echoed throughout the entire region as she finally revealed the name of her ability, ”Hailnora — Death Zone.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Atlas’s faint grin disappeared as he immediately sensed a domain forming around them, expanding from the woman herself. It felt completely different from the domain Orivian had created, and the difference wasn’t merely in the nature of its power.

The sheer size of the domain immediately caught Atlas’s attention, because it seemed to cover the entirety of the Ruin itself. Atlas looked around and found a crimson moon hanging high in the sky above him, while beneath it lay countless corpses of Monsters and people alike.

Dark-red blood filled the ground around him, rising all the way to his knees and covering the ruined landscape as far as his eyes could perceive. Atlas immediately felt something within the blood surrounding him, and his expression became slightly more serious as he recognized the sensation.

’Death...’

The sensation of Death seemed to cover his entire body through the dark-red blood, and before Atlas could properly respond, his entire figure became locked within the space. He couldn’t move even an inch, regardless of how much physical strength he attempted to use.

His pupils shifted toward the woman floating before him, and he noticed that her appearance had suddenly changed as well. Her eyes, which had previously possessed a deep-blue shade, had transformed into crimson red while her eyebrows remained deep blue, giving her a unique appearance that immediately made it clear that something about her had changed.

The woman narrowed her crimson eyes before extending her index finger toward Atlas’s chest. Half of his body was already submerged deep within the pool of blood, yet he remained unable to move as she slowly approached him.

The moment her finger touched his chest, she spoke with a voice filled with genuine confusion, ”You... what the hell are you? Even the Law of ’Death’ doesn’t work on you.” Atlas’s eyes narrowed into slits, as they were the only part of his body that he could still move, and the realization behind her words immediately caught his attention.

’So it’s a Law... her ability itself is controlling a Law?’ Atlas thought as he finally understood why his Null wasn’t working to free him from the locked space around his body. Laws were the only things that consistently gave him trouble, operating on a fundamentally different level from the abilities he normally encountered.

Even so, Atlas remained surprisingly calm despite being trapped within the woman’s domain, ’I can’t be killed with any external threats, though...’

The woman stared at Atlas for another moment before finally speaking again. ”Hmm, I guess I cannot kill you. I will have to take you with me to my home, There, your body and soul can be experimented on.” Her tone remained calm as though she had already decided what she would do with him, believing that his inability to move within her domain meant she had ultimately gained control of the situation.

Atlas listened without responding, his eyes remaining fixed on her as he continued analyzing the Law controlling the space around him.

Just as she finished speaking, Atlas suddenly raised his voice, ”Are you sure about that?” The moment the words left his mouth, the Flames of Nothingness erupted across his entire body, instantly covering him in the strange black flames.

The pool of dark-red blood beneath him began disappearing as the flames erased it completely, causing the woman’s expression to change as she immediately retreated from him. The sensation she felt from the flames triggered the same instinctive warning she had experienced before, but this time it was even stronger.

’He shouldn’t even be able to move! How is he speaking and using those flames?!’ She screamed internally in disbelief, her eyes narrowing into slits as she watched Atlas standing within her own domain.

She couldn’t understand how he was able to use an ability while his body remained bound by the Law of Death. Her confusion only intensified when another thought entered her mind. ’I am immune to ”Death” because I control the very Law of ”Death.” So why am I sensing ”Death” from those flames?’

She couldn’t understand it at all. The Flames of Nothingness were clearly producing a sensation that resembled Death, yet they were also fundamentally different from the Law she controlled. Her expression became increasingly serious as she stared at Atlas before finally speaking, ”I see, so this is your ability, to control the Law of ’Death’. Although I do not know how Laws work, nor do I need to, I am still curious about one thing.”

Her gaze remained fixed on the black flames covering his body as she continued, ”Can you, the controller of the Law of ’Death’, avoid being ’Erased’?”

The moment those words left her mouth, Atlas moved again.

Inside her own domain.