Tower of Heaven

As soon as the table changed, the six of them received the same prompt.

[Through this screen, you can control your armies.]

They were made aware of exactly what their capabilities were.

[Every [Green] dot on the map is your own troop. Every [Blue] dot on the map is an allied troop. Every [Red] dot on the map is an enemy troop.]

'The other races under the Neurics are not present as any of the colored dots. They must not be counted as part of the force.'

In other words, the majority of the population could not participate directly in the war.

'However, they will do their job well enough as a backline workforce.'

There weren't any red dots on the map, but that was also explained.

[Enemies will not appear on the map unless they have been spotted by your troops.]

On the upper right hand ocean beside Atlas' continent on the map, there was a small array of numbers and statistics that only he could see. They outlined the exact number of troops he had, how they were distributed, and much more.

[You can give orders to your army through the map screen. Characters of high importance can be contacted directly.]

And, perhaps the most important part…

[You may choose one benefit to use as the [Shinnim]. A list of possible benefits will be provided.]

There were six options presented in front of him, but Atlas knew which one he wanted from the moment he saw its name. He chose it, and the Tower sent him a message of confirmation.

[You have chosen [Return Point]. You will be able to use this benefit [3] times before it is exhausted.]

The map in front of him returned to normal. Only one line of text remained.

[Waiting on other Ascenders. The battle will begin shortly.]

'This is perfect.'

Return Point was a simple benefit that could be used simply. Three times, he could transport his troops to a position they'd already occupied for more than 6 hours.

There was one important thing to note about this benefit.

'There is no limit on the number of troops I can transport, and there is no requirement for a certain number of troops to occupy the Return Point.'

In other words, a single spy could sneak into the enemy's borders and wait for 6 hours, then Atlas could transport his entire army to that location in an undefeatable surprise attack.

'Well then…'

[All Ascenders are ready. May the battle begin.]

Along with the notification, all restrictions disappeared from the map. All six ascenders began to move.

Atlas first contacted Gwin and spoke to her with his own voice for the first time.

"We have been transported to this mystical world in order to prove our might to the Heavens. Fell all of your enemies and show them why you are the rulers of this continent."

She was surprised by the sudden voice in her head, but its power was inviolable. She immediately understood who she was speaking to.

Getting down on one knee, she clasped her hands and held them over her head.
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"We will show you how much we have grown, my Lord."

The Khanii Neurics were gifted enough at conquest. They didn't need his immediate supervision. Gwin rallied the troops and started planning an offensive. Meanwhile, Yonnis sharpened his blade for the first time in thousands of years, ready to taste blood once more.

Atlas took a peek at the Ascenders around him. He could still see Horus and Artemia, but he could not see their maps. If he spoke to them, however, they could hear him.

There was a barrier separating the three of them from their enemies. It was possible for them to speak to each other, but ordinary communications that weren't intentionally spoken for everyone to hear would be hidden.

And, naturally, he could no longer see the maps of the enemies either. The Tower left no room for schadenfreude.

'Now, to get this started…'

Atlas actually wasn't the one to make the first move. The Khanii Neurics, as experienced conquerors, were methodical with their invasions. They took a long approach that ensured the absolute dismantling of the enemy force.

Though Artemia was a generally belligerent person and Dragons had the same trait, the Elder Dragons she raised had scholars in their ranks as well. With their senses, they could tell that their enemies were dragons as well, and that meant they couldn't recklessly charge into battle.

The first battle to begin was the war of Giants. Horus was a battle maniac who knew how to think, but his Giants only adopted one of these traits.

There was an entire ocean separating them, but the two different species of Giants solved the issue in their own way.

A line of tens of thousands of Ice Giants stood on the shoreline and raised their legs in unison.

""HUP!""

With a sound of exertion, they slammed their legs down into the ocean. Their qi pierced down into the ground hundreds of meters deep. Their energy stacked and stacked, spreading further and further until…

Whoosh!

Half of the ocean separating the two continents was frozen into a block of ice.

A similar scene occurred on the other side. Horus' flame giants slammed their legs into the ocean water, and as their qi spread, all of the water it touched turned into steam and evaporated.

Currently, there were invisible borders separating these two continents from the rest. One could see the ordinary waters that bordered this mystical scene, creating a strange dichotomy.

But, neither of the giant races cared. They charged across the paths they created and met in the middle. The flame giants looked up and the ice giants looked down. First of all, they had to decide who would concede.

Would the fire giants climb up or would the ice giants jump down?

In giant culture, the only way to decide was strength.

"Shatter it."

Horus gave the command without hesitation. Once more, the fire giants lined up and faced the massive ice wall. They drew their fists back in unison, and as one giant army, they put all of their strength forward.

BOOOOOM!

Cracks spread through the ice. Obviously, they couldn't shatter the entire gargantuan brick with one strike, but it was more than enough for their purposes.

The shelf where the ice giants stood broke off of the main block and crumbled. They did not choose to jump down to the ground. They were forced to meet the fire giants on their own terrain.

The first win of their battle went to Horus, but this was only the beginning.

The ice shelf that shattered became a cushion for the giants' landing. As soon as they hit the ground, the ice molded around them and became armor.

Fire and ice, two forces that had been at odds for as long as time had existed, were placed against each other. Their mediums, the Giant Race, were not the type to scheme or resort to trickery.

When they wanted to fight, they fought.

And, as these two giant races met each other face to face, there was nothing else they planned to do but that.