Atlas stood frozen as Morganna lunged at him with blinding speed. It all happened so fast, his brain barely had time to catch up. Her claws, long, razor-sharp, and deadly, were already inches from his throat.
But then. Suddenly.
[System detects a threat against the Lord by their subordinate.]
[High-level threat containment has been activated. Rendering the individual immobile until the harmful intent subsides.]
[Containment will be lifted once the target relinquishes their killing intent.]
Morganna halted mid-motion. Her claws hovered mere millimeters from Atlas's skin, trembling with unspent force, but they didn't touch him.
Atlas didn't even blink. He was still locked in place, adrenaline pumping hard.
The system just saved me…
This is the power of being a Lord.
He swallowed, the realization sinking in. This wasn't just summoning allies. It was complete dominance, control. Subordinates summoned through the system couldn't harm their Lord, even if they wanted to.
It was terrifying... and incredible.
Before him, the Vampire Queen's face contorted with rage. Her crimson eyes blazed, fangs bared, breath ragged with fury.
"Argh... I'll kill you...!"
But she couldn't move. The system had frozen her in place.
"How dare you summon me to this barren wasteland! I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you arrogant fool!"
Morganna screamed, her voice laced with fury as she strained against the invisible force locking her body in place.
Edrik let out a quiet sigh and shook his head. He patted Karian on the shoulder. The warrior straightened, returning to his usual stoic posture with a slow exhale.
"What's wrong with you?" Atlas asked casually, looking down at the furious woman.
Despite the deadly aura radiating off her, she still looked like someone in her early twenties. But then again, her title, Queen of the Eternal Dusk, sounded more than a little intimidating.
There was no mistaking it. She was a vampire. And not just any vampire, a Queen.
"How dare you summon me!" she snarled. "You're nothing but a lowly creature! Unworthy of even looking at me, let alone commanding me!"
Atlas raised a hand and calmly shushed her. "Ssshhh."
Her mouth snapped shut instantly.
"Now can you calm down a bit? Maybe stand up properly?"
In response, her posture shifted. Her back straightened, arms fell to her sides, still twitching slightly in resistance.
"Hamu hemu hemu," she muttered in a low, frustrated tone.
"What?" Atlas leaned in. "What did you just say?"
Her mouth flew open again. "Don't come any closer! I refuse to let you near me!"
"Oh, you mean something like this?" Atlas replied coolly, and without hesitation, he reached out and gently took hold of Morganna's chin.
She jerked in surprise, but her body remained locked in place by the system's restraints.
"See? I can go this far," Atlas said, his tone calm but firm. "But I'll respect you."
He let go, meeting her furious gaze.
"I'll give you a chance to accept your situation. We'll talk properly, when you're ready. Deal?"
Morganna's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.
"Good. Then you stand here for now," Atlas continued. "When you're ready to speak to me like a reasonable person, the system will let you move again."
He sighed and turned away.
This... wasn't how he'd expected things to go. Not even close.
She was clearly a ruler in her own right, just like Edrik, just like Karian. Maybe even more so. Judging by her presence, her fury, her title.
She must have suffered a devastating loss to end up like this. Her pride shattered. Her authority, stripped. And now? Summoned into service under another Lord, a human, no less.
Who knew how many forces she once commanded? How high her level had reached? And what had become of everything she once ruled?
He couldn't say.
But one thing was obvious: his first Rank-S summon came with… complications.
Still, he wasn't too concerned. These things took time.
And at the end of the day, they all had one goal now, survival.
Together.
Atlas had no intention of treating them like slaves. That wasn't his style.
His goal was to build a real team. Strong, loyal, and bound by mutual respect. Even if the system guaranteed that none of them could ever harm him, he still wanted something more than control. He wanted companions. Allies. People who chose to stand with him, not just those who were forced to.
Still, the memory returned. Just earlier, he'd nearly died. Tossed aside by the very people he had called teammates. Betrayed!
Now, things were different.
He turned back toward Morganna, still frozen in place, her expression seething but silent.
Let's see how powerful you really are…
[Name: Morganna Nightshade]
[Level: 69]
[Strength: 212 | Agility: 324 | Intelligence: 122 | Constitution: 119 | Stamina: 132]
[Job: Specialized Fighter]
[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?
She was already stronger than Karian, and far beyond what anyone should have at this early stage.
And that wasn't even the most shocking part.
Most awakened gained around ten stat points per level. Morganna's stats? Easily over 900 in total.
Atlas did a double take. Quick math confirmed it.
"Over 900 stat points…"
Damn.
At her level, she was comparable to someone pushing into the 80s. Maybe even higher, depending on her class advantages.
Extraordinary didn't begin to cover it. She was an absolute monster in combat, his monster now.
Now, Atlas turned his attention to Morganna's talents.
Even a brief glance made his eyes narrow. Every single one of them was ranked A or higher. Ridiculous.
[Eternal Dusk Mastery: Greatly increases strength, speed, and magic effectiveness when fighting under moonlight or in dark environments. Grants near-unmatched performance during nighttime.]
[Blood Sovereignty: Each successful attack absorbs a portion of the target's life force, restoring health. Enhances survivability in prolonged combat.]
[Frenzied Reflexes: Activates during moments of emotional intensity. Significantly boosts reaction speed, allowing for rapid dodging and counterattacks. Reflex control decreases as emotional volatility increases.]
[Reaper's Precision: Enhances weapon strikes to automatically target weak points, maximizing critical hit damage. Increases effectiveness against armored opponents.]
Atlas's eyes locked on the first four.
Eternal Dusk Mastery, rated S. Frenzied Reflexes, SS.
She was a pure killing machine.
In darkness or under the moon, she became nearly unstoppable. Combine that with her ability to drain life force from enemies to sustain herself?
She could stay in the fight far longer than most. And if her emotions spiraled, her speed increased. No wonder she exploded the moment she was summoned. Her rage literally fueled her reflexes.
And then Reaper's Precision, a clear signal she was a close-range fighter, designed to deal fatal blows with that scythe of hers.
Next, Atlas read on.
[Fearless Confrontation: Automatically triggers aggressive responses to direct threats. Boosts intimidation and presence in combat scenarios.]
[Emotional Outburst: High emotional states result in spontaneous, disruptive behavior.]
Fearless Confrontation. That one could be a problem.
It meant she'd never back down, even when she should. That kind of reckless aggression might put her at odds with the rest of the team.
And Emotional Outburst? It explained her over-the-top reaction the moment she arrived.
And finally.
[Emotional Surge: Emotions directly amplify magic output. Spells become more powerful when emotional intensity rises. High risk of losing control, leading to widespread collateral damage.]
Atlas took a deep breath.
She didn't just get stronger when angry, her magic went stronger. She became harder to manage, harder to control... but also exponentially more powerful.
A volatile, emotional, elite vampire queen with battlefield dominance tied directly to her unstable temperament.
Stronger. Faster. Harder to kill. And more destructive the angrier she gets...
He let out a slow, thoughtful breath.
"Well... I guess I really did pull a monster."
A faint smile tugging at his lips. She truly lived up to the title of an Exclusive Rank-S character.
And now, the temptation to keep going was impossible to resist. He still had plenty of tickets, and he was more than ready to burn through every last one if it meant expanding his team further.
"Let's continue the Gacha."