Apocalypse: Transmigrated with an Overlord System
Chapter 138: Older brother, my foot!

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Older brother, my foot!

The cold, sterile smell of disinfectant hit Liora the moment she reappeared.

Her boots scraped against the polished hospital floor as her body wobbled forward, barely catching herself in time. The dim fluorescent lights flickered above, and the familiar cracked wall in front of her confirmed that she was back.

Back in the same exact place where she had vanished.

But something was wrong.

The air still felt stiff with danger. And when she turned her head, her eyes widened. A Level 4 zombie, its gaping jaw unhinged mid-lunge, was still suspended in motion, just inches from where she had stood before disappearing.

Liora narrowed her eyes.

"Did time... not move at all?"

The moment she stepped to the side, the zombie snapped forward—but before it could even land, two of her shadows surged up like liquid spears and tore it to shreds.

The entire floor was cleared in less than ten seconds, her shadows slicing through each remaining zombie with clean, effortless precision. Even the crystals dropped from their corpses were scooped up neatly by her shadows.

She blinked.

"Convenient."

A month ago, she would’ve had to fight tooth and nail, chopping with her mana sword, sweat pouring down her back. But now? She didn’t even need to lift a finger.

As her shadows receded, Atlas strolled in casually, hands in his pockets as if he hadn’t just thrown her into another world without consent.

Liora stormed toward him.

"You have five seconds to start explaining. I’m not following you around like some headless chicken again. You do realize I spent a whole month in that misty hellhole, with no idea how to get back?!"

Atlas raised an eyebrow. "You’re welcome."

"Welcome, my ass—!"

She took a deep breath, calming herself before her shadows took action again. Her voice was lower now, more curious than furious, because she wanted to find out about him and, most importantly, his ability, which was very unique.

"That teleportation circle... was that your ability? Is your power teleportation?"

Atlas gave her a smug smile and tilted his head slightly. "Guess."

Her eye twitched.

"If I could guess, why would I even ask, you bastard." she muttered.

Atlas looked amused, about to make another snide comment, but Eli’s soft voice suddenly interrupted.

"He has a time ability. He can control time."

Liora didn’t register it at first. She was too busy glaring at Atlas.

But then the words echoed in her head.

She froze. "Wait...what?"

Eli repeated calmly, "He can control time."

Her jaw dropped.

Time manipulation?

Not teleportation but time.

That was an entirely different level. She’d never even heard of anyone having such an ability. And the way Atlas stood there with his usual irritating calmness only made it worse.

"That’s... insane," she whispered. A strange glint appeared in her eyes—part awe, part curiosity. "How does it work? How do you use it? What’s the limit..."

Before she could finish, Atlas appeared in front of her with a mischievous grin.

"You want to find out?"

"Wait, how...can I..."

His foot connected with her stomach lightly—but with enough force to send her flying backward.

Crash.

Glass shattered as she was launched through the window of the hospital’s fourth floor. Her scream was cut off halfway as her body began to plummet toward the ground.

Instinctively, she tried to summon her shadows to catch her—but in the blink of an eye, she was back.

Back on the hospital floor.

And then she was falling again.

Crash.

She hit the window. Shattered glass. Falling.

Back.

Falling.

Back.

Falling.

"What the hell—!"

Every time she tried to respond or summon her shadows, the loop began again. It was seamless. Perfectly timed.

She was stuck.

In a loop.

Realization hit her like a punch to the gut.

"You bastard! Rotten man! Stop this now, or I swear I’ll—!"

Her words vanished into the air as the loop restarted again.

From the side, Atlas leaned against the wall, watching her with a devious grin on his face.

"Say it nicely," he called out.

"What?!"

"I want full respect. Say it in a sweet tone. Like how you should call a wise, dependable, older brother."

"Older brother, my foot!" she screamed mid-fall. "Why would my brother be a complete lunatic like you?! Let me out!"

But all she got was another round of falling and Atlas’s laughter echoing like a bell through the halls.

Eli stood at the corner of the room, munching on a candy, watching the scene unfold with casual interest.

"She’s going to kill you later," he said matter-of-factly.

Atlas just shrugged. "She can try."

"No wonder...she does not like you," he continued with a deadpan expression.

And the loop continued.

Liora gritted her teeth as she fell again, glass splintering around her for what felt like the hundredth time. Her voice was hoarse from yelling, her arms sore from bracing against phantom impacts that never landed, and her patience—long dead and buried.

She sucked in a sharp breath mid-fall and yelled, "Fine! Elder brother, please, with all the sugar and stars in the world, stop this damned loop!"

Silence.

The world held still. No crash. No shatter and no sudden rewind.

Liora blinked.

She was back on her feet, standing on the hospital floor, and this time... she stayed there.

Atlas leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smiling like a smug cat who had finally gotten his mouse to say "meow."

Liora’s glare could have sliced steel.

But she didn’t say a word.

She didn’t dare.

He raised an eyebrow. "What? No more colorful insults? No ’rotten man’ or ’lunatic’ this time?"

She clenched her jaw tighter. "I’m not saying anything. I’ve learned my lesson. You’re unstable."

"Now, now. ’Unstable’ is a little harsh." He smirked, stepping toward her. "You were the one begging me just now, remember?"

She gave him a look so dry it could sand wood. "Don’t push your luck."

From the corner, Eli chimed in, "You two sound like old siblings fighting over the last pudding."

Liora rolled her eyes but didn’t comment. She was too busy making sure she still had all her limbs. Once she confirmed she wasn’t in another loop, she took a deep breath.

Then, slowly, she looked at Atlas.

Her voice was quieter this time, with a seriousness that didn’t match their usual banter. "Did we actually... come back to the same time we left?"