Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1525

Chapter 1525: Saddening
Atticus’ will swallowed the sentinel, turning his body into ash. Though he’d severed his head, he wasn’t taking any chances. The last thing he needed was the sentinel activating another artifact.

His gaze swept the surroundings. Only when he saw the glow enveloping each champion did he finally exhale.

‘It’s over.’

A wave of relief washed through him. The battle had pushed him to the brink, but it wasn’t all bad. He’d discovered some truly important things, weaknesses, if he could call them that.

He glanced at his exo suit, then at the life weapon.

The former had been invaluable. He had tested an assumption and was glad it held true.

Even with a Will negation field present, his exo suit could still channel Will through his body. The only drawback was that he couldn’t manipulate his Will away from himself, but reinforcing his body was more than enough.

The latter had been the reason he won at all. The discovery that the life weapon could withstand the wills of others had shaped the entire battle.

During combat, his blade was everything, his offense and defense. Naturally, most of his will always went into it.

But now, Atticus saw no reason to wrap his will around the blade. Direct clashing was better.

There were issues, of course, without will around the weapon, he took the full brunt of the impact, tremors threatening to tear him apart, but he’d bypassed that by reinforcing his arms with the bulk of his will.

This new fighting style had made him unstoppable, leading to the sentinel’s defeat.

“Now you can admit I was right.”

Whisker landed beside him. For once, Atticus could actually see the mark of battle on the man, torn clothes, dust everywhere, and flip flops hanging on by a thread.

Who the hell wore flip flops to a fight anyway?

“About what?” Atticus asked.

“Impossible situations are your specialty,” Whisker said, spreading his arms. “You’ve just proven it again.”

Atticus laughed. In a sense, Whisker was right. The situation had been completely impossible after their initial attack failed. But somehow, they survived. They always survived.

“I guess you have a point.”

Whisker shook his head with a dramatic scoff. “Not a point. It’s fact.”

He was about to speak when Ozeroth landed meters away with a heavy thud.

“Damn,” Whisker winced. “You look like you’ve seen better days.”

A deep frown marred Ozeroth’s face. It was to be expected. For the first time since Atticus had known him, bloody marks covered different parts of his body. The battle with the champion had truly taken a toll.

‘He doesn’t have an exo suit or life weapon.’

Though they shared the same powers, Ozeroth had neither the suit nor the weapon to support him. It was a miracle he survived at all.

For once, Ozeroth chose silence over a retort. Atticus exchanged a glance with Whisker. The battle must have done a number on his pride.

Magnus and Noctis joined them next. Magnus looked even worse than Ozeroth, his breath heavy, like he could barely remain standing.

Noctis, despite the blood matting his fur, seemed happy just to be near Atticus again, his tail wagging excitedly.

As Atticus began healing most of their wounds, an announcement rang out:

“The battle is over. Winner, Lord Atticus Ravenstein.”

Atticus exhaled as the endless space receded and they appeared back in the real world. He smiled the moment he saw Anorah staring at him with a relieved expression.

A sudden burst of laughter made him turn. Ozerra was laughing loudly, pointing straight at Ozeroth, who turned his head away, clearly annoyed.

“You’re back.” Anorah drew his attention again.

“I told you,” he said with a grin. “I’ll deal with it—”

He was cut off as a panel appeared in front of his face. Atticus squinted, then his eyes widened.

“What? What is it?” Whisker asked.

Atticus’s expression hardened.

“Another challenge,” he said grimly, causing the others’ eyes to narrow.

“Who?” Anorah asked.

Atticus wanted to know as well. “There’s only one way to find out.”

They exchanged nods before vanishing from the sky and reappearing on another corner of the territory.

The sight of the endless army stretching across the horizon hardened each of their expressions.

“Hmm, I hope I’m not too late.”

Atticus turned toward the voice to see a man seated comfortably on a drifting chair of darkness.

He was draped in purple attire that complimented his black, flowing hair. A small smile rested on his face as he sat with his legs crossed, a purple tattoo stretching across his eyes.

Still, the ominous, dangerous feeling that engulfed Atticus the moment the man’s gaze met his was unmistakable.

There was no doubt about it.

‘Abyss faction.’

“You must be Atticus Ravenstein,” he said lightly. “You may refer to me as Balanar. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Atticus gave no response, but the man merely tilted his head, unbothered.

“You know,” Balanar said, “you’ve built quite a charming little territory. Beautiful land, beautiful people… all very touching. And to think you’ve managed to reach this level in just a year… truly impressive. Almost unbelievable, really. Most gods take millennia to crawl this far.”

“But the middle planes are delightful that way. Nothing behaves the way it should. Nothing is fixed. Nothing is truly impossible. That’s what makes it fun.”

He released a light, amused laugh. “Still… it’s saddening.”

‘Something’s wrong.’

A cold unease gripped Atticus. The Abyss faction had chosen now to attack. Why? What was their aim? To target them when they were weaken? No, Atticus dismissed that thought immediately.

An enemy who exploited loopholes and targeted children was far more cunning.

His mind sifted through possibilities until one thought hit him hard.

The man had mentioned his territory. Complimented it. Why? Idle talk, or…

Atticus’s eyes widened.

‘His target.’

He spun instantly, his awareness flooding across the entire territory.

He locked onto them at once.

Multiple figures were streaking straight toward the city.

Balanar’s laugh finally died down as he said,

“It’s truly saddening to see it all crumble.”

Atticus blurred the next moment, vanishing from the sky.