Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1552

Chapter 1552: Stare
(A/N: Before reading this chapter, I’d like to implore my beautiful readers to chill. There’s more going on here than it is shown. Wait for the climax to end before concluding anything. Cheers.)

‘He’s absorbing her will…’

Each clash shattered Raziel’s will, but Solvath’s power mended it instantly. As the battle raged on, Anorah’s will was gradually siphoned into Raziel’s, his will taking on both darkness and light.

Anorah tried to end the battle time and again, but Raziel slipped away each time.

Soon enough, Raziel’s will began to stand toe to toe with hers, remaining unyielding even as they clashed head on.

The battle shifted almost instantly.

The next clash sent Anorah streaking across the terrain. She barely managed to regain her footing when Raziel appeared above her, laughing uncontrollably as his eyes shone.

“Don’t slow down now.”

His staff crashed down toward her. She barely managed to block with a shield, but the force sent her crashing into the ground, forming a massive crater.

‘No…’

Atticus felt his will churn out of control, heat rising. This was the true power of Solvath’s fragments. Raziel merely possessed multiple, yet he had rendered the entire power scaling meaningless.

‘Stand up… please.’

The haze cleared, revealing Anorah weakly getting back to her feet. Her will flickered faintly around her as she spat out a mouthful of blood, but her eyes remained steady.

Raziel’s attack had broken through her will. Yet their levels of Solvath’s power were not the same. While Raziel could heal his broken will in an instant, the same could not be said for Anorah.

Atticus felt his body run cold as Raziel slowly descended from the sky, an amused grin on his face.

“Enough.”

Anorah gritted her bloodied teeth and tightened her grip on her blade. Her flickering will stilled, then erupted into a pillar of light that tore through the sky.

“Blade of light.”

She blurred into a single movement, tearing toward Raziel in a beam of light. The collision unleashed an explosion that collapsed the earth for thousands of kilometers and swallowed the sky.

When the haze began to clear, Atticus’ pulse froze.

“Ah… how disappointing.”

Raziel gripped Anorah tightly by the throat as they hovered midair. She struggled against his overwhelming will, her own barely flickering.

“You feel it too, don’t you?”

Raziel met Atticus’ eyes with a smile.

“You’re lighter already.”

The sharp crack echoed like thunder in Atticus’ ears. As her arms fell limply to her sides and the light faded from her eyes, Atticus could only stare.

Raziel scoffed as his will engulfed and swallowed her whole. A moment later, Anorah was gone.

“That felt good. So… tell me, do you feel lighter?”

‘…bond.’

‘Son…’

‘Atticus…’

Ozeroth, Magnus, and Whisker reached out to him, but frowned and exchanged glances when none received a response.

“Marquis Raziel has won the battle and claimed the territory. The round may continue.”

The next events were… odd.

After the fight ended, a deathlike silence engulfed the entire board.

All eyes were drawn to Atticus. He remained silent, and somehow, that silence spread across the board like a weight. No one spoke except to issue commands to move their pieces.

Eyes trembled. Many Marquis swallowed, unsettled by the feeling creeping into their chests. It didn’t take long to realize what it was.

Fear.

No other Marquis issued challenges to Atticus again, though many doubted it would last. When the long awaited turn came, many eyes turned toward the last Redflame Marquis. Dravek.

Despite the tension brewing in the air, Dravek still glared at Atticus with hate.

Gritting his teeth, he said,

“Kaisten, two domains to the left.”

Many Marquis narrowed their eyes. What just happened… Marquis Dravek had actually ignored a chance to fight Atticus?

Still, the round continued until it was Ordan’s turn to roll. None paid attention to the number he rolled, instead staring at him in utter silence.

Surely, the Willguard wouldn’t miss a chance to kill a marked…

They frowned deeply when he also chose to move one of his champions on the board rather than challenge Atticus.

Many fixed trembling gazes on Atticus. Did this mean that… he was about to win?

“Impossible… he’s just a child…”

“Considering the scale of this game, it’s hard to imagine what prize the Verge will bestow.”

“Are we really going to let this child win?”

The whispers were endless. With both Dravek and Ordan stepping down, many, even the other major factions, stared at Atticus hesitantly.

Those two were clearly the strongest, yet they chose not to fight him. That Atticus stood there in silence, without uttering a word, unsettled them more than any threat.

Marquis rolled, choosing to move pieces across the board rather than challenge Atticus.

Soon, the round ended, and it became Atticus’ turn once more. Fireworks exploded across the sky as a congratulatory song echoed, followed by the board speaking.

“Congratulations, Marquis Atticus Ravenstein. You have successfully claimed the center and gained the right to end this game, or choose a different one. What will you choose?”

All eyes were on Atticus, the board entirely silent. The answer seemed obvious.

None knew why Dravek and Ordan had refused to challenge him, yet the child would have to be truly foolish not to take this chance and escape.

The Verge’s rules would still protect him, even from the powers of the Redflame and the Willguard.

It was clear, the ascension game was about to come to an end.

“A new game.”

The eyes of the Marquis constricted as many stiffened. What was he…

“Please note that the game is subject to the Great Verge’s approval. You may suggest your game now.”

“A royal rumble. The last one standing wins. All Marquis included.”

“Rules noted. Informing the Great Verge now… The Great Verge smiles at the rules. The Great Verge is nodding his head. The Great Verge has graciously accepted the new game and is asking when you want the game to begin.”

“Now.”

A blinding light engulfed the entire world before dimming. The endless whiteness was replaced by a vast, unending desert.

“What is this!”

“A royal rumble!? Has he gone mad!”

Many Marquis flared as they fell from the skies, turning toward Atticus with widened eyes, only to discover that he was gone.

“Where did he—”

A loud impact snapped their gazes toward the horizon, where a mushroom cloud rose into the heavens. The shockwave reached them a second later, slamming them back across the sky.

As they regained their bearings, many turned trembling eyes upward, where a gigantic flaming silhouette burst through the haze.

An overwhelming pressure slammed down on them, plummeting them from the skies. Sand thousands of kilometers away fused into glass. The air burned with such intensity that even breathing felt like fire tearing through their lungs.

The Marquis felt their hearts hammer in their chests as the voice finally spoke.

“Manifest.”