Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1388  Choice

Thora glanced around the large, expansive office they currently occupied.

It belonged to the head warden. The man in charge of the will guard's operations on the willess world.

Thora had never imagined that she would ever enter this office. It just seemed so distant that she never thought about it before.

But now, here she was, in an office of such magnitude along with figures she'd once considered myths.

Due to the meeting with the informant, the sentinels had led them into the will guard's base. While numerous branches were scattered across the willess world, none could ever be compared to the main base in sheer size, nor in grandeur.

With the sentinel in the lead, entry into the building was the easiest she'd ever had in her life. No one asked any questions; not even a single scan touched them. Restricted or not, every door was opened the moment the sentinels were sighted.

It was the first time Thora truly got the sense of hierarchy in the will guard. To her, the will guard was the closest to a religious order as anyone could find.

She could remember indoctrination like it was yesterday. The words they'd hammered into her being. Though it failed to change who she was, she still found herself repeating the words;

'Order is the backbone of existence. To safeguard will is to safeguard the planes.'

The will guard saw themselves as the enforcers, arbiters, and investigators of the middle planes. They saw the middle planes as a dangerous ecosystem where unchecked gods, factions, and wills could cause collapse.

Their mission was to keep the balance by enforcing the accord. As Thora remembered the list of rules, she almost burst into laughter.

At the end of her 'indoctrination', she had determined that the will guards were simply a bunch of overzealous narcissists who believed themselves to be the chosen ones of the universe. Regardless, she'd stayed. It wasn't like she was doing anything better anyway.

The sentinels had led them to the head warden's office, after which they ordered him to leave. Thora had found it baffling, and half expected the man to object. But not even a word of protest was uttered; he left quickly, as though he didn't even want to be here. Such power! 'The sentinels, huh.' Thora glanced back at them. It would seem as though their life was also filled with thrill. Now, she was conflicted.

'Their life… or his?'

"Face your front and focus! It's starting soon." The warden's sharp whisper brought her out of her thoughts. She turned towards the large screen in front of them.

Suddenly, it flashed white, then the figure of an aged man appeared on the screen.

'So this is the informant.'

It was an aged man with grey hair and large beard framing his face. Thora couldn't tell if it was due to his old age or simply the colour of his hair.

'He's angry.' She quickly determined, taking note of the narrowed eyes and knitted brows.

"Kaino." The Warden greeted. "Thank you for answering the call."

"At least one of us still knows the meaning of competence," Kaino said coldly. "You couldn't even kill one girl. One child! I delivered her directly to you on a silver platter!"

His voice rose.

"Are the Will Guard this useless!?"

The Warden's eyes darkened. "Watch your mouth, resistance dog."

"Or what?" Kaino shot back. "You couldn't even kill a girl, do you think you can handle me!? You think you can dim my radiance!?"

Thora felt the coldness seeping from the Warden, but she kept quiet. 'I've never seen him like this before,' she thought to herself.

The Warden calmed himself with a glance toward the Sentinels. Taking a deep breath, he said evenly, "What occurred was something none of us expected. She had tricks up her sleeve we did not see coming. But that's gone. We must search for a way forward. Or would you like to abandon this?"

Kaino's eyes were furious, but he forcibly calmed himself and gave a stiff nod.

"We need to arrange another ambush," the Warden continued. "Is there something you can give us?"

"What else!?" Kaino barked. "With this ambush, that bitch is sure to be cautious. I can't make any moves right now or I'll be caught."

"There has to be something we can do," the Warden pressed.

"Nothing. You failed when you were supposed to succeed. We need to give it time," Kaino growled.

The Warden's expression darkened, but just as he was about to speak, a grating voice cut through.

"Two hundred thousand high grade Will Stones."

The room fell utterly silent. They turned to the one who had spoken, one of the Sentinels. He had just uttered something of such magnitude casually.

Thora felt her heart beating fast.

"T-two hundred th-thousand!?" Kaino stammered.

The Sentinel's eyes glowed gold through his mask, as though piercing through the screen. "You grant us access to the world."

Kaino bristled at the man's disdainful tone, feeling looked down upon. But he held his anger in check. Two hundred thousand high-grade Will Stones! Such a godly reward!

Then the man's words sank in. Access to the world?

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kaino demanded. "She's the god in her world. How do you plan on overcoming her there!?"

"That is for us to handle," the Sentinel said. "Focus on your task."

A heavy silence followed.

"Do we have a deal?" the Sentinel asked.

Kaino's eyes were intense as he pondered the matter. Asterra was the main home of the resistance. The majority of their members were gathered there. Though the Saint was its god, if the will guard wanted access to the world, then they had a way to make her omniscience obsolete.

Which meant, 'Asterra could be wiped out. Billions dead. Because of my action.'

He clenched his fists. 'I am the brightest radiance. I will raise the resistance back from the deepest pit. This is for their sake. That stupid bitch will destroy the resistance anyway. I have to go this far to be rid of her. Afterwards, with the reward, I will rebuild.'

He made his choice.