Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1467  Obnoxious

(A/N: Sorry for the delay! Enjoy!)

During a hostage situation, it was very likely that everything that came out of the mouth of the one whose loved one was in danger were lies. A bluff.

No one who truly loved another would simply abandon them, especially not in a threatening situation.

Iona knew this well. It was common sense, after all.

Yet, Atticus had just spouted words that went against that fact. Killing the god would force the champion to kill the hostages.

Would he truly abandon his loved one?

'A bluff.'

"W-what the hell are you doing, you stupid bastard!" The god thundered from Atticus' grip, "kill the stupid bitch first! Show him you're seriou—Arhhhhh!"

The heat rose, sizzling his flesh.

"Do that," the princess stared at the champion coldly, "and you won't have only him to deal with."

'It's a bluff.'

Iota thought, then gulped, feeling sweat trickle down his face.

'What is that stare.'

Despite the clamor, Iota's eyes were locked onto the cold, unblinking Atticus. He hadn't spoken a single word since earlier, yet Iota had never felt so pressured.

'There's nothing to be scared about! A bluff, a bluff.'

He was absolutely sure about that. What else could it be? Would he truly forsake his loved one? Iota refused to believe that.

However, in the midst of the unbearable heat, and the suffocating presence of Atticus, Iota found his heart pounding fast.

'I can't cross him.'

Instincts were never false. And right now, his were screaming at him.

One more second passed.

"A-are you fucking deaf! You bastard! Kill the bitch, kill the bitch!"

As the two seconds turned to one, Iota lowered his arms.

"Alright! Alright! Wait, I'll release them, okay?"

As he released his grip and set them free, he raised both arms.

"See? They're free." He swallowed hard, wiping sweat off his forehead. "A deal's a deal. Now release hi—"

Atticus closed his grip and crushed the god's head in a burst of blood and gore.

"W-what are you doing!?"

Iota screamed, staring at Atticus in disbelief, but all he received was Atticus' glacial stare.

With his god dead, a white light engulfed the terrified Iota the next moment, and just as he began to disappear, Atticus spoke;

"I'll find you."

Iota widened his eyes in horror. He had just realized something truly terrifying, Atticus was now his god!

As he vanished in a burst of light, the temperature reverted back to normal.

"Atticu—"

Magnus was cut short as Atticus suddenly embraced him deeply.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Though startled, Magnus smiled warmly and returned the hug.

"Me too."

After a moment, they separated.

"How did you find me?"

Atticus shrugged and pointed to the sky, where clouds had just begun to disperse.

"There's only one person I know who would use lightning to fight in the middle planes."

Magnus cleared his throat and turned his gaze away.

"Still not used to using will…"

Atticus laughed. His grandpa could be really cute sometimes but didn't realize it. He patted his shoulder.

"You're perfect the way you are, grandpa. Don't change." Though embarrassed, Magnus turned and smiled warmly at his grandson.

"…okay."

"Who the hell are you?"

Atticus turned and saw a petite girl and a beautiful woman staring at them.

"Grandpa… friends of yours?"

Magnus was about to nod when the princess narrowed her eyes.

"How rude. Is this how you greet your superior?"

The woman nudged her suddenly, but she only fumed.

"Don't stop me, Kiara! It's only right to teach people lesser than yourself."

The woman sighed and suddenly stepped in front of her, bowing deeply.

"I express my deepest apologies. My lady is… special."

"Hmph." She folded her arms and raised her chin. "It's better you tell him the obvious. He looks slow."

The woman sighed and bowed lower.

"I'll take full responsibility!"

"…it's fine."

Magnus lifted her up gently.

"What the hell are you doing, Kiara! As my subordinate you shouldn't bow to anyone!"

'What the hell is this?'

Atticus glanced at Magnus, who shrugged with resignation.

"They helped me."

Atticus had read the scene the moment he arrived. Magnus fought along with the black haired woman, which clearly meant they were together.

Still, he stared at Magnus with a pitying look, causing the man to clear his throat. Not even he could survive being together with this… special princess.

'I should say my gratitude and leave.'

"Thank you for helping my grandfather." Atticus bowed slightly. "Let me know if you need anything."

"It's only right to help your lessers." She said with a flick of her hair. "Also, you should be ashamed of yourself. Putting your grandfather in such a dangerous situation when he's so weak. Tsk. Tsk. He should be on his rest bed."

Magnus audibly cleared his throat, mouth twitching, while Atticus narrowed his eyes slightly. The air turned heavy.

"I am grateful for your help, but you should mind your business."

"Ho? A lesser threatening me?" She raised an eyebrow, shrugging away the hand of her subordinate trying to stop her.

 "What if I don't want to mind my fucking business? What you gonna do?"

The temperature spiked as Atticus took a step.

"Liste—"

"Atticus."

Atticus stopped and turned to Magnus, who shook his head.

"Don't."

He let out a breath and turned to face the princess with cold eyes.

'She helped grandpa.'

He reminded himself, forcing his emotions to calm.

"If you need anything, you can find me and let me know. My name is Atticus Ravenstein."

"What the hell would I need from a lesser?"

"…if that is all, we'll take our leave."

Atticus nodded to Magnus, who bowed and showed his gratitude to the duo before taking off into the skies with Atticus.

In the air, Atticus released a breath.

'Now that that's done, I can focus on more important matters.'

With Magnus found, Atticus felt comfortable enough to ascend to the viscount layer now. Ascending early meant being able to set up and grow. However…

'It doesn't feel right to just leave…'

He glanced toward Magnus and explained his thoughts to him.

"Stay."

Magnus declared after a moment.

"You think so too?"

"Yes. Gather more territories. More awareness when you ascend."

Atticus smiled. Even Magnus thought the same. Ascending would make him gain power and rise up quicker, however that wasn't looking at the bigger picture.

'The territories are important.'

Atticus wasn't even sure how many there were in the Baron layer and even other layers. But capturing one had made him realize how important they were.

'They expand reach.'

The Verge had limited their vastness to next to nothing. While it increased the more powerful he got, it couldn't be compared to the increase he received when he claimed a territory.

'With that reach, hunting would be more effective.'

Imagine being able to sense gods for miles while they had no idea you could see them. Atticus could plan ambushes, kill, and even escape if need be.

If not because he wanted to search for Magnus, he would have stayed in his territory and hunted more gods as they came.

'Still, I need to capture more.'

This was the next course of action. If there was one thing that would be invaluable when he ascended to the viscount layer, it was reach and awareness. The farther he saw, the better he would be able to plan and move.

Which brought him to his current action of speeding towards the center. He wanted to capture this territory.

However, as the seconds went by, a frown appeared on Atticus' face.

'What the hell is happening?'

Following behind them was the obnoxious princess and the subordinate they'd only just left.

'Why are they following us?'

Atticus glanced at Magnus, who could only shake his head. He came to a sudden stop, causing the duo to also stop.

"Why are you following us?"

"Following you?" She fired back. "The hell gave you that idea?"

He looked at the woman beside her, who returned an apologetic look, shaking her head.

Atticus took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"I don't have time for this. Stop following us."

He turned and streaked off with Magnus. But in the next moment, Atticus sighed as he caught them following behind once more.

'Just ignore, just ignore.'

And ignore Atticus did, or tried to. His bounty was still very much active, and so was his territorial beacon, which made him a hot target for the other gods in the city.

They came at him in droves; however, it was the princess who intercepted and killed them all.

Atticus wasn't sure if he should be angry about the worlds he was losing by her stealing his kills, or her reason for fighting his enemies.

As another wave of gods came, Atticus heard her declare once more:

"These lessers are under my protection! How dare you!"

Her will erupted around her in a golden blaze before crushing the group.

"Hmph! Useless fools."

After killing them, she would always flick her hair, then throw a glance at Atticus, smiling brightly.

'What does she want?'

Atticus would always find himself asking. Still, he chose to ignore her as best as he could.

'She reminds me of him.'

He'd seen the resemblance the moment he met her, however now it was starting to look uncanny.

'Did Ozeroth have some child I don't know about?'

Atticus shook his head. He'd gone through the man's memories. He'd only recently lost his virginity, as embarrassing as that sounded.

'Let's just focus on the task.'

He doubled his speed, tearing through the city, but a mechanical voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Game won. The territory has been captured by Baron Raziel Voss."

Atticus came to an abrupt stop, narrowing his eyes.

"Who dared!" the princess thundered behind him, but he ignored her.

'Captured?'

The last territory had been a royal rumble, but it would seem as though this was different. He was too late to capture the territory.

'I can still kill the god.'

Atticus' eyes flashed cold. He turned to Magnus.

 "We'll be moving faster."

Magnus nodded resolutely, and Atticus' will blazed around them. They were about to move when a crushing force descended upon the area.

'Who?'

Atticus' gaze snapped toward the top of a building. A man stood there, staring straight at him with calm eyes. A beacon shone brightly behind him.

'The territory lord…'

Atticus realized, but narrowed his eyes the next moment.

'This feeling…'

He gripped his katana tight. There was no denying it. This man… he could feel the aura of Solvath emanating from him.

'A fragment bearer…'