Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1530  Pressure

'This is…'

Atticus watched the scene unfolding before him with a clenched fist. He knew, he knew, that the children weren't real. The Great Verge had created them, they were nothing more than constructs meant to pass as citizens.

But the trembling eyes were real enough. The way their tiny bodies shook. The sight of small heads rolling across the ground. The hollow, bloodshot stares of the soldiers forced to watch it all happen.

He had never hated a situation so hard.

As blood soaked into the earth, another group of children was dragged forward and forced to their knees.

"Now where were we?" the man said lightly, smiling as though he were out for a stroll.

"Ah, yes. Lay down your arms and join our mighty army. Do that… and I'll spare these innocent souls."

Blades pressed against small throats once more.

'This is it.'

The full scope of it finally settled in.

They weren't just attacking morale. They were breaking minds.

Atticus caught every detail, the horrified expressions, the trembling hands, the tears silently falling. No one who witnessed this would ever walk away unchanged.

"Don't listen to him. It's a trap."

His voice carried across the battlefield, but one answered.

Atticus furrowed his brows.

'Don't tell me…'

He shifted his focus to the fortress and found the general almost immediately. Feranal was already moving toward the outer gates.

"Feranal," Atticus said sharply. "Stop."

The man hesitated, but only for a second before he continued moving.

"Don't be stupid," Atticus continued. "I understand what you're feeling. I do. And I swear to you, they will pay for this. Every last one of them. But if you give in now, it only gets worse. They won't spare anyone once they win."

"L-lord…"

Atticus let out a slow breath when the man finally stopped. The battlefield had gone eerily silent, every gaze locked on the two of them, breaths held.

"I… I know," the general said hoarsely. "I know they might kill everyone if they win. I know trusting them is a mistake." He clenched his fists. "But… one of those children is my son. I can't stand here and watch him die."

Atticus' frown deepened.

"Don't do this."

"I-I'm sorry, Lord," the general said, lowering his head. "Punish me however you wish. I'll accept it. But I can't watch my boy die."

"Stop," Atticus said sharply. "I order you to stop."

But the general kept walking.

"Wait!" the general abruptly roared.

The abyss champion's arm halted mid drop.

"Hm?"

"Open the gates!" the general commanded.

"This is the order of your lord. Stand down. Now."

The soldiers didn't move at Atticus's order. Instead, their resolute eyes remained fixed on the general. One by one, they nodded.

The gates creaked open, and the general stepped through alone.

"Don't kill them," he said, raising his arm. "We accept your terms."

"Ah… good. Very good," the abyss champion replied, smiling. He gestured lazily toward the fortress. "Have them disarm. All of them. On the ground."

The general swallowed, turned, and gave the order.

The sound of metal striking stone echoed across the battlefield as weapons fell, followed by soldiers lowering themselves to the ground.

"We've done what you asked," the general said. "Now release them."

The abyss champion only smiled and flicked his hand forward.

"Bind them."

The abyss soldiers moved immediately. In moments, every soldier was restrained, including the general. His expression hardened as the children remained kneeling, blades still at their throats.

"This wasn't the bargain," he growled. "You promised they would be spared. You said we could join your army."

"Hm?" The champion tilted his head, then laughed softly. "Did I?"

He leaned closer, eyes gleaming with amusement.

"I think you said it best yourself. Trusting us is a mistake." His smile widened. "The abyss army doesn't need trash."

"Y-you bastard!" the general roared. "You won't get away with this!"

"We always do," the champion said casually. "Kill them."

The abyss soldiers drew their blades and surged forward.

'Do it now.'

A blinding light washed over the fortress, forcing soldiers to cry out and shield their eyes.

"What is this?!" the champion roared as shouts rippled through the abyss ranks.

As the glow faded, his eyes widened.

Just above the fortress walls, Whisker stood with a small army of soldiers.

"H-how did you get here?!" the champion demanded. "The distance between fortresses… Even on the same hill, it should take minutes to cross at full speed!"

But only seconds had passed since the light. So why was another fortress commander already here?

"Has anyone ever told you," Whisker said, his grin unhinged, "that you look really ugly when you talk?"

"You dare—!"

"Urgh." Whisker grimaced, like he'd just stepped in something foul. "That look again. Attack."

At his command, the soldiers behind him surged forward. Steel crashed against steel, the sound instantly swallowed by screams as bodies fell.

Atticus narrowed his eyes.

'It works.'

The soldiers with Whisker were elites, each fitted with Will Armor. Atticus observed them clash head on with abyss soldiers wielding will, and not falter.

His eyes lit up.

'Good.'

His army had a chance.

"Spectacular play, Atticus Ravenstein." Balanar's voice drifted in from across the forest. "Armors that can conduct will… ingenious. I'll admit, I didn't see this coming."

Atticus didn't respond. No good could come from engaging him. Still, Balanar wasn't wrong.

It had all been a ploy.

Atticus had known the abyss faction would try to worm their way into his soldiers' minds. Whisker had confirmed it, it was their way. But he just hadn't expected children.

Still, even that changed nothing.

To take advantage of it, Atticus had deliberately placed the weakest links, citizens turned fortress commanders, at the base of the hill as bait.

Whatever the abyss faction used, it would work on ordinary soldiers. He'd counted on it.

During the placements, Whisker had discreetly inscribed a teleportation rune inside the fortress before returning to his own. The moment the abyss soldiers relaxed, they appeared.

Even Atticus' earlier panic had been deliberate, and all of it had been done for a single reason.

To test the Will Armors.

And now that he had his answer, they could move forward.

"I'll kill you!"

At the abyss champion's roar, Whisker almost looked bored. He lifted a hand lazily.

"Impose."

His will coiled outward, swelling into a monstrous shape that plunged straight toward the champion.

The man's eyes bulged.

"Impose!"

A second will exploded in response, twisting into a serpent as the two forces collided in a violent shockwave.

Dust and debris filled the air.

When it cleared, Whisker was already brushing dirt from his coat.

The champion was gone, and only mangled flesh and splattered blood stained the ground beneath him.

The rest of the battle followed quickly. With the element of surprise and the Will Armors, the abyss soldiers were cut down without mercy. Within moments, it was over. The children were freed. The soldiers released.

"M-my lord!"

The general crumbled to his knees, bowing so low his forehead struck the ground. "I failed you. I betrayed my people. I deserve death!"

Atticus watched him without expression.

He almost pitied the man, but it didn't change the truth. Had he not predicted the outcome, they would have lost the fortress. Still, the way forward wasn't mercy. It was a game of numbers. In this challenge, he needed as many soldiers as he could get. "You will be punished after the battle," Atticus said calmly. "For now, will you still serve your people?"

The general looked up in shock, then bowed again, harder. "Yes, Lord!"

"You got me, Atticus. There's no denying that," Balanar suddenly said, his smile on his face never fading.

"But do you really think this counts as winning?"

The ground suddenly trembled, then shook, then heaved. Everyone turned as an abyss army poured out from the forest.

Atticus' furrowed his brows.

'Of course.'

It wasn't the number of soldiers that drew Atticus' focus.

This was one of the reasons the major factions were feared.

He fixed his gaze on the group leading the charge, a compact formation of champions at the army's head.

'At least ten.'

No matter how prepared they were, this was an advantage he couldn't ignore. The abyss faction simply had more champions. More gods. Enough to overwhelm him through sheer pressure alone.