Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1532  Loophole

Atticus almost hated himself for how long it had taken him to realize something so obvious.

His battle with Raziel should have opened his eyes.

The Verge rules were absolute, but to those who understood them, even the most rigid laws could be bent to serve a god's will.

If he had taken the time to truly think it through, things would have gone very differently. But the past was the past. There was no changing it.

There was only one thing still under his control.

The now.

And now, with the help of his beautiful, insanely cute soulkin, he had found the answer to the crisis at hand.

Atticus met Balanar's gaze head on.

"I've already made my choice… I'm going to kill you."

"What—"

Balanar never finished. Noctis erupted in blinding light and fired straight into Atticus' chest. A wave of warmth tore through him, but Atticus didn't resist it. He didn't try to take control.

Instead, he released every restraint and handed the reins over to Noctis.

Cracks rang out as bone shifted and realigned. Fangs pushed from his teeth, claws ripping free from his fingers and toes. His long frame broadened, muscles swelling as thick white fur burst from his skin.

Atticus dropped low, one clawed fist braced against the ground, chin lifting toward the sky.

"Kuuuuuu!"

The roar tore outward like a storm, a gale ripping through the heavens and scattering the clouds in every direction.

"What are you doing?"

Balanar's smile was gone, and his eyes were narrowed.

"The Verge rules are absolute. As lord, you cannot physically participate in this challenge, merged with your companion or not. So—"

The words reached Atticus' ears, but they didn't register. It was as though something, someone, had deemed them unimportant.

'So… this is how it feels.'

In every fusion before this, Atticus had always been in control. The presence of another mind, and the surge in power was the major difference he felt. He had never truly felt anything beyond that.

But this… this was different.

The world bled red. His senses had sharpened to something unnatural, yet none of them answered to him. A deep, feral hunger filled his every thought. Every blink was not his choice. Every twitch, every breath, none of it belonged to him.

He felt like a vessel that was being moved by another. By Noctis.

'Kuu…'

'Yeah, yeah, little guy. I get it. I think I finally know how it feels now.'

'Kuu!'

'…Alright, alright. You did great. Seriously. Though we really need to work on your vocabulary—'

'Kuu!'

'Hey, no need to get offended. I'm just saying.'

'Kuu. Kuuuu!'

'Did… did you just threaten me?'

'Kuu!'

'…'

'Kuu!'

Atticus cleared his throat, a faint itch crawling up his neck.

'…You're perfect. Exactly the way you are.'

'Kuu~'

A smug swell of satisfaction rolled through Noctis, and Atticus let out a quiet breath.

'Okay. That's enough. Time to move.'

The smugness vanished, replaced by a cold, focused calm. They ignored Balanar completely and turned toward the battlefield.

Their shared mind took everything in at once. Abyss gods and champions flooding the field, attacks raining down on his people.

'Remember. Champions only.'

"Kuu!"

A low growl rumbled from his throat as Noctis nodded. Heat surged through his veins, muscles tightening as smoke bled from his body and the air around him scorched.

Their eyes fixed on the first target, and they vanished.

They reappeared high above the battlefield, gaze sweeping the terrain. Below, Magnus was a streak of lightning, tearing through the field as multiple abyss champions chased him.

'Kill them.'

The sky rippled, and they were gone.

The next instant, they stood before a cluster of champions, smoke trailing in their wake.

"What!?"

"Who are you!?"

The champions' eyes shot up in shock, but only for an instant. They reacted the moment they truly saw him. Their wills flared violently, lashing out toward him.

'Logoth.'

Atticus linked his mind with Noctis, and the world shifted.

Everything slowed. Their movements became precise to the point of cruelty. They slipped past every attack with the smallest adjustments, closing the distance as claws tore free.

"Sheid!"

A surge of abyssal dark will erupted as a radiant shield snapped into existence before them.

'Omnicognition.'

Atticus saw through the shield the instant it formed, feeding the information to Noctis. The will around their body shifted at once. As their claws struck, they passed straight through, flashing behind the champions.

"Huh!? No impact!?"

"Where did they go!?"

Their eyes darted wildly, but thin lines carved themselves across their bodies in the next moment.

Their screams followed as flesh split apart, blood and gore spraying across the ground as bodies collapsed in pieces.

Magnus, and the few surviving soldiers nearby, could only stare, frozen, words failing them entirely.

But Atticus and Noctis were already gone.

They reappeared in another territory, this one manned by Kiara. A fresh rain of attacks surged toward them. Still, it didn't matter. Every technique was read, every movement anticipated, each champion torn apart with merciless efficiency.

"This is impossible!"

Balanar finally snapped, cold eyes blown wide. "How are you fighting!? This is against the rules! You're breaking the rules!"

His gaze darkened when Atticus didn't even slow, champions continuing to fall in his wake.

"Are the rules meaningless!?"

Balanar summoned his will and fired a beam toward one of Atticus' fortresses. It dispersed harmlessly before it could reach the barrier.

"Then how is he doing this!?"

He clenched his fists and spun toward his forces.

"Every abyss champion, listen to me!"

"Drop everything and go after him. Now!"

Across the battlefield, fights stalled. One by one, abyss champions turned skyward as Atticus and Noctis' current form was projected above them, along with their direction.

The next instant, streaks of light tore free from every corner of the battlefield, converging on a single point.

At a glance alone, they were more than forty champions.

'You ready, little guy?'

"Kuu kuuu!"

'Good. Then let's make it quick.'

The champions arrived in a storm, attacks crashing down from every direction. Amid the chaos, an unnatural calm settled over them as Atticus spoke a single word.

'Logoth.'

Their minds locked together. They vanished.

The barrage struck the ground instead, detonating in a massive cloud of dust and debris.

"Did we get him!?"

"I don't see a body!"

"Find hi—hrkk!"

Red light cut through the haze. Screams exploded as the champions finally saw it, a crimson streak tearing through the smoke. Heads flew. Bodies collapsed in pieces.

"He's killing us!"

"Get out of the smoke. Now!"

The champions burst into the sky, trying to escape the slaughter. But they escaped nothing.

The first group that emerged was split cleanly down the middle before they could even react, sizzling blood raining from above.

"He's up there!"

The remaining champions reacted instantly, unleashing everything they had. Attacks flooded the air, but he slipped through them as if he already knew where each would land.

He appeared before another cluster.

"Die!"

Dark, twisted will erupted. Serpents coiled, hydras reared, abyssal wolves and shadowed beasts surged forward.

Atticus' eyes flickered once. He saw through everything, relaying them to Noctis.

Their will flared in response, perfectly mimicking each construct. The collision swallowed the skies in another rolling haze, but none of the champions lived long enough to witness the outcome.

By the time the smoke cleared, Atticus and Noctis were already gone.

Another wave of screams echoed through the skies as more champions fell.

Every attack was copied, redirected, or avoided. Every defense was dissected and rendered meaningless.

Though Noctis controlled every movement and sense, Atticus controlled the battle itself. Logoth stripped away emotion and cleared the path to pure logic. Every instinctive action Noctis made was broken down, refined, and redirected. Every movement had purpose. Every strike was lethal.

Noctis had always possessed Omnicognition, but never like this. With Atticus guiding him, interpreting every possibility and feeding it back in real time, his combat ability rose to a level that bordered on the impossible.

Moments later, Atticus stood amidst the aftermath.

Every champion that had come for him lay dead, bodies torn apart and scattered across the battlefield.