Read Novel Full Chapter 1535 Board
Chapter 1535 Board
The celebration that followed the battle with the Abyss faction was grand. For days on end, the entire territory remained in a state of constant jubilation.
People sang praises of the heroes who had saved them from the clutches of evil. Banners were raised, and new statues were built in their honor.
Yet none of those heroes joined the celebration.
The rest after the battle had been so brief it might as well not have existed. Atticus had immediately begun preparations for ascension.
The Abyss faction in the Count layer was nothing more than a blip in the vast scale of enemies that opposed them. Atticus fully expected the Marquis layer to be the hardest they had ever faced, and his preparations reflected that reality.
Among the gods, only he and Anorah had reached the required level to ascend. Ozerra and the two resistance gods remained below the threshold.
To make up for this, Atticus dispatched scouts in every direction in search of territories. Each discovery was followed by a challenge, and so the waiting began.
Some took a full day before responding. Others accepted immediately. Regardless, every battle was resolved without issue.
During each encounter, Atticus focused on allowing the others to grow rather than ending things fast. And when he said others, he meant Magnus above all.
While Ozerra continued to hold her own and steadily grow stronger, Magnus still struggled against other champions.
Even so, after countless bouts, Atticus began to see obvious improvement. Against strong Count level champions, Magnus was now able to hold his ground.
More days passed. Only when Atticus was satisfied with their progress did he finally relent in his pursuit of territories.
'This should be enough.'
By now, Ozerra had far surpassed the level required for ascension.
And Magnus…
'He's stronger.'
Standing atop a skyscraper, Atticus surveyed the territory below. At its center, Magnus trained relentlessly with Kiara.
Compared to before, a fully formed crimson glow now surrounded him, the air itself warping under the heat. Even as he clashed continuously with Kiara, that aura remained stable and firm.
According to Whisker, he'd ranked up once more.
'Bastion rank.'
His vastness were still unclear due to the game's restrictions, but the weight of it was unmistakable. Bastion rank was a major milestone on any non god path, the stage where will began to seep into the psyche and shape behavior itself.
It was difficult to tell how profoundly it affected him, since Magnus was even more withdrawn than Atticus. Still, Atticus chose to focus on what mattered.
Magnus was gaining power. That was enough.
His gaze shifted, taking in the others. Ozeroth and Ozerra were bickering as usual. Whisker observed them with Noctis held loosely in his grasp. Nearby, Anorah spoke quietly with her resistance members.
'It's time.'
The Count layer was vast. He had long since accepted that traversing it in full was a waste of time.
Every moment spent lingering here was time the enemies above could use to grow stronger.
Atticus focused inward, taking in his will.
'That's a lot of worlds.'
The days spent in the Count layer had not been wasted. From the Will Guard, from Balanar, and from the others, his collection had grown to over two million minor worlds.
Fifty minor worlds formed a major world.
A hundred major worlds formed a grand world.
One hundred and fifty grand worlds formed a dominion rank world.
Two million minor worlds became four hundred grand worlds.
Roughly 2.6 dominion rank worlds.
'Damn. When you put it like that, it's tiny.'
He almost regretted doing the conversion. In the scale of the Marquis layer, it was insignificant. Still, it was better than staying behind. Anything else he gathered here would barely move the needle.
And…
'The rules should favor us.'
Across every layer he'd passed through, Atticus had noticed the same pattern. The Verge always imposed a buffer, something that prevented the strong from effortlessly crushing the weak.
He disliked relying on it, but there was no other choice.
…
After making his decision, Atticus gathered everyone and informed them of the need to ascend. The reaction was exactly what he'd expected.
Of the group, only the resistance members visibly paled.
"I-I think it's best we stay here."
"Y-yeah…"
Atticus exchanged a glance with Anorah. She nodded without hesitation.
"You two will remain behind," she said. "Regroup with the others when they ascend."
Both gods let out quiet breaths of relief.
"Yes, Saint."
Atticus swept his gaze across the rest of them.
"Anyone else having second thoughts?"
No one spoke up. He was met only with steady, confident stares.
Atticus smiled.
"Alright then. We ascend now."
He gave them a few minutes to gather any possessions and take one last look at the territory. Whether it would still exist after their ascension was uncertain.
Moments later, blinding light swallowed the group, tearing them away from the land below.
…
Atticus emerged into a familiar, endless void.
'Again.'
He didn't hesitate. His will wrapped around him at once. After what had happened the last time, he wasn't taking any chances.
As expected, cracks spread through the space, and waves of multicolored light poured through them, surging straight toward him.
'Not this time.'
A flaming silhouette flared within his mind. Atticus detonated outward, his will slamming into the approaching tide.
Moments later, his eyes snapped open and he quickly scanned his surroundings.
"In record time. You're getting better at this."
Atticus turned toward Whisker, and froze.
"What the—"
"Before you say anything," Whisker sliced in, "you might want to look at yourself. You look even more ridiculous."
Atticus formed a reflective surface in front of him, and his eyes widened at the sight he saw
"See what I mean?" Whisker sighed. "There's no doubt about it now. The Verge has to be insane."
His face and body had changed, it's shape now resembling some kind of chess piece.
Atticus looked around just as the chaotic streams reached the others.
Ozeroth was shouting at the sky, demanding answers from the Verge. Magnus and Noctis stood in silence, staring down at themselves.
They, too, had become chess pieces.
'It affected everyone.'
Atticus' eyes narrowed as he quickly scanned their surroundings.
"Wait. Where are the others?"
Anorah, Ozerra, and their champions were nowhere in sight.
"I was wondering the same thing," Whisker said.
Atticus forced down the spike of alarm and steadied his thoughts.
'Where are we?'
There was nothing but endless white in every direction. Just as the question began to settle, the light flared violently.
Atticus and the others raised their arms to shield their eyes. When the glare finally faded and they looked again, the world had changed.
They stood at the edge of a vast field of black and white.
'A… board?'
He felt dozens of gazes snap onto him at once and turned sharply, his hand moving to his katana on instinct.
'They're all here.'
Scattered across the board stood countless gods and champions. Yet Atticus' attention fixed on only two.
The first was a blazing man clad in radiant armor. Smoke and ash drifted from his form, and his crimson eyes burned with hostility.
Atticus had seen him once before, just before his ascension to the middle planes. One of the delegates who had come to observe the Virelenna.
Marquis Dravek Solmar.
None of this was making sense yet. Still, it was the second figure that seized his full attention.
A man clad entirely in gold. A faceless mask hid his features, two curved horns jutting from it. He leaned on a walking stick, his body slightly hunched, yet it did nothing to dampen the weight of his presence.
His golden eyes were locked onto Atticus, and in that instant, he had never felt more exposed. His grip on the katana tightened.
'It's him.'
The Will Guard responsible for the bounty. For everything he'd endured since.
Finally.
He'd finally found the bastard.
And now, he would make him regret ever setting his sights on him.
A voice echoed across the board, cutting through his thoughts.
"Welcome, newcomers, to the Marquis layer. It is advised that you consult the rules before proceeding. As new entrants, you have been granted two turns each. You may decide who goes first."