Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1614  Elegance

"I-it's him…"

Orvain stared at the figure gradually approaching him with wide eyes. There was no mistaking that face. It was Atticus Ravenstein, the one his father had made a top priority to find and kill during the resource war.

'But…'

As Orvain met his cold ocean blue eyes, he didn't even notice when his body began to tremble.

'W-what is this… fear?'

Orvain couldn't understand why he felt this way. Atticus stood a distance away and hadn't released his aura or killing intent, yet somehow Orvain couldn't move an inch.

'Wasn't he just some bumpkin?'

His father had spoken of Atticus with disdain, saying he was weak and nothing worth worrying about. But this… this felt completely different.

Orvain had always known he had no real talent for fighting. If not for his father's backing, he would never have reached his current standing.

But if there was one instinct that had never failed him, it was his ability to sense when someone was far beyond his league.

'I have to escape.'

Orvain swallowed and took a step back, only to pause as he remembered the two bald men standing behind him.

'That's right!'

His eyes widened.

His father had assigned the Twin Pyres to him for this exact reason. Powerful or not, the Twin Pyres were legends. There was no way Atticus could possibly stand against them.

With that thought, confidence surged back into his veins.

"Atticus Ravenstein."

Orvain straightened his back, forcing a smug smile onto his face.

"We, the Redflames, have searched far and wide for you. How considerate of you to deliver yourself to us. Now you will answer for your crimes against the great Redflame. I am Orvain Virex—"

He lifted his chin.

"—and I am your executioner."

"You're in the way."

"You weakling."

The bald twins brushed past him without so much as a glance and stepped forward.

"Huh?"

Orvain's brows twitched at the blatant disrespect, but before he could protest, a crushing pressure seeped from the twins.

He swallowed and slowly lowered his raised hand.

"Atticus Ravenstein."

The twins regarded Atticus with open contempt.

"You're tall."

"And admittedly handsome."

"But you are not fit to be spoken of in the same breath as us."

They spoke one after the other, voices overlapping seamlessly, as though sharing a single mind.

The pressure they released distorted the air. Trees in the distance trembled under its weight. Yet the man before them remained calm and unbothered.

The twins' expressions hardened.

"We watched you during the Ascension Games."

"You were strong."

"Yes."

"But your use of the katana…"

"…was repulsive."

Their hands slid over the hilts of their blades with reverence, as one might caress a sacred relic.

"People dared to praise your technique."

"To compare you to us."

"How insulting."

"You swing it crudely."

"Only to kill."

"No refinement."

"No artistry."

"You disgrace the blade."

Their will flared violently, scorching the earth and blackening the trees around them.

In perfect unison, the twins drew their katanas and lowered into mirrored stances, veins pulsing along their bald heads as their sharp eyes locked onto Atticus.

"We will show you."

"What true elegance looks like."

""Ultimate Form: Scarlet Severance.""

The air shuddered.

They disappeared like smoke caught in a gust of wind, and in the next instant, they stood behind Atticus.

"It's over."

"Swiftly."

Hot steam curled from their bodies as they slowly straightened and looked at one another, nodding in quiet approval. Atticus still stood in his original position, not even having reacted to their movement.

"He couldn't even react."

"He's far too slow."

They scoffed, shaking their heads. It amused them that Atticus hadn't managed even the slightest response to their speed. At the very least, someone with half their strength should have flinched.

They sheathed their katanas, already dismissing him as unworthy of further attention, when something caught their eyes.

"What…?"

The twins' brows furrowed as Atticus began walking forward without even turning to look at them.

"He's moving?"

"How is that possible?"

Shock flickered across their faces.

They had sliced through every part of his body. By now, he should have collapsed into clean, elegant fragments of flesh and blood. He shouldn't be standing. He certainly shouldn't be walking.

"Pyrren! The lines!"

"Pyrrik! The lines!"

They pointed at each other as faint, razor thin lines started surfacing across their faces, running downward along their necks, torsos, and limbs.

And then, the faint sound of a blade being sheathed reached their ears.

"Don't tell me—"

"Did he—!"

They whipped their heads toward Atticus, but before either could move, the lines flared brightly.

In the next instant, their bodies separated into countless pieces, falling apart and soaking the ground beneath them.

…

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

Within the hall, Rhexan shot to his feet so violently that his chair exploded behind him.

"This is impossible! He cheated, he must have cheated!"

With furious eyes, he pointed at the screen and stormed toward it as though he could force his way inside.

"He did something! Yes, he had to have done something! We must report this to the Span!"

Rhexan turned toward the other Archdukes, expecting at least some support, but the hall was deathly silent.

Every Archduke stared at Atticus on the screen, their expressions grim and unreadable.

"Are you all deaf!? I said—"

"Rhexan."

Edras's voice was cold and devoid of its usual warmth.

"Be quiet for a moment. I'm thinking."

"But we need to address thi—"

"Do you even understand what you're saying?"

"What…?"

As Rhexan's brows drew together in confusion, Edras exhaled slowly.

"This competition is being overseen by the Eternal Span. To claim he cheated is to claim that the Span himself is incompetent. Is that truly the accusation you wish to make?"

"Hurk—!"

Rhexan's teeth ground together, his will flaring wildly around him.

"Accept the loss and move on. Stop embarrassing yourself."

"You…"

Rhexan stiffened as he noticed the way the other Archdukes were looking at him.

There was no solidarity in their eyes. Only contempt and faint amusement.

'I forgot.'

How could he have forgotten? Yes, they had gathered for the purpose of hunting Atticus Ravenstein, but they were not allies.

They were rivals. Enemies.

Each of them would celebrate his humiliation in private. His son's failure was not their concern. It was their entertainment.

He had been a fool to expect otherwise.

"If you understand, sit down. And stop making a scene."

At Edras's words, Rhexan exhaled a steamy breath and clenched his fists.

Then slowly, stiffly, he returned to his seat.

The hall fell silent once more as every Archduke continued watching the unfolding scene.