Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1617  Mad Dust

"You're arrogant."

The nephew's eyes grew detached at the blatant disregard, but Whisker shrugged lazily.

"Devilishly handsome, charming, and funny. Try to keep up."

"…Do you even understand your current situation?"

"Hm?"

The nephew asked in a cold voice, and Whisker looked at him in confusion.

"This enclosure is called the Dome of Cultivation. It directly counters your Untamed Wild."

"…Oh?"

"Surprised?"

The nephew smiled slightly at Whisker's silence, clearly pleased that he had finally gotten some kind of reaction out of him.

"…Honestly, yeah. It's a bit unsettling."

"…What?"

"You stalking me or something, you creep?"

"…"

The nephew clenched his fists at his sides, glaring at Whisker. The fact that this bastard still sat casually on his throne despite the situation was insane. Slowly exhaling, he steadied himself and forced his expression back into a small, confident smile.

"…It won't work. Father told me everything about you. Especially your habit of provoking people just to get a reaction."

"…Did he now?"

"He told me about your Untamed Wild. A will that thrives on freedom and rejects restraint itself. It wasn't difficult to imagine such a will's weakness."

"What happens when freedom is taken away?"

"…I get bored?"

The nephew gritted his teeth, but exhaled and stretched his arms outward grandly.

"My Dome of Cultivation strips away every notion of freedom you possess. Inside here, you're nothing more than a dog trapped in a cage. It's already happening."

"Hm?"

Whisker frowned slightly as his grotesque monsters began to shrink, their massive forms reducing until they returned to their original humanoid shapes. Even the oppressive aura they radiated had weakened significantly.

"You feel it, don't you? Your will is weakening. By now, it should be less than half of its original strength."

"…"

"What's wrong? Nothing to say?"

The nephew stretched his arms even wider as he gradually ascended into the air. The roots around the enclosure trembled before gathering behind him, their sharpened tips aimed forward.

"…Father warned me about you. Said you were dangerous. But in the end, you're just an arrogant fool. Once I kill you, he'll be forced to acknowwwwleeege meeeeee—"

The nephew blinked, shaking his head. He squinted with a confused expression for a moment then cleared his throat. "As I was saying… I'll kiiiiiiill youuuuu."

The nephew narrowed his eyes as it happened again. His words had suddenly dragged, like he had lost control over his mouth. "…Why… won't my… voice…"

"Hahahaha!"

"…?"

But before he could make sense of it, a laughter suddenly echoed through the enclosure.

"…What are you laughing at?"

He narrowed his eyes at Whisker, who had suddenly begun laughing.

"Finally. I thought I was going to die from boredom. My nephew, you talk far too much."

Whisker grimaced as he shook his head, as though even recalling the speech was painful.

"Whaaat didddd youuu doooo?!"

"It's 'what did you do.' Try to speak properly."

Whisker corrected him casually, chuckling. "Yooouuu—!"

The nephew suddenly clutched his head, stiffening as though something had slammed his mind directly. He began shaking his head repeatedly, trying desperately to clear whatever was happening inside it.

"W-whaaattt is th-isss."

"Neat, right?"

Whisker gestured lazily, and his creatures carried him forward, lowering him toward the nephew, who had already fallen back to the ground.

"I call it mad dust."

"M-mad… dust…?"

"You really thought you were the first person to try something like this?"

"…Y-you…"

"Now who's the arrogant one?"

"…W-what… is… happening…"

The nephew jerked his head violently from side to side, his movements erratic as though he were losing control of his own body.

"It's in the air."

As Whisker snapped his finger, the nephew's eyes widened in horror as he finally noticed the fine blue dust constantly rising from Whisker's body and spreading silently throughout the entire enclosure.

"…No…"

"You're wondering when it started, aren't you?"

Whisker smiled faintly from atop his throne.

"…S-since… when…"

"Since the moment I entered the cavern."

"…No… no…"

The nephew's eyes widened in shock. 'I-I've been playing right into his hands…'

That was why he had allowed him to talk. While he had been taunting him, it had all been to buy time. Whisker hadn't walked into his trap out of arrogance, but because he had already secured control over the situation from the very beginning.

"S-shiiiittttt."

The nephew clenched his fists tightly. The mad dust clearly interfered with the mind, distorting thought and eroding control. Even thinking clearly now required immense effort. Gathering his will in this state was impossible.

"Grrr."

Drool slipped from his mouth as he slowly lifted his head and glared at Whisker, who stared down at him coldly from atop his throne.

"…Y-you can't… kill me…"

"Oh?"

Whisker raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?" "…I'm… your… nephew…"

"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!"

Whisker burst into laughter, like he'd just heard the greatest joke in existence. "…" At the Nephew's glare, he shook his head, amused.

"Oh, you didn't know? Daddy should've told you."

"…What…"

At the nephew's confusion, he released a quiet snicker, his crimson eyes glowing faintly as he gazed down at him with disdain.

"I want all my family dead."

"…W-wait—"

"Kill him."

With a casual wave of his hand, his creatures immediately converged on the nephew as they began tearing him apart piece by piece.

"Hmm, sounds good."

Whisker cleaned his ear lazily with his pinky, his expression unchanged as his nephew's screams echoed throughout the cavern.

The screams gradually weakened, then faded completely. The root made enclosure collapsed soon after and Whisker shifted his gaze toward the resource dome at the center of the cavern.

"Hm?"

He frowned suddenly, his hand moving to his chest as a strange sensation gripped him. It felt like an invisible rope had suddenly tightened steadily around his being.

'It's getting stronger…'

His expression darkened as he lifted his head toward the sky. The closer he moved toward Him… the tighter the hold became.

"Hah…"

Whisker released a quiet, exhausted sigh. The image of Atticus and the others flashed briefly through his mind.

'Looks like my time with them is coming to an end.'

The thought lingered only briefly before his usual casual smile returned, as though he had already accepted it.

Approaching the resource dome, he placed his hand against its yellow surface.

"What? All this for a bunch of white stones!"

Whisker cursed aloud, throwing his head back in frustration before he clicked his tongue and waved dismissively a moment later.

"Useless universe."