Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1660  Seven Keys

Atticus stared at the ground intently. A few seconds passed, and a faint glow began to seep from it.

His gaze sharpened.

'It's the ground.'

Not a mine, not a random attack, it was the ground itself.

Atticus moved instantly, slipping behind a nearby tree as he watched the light intensify before erupting in a violent blast.

'It triggers when I remain in one spot for too long.'

He began moving through the forest. Though his pace was slow, the ground showed no reaction.

Atticus frowned.

'Is it a clue?'

He had already experienced how cryptic the life weapon could be during the fifth trial. He wouldn't be surprised if this entire setup was meant to convey something to him.

He let his thoughts settle as he moved. 'What does it mean?'

"Still pretending you're above it?"

Atticus' hand snapped toward his katana. He turned sharply toward the voice, staring at a white haired man now standing ahead of him. The man was unusually tall, his features refined to a divine perfection, his ocean-blue eyes piercing and cold.

Atticus' eyes narrowed slightly.

"What…?"

The white-haired man was… him.

'A clone?'

The figure met his gaze without hesitation. "All that power… and you're still holding back. Tell me, how many died because you hesitated?"

A surge of rage ignited within Atticus. His gaze hardened, and for a brief moment, the urge to draw his blade and reduce everything around him to ruin surged through his body.

His fingers curled into tight fists as he forced himself still.

'What… what is this?'

He could feel his control slipping, being replaced by an intense rage. He exhaled. 'Logoth.'

His eyes dulled, turning detached and empty as the surge of emotion was cut away. "Grandma Freya died because of you… because you were too afraid to act."

A violent surge of rage surged through Atticus, tearing straight through Logoth. He clenched his fists as he slipped into it again, only for it to falter once more. "You know I'm right," the clone continued. "Every time you hold back, someone pays for it. Our people. The ones we care about… they die."

"This world took everything from you. Your peace. Your mother. So why are you still hesitating? Why are you still trying to stay calm?"

"Draw your blade. Stop holding back. Crush them."

The clone stopped just a step away, his killing intent spilling into the air like a suffocating weight.

His eyes locked onto Atticus, fierce.

"This whole world should burn."

Atticus ground his teeth so hard that blood pooled in his mouth. The rage within him was so intense that he could feel his blood boiling. He wanted to draw his blade. Wanted to slaughter. Wanted to reduce everything to ash.

'No…'

'Yes.'

The harder he resisted, the more violent it became, pressing against him with increasing force.

'He's trying to break my control.'

Whatever this trial was meant to test, losing himself here was not an option.

Atticus exhaled slowly, steadying his breathing as he lifted his gaze to meet the clone's.

"No."

The clone's eyes narrowed slightly, and he stared at Atticus in silence for a moment.

"So… you're choosing weakness?"

He let out a quiet breath.

"Then you're no different from the ones who stood by and let them die."

Boom!

The clone's hand moved to his blade, and an overwhelming killing intent drenched Atticus. Atticus' gaze sharpened as the clone slowly drew his blade, his expression turning icy.

"If you won't use this power… then you don't deserve it."

The clone vanished.

'Where?'

Atticus' eyes darted around, searching. A sharp, piercing sound reached his ears, and his gaze narrowed. He jerked his head sideways, barely evading a rippling blade that tore past him.

'Behind me.'

He pivoted instantly, his katana whirling out with him in a clean arc. The blade carved through the air with violent force, gales tearing outward as the strike flashed toward the clone.

The clone blurred and dipped, the attack slicing through the space just above him. In the same breath, he closed the distance in a flash, his katana driving forward in a torrent of violent thrusts.

Atticus' eyes sharpened.

'Fast.'

His blade, which had been surging above a moment ago, snapped downward. His stance shifted, and his katana moved fluidly, meeting each thrust in rapid bursts of sparks.

But the clone was relentless. His cold ocean-blue eyes seemed to see through him. He vanished and reappeared in rapid succession, sending out torrents of attacks. Neck, eyes, heart… every strike was swift, precise, and aimed to kill.

Meanwhile, Atticus was just as fast, meeting every attack with his own while sending out counters.

Even without a trace of energy, their bodies blurred as they clashed across the forest. "What is this? You're still holding back?" the clone's voice cut through coldly. "This is why they die. This is why you failed. Because you're a fool."

The clone suddenly surged in speed. His blade flashed, raining down on Atticus in a relentless wave.

Atticus was barely able to keep up, clashing against numerous attacks while evading others. "You need to stop holding back. Make them pay. You can feel it, can't you? That rage… that's what you should be using." As the seconds passed, he could feel the rage simmering within him, creeping into his thoughts. But Atticus clenched his fists and forced himself to think.

'How is he this strong?'

He couldn't feel any force coming from the clone. Yet his speed and strength had already surpassed what any human should be capable of.

'Hm?'

Atticus frowned as he caught the faint purple glow flickering within the clone's eyes. His gaze darkened.

'Solvath.'

Did that mean he could use it too?

Ignoring the surge of rage within him, Atticus reached inward, probing deep within himself. A moment later… nothing.

"Why are you still trying to stay calm after everything this world took from you. You lost your mother. Your peace. Everything. And you still hesitate? Stop pretending. Let it out.

"Burn it all."

Atticus was pulled from his thoughts as the clone suddenly erupted in a blinding light that wrapped around and engulfed him.

As the light dimmed, Atticus' gaze settled on the clone. A purple glow now cloaked his body. His arms and legs had grown bulkier, and thin purple veins snaked across his skin.

There was a heaviness to him now, one that pressed down on Atticus.

Atticus tightened his grip on his blade.

'I can't win.'

He couldn't use Solvalth's power. He was nothing but a normal human.

The clone's eyes shone.

"You must abandon hesitation. You must burn this world."

Atticus suddenly turned. Before the clone could move, he shot forward, pushing deeper into the forest.

"Where are you going!"

The clone's thunderous shout echoed through the forest, but Atticus didn't look back as he continued to run.

He could die in the sixth trial. Which meant any loss equaled death.

Moments later, Atticus glanced back, then frowned.

'He's not following me.'

He had already prepared himself for a chase through the forest, but the clone remained where he stood, as though he had no intention of moving.

'Hmm.'

Atticus slowed to a stop but continued pacing, around.

'I can't feel the emotions either.'

The moment he left the clone's presence, the overwhelming rage disappeared.

'So it was the source.'

He still found the entire situation odd. First, the forest that wouldn't let him remain in one spot, and then a clone of himself trying to make him lose control and burn the world.

What the hell was going on?

"What's the point of any of it?"

Atticus' head snapped toward the voice. By a small lake, a white-haired figure was hunched over, staring at the water with a somber gaze.

'Another one.'

He tightened his grip on his katana. It was another clone. Compared to the earlier one, this one felt more… soft.

"You worked so hard… pushed yourself so far… became so strong. And for what?"

As the clone spoke, Atticus felt something faint stir in his chest. It was… painful. Like a slowly building ache.

'This…'

"All of that power… and you still couldn't protect the ones that mattered…You still lost them."

The clone gradually took his gaze off the lake and turned to face him. His eyes… tears streaming from them.

"Tell me… is there really any reason to keep trying?"

'Haa…'

Images suddenly flashed through Atticus' mind. His mother back on Earth, Grandma Freya, and many more faces he had lost. Even with his overwhelming talent, his potential… he still hadn't been able to protect them.

Atticus' grip on his katana began to loosen as tears welled up in his eyes.

That's right… was there truly any reason to keep trying?

Atticus' eyes widened. His unfocused gaze snapped back into clarity.

'That… that was close.'

He clenched his fists, steadying himself as he gazed at the clone, who continued to look at him with that same gloomy expression.

Without hesitation, he turned and ran.

'It's not just one clone.'

Defeating the first clone had already seemed impossible. Adding another into the mix was far beyond what he could handle.

However, just like the other, the clone didn't follow him.

'Hmm.'

Seconds later, Atticus encountered another clone. The moment his gaze fell on him, he immediately sped off into the forest.

'Even more of them.'

Not just two. At this point, it was hard to determine how many were scattered across the forest. However, one thing was certain, he couldn't defeat them directly.

'Maybe that would help.'

He fixed his eyes on the tower looming in the distance and pushed himself forward. He met more clones along the way, but he ignored each of them.

Eventually, he reached his destination, coming to a halt at the base of the tower.

'No one in sight.'

He was glad. After searching for a moment, he found the entrance. However, a deep frown formed on his face as he stared at the door.

On it were seven holes scattered in a circular pattern. Every attempt at getting the door open had failed.

Atticus exhaled. On his way here, as he moved through the forest, the number of clones he had encountered was five. Along with the earlier two, that made seven in total.

Atticus stared at the holes for several seconds, his scowl deepening. The implication was clear. The clones were the key.

Somehow, he would have to defeat them.

'Shit.'