Read Novel Full Chapter 1681 Stairs
Chapter 1681 Stairs
"…Explode."
Every major faction god froze.
Their eyes slowly widened as their bodies began to warp and tremble. Their wills quivered, rapidly growing unstable. Their expressions drained of color. But before any of them could react, their wills finally gave way.
The next instant… they imploded.
Deafening booms tore through the space as blood and gore burst outward, splattering across the stunned, frozen faces of the surrounding gods.
As the haze cleared, a deafening silence settled over the entire space. Every god gradually turned toward Atticus, their bodies trembling.
Countless mixtures of blood drenched the ground before him, yet not a single drop had touched him or those behind him. The gods swallowed hard. He had killed them all… gods standing at the peak of the Span… with a single word.
The legends were real.
Gulp!
With the matter settled, Atticus ignored every gaze and began walking toward the grand stairs, his expression unchanged.
"I assume you don't need me anymore." the Span said.
"…Can you explain the ascension process?"
"No. The Crown will handle that. Anything I say would just be repetition." The Span began to float upward, his body emitting a faint glow.
"If that's all, I'm leaving. Next time, call me for something worth my time."
As the Eternal Span vanished in a burst of light, Whisker clicked his tongue.
"Damn… why's he always like that? Is it that time of the month or something?"
Atticus gave him a look.
"He can still hear you."
Whisker coughed, letting out an awkward laugh. "…I was talking about Ozeroth."
"…what did you just say?"
"Relax, Ozzy."
"Don't call me that."
As Ozeroth and Whisker locked into a glare, Atticus shifted his attention to a pair of silent eyes fixed on him. Freya.
"…Are you okay?"
As Ozeroth and Whisker locked into a glare, Atticus shifted his attention to a pair of silent eyes fixed on him. Freya.
"…Are you okay?"
Freya stared at her brother for a moment, her fists clenched tight. Though they had sparred countless times, this was the first time she had truly witnessed him in battle. Anastasia had covered her eyes, yet she had still seen it… still felt it.
His sheer power. The decisiveness. The brutality.
This was the true essence of her brother, the one the majority of the Span feared.
'A monster.'
True, only a monster could slaughter thousands without a single hint of remorse. Yet Freya had already decided she would become one as well.
'This is the level I must also reach.'
So her brother wouldn't end up alone.
Freya clenched her fists, then gave Atticus a firm nod.
"Mhm."
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Atticus couldn't help the faint smile that appeared on his lips. He returned the nod, then shifted his gaze to his mother. Anastasia was looking at him with sadness, while Avalon beside her observed with a conflicted expression.
Atticus suppressed a sigh, then turned forward.
"Enough. We're here."
He cut off Ozeroth and Whisker's bickering just as they reached the booth stationed at the edge of the grand stairs. Now that they were closer, Atticus could see it clearly. The stairs shimmered with a radiant gold, brimming with an oppressive force that pressed down on him even from where he stood.
They rose from below, stretching upward until they vanished into a sea of golden clouds.
"Welcome, gods. The Crown acknowledges your presence."
The monotonous voice came from the woman standing inside the booth. Her face was blank, detached, as though there was no life behind her eyes.
"I will now state the requirements for ascension. Only gods may enter. To ascend, you will climb the stairs behind me. Once you take your first step, you cannot return until your objective is complete. Your objective is to reach the Absolute Crown. To do so, continue ascending. The conditions will be revealed as you proceed."
The woman's lips stretched into a stiff, unnatural smile.
"Would you like to begin, or should I repeat the rules?"
Atticus didn't answer. His thoughts turned inward instead, his mind beginning to churn.
Everything had been fairly straightforward, except for that last part.
'Conditions.'
If their ultimate goal was to reach the Absolute Crown, and the path to doing so was simply ascending the stairs, then why conditions?
It could only mean one thing.
Reaching the Absolute Crown wouldn't be as simple as climbing a set of stairs.
His gaze moved across his people. Each of them seemed lost in thought as well. A moment later, he began receiving firm nods. Atticus gave a slight nod in return before turning back to the woman.
"…We'll begin."
"Alright. Then step forward and ascend." She gestured toward the stairs, then, in a lower tone, added, "…The Absolute Crown awaits your presence…"
'Hm?'
Atticus' head snapped toward her, a faint frown forming. But the woman had already turned forward, as though she had said nothing at all.
'Was I mistaken?'
For a moment, he stood still. Something about that felt off. It hadn't sounded like her, hadn't felt like her either. The voice had been deeper… heavier.
After a brief pause, he decided to let the thought go.
He stepped toward the stairs, his gaze settling on them. An oppressive force leaked from their surface, pressing against him. He could feel it limiting him even from where he stood.
Exhaling slowly, Atticus took a step.
Almost instantly, a crushing pressure settled over him. It pressed down on his entire being, as though attempting to suppress him at his core.
'Is this… plane will?'
With each step, the pressure intensified. The plane will acted on all of them, but Atticus could tell that what was bearing down on him was on an entirely different level from what he had experienced before.
"Hrk!"
He glanced back, noticing the others struggling under the same force.
Still, he knew there was nothing he could do. The plane will adjusted itself based on each individual's strength. What weighed on him… could not be compared to what weighed on them. They had to face it on their own. Taking another deep breath, Atticus turned forward once more and continued ascending.
The Crown awaited.
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