Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1683  Horde

"W-what… what is this…"

Gladious had never felt such an overwhelming presence in his entire life. It pressed down on him with suffocating weight, turning even the air heavy.

And as he met the purple glow in the head hunter's gaze, his entire body locked in place. An absolute voice rumbled through his mind.

"AN INSECT TRYING TO TAKE OVER ONE OF MY VESSELS. HOW QUINT. YOU WILL BE SHOWN YOUR PLACE."

The dome surrounding the hunters exploded outward in a burst of blinding light. A violent surge of energy slammed into Gladious and the elders, tearing through their bodies.

"Hurk!"

Gladious was thrown backward, crashing hard against the ground. A mouthful of golden blood spilled from his lips as he struggled up, his body trembling.

"Wh-what have I done…?"

There was no doubt about it, he had just offended something he never should have. What was that entity? It carried a crushing weight, one that clearly did not belong to this world.

'I have to beg…'

Gladious' expression stiffened, turning solemn.

"Ple—"

Before he could finish, the cold edge of a blade pressed against his neck, stopping him cold.

"What…?"

Slowly, he lifted his gaze.

In that infinitesimal moment, the head hunter had already crossed the distance and now stood before him.

Though the purple glow in his eyes had faded back to ocean blue, the coldness within them was just as fierce. "You will answer my question, or I kill you. Understand?"

The chill in his voice seeped straight into Gladious' bones. He stiffened, then nodded rapidly. He dropped into a kowtow without hesitation, his forehead pressing against the ground again and again like a puppet.

"Y-yes! Yes, my supreme lord! I—I didn't recognize you, I swear! If I had known, I would have welcomed you properly—! Compared to you, I am nothing, just dirt! This lowly one must truly be blind—!"

The surviving elders and the people could only stare at their leader in disbelief.

The blade pressed deeper against his neck, cutting him off instantly.

"Ah—wait! I'm talking too much! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'll be quiet!"

"Who are you? And where are we?"

"M-my name is Gladious, my supreme lord! I—I am nothing more than an ant… in the outer parts of the First Crown!"

"You rule these people?"

Gladious stiffened, an alarm ringing in his mind. If he admitted that, he would be taking full responsibility for everything that had just happened.

"R-rule…? N-no, my supreme lord, nothing like that! I—I merely serve them…!"

A faint frown formed on the head hunter's face.

Gladious' heart skipped. He instantly dropped his head again, crashing it hard against the ground.

"My supreme lord! Please—please spare us! We are nothing, just helpless souls facing a disaster! We are beneath you—we would gladly serve you! Please, spare us!"

He motioned sharply toward the others, glaring at them. They reacted instantly, dropping to their knees and bowing in unison.

"P-please spare us!"

 "Please spare us!"

"…"

The head hunter's frown deepened. To Atticus, the entire situation felt odd. Unfamiliar.

Truthfully, he hadn't known what to expect upon entering the Crown.

And while he had numerous guesses, this… this was not it.

A single glance at the aged man before him told him everything he needed to know. The force of the will he carried surpassed any god Atticus had encountered so far. But it was the backlash from Solvath, for entering into his mind with his will, that had reduced him to this state.

Even more, the nature of Gladious will was unlike anything he had ever encountered. It was golden, yet it wasn't Willguard or pride. He could feel the weight behind it, dense, powerful.

And more unsettling, Solvath's power had granted him control over every force in the world, yet every attempt to take hold of it returned null.

There was only one explanation.

'It's stronger than I can handle.'

What sort of will was this?

An intense shockwave suddenly tore through the hall. The ground trembled beneath their feet as more cracks spread across the walls, large chunks breaking loose and crashing down.

A wave of fearful gasps rippled through the gathered people. Even Gladious stared ahead with a trembling gaze.

Atticus' eyes sharpened as he finally spread his awareness outward.

The first thing he noticed… was a heavy force pressing down on him, suppressing him.

'The plane will.'

It was the same pressure they had felt while ascending the stairs. However, Atticus could immediately tell there was something different here.

This wasn't targeted at him alone. Rather, the plane will acted as a constant force woven into the world itself.

And what it did was simple… it limited everyone to a certain extent.

Someone capable of moving at light speed or extending their perception across vast stretches of land would find those abilities drastically reduced. And those who couldn't reach such levels to begin with had their power suppressed even further.

The second thing Atticus noticed was that the omniscient, godly sensation was gone. Though he could still feel Eldoralth, it was distant, like a clear boundary had been drawn between them.

His will remained as strong as ever. But the boundless energy of his world and people… was no longer within reach.

Given these changes, as his perception spread, Atticus was only able to cover a single kilometer of land. Still, his gaze narrowed slightly as he took in the state of the outside.

Atticus turned, his eyes meeting Anorah, Ozeroth, Whisker, Magnus, Azeron, then Avalon. Each of them gave a firm nod, their expressions grim.

He turned back to Gladious, his blade flashing.

A piercing scream tore from the man as his limbs were severed in an instant.

"Arrhhh! My arms! My legs! Supreme lo—!"

Atticus' gaze flickered crimson as he raised his palm toward him.

"Prison."

A thick dome of crimson sealed around the screaming man, cutting him off completely.

Atticus cast a brief glance at the others. They were weaker than the man, he was the strongest among them. The rest were insignificant.

He turned to his people and gave a slight nod.

"Let's go."

They vanished in unison, reappearing in the sky above the structure.

Under the crimson sun, a scene of devastation revealed itself.

A dimming golden dome encased the entire castle they had been in. Beyond it, wave upon wave of endless, vicious beasts stretched across hundreds of kilometers, all converging toward the barrier.

They pressed against it in such overwhelming numbers that they had begun to pile over one another, nearly covering it from every side.

They hammered at it relentlessly, each impact sending cracks racing across its surface. The glow of the barrier had dulled to a faint glow, and it was obvious it would not hold much longer.

"Damn…" Whisker let out a low whistle, eyes sweeping over the scene. "…yeah, that's one way to welcome guests."