Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1685  Alpha

Through the large gaps between the walls, High Lord Gladious witnessed a scene he could scarcely believe was real.

Atticus stood untouched amid a sea of blood and gore. He had moved so fast that Gladious himself, a peak level one, struggled to follow.

'What the hell is he…?'

The reverents that had attacked their stronghold were each at peak level one, with their King likely at the lower level two rank.

 As a peak level one, Gladious would've had trouble dealing with even one of those beasts, yet this hunter, clearly mid level one, was cutting through them like flies. He was doing what not even a full group of peak level one hunters could achieve.

Gladious had known Atticus was different from the moment his ultimate art had failed, but this… this was beyond anything he could make sense of.

'There's still hope.'

Gladious clenched his teeth. He had seen Atticus' gaze and understood exactly what kind of person he was. The fact that he had severed his limbs and kept him alive only to prevent escape made it clear, he wasn't the type to overlook an attempt at enslavement.

Even so, he only had two choices. Leave Atticus to face the horde, where he would either succeed or fail, the former ending with Gladious losing his head, the latter with him becoming food for the reverents.

 Or… help Atticus, and gamble on the slim chance that he might be spared.

Only one of those offered any chance at survival. So, he chose the second.

As more beasts dropped to the lingering slashes in the air, Gladious drew in a sharp breath and shouted at the top of his lungs,

"T-their Alpha! Kill their Alpha! Otherwise they'll just keep coming back!"

Atticus' head snapped toward him, his eyes narrowing. Gladious felt a flicker of relief at having caught his attention and hurriedly gestured toward the scattered corpses of the reverents around him.

"Look! Can't you see it? They're not dying! You have to kill the Alpha—he's the one controlling them!"

Atticus' gaze lowered. Beneath him, the sea of blood and gore began to stir, a powerful aura seeping out from it. Then, without warning, the blood surged upward, condensing into countless crimson orbs that swelled larger and larger. Bones snapped back into place, sinew stitched itself together, flesh reformed over shattered frames. In mere moments, thousands of beasts that had been cut down rose once more.

Atticus' eyes narrowed to slits.

What?

ROAR!

The unified roar tore through the silence. In an instant, every single beast locked onto Atticus. A suffocating bloodlust surged toward him, far denser than before.

Then, as one, they ignored all others and dashed him from every direction.

The five lights flickered through Atticus' gaze, and he vanished. Thousands of slashes erupted around him, tearing through every beast in an instant. But this time, there was no pause.

The blood gathered in the sky once more as the beasts reformed, surging forward with even greater ferocity. Atticus' movements blurred into a streak. Countless slashes filled the space around him, each one carving apart anything that entered a hundred-meter radius, reducing their bodies to uncountable fragments.

Yet the horde kept coming, pouring in from every corner of the land in an endless cascade, their eyes fixed solely on him.

The expressions of the others darkened at the sight. Not a single beast spared them a glance, as though Atticus alone existed in their world.

"Atticus!"

Anastasia caught Freya just as she was about to rush forward, holding her firmly in place. As the little girl lifted her gaze, Anastasia gave a slow, steady shake of her head. "Trust him."

Freya swallowed, her eyes drawn back to the scene.

The beasts had gathered in overwhelming numbers, closing in around Atticus in an unending cascade from all sides.

Her expression tightened. How could anyone survive something like that?

"Look closer."

At Anastasia's words, Freya narrowed her eyes. A moment passed, then her gaze widened. She saw it. Within the dense mass of brutal beasts, a streak of crimson flickered through them at a terrifying speed.

Freya's fists clenched.

"Atticus…"

His speed hadn't faltered in the slightest despite their numbers. So this… this was Atticus.

"Tch. Stupid, ugly bastards… they see someone as great as me and still ignore me? Fine. I'll tear every last one of their eyes out." Ozeroth advanced forward, cracking his fists.

"Hah… I've got a lot to say about that, but I'll let it slide. Still… can't say I'm not a little offended." Whisker said, a cold smile on his lips.

"…they really think we're not worth their attention?" Azeron's expression darkened with rage.

"…can we just fight already…" Thora said shamelessly.

"…"

Anorah stepped forward as well, alongside Magnus and Avalon. Every gaze fixed on the beast horde surrounding Atticus, cold.

In the next instant, their wills surged forth. They pushed into the horde, tearing through the ranks of beasts at a relentless pace.

Within the massive cluster, Atticus' mind moved rapidly.

 He had cut down so many beasts, and at such a speed, that the sea of blood had already risen to his waist.

Even so… that was the least of his concerns.

'This won't last.'

Without access to Eldoralth's will, Atticus' own had become finite, something that could run dry. The more he clashed with the beasts, the more he resisted the cancerous influence of their will, the faster his reserves were drained.

Already, more than half was gone. He had to end this.

'The Alpha.'

Gladious' words had given him the answer. He had already sensed the unnatural synchronicity within the horde. They were being guided, controlled, by a single entity. Their Alpha.

'I have to find him.'

But with the pressure of the onslaught bearing down on him from all sides, that was far easier said than done.

'I need space.'

Atticus came to an abrupt halt, standing still as he calmly sheathed his katana. In that instant, the beasts broke through the hundred-meter radius and flooded toward him from every direction.

Yet Atticus simply closed his eyes, his awareness extending outward as he reached into the world around him. This time, he grasped onto another set of distinct wills and held them. Then he raised his palm, and three orbs of different lights formed above it.

"Harmonize."