'Where am I?'
Atticus tried blinking away the endless darkness, but it didn't budge. No matter where he turned, it was all he saw.
'Don't tell …'
As the thought ford, a sudden force jerked his mind. The darkness vanished as crimson light poured in from every direction, surging toward him.
'Shield!'
Atticus' will churned, bursting from him and eting the incoming crimson sea in a clash.
He gritted his teeth as he tried to push back against the relentless pressure.
'I'm assimilating with the wills.' He realized. The thousands of wills he'd gathered in the viscount realm were now combining with his will. Their sheer size and strength far surpassed anything he had experienced.
His feet scraped against the darkness as he was pushed back. He gritted his teeth, veins snaking across his head as he fought, but he was losing.
'I have to do sothing… anything.'
Atticus searched his mory. His will wasn't strong enough to assimilate thousands of wills at the sa ti. He needed a way to strengthen it.
'The world is tinder, I will choose what burns and what survives… the world is tinder…'
As he recited the creed like a mantra, he felt his will strengthen. He stopped getting pushed back. But his eyes sharpened.
'I need more…'
The wills were still overwhelming him. He reached deeper into himself, searching for anything that could reinforce his will.
'My fire… should I burn hotter?' He tried, but nothing. 'No… it's not enough.'
He transford to force. 'Should I try to brute force it?' But he shook the next mont as a tremor spread through his will, followed by a spike of pain. 'They're too many.' Atticus mind ran fast. 'Focus?' He could try to narrow his will in one point to cut through. 'No.' He fixed his eyes at the sea, hitting him from every direction. He would be crushed before he could sliced through. He grit his teeth as another tidal wave of wills crashed into him.
'There has to be sothing…' A thought suddenly struck him, and the scene of last night, after his battle with rek flashed in his mind. 'Blade and shield.'
Sohow, the resolution he had made stuck with him even now. He had felt it last night when he decided to be both: a blade to strike his enemies, and a shield to protect the people he loved. Back then, it had been nothing more than a taphor.
But now, under this crushing sea of wills, Atticus couldn't help drawing the connection.
'The burning.'
The world was tinder. He would choose what burned and what survived.
His will burned his enemies.
His will protected his family.
Blade and shield. He had resolved to be both, yet the truth was he had always been both.
He was a blade, and a shield…
A blinding image burst into his mind. A figure wrapped in two opposing flas, one rising from the right side of its body, the other from the left. A sudden surge of warmth and power ripped through him.
'Is this…?'
Manifestation.
Atticus was sure of it. His strength burst outward, and the thousands of wills pressing down on him abruptly felt inconsequential. He stepped with a step, pushing back against them.
His will flared. His body blazed. But his flas felt split, like two distinct natures burning through him.
'Sleep.'
The wills battering him instantly turned docile, folding under his command as he absorbed them one after another.
'This…'
Atticus examined himself. His flas were divided, a golden fire consuming one half of his body, a white hot fire engulfing the other.
'Is this… my manifestation?'
As he thought, a sudden pull struck him. The darkness receded and light flooded his eyes.
He blinked, opening his eyes to find himself surrounded from all sides. Magnus, Ozeroth, Whisker, Anorah, even Ozerra. They stood in a protective circle, backs facing him, scanning the surroundings cautiously.
'My people.'
He felt a flicker of warmth as he realized the situation.
'It happened again.'
Because he absorbed the most wills, he took the longest ti to assimilate them. Last ti Ozerra had protected him, but now he had his people back. It felt good.
"I'm awake."
Their heads snapped toward him imdiately, eyes scanning him for any sign of injury.
"Are you okay?" Anorah asked with worry. Atticus nodded with a smile.
"Damn," Whisker whistled. "Even I doubted you for a second. Thought for sure all those wills would flatten you."
"He's my bond," Ozeroth scoffed. "Of course the wills couldn't beat him. He's the protégé of the great Ozeroth."
"His victory is because of ," Ozerra shot back. "He's my servant. A servant only moves according to their master's will!"
Atticus blinked.
'A servant?' Since when?
He shook his head and tried to regain his bearings. He smiled at Anorah's soft grip, but focused inward.
'That feeling.'
He tried to reach for the earlier manifestation. The image of the split flas burned in his mind, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't force it out.
'Why is it not responding?' Atticus frowned, glancing at Whisker, who was still watching the bickering duo.
'I'll ask him later. First…'
Atticus had already swept the area upon waking and knew there was nothing for thousands of kiloters.
'My reach is insane.'
The territories they acquired in the viscount layer were proving useful. 'No god, no threat.'
Aside from that, he could feel the extraordinary power of his will. He couldn't wait to test it in battle.
He focused inward on the countless worlds he had accumulated.
'About thirty thousand minor worlds.'
It was astronomical, but Atticus wasn't excited. In the count layer, the scale had widened beyond imagination. He recalled the rankings.
Fifty minor worlds equaled a major world, and the advancent from baron to viscount.
A hundred major worlds equaled a grand world, which was a count. But the next rank expanded even more.
One hundred and fifty grand worlds equaled a dominion world, and the advancent to marquis.
In minor worlds, a grand world was five thousand minor worlds, which ant he needed…
'Seven hundred fifty thousand minor worlds.'
Right now, he had thirty thousand, insane for a viscount, but at the bottom of the food chain for a count.
Atticus glanced around. The others were also carefully scanning the area.
'I need information about this layer. Fast.'
He began forming a plan. Before anything, they needed information about who dominated the count layer. He couldn't afford another Redfla chase.
There was no one for thousands of kiloters. He could feel that the count layer was even larger than the viscount layer.
"We should move."
Just as the others nodded, Atticus' eyes sharpened as he felt multiple presences materializing across the territory.
'What… is this…'
From their numbers alone, they entered the millions!
The three chapters will continue from tomorrow. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to support with golden tickets and powerstones. Cheers.
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