To Atticus, the world had dissolved into a blur. His speed was so extre it bordered on teleportation. One mont he stood at the western edge of the territory, hundreds of thousands of miles from the nearest city, and the next, he snapped into existence deep within the territory, just at the outskirts of the city.
His eyes narrowed at the sight ahead. A man in the midnight purple uniform of the abyss army tore across the terrain, limbs flailing as he laughed hysterically, teeth flashing like a crazed animal.
Atticus didn't waste a thought on what he was seeing. A silver streak cut through the air as his blade left its sheath. The man's torso peeled away from his lower half. The legs kept running for a mont due to the montum before the body finally collapsed. Atticus was already gone.
He reappeared elsewhere, gaze locking on another abyss soldier sprinting madly toward the city. Another streak, another corpse. Then he vanished again.
It repeated. Again. And again. Until the tenth body fell beneath his blade.
Yet Atticus didn't relax. Suspended above the land, he expanded his perception across the entire territory, sweeping through every inch with ticulous scrutiny. Only when he confird that no one remained except his citizens did he allow himself a quiet exhale.
'That was close.'
His gaze dropped to the final corpse. He still didn't know their exact objective, but anything aid at the city couldn't be good, especially when these n clearly weren't ordinary citizens.
'They can use will.'
He had felt it, a faint resistance the mont his blade cut through. Sohow, the abyss faction had figured out a way to let their citizens wield will. The realization hardened Atticus's eyes.
It only showed how catastrophic the outco would've been if he hadn't intercepted them.
'I need to return to the others.'
Atticus turned, about to leave, when he caught sight of multiple streaks heading his way.
"The cities?" Whisker asked as he stopped before him.
"Safe."
"They slipped in right after your fight with the Will Guard. That's the only ti they could've," Anorah said, her eyes narrowing at the severed remains below.
"Their target was the city," Atticus replied. "This is just the next step in destabilizing the territory."
"Challenge us out of nowhere, level the city, drown everyone in panic, crush morale, then finish us in a straight clash." Whisker let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "Gotta admit… it's smart."
Atticus nodded silently. The abyss faction was becoming more dangerous by the minute.
The timing made it clear. If Balanar had issued the challenge after the Will Guard fight, he wouldn't have been able to send anyone in. But he chose to issue it before, just enough ti for the infiltrators to move.
Many of their soldiers had families in the city. Won, children, elders, people who couldn't defend themselves. Killing them would've shattered morale beyond recovery. It was the missing children incident all over again. The abyss faction truly had no limits to how low they would go.
But Atticus wasn't surprised. This was simply the truth of the world.
"We have an even bigger problem," Atticus said.
Their eyes sharpened imdiately.
"What problem could be bigger than this?" Whisker muttered.
"Their citizens can use will."
Shock rippled through the group, eyes widening.
"Hey, my star actor… not the mont for jokes."
But Atticus only gestured toward the corpse. As the others inspected it, their expressions darkened instantly.
"Our soldiers won't stand a chance…" Anorah said quietly. "Will, no matter how small, is absolute. Mana can't compete."
Artifacts or not, the soldiers couldn't hope to win against Will users without being able to use Will themselves. A heavy silence dropped over them.
"Wait," Ozeroth said suddenly, eyes narrowing. "There's sothing wrong with his will."
They all snapped toward the corpse again, frowning. The sa dark cloud hovered above the man's head. Nothing looked different.
"You sure that Will Guard didn't hit your head too hard?" Whisker said with a glance, earning a sharp glare.
"Bond?" Ozeroth said, turning to Atticus.
Atticus didn't answer imdiately. Unlike the others, he knew the significance of Ozeroth's eyes. They could tell no wrong.
'Omnicognition.'
Golden glow rushed into Atticus's vision. His gaze cut through the cloud of will, seeing what the others couldn't.
Atticus's eyes widened instantly.
"It's a bomb!"
He vanished into a streak of light, sweeping up the severed corpse and every other body around the territory within a heartbeat. The next mont, he reappeared at the far edge of the territory, right before the abyss army.
"Ha! Back already," Balanar said with a smile.
But Atticus responded by hurling the bodies toward them. Balanar only chuckled, waving his arm lazily as though brushing aside dust.
The wills above the corpses twisted violently, then erupted into a massive plu of fire that tore upward into the sky. A shockwave blasted outward from Balanar, clearing the haze in an instant.
"A sha. You didn't like my little gift," he said lightly. "Don't worry… I have plenty more."
Atticus stared at him for a long second, the urge to unsheathe his blade and take the man's head pressing like a weight on his hand. His battle with the Will Guard had pushed him to the peak of the Count realm. In this entire layer, there shouldn't be anyone capable of withstanding his power.
But reality was reality. And the sooner he accepted it, the sooner he could overco it.
He said nothing. His blade had always spoken loudest.
Atticus turned and left.
He t with the others monts later, where they imdiately began discussing their next steps. The threat of the abyss faction was real, and preparation was crucial if they wanted any chance of winning.
"If the the is between the two of us, I can win."
They were all gathered in the sky now, trying to find a way to escape the crises.
Whisker shook his head. "Yeah, but what if it isn't? That's the real problem. We're outnumbered, outgunned. What are our soldiers supposed to do against will?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers