"T-they're… d-dead."
The sa broken whisper echoed across the span. Trillions who had stood at the summit… gone, just like that?…
"Y-you d-devil."
Atticus turned his gaze toward a group of n and won in the distance. From their presence and bearing, it was clear they were the leaders of the army.
They stared back at him, their eyes burning with fury.
"Y-you will pay for this!"
Their wills surged fiercely as they raised their weapons, power coiling around them. However…
"Co."
Their bodies jerked forward, dragged through space, halting just short of him. Their expressions wavered, but Atticus rely looked them over before his gaze settled on one of them.
"You'll do."
"…what—"
"Disharmonize."
In the next instant, the other leaders began to convulse, their forms twisting as their wills spiraled out of control.
"Ark!"
"No! What's this!?"
Then, a mont later, their bodies began to co apart, bit by bit, piece by piece. until nothing remained, as though they had been erased from existence itself.
The eyes of the last remaining leader trembled violently.
"W-what… is this?"
The instant her gaze t Atticus', her body went rigid.
"Sleep."
She collapsed where she stood. With a casual motion, Atticus lifted her with his will. Then, his gaze drifted across the battlefield. The once chaotic wasteland had fallen completely still. Not a single living soul remained.
Across the span, those watching were frozen in place, their minds unable to process what they had just witnessed.
It was over…? Just like that? In a matter of seconds…
The final image the span saw was Atticus raising a hand… then the screens went dark.
…
That day, the na Atticus Ravenstein was carved into the consciousness of the entire span. Every faction that had been preparing to rise again quietly withdrew into hiding. Though no one could say for certain how many major factions still remained, one truth had beco undeniable…
The span no longer belonged to them.
No… it belonged to the devil god.
In the months that followed, Atticus turned his focus toward consolidating his power. His greatest gain had co from Solvalth's fragnts, and he devoted himself to mastering their many intricacies.
The first, of course, was the ability to control the wills of others. He had co to realize that this wasn't limited to their attacks alone, but extended to their wills themselves. Just like during the battle, he could destabilize their makings and trigger them to explode, among other things.
The limitation, however, was just as clear. He couldn't control more than ten wills at a ti, and more importantly, he likely wouldn't be able to influence the wills of those stronger than his.
The next focus of his attention was the katana. With the sixth trial behind him, Atticus had grown increasingly curious about the seventh. He had visited the katana realm multiple tis, yet no matter how he pressed, the avatar had revealed nothing.
Aside from that, he had also attempted to establish a connection with the Arbiter. But the stump embedded in his chest had gone completely still and cold, and every attempt he made to reach it returned nothing. In the end, he set it aside, deciding to try again once he had grown stronger.
Regardless, with the fall of the major factions and the deaths of nurous gods, Eldoralth expanded to a scale Atticus had never imagined when he first beca its god.
At full speed, it would now take him minutes to circle the world. Minutes. Given Atticus' current speed, such a span was nothing short of absurd.
Yet, with such vast territory ca an even greater challenge, ruling it. As his second-in-command, it went without saying that Oberon now carried a heavy burden.
Since the world had expanded, Atticus created even more Eldorians, binding them to himself before assigning each of them territories to oversee.
Any riots or insurrection were crushed instantly and without rcy, and before long, Eldoralth settled into an era of absolute peace.
Despite his responsibilities, Atticus still made ti to visit Anastasia every single day. He observed her growing belly, the steady developnt of his sister, and found the entire experience strangely… exhilarating.
As ti passed, the day of Anastasia's labor finally arrived. The rest of the family gathered outside her room, while Atticus, Avalon, and the doctors remained within.
As a god, he chose to stay, prepared to intervene should anything go wrong. Even so, this was the first ti Atticus had ever witnessed childbirth. It was both remarkable… and deeply unsettling in a way he hadn't expected.
As a god herself, Anastasia felt little to no pain. With a single, deliberate push, the child was born. The mont a sharp cry filled the room, Atticus realized it was over. The doctor quickly cleaned the baby and placed her gently into Anastasia's arms, where she was received with a glowing smile.
"Honey… look… she's crying."
"Yeah… she's really crying…"
"It's amazing, isn't it?"
The two of them gazed at the child, their expressions filled with wonder.
Atticus watched from the side with a faint wry smile. Throughout his childhood, he lost count of the number of tis Anastasia had reminded him of how strange his own birth had been, he hadn't cried once, not at birth, not even as he grew.
In a way, this was the first ti they were witnessing sothing so simple… and yet so normal.
"…what should we call her?"
"Hmm…"
Anastasia fell into thought, her gaze lingering on the child before she turned toward Atticus, who had been standing quietly to the side.
"…why don't you pick?"
"?"
"Mhm." Anastasia nodded softly, a gentle smile on her lips. "You're her big brother. She's going to look up to you from now on, so it's only right."
"Big brother…"
Atticus' gaze settled on the tiny figure in her arms. She looked so fragile… as though he could break her with the slightest force. His hands tightened unconsciously, and a firm resolve took shape within him.
She was his sister. His responsibility. He would protect her.
Atticus let out a slow breath.
"Alright… I'll do choose…"
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