Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground Chapter 1682 Gladious

The hall was large and spacious, emblazoned with radiant gold. A golden statue of a man, calmly seated with a large, grand blinding crown on his head, stood at the center of the room.

Before it, a man with dirty golden hair kowtowed with deep reverence, his head strihighlord the ground. Highlord Gladious II Ornant's eyes were filled with desperation as he invoked,

"Absolute Crown, please heed our pleas!"

"Absolute Crown!"

"Absolute Crown!"

Behind him, a large group of n and won dressed in golden robes chanted in unison. Their expressions were grave and solemn as they bowed in sync.

"Absolute Crown! Please grant us a hunter that would save our ho from this crisis!"

"Absolute Crown!"

"Absolute Crown!"

Suddenly, the entire building trembled as a heavy shockwave swept through it. Cracks spread across the walls, while dust and small chunks of debris fell from the ceiling.

"Oh no!"

"They're already so close."

"We're finished… we're finished!"

A chorus of fearful voices rose from the gathered people as their bodies trembled.

"Don't stop! We have to keep praying. The Absolute Crown will answer!"

At highlord Gladious's firm voice, the elders quickly nodded and resud their chants, their voices rising with renewed fervor as they praised the Absolute Crown.

Seeing this, the highlord slowly lifted his head and turned toward the statue. His expression twisted with desperation and regret as he clenched his teeth. If he hadn't been foolish enough to refuse the request of a trueblood, none of this would have happened!

The trueblood had wanted to marry his daughter, but only as one among his many concubines. Gladious had seen no rit in that, as his daughter was a beautiful pearl, one that could be used for far more strategic purposes. However, he had forgotten the unwritten rule of the First Crown. The truebloods ruled the entire domain.

At his refusal, the trueblood had pressured the other strongholds into withholding support, leaving him to face the vicious and lethal Revenants alone. As a minor stronghold led by a re lesser blood like him, he had barely lasted a month before their armies fell. Now, the horde was seconds from reaching them.

As another shockwave tore through the hall, Gladious slamd his head against the ground and continued chanting.

'Please…'

He had gathered what remained of his people to plead to the Absolute Crown and summon a hunter. They needed a hunter. At least one at the peak of the Initiate rank should be able to handle the horde. In the crown, ranks of powers were determined by levels. Level one to two signified an Initiate. Level three to five, Ascendant. And so on. Though hunters usually started from the lower Initiate rank, Level One, once summoned, and it was incredibly rare otherwise, Gladious still clung to hope.

"Absolute Crown! Please hear our pleas!"

"Absolute Crown!"

"Absolute Crown!"

"Please grant us a hunter that would save our ho from this crisis!"

"Please!"

"Absolute Crown!"

The entire hall trembled as a stronger shockwave ripped through it. This ti, large sections of the ceiling broke apart, allowing crimson rays of sunlight to pour in and bathe the hall in a blanket of scarlet.

Gladious clenched his teeth as his gaze locked onto the circular platform beside them, its surface etched with countless marhighlords. No light ca from it, yet his fists tightened as he continued to hope.

Another shockwave tore through the hall, knochighlord many off their feet. A fresh wave of fearful voices rose behind him. Just then…

Whirl.

The platform suddenly began to emit a bright light.

Gladious's gaze sharpened instantly. It was worhighlord. Praise be to the Absolute Crown. The people fell into a deafening silence, their eyes fixed on it.

The glow intensified, swelling until the entire hall was bathed in its radiance.

'Peak Initiate… Peak Initiate…'

highlord Gladious's gaze remained locked onto the platform, his hope plain to see.

The light surged to a crescendo, then burst outward in a violent explosion. Gladious and the others raised their arms, shielding their eyes. As the brilliance faded, a figure slowly ca into view.

A boy with snow-white hair and calm blue eyes, an ordinary-loohighlord katana strapped to his waist.

He was draped in a white trench coat that billowed lightly, one hand resting on the hilt of his katana as his cold gaze swept the hall with quiet detachnt. Behind him stood a group of n and won, their stances guarded as they scanned their surroundings.

However, the mont Gladious saw the ethereal crown resting on the boy's head, his excitent faded.

Every hunter, upon reaching the First Crown, was granted a crown. The minor hunters, subordinates of the head hunter, bore simple circular rings. The head hunter, however, possessed a much larger crown with multiple pointed tips and circular ends. Regardless of form, the most important aspect of each crown was the crimson gems embedded within it. The number of gems, along with their radiance, signified the individual's level and rank.

The white-haired boy's crown held a single gem, glowing with a moderate radiance.

"Level one…"

Though the glow signified he was a head hunter at mid level one, it still dropped within the lower Initiate rank. Gladious himself was at peak level one. He was even stronger.

Gladious clenched his teeth, his expression darkening. Their luck was truly rotten. Waves of horrified murmurs rippled through the people behind him as the implication set in.

However, a mont later, Gladious let out a slow breath, forcing himself to steady.

'It's not over.'

Though the head hunter was weaker than him, he was still a hunter, beings from other worlds summoned to battle the Revenants. Aside from that, Gladious could see that the minor hunters behind him were also level one… and they were many.

'They can still be useful. They won't be able to defeat the Revenant horde completely, but they should be enough to carve a path for escape.'

It would most likely end in their deaths, but Gladious didn't care. The only thing that mattered was ensuring his line did not end here.

Gladious rose abruptly from his bow and gestured sharply to the elders directly behind him.

"Quick! We're binding them."

The elders snapped out of their reverie and gave solemn nods. They moved at once, surrounding the platform in a swift motion.

Gladious brought his palms together as his eyes lit with a golden light. The elders mirrored him, and in unison, they invoked—

"Eternal Bind!"

A burst of golden light surged forward, shooting toward the hunters and encasing them within a radiant do.

Gladious exhaled slowly, feeling the energy coursing through him. The Eternal Bind was an art that would chain the hunters to his blood for all eternity. He had been prepared to fall to his knees and beg if the hunters had turned out stronger. However, since they were weak, he would enslave them… then use them as shields to escape.

As the thought settled, he gave a faint nod and pushed more energy into the technique. Yet a mont later, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Their combined will should have been overwhelming theirs by now… so why did it feel as though sothing was resisting it?

Gladious's brows furrowed as he focused, tahighlord a closer look.

Then he t the gaze of the head hunter… and froze.

Those eyes, once ocean blue… had turned purple.

In the next instant, as the head hunter's eyes began to glow, an overwhelming presence, the likes of which Gladious had never felt, descended upon the hall.