Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground-Chapter 1654: Not Invited

Streaks of purple tore through the golden world, flashing from one floating island to another as they collided in an endless barrage of attacks that sent intense force blasting outward.

The entire islands were flattened in an instant. Fissures spread across their surfaces before they shattered, and an endless rain of broken earth fell from the skies.

However, Atticus’ world was silent. Somehow, despite the endless attacks, the destruction, the chaos... it was as though none of it existed to him.

His emotions had vanished, his mind sinking into an empty, static silence. In this state, what moved Atticus was nothing but pure instinct.

He saw only the man before him.

The man was unseen, lights flickering across his body as he vanished and reappeared in rapid succession. Brutal attacks surged toward him in violent torrents from every direction.

But Atticus’ katana moved with him, flowing as though it were an extension of his body.

The air split apart in his wake as he met every single attack with one of his own. Violent explosions rippled outward, tearing through the world around them, yet his eyes never left the man.

The man burst through the cloud of dust that had engulfed the area, driving his fists forward without pause. An orange glow flared around his arm, then vanished just as quickly.

Atticus heard the sharp crack of air fracturing behind him, but he paid it no mind. The punch slammed into his back, hurling him across the world in a streak of light.

Pain roared through him, yet Atticus’ eyes didn’t so much as flicker.

His gaze sharpened as the man appeared above him, his fists descending in a relentless torrent of explosive blows.

Atticus met each one with his katana, his grip steady even as violent shocks traveled through his body.

Even with his full power unleashed, the man was faster.

The world itself seemed to bend around him. Every attempt to control the elements around the man felt like trying to lift the world itself.

Blow after blow struck Atticus in rapid succession, bones cracking under the force as waves of pain surged through him.

Yet he pushed through it all, meeting some attacks head-on while others crashed into him without mercy.

’It’s time,’ the arbiter suddenly said.

Atticus’ gaze sharpened. His exosuit flared brightly, then detonated in an explosion of force that blasted the man backward.

By the time the haze cleared, Atticus had already settled into a stance, both hands gripping his sheathed katana.

A storm of flickering lights surged violently around him as every ounce of energy the exosuit had absorbed from the blows he endured flooded through his body. His entire being brimmed with overwhelming power.

His first attack had failed because he was too slow. The man could block a strike from the life weapon using Solvath’s power. To touch him... the man couldn’t be allowed to see him.

So, Atticus directed every bit of that energy into his speed.

His eyes burned with a deep purple light as he fixed his gaze on the man ahead.

’In an instant.’

"Godspeed Grace."

Atticus appeared behind the bald man, sheathing his blade in the same motion. He turned back. His speed had been so great it seemed as though he was still standing in his stance before the man.

Atticus’ gaze narrowed.

’Did it work?’

He caught sight of the thin line beginning to trace along the man’s neck. It did. The attack had reached him.

Relief had just begun to ease through him when the man’s head twisted unnaturally toward him.

Atticus’ gaze constricted.

’It didn’t.’

His eyes fixed on the thin layer of purple energy coating the wound. The man must have reacted at the last moment, placing a barrier just in time.

The man’s tattoos flashed green, and the line along his neck sealed in an instant. The man’s body slowly turned to face Atticus. His head tilted slightly, a deep frown settling on his face.

"Food. Difficult."

He raised his arm, and his tattoos flared purple.

"Just. Die."

In that instant, a cold wave washed over Atticus, locking his body in place.

’Move, student!’

He gritted his teeth and forced himself free, tearing backward at full speed. He glanced back, just in time to catch sight of a small, trembling orb forming where he had been, before it detonated in a violent explosion.

Atticus shielded himself with his will as the shockwave struck, hurling him further into the air.

’What was that?’

If he hadn’t moved, it felt as though a part of him would have... imploded.

’He’s coming.’

His eyes sharpened at the Arbiter’s warning. The man burst through the thick haze, the purple light around his tattoos intensifying.

’Purple light.’

The power the man wielded depended on the light his tattoos radiated. Orange for speed. Black for weight. Purple... for Solvath.

A sudden jolt ran through Atticus’ being.

’What?’

His will began to churn violently, as though it were slipping out of his control. Like it was about to... explode.

’Release your will now!’

He didn’t hesitate. He released the will coiling around his body, and the sensation vanished as quickly as it had come.

But he wasn’t given a moment to process it.

The man appeared before him and threw a punch. Atticus barely managed to cross his arms before it struck like a falling meteor, tearing him backward in a streak of light.

He crashed through multiple floating islands in rapid succession before slamming into something solid.

Atticus spat out a mouthful of blood, a violent wave of pain thrumming through him. His arms were broken, and he could feel several of his ribs had snapped.

Despite the haze clouding his mind, he forced himself to replay what he had just realized.

’Purple light... Solvath’s power... he’s targeting my will.’

Atticus had seen it firsthand when he first awakened Solvath’s fragment on the willless world. Back then, he had been able to destabilize the will of the sentinel that came after him.

Though Solvath was the primordial star of harmony, it also held the power to bring about disharmony.

What he had felt earlier... had been real.

’Unfortunately, your assumption is correct, student. He’s using Solvath’s power to disrupt your will.’

’You’re telling me what I already know.’

’That is no way to speak to your master...’

’Then act like one.’

’...And what exactly do you think I’m lacking?’

’A solution.’

The arbiter fell silent for a moment.

’...Tch. As much as I dislike admitting it, the elements won’t help you here. He’s absorbed too many Solvath fragments. His influence has already seeped into the world itself. Trying to control the elements around him would place an immense strain on you.’

Atticus knew this far too well. Solvath’s influence on the surroundings made controlling the molecules far more difficult than usual.

It had already been overwhelming when he fought with the combined might of three fragments in his mind, but the number of fragments the man possessed far surpassed that.

Simply teleporting with the elements placed an immense burden on him. If he so much as tried to use the elements directly on the man, Atticus doubted he would be able to continue fighting.

’Then... it’s useless.’

She fell silent, and Atticus could immediately feel the unwillingness running through her.

’I have to find a way.’

Atticus tightened his grip on his blade as he caught sight of the streak of purple surging toward him. His will churned, healing his arms and ribs in an instant.

He pressed against the ground beneath him, then exploded forward with blurring speed.

He collided with the man in a cataclysmic clash, force erupting outward as the impact rippled through the air.

The next moment, the wind slammed into Atticus’ back as he was sent tearing backward.

An intense vibration thrummed through him, forcing him to grit his teeth. Without being able to use his will, he was slower. Weaker.

The man appeared before him in an instant, unleashing multiple brutal punches all at once.

Atticus was barely able to keep up. He blurred, clashing with the attacks, but many slipped past his guard, striking him with crushing force.

’Think... think.’

His elements wouldn’t work. His life weapon was ineffective against Solvath’s power. He couldn’t use his will. What else was there?

’Bond! What the hell is going on!?’

Atticus’ eyes widened slightly at the sudden voice.

’...Ozeroth?’

A blow slipped past his defenses. He barely managed to raise his blade before it slammed into him, sending him tearing back.

His arm went numb from the impact, but he healed the broken bone instantly, his katana blurring as it met the incoming barrage in a storm of explosions.

’Of course! Who else sounds this good? Now forget that, what’s going on with you? Your emotions are all over the place.’

’Kuu!’

’See? Even the little beast noticed.’

’...I’m in a fight.’

’A fight? With who? Where? I’ve been looking for you all morning. Who the hell are you fighting without me?’

’A Willguard secret weapon.’

Atticus felt the man go silent for a moment. Even Noctis paused, confused.

Then a probing force brushed against his mind as both of them reached for his memories. Atticus didn’t resist, allowing them to see everything that had happened until now.

’What the hell, Bond!?’

Ozeroth’s booming voice came the next moment.

’Why the fuck would you go into something like that without me!? Is this what our bond has come to!? Tch, fine, whatever! I’m hosting a grand banquet next week. You’re not invited!’