Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1677 Monster
Chapter 1677 Monster
It was only after several minutes of endless ranting that Ozeroth finally left him alone.
A moment later, Atticus’ gaze narrowed.
‘She’s moving.’
He vanished, appearing within one of his underground chambers beneath the veilroot tree. The room was entirely white. A woman was suspended against the opposite wall, her arms and legs pulled apart. Her gaze was lifeless, fixed on nothing.
Atticus made himself invisible and erased his presence completely, leaving no trace behind.
‘She’s here.’
A moment later, a petite girl burst into the room. It was none other than Freya. She had claimed she was meeting with Whisker, and while that had been a half-truth, Atticus knew she’d been up to something.
For the past few days, Freya had been ‘playing’ with bubbles after their training, then slipping away under the excuse that she had something to do. However, Atticus had seen through the bubbles at a glance and realized she had been trying to spy on him.
Her reason was obvious, yet Atticus couldn’t bring himself to stop it. They had spent a decade here, ten full years training the same power, killing off weak gods, ten full years of constantly looking over his shoulder, wondering if his enemies were closing in.
In that time, Atticus had grown tired. To remain stagnant for so long grated at him. Though he had killed and absorbed more worlds, it was never enough. Their enemies were still out there, and they still had a long way to go. They had to ascend.
So, Atticus had broken his promise to Anastasia and allowed this to happen.
She had heard the words on her own, and as long as he wasn’t the one making the decision, as long as he wasn’t the one placing the blade in her hands, it was fine… right?
Atticus clenched his fists tightly. It still didn’t sit right with him.
‘Let’s see how it goes. I’ll intervene immediately if I have to.’
Freya’s hands tightened the moment she saw the woman chained to the wall.
“It’s because of me…”
Freya had pieced together the full picture. What she understood was simple, she was holding the entire family back from something important. There was only one way forward.
‘I have to kill her…’
Her gaze darkened. She had never killed anyone before. Though her brother had made her watch countless gruesome scenes of people being murdered, she knew it wasn’t the same as doing it herself.
Freya swallowed.
‘I can’t keep holding them back.’
Steeling her resolve, a mana blade formed along her arm as she began walking toward the woman.
As she drew closer, the woman’s vacant gaze slowly regained clarity. Then her eyes widened, locking onto the snow-white-haired Freya with raw hatred.
“Y-you… you look like him… what are you… are you related to that monster?”
Freya didn’t flinch, meeting her gaze directly.
“…you mean my brother. Yeah, I’m his sister.”
“S-sister…?”
“…doesn’t matter. I’m here to kill you.”
The woman’s eyes widened further, and a flicker of longing passed through them.
“K-kill me… finally… finally… someone… please… end this…”
Freya’s eyes dimmed slightly at her relief, but she tightened her grip on the blade and raised it toward her.
“Any last words?”
The woman looked at her with a faint, wistful smile.
“…just one… can you take these chains off first? I don’t want to die like this… like some animal.”
“…you just want me to free you so you can attack me.”
The woman let out a weak, brittle laugh. “…look at me… I haven’t even taken a step in decades… my will’s gone… I can’t even hurt a fly…”
“So… you won’t attack me?”
“I-I can’t… even if I wanted to…”
“…hmm…”
Freya studied her in silence for several seconds, before giving a slow nod.
“…alright.”
“T-thank you… you’re rea—”
Squelch!
“W-what?”
The woman’s trembling gaze dropped to the mana blade now buried deep in her chest.
“You… why…?”
Blood trailed down her arms in slow streams, dripping from her fingertips. Freya’s arms quivered slightly, yet her gaze remained unwavering.
“…I don’t trust you.”
“S-so you’d trick me…? Y-you’re just like him… a devil… I’ll kill you… your whole family… I WILL KILL THAT BASTARD!”
Freya’s eyes widened as a surge of golden will erupted from the woman’s body, swelling as it rushed toward her. Yet instead of retreating, she tightened her grip on the blade, her gaze hardening.
“…you’re going to kill him?”
Her brother? Atticus? The thought should have been absurd, laughable even, yet there was no trace of amusement in her eyes. The very words stirred something deep within her.
In the next instant, her eyes darkened as a pale glow burst forth from her body.
“I won’t let you touch him.”
The moment it washed over the woman, her body went rigid.
“You… what are you…?”
Her trembling eyes locked onto Freya, who now stood wreathed in a pale, suffocating will.
Freya’s eyes gleamed with a dark light as she pulled the blade free and raised it toward her head.
“Kill yourself.”
The woman’s gaze dulled, mirroring that same light as she gave a slow nod. The next instant, she drove her head straight through the blade.
A moment of silence passed before Freya loosened her grip on the blade. As the strange power she had felt earlier receded, she lowered her gaze to her arms, now drenched in greenish blood.
“I-I did it…”
She had killed someone. An actual person.
Her stomach twisted violently, and she fell to the floor, retching as she emptied its contents.
“I… I killed her…”
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her body trembling as a wave of weakness washed over her. She had done it. She wasn’t going to hold her family back anymore. She had killed the one who wanted to harm her brother… so why did it feel so wrong?
As tears welled in her eyes, a calm voice echoed through the chamber.
“Freya.”
Freya turned at once, her gaze landing on Atticus. The moment she saw him, the tears spilled over, her face crumpling.
“Brother…”
She threw herself into his arms, clutching onto him as she broke down.
“It’s okay…”
Atticus gently brushed her hair, holding her close as he tried to steady her. Yet his gaze, as it drifted toward the lifeless corpse of the woman, was fierce.
…
Eventually, when Freya had calmed down, Atticus led her to the edge of a cliff, where they both sat in silence. The wind howled around them, yet neither was moved by it.
Atticus was the first to speak.
“…I knew.”
“…knew what?”
“I knew you were spying on us. I let you listen.”
Freya frowned, her brows drawing together.
“…so you wanted this to happen?”
“…are you mad?”
Freya nodded without hesitation.
“…a little. Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I made a promise to mom.”
“…mom… so you broke it?”
Atticus gave a nod.
“…yeah.”
“I’ll tell her.”
“Wait—”
Atticus turned to her quickly, only to freeze when he caught the faint, mischievous smile on her lips.
She was joking.
“…are you enjoying this?”
“Haha… obviously. You rule this whole world and you’re still scared of mom.”
“…like you aren’t. Want me to tell her about the cake incident?”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Freya snapped her head toward him, eyes widening. “And you weren’t even there, so how do you know? Were you spying on me?”
“I’m the god of this world. I spy on everyone.”
“Ooo, listen to you. You sound like some creepy old man. Spying on a young lady? Pervert.”
“I changed your diapers when you were little. I think I’ve earned that right.”
“Ooo you…! Pervert!”
Atticus let out a short laugh. “…anyway, we both agree you’re not telling mom everything.”
“Tch, fine.” Freya clicked her tongue and turned away, folding her arms as if deeply wronged.
A long moment of silence followed, and the air slowly grew heavy.
“…have you ever killed someone before?”
Has he killed… Atticus almost laughed at the question.
“…I’ve killed a few.”
“…How many?”
Images of countless trillions flickered through Atticus’ mind, and his fists tightened slightly.
“…I’ve lost count.”
Freya looked at him, her brows drawing together. Somehow, the air around him had grown… heavier.
“Why do you kill?”
“Why…” Atticus went quiet for a moment, as though pondering the question.
“…to protect what matters to me.”
“…like me?”
“Yeah. You, and everyone else.”
“…then… does that make it okay to kill? If you have a reason?”
“No.” Atticus replied immediately, shaking his head.
“…no matter the reason, you’re still killing people. People with lives, families… things they’re trying to protect. To them, you’re a monster.”
“…a monster…” Freya’s hands clenched at her sides. Somehow, she didn’t like the sound of that.
“But…” Atticus suddenly turned to her, his gaze firm.
“I chose to be one. I’d rather be a monster than lose the people I care about. It’s my burden… you don’t have to carry it. You can live however you want. You don’t have to be like me.”
Freya fell silent. She hated the sound of this even more. She clenched her fists.
“…so I can do anything I want?”
Atticus held her gaze and nodded.
“Yeah. I’ll make sure of it.”
“…then I’ll be a monster too.”
Atticus brows drew together the moment he saw the intensity in her eyes.
“…why?”
He was offering her a peaceful life, one free of burdens. He would be the monster that protected their family. She wouldn’t have to carry any of it. He couldn’t understand why she would refuse.
“…because then you won’t be alone.”
Atticus’ eyes slowly widened. As he met his sister’s steady gaze, a strange warmth spread through his chest.
After a moment, Atticus slowly smiled.
“…thank you.”
