Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1687 Primal

Chapter 1687  Primal

As Atticus’ katana drove forward in an absolute thrust, the alpha’s dark crimson gaze snapped wide open. Its shock was palpable.

One moment Atticus had been standing at the far side of the battlefield, and the next he had already cut through the vast swath of the beasts’ combined might, closing the distance in an instant.

But the shock only lingered briefly. The alpha’s gaze tightened, a flare of rage rising within it. A mere insect had dared…

A thick, dense scarlet will erupted from him, accompanied by an overwhelming bloodlust that eclipsed that of the entire horde.

Atticus felt the pressure crash into his mind, forcing its way through. Crimson and purple flickered within his gaze, holding it at bay.

The alpha’s eyes narrowed further. It hadn’t expected Atticus to resist it so easily. A snarl tore from it as will gathered and compressed before its head, forming a dense shield.

 Its scarlet fangs lengthened, and claws slid out from its fingers.

It fixed Atticus with pure, seething hatred. It would stop this attack… and tear the insect apart. Its arms tensed, poised on that decision.

But in the next moment, Atticus’ katana met the will.

To an outside observer, it was as though a hot knife passed through butter. Atticus’ will split through the defense without resistance, continuing straight toward the alpha’s head.

The alpha’s eyes snapped wide open in disbelief. But it was already too late.

The blade drove into its skull, the force carrying through into the land itself, splitting it apart and carving a deep trench across the battlefield.

For a brief moment, Atticus held its gaze, taking in the fading shock within it. Then, the light in its eyes dimmed… and vanished.

Only after the oppressive presence dissipated did he withdraw his blade.

As the body fell lifeless, Atticus turned and took in the battlefield. The large grotesque mass of the horde had begun to break apart. Their once-glowing crimson will was fading, and with it, the bloodlust that had engulfed the entire battlefield. With their alpha dead, they were dying as well.

Atticus exhaled slowly, a faint fatigue settling into his body. Only now did he truly feel how far he had pushed himself.

‘At least I killed it.’

‘Kuu!’

‘What the hell, bond!’

Noctis and Ozeroth’s protests echoed in his mind almost instantly, and he let out a quiet breath before correcting himself.

“We.”

Feeling their approval, Atticus turned his attention back to the alpha. More precisely, to the space above its still corpse.

 In the span of a moment, a large orb of crimson will had seeped out from the body and pooled together.

‘His will.’

Something about it felt off. Usually, after a death, he had to act to draw the will himself. This was the first time it had moved with a sense of initiative.

‘Something’s wrong.’

With a thought, Atticus flashed back, putting distance between himself and the gathered will. He shifted his gaze toward it… but there was nothing there.

Atticus’ eyes narrowed, then widened slightly.

‘Where?’

‘Bond!’

‘Kuu!’

His gaze sharpened as he felt a sudden warmth above him. He looked up.

The orb hovered there, distorting the air around it.

He was about to move when it shot into him. Atticus staggered back, an overwhelming force tearing through him. It felt as though molten lava was surging through his veins. He dropped to one knee. Ozeroth and Noctis’ shouts rang through his mind, but none of it seemed to reach him.

Of all the changes, the most violent came from his mind. Atticus felt as though an ancient presence had seeped into it. Worse still, it didn’t oppose Solvath, it fed him.

His anger spiked. The urge to release control, to destroy, to ravage, surged through his mind. “RELINQUISH YOUR CONTROL. I’LL HANDLE EVERYTHING. YOUR ENEMIES—I’LL DESTROY THEM. YOUR FAMILY—I’LL PROTECT THEM. GIVE YOUR BODY TO ME.”

Solvath’s will slammed against his, again and again, threatening to take hold. Yet through it all, Atticus clutched his chest, his gaze never losing its sharpness.

He had not forgotten what he had endured during the sixth trial. His promises.

Atticus let the emotions come. The anger. The urge to destroy. To ravage… he accepted them without resistance.

And the moment he did, the battering in his mind ceased. Solvath’s voice faded, its figure receding until it vanished entirely.

Exhaling, Atticus slowly pushed himself upright. His body ignited, and Ozeroth and Noctis separated from him, both staring at him with concern.

“Kuu! Dada!”

“What the hell was that, bond?!”

Atticus clenched his fists, his gaze dropping to the dimming crimson glow running through his veins.

“…I’m not sure.”

It was the truth. Though he had absorbed the beast’s will, he couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or a problem. The emotions had been overwhelming, and while he had suppressed them, he hadn’t come through it without consequences.

Right now, Atticus felt as though he existed in a constant state of rage. The brush of air against his skin grated on him. The crimson sun bearing down above stirred irritation. Beneath it all lingered a deep, restless urge to tear everything apart. The influence of that will had not faded, and he held on only through sheer control.

But it wasn’t without its benefits. The beast’s will he had been unable to manipulate before, he could now. Though his attempts to reach out to the will in the air returned nothing, the one within him responded.

Still, its nature was now clear. Feral. Crude. Primal. It felt like a will shaped purely for domination and destruction. Even so, Atticus could sense the increase in his base strength.

“Hmm… you’re sure you’re okay?”

Ozeroth studied him with a narrowed gaze. He, more than anyone, could feel the turmoil within Atticus, yet even he couldn’t quite place it. When Atticus gave a firm shake of his head, Ozeroth let out a quiet breath and left it at that.

“We’ll deal with this later. We have more pressing matters.”

Atticus shifted his focus back to the castle where the others were gathered. They had only just entered the Crown, and had no understanding of what lay ahead.

They needed to get their bearings, quickly.

“Let’s go.”

Moments later, the trio reappeared before the group. Every gaze settled on Atticus in silence, then drifted toward the battlefield beyond.

The hundreds of thousands of beasts that had formed the horde lay withered and still. The path of his attack had carved a canyon-like scar through the land, stretching far into the horizon.

The sheer power he had just displayed… it was difficult to grasp. Many of them were reminded, in that moment, of the reason he was feared across the entire Span. And some, like Freya, were only just beginning to see Atticus for what he truly was.

Freya’s expression was filled with resolve as Atticus landed before the group. She would stand with her brother, no matter what the world threw at them.

“I just killed the alpha. So we don’t have to worry about the beasts anymore.”

“Do we know where they came from?” Thora asked.

“…or what the hell they are,” Whisker added.

“Let’s find out.”

Atticus gathered the group, then called out.

“Span.”