Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1554

Capítulo 1554: Glittering Dust

Raziel’s body was hammered, bones broken, flesh seared and burned to ash, yet Atticus’ fists never slowed.

It wasn’t until his entire body was reduced to mush that Atticus finally stopped.

Though his body still held its shape, Raziel couldn’t feel… anything. He was nothing but burned, seared ruin.

Bones ground together, skin gone. Even his eyes were lost. He didn’t need to test it, not even the fragments could save him now.

Somehow, he sensed Atticus hovering before him, silently staring down. Raziel reached out with his barely flickering will.

“So this is my end. I always wondered who’d earn it. I’m glad it’s you.”

Only silence answered him. A cold stare.

As Atticus lifted him by the neck, Raziel let out a cracked laugh.

So he planned to finish him the same way he’d finished his companion…

“You felt it during this fight, didn’t you?” Raziel said, despite Atticus’ tightening grip. “No weight. No hesitation. That’s what you become when you cut out useless burdens.”

His voice wavered, but his smile didn’t.

Despite the words, Atticus’ eyes were dead, his grip iron. He was about to snap it shut when a presence flashed behind him.

Atticus vanished to the side, dangling Raziel by the neck as he evaded a lethal thrust that tore past him.

“You… dodged?”

Dravek’s brows rose in shock, but Atticus’ leg crashed beneath his chin, sending him shooting into the sky.

He was about to ascend when another sensation gripped him. This time, Atticus vanished and reappeared in the distance. An explosion rippled from where he’d just been, covering the area in crimson, glittering dust.

Atticus stared silently as Ordan slowly descended from the sky, his eyes glinting with golden light.

“Interesting. You’re still thinking through the anger.”

Logoth stripped Atticus of every emotion. The time to grieve would come later.

His gaze drifted across the battlefield. Many Marquis had converged around him, each staring with cold, slightly trembling eyes. But something else caught his attention.

‘Armors.’

They were identical to the one the Willguard he’d fought in the Count layer had worn, and the one who had fought Magnus. Armor capable of channeling will.

‘He’s about to cancel will.’

Ordan struck his staff against the ground. The brief moment that followed was tense, then massive golden roots burst from the earth, morphing into a colossal tree that reached for the heavens.

Atticus’ exosuit encased his body as a wave washed over him. He narrowed his eyes as the armors of the Marquis around him began to glow.

“It’s working—!”

“I can feel my will…”

“So this is Willguard craft…”

Many Marquis sent fearful glances toward Ordan, but he paid them no attention. Instead, he studied his exosuit with interest.

A streak fell from the skies and slammed into the ground.

“That bastard!”

Dravek’s will burned around him as he stared at Atticus with hatred. His shattered chin healed rapidly, but his wounded pride would not mend so easily.

“Charge like that and you’ll die for nothing. Wear it.”

Dravek glared at Ordan.

“Don’t bark orders at me, Ordan. I am Dravek Voss, a Marquis of the Redflame.”

Despite the words, spoken through gritted teeth, Dravek clenched his arm around a ball, and radiant armor encased him instantly.

Atticus watched everything in silence. Ordan must have given each Marquis an armor while he battled Raziel. With the will negation active, Atticus could no longer maintain his manifestation and was forced to channel his will through his exosuit.

‘The tree.’

Cutting it down would bring will back. Will would let him end everything. He felt Raziel stir in his grip and tightened it.

Killing him could elevate his strength, but he couldn’t risk interruptions. He had no idea what to expect from Solvath’s fragments, especially with multiple present. They would have to wait.

He fixed his gaze ahead. A battle raged in the distance, and Atticus quickly attributed it to the only one who should be on his side. Ozerra.

Dravek stood at the forefront of dozens of Marquis spread around him. Ordan stood just behind them, silently observing.

He would need to get past them to reach the tree.

A moment of silence passed, then Atticus tore forward, appearing in the midst of the Marquis.

“He’s inside!”

“Surround him, now!”

Shocked, the Marquis reacted quickly, raining down attacks from every angle. Their suits prevented ranged assaults, forcing them to fight directly with weapons. Atticus’ eyes flickered once, then he moved.

His movements were tight, his strikes lethal, slipping through every attack as he appeared behind them.

The Marquis spun toward him instantly, only for red, glowing lines to trace through necks, torsos, and heads as he passed. Their bodies split apart before they could even take a step, but Atticus was already gone.

“What is he—!”

“He’s too fast!”

“How is he slipping through us!?”

Despite their numbers, Atticus moved like a reaper across the battlefield. Logoth predicted everything before it even occurred, and his katana cut through every attack with ease.

Moments later, many Marquis stared at Atticus with fearful eyes. Their numbers were rapidly dwindling. Even as they banded together, they were still losing.

“You said we could kill him!”

“He’s tearing through us, drop the negation!”

“Bring will back, now!”

Shouts rained toward Ordan, but he merely struck his staff against the ground and said,

“Patience. Watch.”

A deep frown settled on Atticus’ face, and his movements gradually slowed. He saw the eyes of the Marquis light up.

“He’s getting weak!”

“That’s right! Even with the advantage, he’s rapidly depleting his will!”

Atticus knew how untrue that was. Something else was at play. He cut through another Marquis and caught the crimson glint in the air, the same dust he’d sensed danger from earlier.

‘It’s attacking my will.’

A new technology. Though his exosuit could channel energy, the dust was somehow boring into it, steadily depleting his will. Worse still, it appeared every time he clashed with a Marquis.

He felt Ordan’s intense gaze on him and frowned.

‘He planned this from the start.’

The dust followed his every movement, growing thicker with each Marquis he killed. Whatever it was, it would drain his will before he could finish them and reach the tree.

‘I need to get rid of it.’