Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1557

Capítulo 1557: Silence

Atticus frowned and glanced at the looping footage.

‘Is that why…?’

The katana wouldn’t trap him in an endless fight. He refused to believe that was its purpose. Which meant there had to be a way to break the cycle. A change.

The footage must exist to show him the tools needed for this change.

‘The katana arts.’

Atticus leapt back and settled into a deep stance.

“Godspeed Grace.”

Light surged as he streaked forward, his katana carving a lethal arc across the air, only for another arc to appear before him. The two collided in a violent explosion of light and force that sent Atticus flying back.

His expression tightened.

‘He still copied it…’

Atticus twisted midair and regained his footing.

“Endless Blade.”

He blurred, unleashing an uncountable number of slashes that surged toward the avatar, only to meet an equal number rushing back at him, the space between them swallowed in a cacophony of explosions.

“Vorpa Nova.”

The explosion had barely settled when he released a massive crescent slash that tore through the haze. He barely even saw the avatar, only another crescent slash colliding with his in a violent explosion.

‘Then…’

He sheathed his katana abruptly, the world around him dissolving into silence.

“Sundering Storm.”

A storm of energy erupted from him, swirling into a thick vortex as he raised his katana. It converged with a thought, condensing around the blade in the shape of roaring dragons as he swung down.

The dragons surged forward with overwhelming force, colliding with another in a violent explosion that sent him hurtling back.

Moments later, the explosion settled and the haze cleared, revealing the avatar standing there, completely unharmed.

‘It blocked… everything.’

Had he been wrong? If the answer hadn’t been with the other katana arts, then what was he missing?

“What separates us?”

‘That again…’

Did the katana intend to annoy him to death? Atticus sighed deeply and shook his head.

‘Calm down. Think. There has to be something I’m missing…’

“What separates us?”

He ignored the words and turned inward. First the cryptic phrase. Then the footage. Then the movement mirroring. There had to be a connection, something he wasn’t seeing.

He froze as a thought struck him.

‘What if there isn’t?’

He was stuck because he was trying to force a link between the three clues. But what if they were exactly that, three separate clues, each with its own meaning?

That would mean he had to treat them as separate problems.

He knew exactly where to start.

“What separates us?”

Atticus fixed his eyes on the avatar, standing motionless. As long as he didn’t attack, neither would it. He had time.

‘Maybe it’s not distance, then…’

His earlier assumption could have been wrong. But what else was there? Air? Atoms? Earth? Space?

‘A boundary?’

The thought struck him, and he tested it immediately, rushing forward and engaging the avatar in another exchange. Moments later, he leapt back, frowning.

‘There’s no boundary between us.’

They had clashed countless times, yet he hadn’t felt anything restricting his movements—

‘Wait… if there is one, how would I even feel it?’

Atticus curled his arm around his katana. Since he had arrived in this realm, his senses had been cut.

He couldn’t feel any strain from the clashes, no recoil, no impact force. It wouldn’t make sense for a boundary to exist when there was no way to even perceive it.

That wasn’t the clue.

“What separates us?”

He had been moving. Fighting. Striking again and again, yet nothing ever pushed back.

‘It’s like the fight is happening without contact.’

No contact meant they had never actually touched, yet they had been fighting this whole time. How…?

Even swinging at empty air was no different. There was no resistance. No weight.

There was simply… nothing there at all.

Atticus froze.

How on earth had he missed it? The answer had been right in front of him all along.

He fixed his eyes on the avatar as it spoke again.

“What separates us?”

A moment passed. Then he exhaled.

“Nothing.”

The avatar narrowed its eyes, studying him in silence for a moment, before nodding.

“Then why do you move?”

‘Why do I move?’

Atticus fell silent. If there was no contact between them at all… then why move in the first place?

His eyes slowly widened as he turned sharply toward the screens displaying his previous trials. He had been completely wrong in his earlier assumption. The footage hadn’t been meant to hint at him using the arts.

It had been showing something else.

Each art was different in form, but their core had always been the same.

Motion.

The first art was a single supersonic slash. Faster motion.

The second art was an unending swarm of slashes. More motion.

The third art was a singular giant crescent slash. Compressed motion.

The fourth art was a storm of endless slashes that obeyed will and intent. Directed motion.

The pattern was clear. With each step forward, his reliance on movement diminished. Now the question remained.

What comes after directed motion…?

Atticus calmly fixed his gaze on the imposing man and spoke.

“No motion at all. I don’t need to move.”

“So you understand?”

Atticus didn’t answer. Everything was beginning to fall into place.

Everything he had experienced until now had been meant to teach him a single truth.

‘Battle doesn’t require movement.’

He closed his eyes and spread his awareness into his katana. A surge jolted through him, but he paused as he felt a strange connection form. He could sense every inch of the weapon.

‘I see.’

Atticus slowly opened his eyes to find the avatar nodding, a faint smile on its face.

“You understand.”

As the avatar began to disperse into the wind, Atticus felt a sudden pull. The scene receded almost instantly, his consciousness snapping back to his body as time resumed in the real world.

Atticus swept the scene with a single glance. The Marquis were still advancing towards him, but something had changed.

Ordan’s eyes were wide, his body trembling as he stared at the katana in Atticus’ grip.

“Y-you… what have you done?”

The Marquis froze, turning toward Ordan with raised brows.

“What are you doing? Kill him! Now! Don’t let him do anything!”

Ordan’s frantic shouts made the other Marquis stiffen. They nodded sharply, then turned back to Atticus, eyes filled with murderous intent.

In the next moment, they surged forward, attacks pouring in from every direction.

The sharp shnnk of Atticus sheathing his katana echoed and every Marquis froze midair.

Atticus lifted his gaze, letting it pass over the suspended Marquis before it settled briefly on Ordan, who stood rigid, eyes wide, unable to look away.

He spoke calmly.

“Katana Series: Fifth Art—

Still Blade.”

The world dissolved into an endless silence.