Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

Chapter 1058  Joke

BAM!

Ozeroth's radiant figure landed beside Atticus with a loud crash, dust billowing around him.

"Who pissed in your breakfast?" he said casually, glancing at Atticus, who wore an icy expression.

Atticus's mouth twitched slightly, barely restraining a smile. It was typical Ozeroth, he hadn't even lowered his voice. His words rumbled through the area, echoing in the ears of every stunned spectator who was still frozen in dread.

Atticus finally spoke. "The Vampyros Queen?"

Ozeroth's face contorted briefly before he cleared his throat. "That sneaky bitch ran with her tail tucked between her legs."

Atticus's brow furrowed. He didn't like that. He had hoped this battle would take care of most, if not all, of his enemies. But one of the worst had just slipped away.

Still, it wasn't Jezeneth herself he was worried about.

'The one controlling her…'

She'd report back, and another clash was inevitable.

'If he's controlling the Blood Queen, then he's more powerful than her. I have to be careful.'

Atticus turned to Ozeroth and sneered.

"After all your boasting, she still slipped away. Maybe you're not as great as you always claim."

Ozeroth's face flushed red. "Take that back, bond! She ran away from my magnificence! It's not my fault the leaders of your alliance are spineless!"

Atticus chuckled. "Of course, you'd find someone else to blame. I thought you were a man of results and action."

"I am!" Ozeroth snapped, jabbing a finger toward him. "I crushed the skull of that lizard! Wasn't that action enough for you?"

"Considering all your boasting," Atticus said dryly, "I expected more. Also… have you always been this tall?"

His eyes scanned Ozeroth from head to toe. "Why does it feel like you did this intentionally? Are you trying to be taller than me?"

Ozeroth reeled back. "That is preposterous! The great Ozeroth has always been this tall!"

"Sure," Atticus said, staring at him with a deadpan expression.

Ozeroth pointed at him, face flushed, mouth open, but no words came out. Finally, he growled, "I hate you!"

Then, with a huff, he shrank down and zipped into Atticus's chest.

The expressions on the onlookers' faces were impossible to describe.

After all the battles, the deaths, the carnage, the brutal torture, they were… joking? Laughing? Teasing each other like old friends?

It was absurd.

And somehow, it was even more terrifying. It meant something like this was just another day for Atticus Ravenstein.

Suddenly, space ruptured around Eletantron, cracks spidering across the air like shattered glass. His face was contorted with rage, his eyes burning with nothing but hate.

He locked eyes with Atticus and growled, "I will make you pay for this. No matter what."

Then, with a violent implosion, space shattered, and he vanished.

High above, the Dimensari airships swiftly took off, each disappearing into warp speed one after the other.

Atticus watched it all unfold in silence. He made no move to follow.

'I still can't kill him.'

He had tried everything, but Eletantron still escaped. The trick he had used with Azrakan wouldn't work again.

Atticus doubted the man even had anything left he cared about enough to sacrifice himself. Nothing to use. Nothing to hold against him.

His gaze slowly shifted to the remaining alliance leaders and apexes.

'How should I deal with them?'

He had already retrieved and stored Carius and Drakthanion's cores, and, to his surprise, had found Karn Voss's body hidden inside Carius's space storage.

Now, he just needed to obtain the rest of the apex cores.

But…

'It's not that straightforward.'

Fighting all the leaders at once would be reckless. Unlike the previous paragons, these ones were different, experienced, unpredictable.

Just like the slippery Dimensari, Atticus couldn't guarantee that he'd kill them all without one, two, or more slipping away.

And if even one escaped…

'Then I've just made more enemies for nothing.'

That was reason enough for caution.

But there was another reason. A more personal one.

'Please… save our planet.'

Viktor Halden's voice echoed in his mind again and again.

Atticus wasn't the type to be roped into others' ideals. He never had been.

But now… something was different about this one.

Viktor had done more for him in such a short time than anyone outside his own family had ever done.

He had protected people Atticus cared about.

He had given his life to free Atticus from that prison.

And he had done it with a final request.

'I will respect your wish,' Atticus decided, 'but I'll do it my way.'

He had no intention of bowing to anyone or following blindly. But so long as the planet and its people still remained on Eldoralth… then annihilating a few problematic races along the way was acceptable.

The remaining alliance leaders stared at him from their ships, their expressions tense and unreadable.

Despite Carius's death and the Dimensari's retreat, the tension hadn't subsided, it had only grown more intense.

They didn't speak.

And neither did Atticus.

He simply stared back, cold and unblinking, waiting.

Eventually, one by one, they gave him a slight nod. Taking their apexes, they turned and returned to their airships.

Only Jenera of the Evolari remained. She hadn't spoken a word either. After giving Zenon instructions to lead the surviving recruits to safety, she gave Atticus a brief nod, then vanished into her ship with her apex.

Now, only the human paragons remained in the sky.

And just as the final threads of tension began to fade, a streak of lightning surged down beside Atticus.

Magnus appeared, his presence crackling with lightning. He looked at Atticus with eyes filled with worry.

"Side effects?" he asked immediately. Atticus's powerups more often than not came with side effects.

Atticus gave a small smile and shook his head. "I'm fine."

Magnus exhaled in relief but still shook his head, his eyes narrowing. "What happened?"

Before Atticus could respond, another voice cut in from above.

Oberon landed beside them with his arms crossed.

"What do you think, Magnus? It's your grandson being your grandson again."

The rest of the human paragons touched down shortly after. Alongside Magnus and Oberon, Luminous, Aurelius, and Seraphina had all come.

Luminous studied Atticus closely and muttered, "I don't think he can even be classified as our race anymore."

It was a joke, but no one laughed.