Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground-Chapter 1128 Spike

Bonding with even one core demanded too much from him; it placed immense strain on his body. But eight? He wasn't sure he'd even be able to walk afterward.

Though the power they promised would far surpass what he currently wielded, now wasn't the time.

'Are you okay?' he asked internally, and a chirpy, excited response came at once.

"Kuuu! Dada!"

If not for the dire circumstances, Atticus might've smiled.

The last thing he expected… was to be called "Dada" so soon.

He let out a breath. 'Looks like you're okay, huh?'

"Kuuu!" came the happy reply.

The overwhelming killing intent that had once surged through the Soulkin was gone. Now, all Atticus could feel was unfiltered joy, excitement, even. It was clearly thrilled to be with him.

Atticus smiled faintly.

'This power… it's too much for it to last long.'

He didn't know how, but he could feel it.

A ticking clock.

As if this change was burning on borrowed time.

'I have to move quickly.'

There was no telling how long he had. But he couldn't afford to dwell on that. He would do all he could before time ran out.

His gaze shifted toward the horizon.

A dense haze had swallowed the skies above the domains. Green and blue flashes ignited the heavens, rapid and constant.

'They're still going at it.'

The Gardener and Whisker were still clashing, even until now.

If not for the aegis shields each domain possessed, Eldoralth would've been nothing but ash by now.

But Atticus wasn't focused on the devastation.

He was focused on something else.

'He's losing.'

His eyes narrowed.

Most wouldn't be able to tell. In fact, most wouldn't even be able to see their battle the way Atticus currently could.

But he knew.

With every clash, every pulse of Will, he knew.

Whisker was losing.

'It's only a matter of time.'

And Atticus didn't want to wait until Whisker fell.

Even with his recent power-up, he knew he couldn't face the Gardener yet. His Will had evolved, yes, but his control over it was still lacking. Whisker was the only one capable of fighting the Gardener head-on.

'I should deal with them first.'

He turned his gaze toward the human domain.

Then, without a sound, Atticus vanished, blipping out of space, the eight cores sealed safely in his space storage.

Far away, Ozeroth stared into the distant sky, his expression darkened.

Since Whisker and the Gardener had taken their battle across all of Eldoralth, they had brushed past the human domain multiple times. And each time, they left nothing but chaos and destruction in their wake.

The once glowing purple dome that had protected everyone had now dimmed significantly. All around them, the land had become a wasteland.

The opposing paragons and enemy forces that had once stood across from them were long dead, annihilated. The human domain had been reduced to rubble.

Still, none of the people could even focus on the fact that they no longer had homes to return to. Survival had become the only thought in their minds.

And so, just like Ozeroth, their eyes remained fixed on the horizon, praying they could somehow make it through.

Just then, as Ozeroth kept watch, a cautious voice spoke from the side.

"…Master Ozeroth?"

Ozeroth sent a sharp glance toward Oberon, the man who had just spoken. Despite being used to speaking with Atticus, Ozeroth was a different case altogether.

Oberon clearly treaded carefully around him.

"What do you want?" Ozeroth snapped, his voice loud and abrupt, shattering whatever subtlety Oberon had been hoping for.

The others turned, Jenera, Avalon, Magnus, and the remaining paragons, watching the exchange.

Oberon hesitated. Then, carefully, he said, "I just wanted to ask… are we going to remain like this while they fight?"

"What the hell are you on about?"

Oberon cleared his throat. "This position… isn't favorable. I mean no disrespect, but it appears to me that your power is waning the more you keep blocking their attacks. I—"

"I don't have time for all this intelligent shit," Ozeroth cut in. "Go straight to the freaking point."

Oberon paused, startled, then nodded quickly. "I apologize. What I meant was… I believe it's better to use the rest of your power to move everyone to another domain. One that still has a functioning aegis shield."

"That won't work," Ozeroth replied bluntly. "Moving now would burn more energy than I'm using to keep this dome up. If they pass over us mid-move, you'll all be dead before you blink.

"And let's say we do manage it… you really think those ants in the other domains are gonna risk their lives and lower their shields after seeing what's happening out here?"

Oberon fell silent.

Then Jenera uttered up. "If we can make it to the Evolari domain, our aegis shield is still functioning."

"The Nullite too," Youn added, drawing attention.

Ozeroth narrowed his eyes. "How far?"

"Three domains," Jenera said.

"Five," Youn added right after.

Ozeroth shook his head. "That's too damn far."

Just then, Lyanna, who had joined them silently, stepped forward. "The closest domains are the Aeonian and Vampyros. The latter would rather die than let us in. But the former…"

Avalon frowned. "Why would the Aeonians let us enter their sector? What if we get there and they don't open up? We'd have wasted energy for nothing."

The others nodded in agreement.

As they each conversed, then, suddenly, the purple dome that encased them flared, its light brightening, its thickness growing.

Ozeroth's eyes sharpened instantly.

In the next second, he felt it. A surge of spiritual energy flooded his body from an unknown source.

'Bond?' Ozeroth's gaze narrowed. Through their bond, he and Atticus shared everything, thoughts, emotions, energy.

They were tethered to the same plane. If Atticus' power spiked, Ozeroth's power would also surge in tandem, and right now, that was exactly what had happened.

A massive spike.