Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground-Chapter 1138: Aegis Shield

Asides from the fact that the Zorvans had already established a foothold on Eldoralth because they had opened their portals before the Aegis Shield's deployment, the Alliance discovered another, far more catastrophic consequence of their actions: the mana crystals weren't just energy sources, they were the core of the world itself.

They were part of what breathed mana into the world, constantly replenishing the magic in the air.

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Removing the crystals triggered a planetary response.

To replace what had been lost, the world began pulling from the ambient mana in the air, and the first time this happened, the paragons, whose sensitivity to mana was unparalleled, immediately felt it.

The mana across Eldoralth had thinned. Drastically.

And things only got worse.

To maintain the Aegis Shield, the Alliance needed to continually refuel the Aegis Nodes with mana crystals. The more territory covered, the more crystals consumed.

Eventually, they realized that while mana in the air would slowly recover on its own, continued usage without rest would thin it permanently.

This revelation forced the Alliance to make difficult choices.

First, they shrunk the Aegis Shield down, no longer encompassing the entire world. Instead, they concentrated it to protect just their territories.

But even this required mana crystals to maintain.

Thus came the second plan, after countless experiments, they finally determined the safe threshold: the precise amount of mana crystals they could extract that would fuel the shield while still allowing the ambient mana to recover.

Unfortunately, this too came with a flaw.

The shield could only last for a set number of months before requiring a full recharge. But to protect the ambient mana, they couldn't mine new crystals immediately.

They had to wait until the world had replenished what they had used, a process that took 15 full days after the shield shut down.

Those 15 days became known as The Hollow Sun.

During the Hollow Sun, the Aegis Shield would be completely offline, and the Zorvans would strike with full force.

Without the shield, the Alliance would be exposed, and the Zorvans would always target the Aegis Nodes, which were the pillars keeping the defensive network alive.

This was where the true role of the Alliance military came into play.

Scattered across Eldoralth were massive military strongholds, positioned in strategic locations surrounding their protected territories. At the core of each stronghold sat an Aegis Node.

And every time the Hollow Sun came, those strongholds became the first battlegrounds.

During that time, it was imperative, absolutely paramount, that the Alliance military be at its strongest.

Every warrior, every strategy, every ounce of preparation was dedicated to surviving those 15 days of hell… until the shield could be reactivated once more.

Atticus had been privy to all of this information when the aegis shield of the human domain was activated a month ago.

He'd asked Oberon how it worked, and the man had explained everything. That was why they only had a month and a half before the aegis shield of the human domain would shut down.

The mana crystals they were using had been the first set discovered when the crystals were initially unearthed.

But after learning their drawbacks, the crystals had no longer been distributed across the races, they were reserved solely for the Alliance shield.

Regardless, those fifteen days, were what Jenera had dreaded most.

It had been projected to begin just two days after the war between the humans and other races.

She had feared that the war would reduce the number of capable powerhouses, making it even harder to hold the line during the Hollow Sun.

But after witnessing Atticus's overwhelming might… she had felt a sliver of relief. At the very least, with Atticus at the forefront, surviving it seemed possible.

That sliver shattered the moment Atticus collapsed.

It was as though the world came crashing down on Jenera and the other paragons as they saw their greatest hope fall unconscious.

And after the sheer devastation they'd just witnessed, none of the other races had reopened their aegis shields, not even the Aeonians. No one knew how to proceed.

With Atticus unconscious, their odds of surviving the Hollow Sun had dropped dramatically. But even that wasn't what made Jenera clench her fists hardest.

"My queen, what are we going to do?" Zenon's voice came low, but was filled with seriousness.

Aside from Whisker, Avalon, and Magnus who were tending to Atticus, the other paragons had grim expressions.

All of them turned to Jenera. Along with Youn, the Nullite leader, she was now one of the strongest among them, and she knew the weight of what was coming.

Jenera closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then opened them again. Her voice was grave.

"I don't know."

That answer sucked the air from the group. The paragons' expressions darkened further.

Youn then stepped forward. "The Hollow Sun begins the day after tomorrow. We have to rally the other races… what we have left."

Jenera turned to him, her face like stone. "Rally? Rally who, Youn?" She swept her gaze across the group. "We have no idea what's waiting for us out there. What if another monster shows up and blows us all to bits?"

Her voice dropped, sharp. "And besides… after what they just saw, do you honestly think the other races would leave the sanctuary of their aegis shields to fight?"

The group fell silent, her words sinking deep. She wasn't wrong. No race would willingly step out into chaos after witnessing the apocalyptic battle between Atticus and the Gardener.

"But they don't have a choice." Oberon chimed in. "If we don't act, the Zorvans will swarm our lands. If they establish themselves on our side of the planet, there'll be no stopping them."

Jenera's voice turned icy. "Then will you leave to inform them?"

Oberon froze. He couldn't say anything.

Jenera's gaze swept the paragons. "Would any of you?"

No one answered. They couldn't meet her gaze. The truth was clear, after what they'd just seen, none of them knew what else might be out there. They were hesitant. Afraid.

Jenera scoffed. Just as she turned to speak again, Oberon suddenly spoke.

"What about the other one… Whisker?" He glanced toward where Whisker had stood earlier. "He had been the one fighting the Gardener. Supposedly, he's even stronger than Atticus."

The paragons' eyes lit up slightly. None of them knew much about Whisker, but if there was even a chance that he could help them…

Their heads snapped toward the spot only to see that it was empty.

Their eyes widened in alarm.

"Where did he go?!"