Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground-Chapter 1154: Knees

Dread.

This was the only word that could currently describe the feelings of the inhabitants of Eldoralth.

At one instant, they had been praying, hoping that everything turned out for the best. That they survived this crisis. That they lived to see another day.

And in the next, a darkness had engulfed the world. The sky had shattered like glass.

For a moment, the people stared at the sky, trying to process the situation. It was as though they hoped, truly hoped, that their eyes were deceiving them.

But with a population in the billions, each one gazing at the skies in disbelief all at the same time, it became clear, this was reality.

"The Aegis Shield is down."

The words, nothing more than a mutter, spread across the domain like weightless air.

The screams came first, piercing.

"THE AEGIS SHIELD IS DOWN!"

Eyes widened. Hearts pounded. Panic surged.

The people screamed in unison.

"RUN!!!"

The entire domain erupted into a frenzy, the sounds of billions of running footsteps reverberating like an army's march.

There was no particular direction, no one knew where they were going. They just wanted to run.

"We have to get back now!"

Aurora's panicked scream pierced through the chaos. The expressions of the others shifted violently.

They were currently on a hill-like road large enough for five trucks to pass side by side. But that large space might as well be nonexistent.

The panicked people poured out like a tsunami, racing towards them. People fell. People were stomped. People died.

But just as the crowd of death was about to swallow them, a purple light burst to life. It ignited beneath them, forming a platform that lifted the entire ground from the ground.

Aurora and Ember's eyes turned to the side to see Zoey, enveloped in a blinding purple light, looking every bit a goddess.

Her expression was serious, her voice even more so.

"Let's go."

A purple dome encompassed them before shooting toward a particular direction at high speed.

A second had barely passed since the Aegis Shield fully collapsed, and chaos already raged across the entire domain.

Blinding streaks of light shot from every corner of the domain, surging toward where the Shield Eater had hit.

The other paragons inside warships abandoned them, shooting out and appearing in the skies of the domain.

In the next second, a heavy weight filled the entire domain as paragons gathered, hovering with grim faces in the sky.

"My queen."

Colonel Zenon greeted as Jenera appeared. She hovered at the forefront like a goddess of war.

Every trace of exhaustion was gone from her face, and now, only battle intent remained. She was ready to fight.

"I—I'm sorry, my qu—" Just as Zenon began, Jenera cut in.

"Save it. It's nobody's fault. We need to fight to the best of our abilities and survive this. So, focus."

A brief glance to the tree in the middle told them all they needed to know, Atticus, their greatest weapon, wasn't ready. If in all this chaos he hadn't emerged yet, then something was wrong.

Which meant… they had to face this.

Zenon clenched his fist and nodded. Every paragon present had heard Jenera's words, and many took a breath to steady their nerves before turning to their fronts.

In the skies of the last stronghold of the alliance, more than 130 paragons from thirteen different races had gathered.

They hovered together on one side, facing one man.

Still, as they noticed his dull crimson eyes and blue hair, the air only got heavier.

They had seen those traits on the Gardener. They had seen them on Whisker. They knew the sheer power they carried.

'This is bad.'

It was a thought shared by all paragons.

A battle between Whisker and the Gardener hadn't been something they could even withstand the shockwaves of.

Facing the being itself… could only be a death sentence.

But as the paragons sent glances toward their panicked descendants below, their expressions hardened.

They reached the same conclusion: even if only for a brief while… they would hold him back, at least until he could be ready.

The gazes of the paragons blazed, determination setting in. Their auras erupted from their bodies, battle intent surging.

Weapons were drawn. Stances entered. The tension had risen to a peak like no other.

This was a battle that would determine the fate of their world. freewёbnoνel.com

Should they fall, all was lost.

But in all this, the man, Kaelith, only frowned.

"You saw what I am… and still chose to stay?"

The grimness in his tone sent a shudder through the paragons, making many hesitate.

"I thought your kind valued survival. Was that wrong?"

Kaelith was confused. He was used to his prey running. This… this was a first for him.

His voice didn't show it, but his Will did. Many paragons felt their heads spinning. As seconds passed, it became increasingly difficult to tell right from left.

Regardless, their battle intent still steadily rose.

But then the confusion stopped. Kaelith's words didn't.

"This many of you… for one of me? Did you think numbers made a difference?"

The hearts of the paragons pounded, but many still held on, trying to fight the overwhelming presence before them.

Kaelith did not wait for an answer. He finished speaking.

"Very well. Let's put your foolishness to rest… with your corpses."

He raised a hand.

An overwhelming weight crashed onto the paragons, and without exception, they plummeted from the skies, slamming into the ground in bursts of force.

Pained sounds pierced the air as blood streamed out of the ears, eyes, and mouths of the paragons. Many clutched their heads tightly, trying to fight the crushing pressure gnawing at their minds.

With her hands clutching her skull, Jenera glanced around, and her heart froze.

The army of paragons lay sprawled, writhing in pain on the ground. She raised her gaze upwards, towards the cause of it all.

Kaelith.

He hadn't moved… and yet, he had brought the strongest powers of Eldoralth to their knees.