Novel Full Chapter 1625 Annoying
Chapter 1625 Annoying
“….”
In an endless space, the eternal Span had fallen into complete silence.
“Hahahaha!”
But the Verge was instead roaring with boisterous laughter.
“I told you, Span. You’re terrible at gambling. I told you you would lose, didn’t I?”
“….”
At the Span’s silence, the great Verge only laughed harder.
“I underestimated the extent of that person’s influence on his will.”
The Span finally spoke after several moments.
“You sound like a sore loser.”
“The nineteen worlds he absorbed in the lower planes must have elevated him far beyond what we anticipated. There’s no other explanation.”
“Hmm.”
The Verge mulled it over for a moment.
“Except you’re avoiding the obvious truth again.”
“And what truth is that?”
“His will is simply stronger than theirs.”
“Impossible.”
The Span said without hesitation.
“Is it? You speak as though you’ve forgotten the nature of will. Even amongst True wills, there are those that stand on an entirely different level. That’s what separates the major factions from the rest. Or have you forgotten the most recent example?”
“You’re referring to the Willguard.”
“Yes. That man ascended to the Crown faster than anyone before him. And if I recall correctly, you reacted the same way back then.”
“This is different. Those beings lived for millennia. They accumulated endless experience. This is a child. His existence hasn’t even surpassed a century.”
“You know as well as I do that will was never bound by age or time. The stronger the conviction, and the more completely one aligns with their will, the closer they stand to the limits of the universe itself.”
“….”
The Span fell silent, as though weighing those words.
“There’s a lesson here, Span.”
“…And what lesson would that be?”
“Never wager against anyone this one supports.”
The Verge chuckled shamelessly as the Span glared at him.
“There was also mention of a prize.”
“…Yes. My favor. What do you want?”
The Span muttered, his voice filled with irritation at the reminder of his loss.
“We’ll do things differently this time, brother.”
“…Speak.”
“Give my favor to Atticus Ravenstein.”
“….”
The endless space sank into a deep, suffocating silence.
…
The moment he regained awareness of his body, Atticus opened his eyes to an endless space.
‘When was I transported?’
The last thing he remembered was touching the flag, and then everything had gone dark. Confirming his katana was still at his side and that he was unharmed, Atticus finally allowed himself to relax.
‘Where am I?’
He scanned the space, but no matter how much he looked, there was nothing but endless darkness.
“Atticus Ravenstein.”
‘Who?’
Atticus frowned at the voice, hastily sweeping his surroundings once more, but there was nothing. Still, the voice was familiar.
“Above.”
Hearing the voice again, he lifted his gaze and found that the shadow above was somehow denser than the rest.
‘The Span.’
Aside from the familiar voice, Atticus couldn’t mistake the ancient figure he always felt whenever he stood before a star.
“I believe introductions would be unnecessary.”
The Span spoke quickly, as though he wished to conclude this encounter as soon as possible.
“You’ve won the resource game. I am here to deliver your prize. Name one resource you discovered during the competition, and I will grant it to you in abundance.”
‘So it’s just the prize.’
He had wondered why the Span would go through the effort of summoning him here, but it was simply to deliver the reward.
‘I suppose it makes sense.’
The competition had been nothing more than a war for resources. It was only natural that the grand prize would reflect that.
Atticus pondered for a moment. An abundance of life stones would ensure his territory never decayed or suffered. An abundance of weapons and armor would also elevate the territory’s strength, but… he dismissed those thoughts.
There was something they needed more than anything else now.
“Have you made your decision?”
“Yes. Will-conducting ores.”
Atticus said after a moment.
“…Very well.”
The Span replied, and in the next instant, a subtle shudder passed through the air.
“…”
“…”
A long moment of silence lingered between them before Atticus frowned.
“…Is there something else?”
Since the purpose of his summoning had already been fulfilled, he had expected the Span to return him to his people, yet he remained instead.
“…Yes.”
“What is it?”
Atticus raised a brow. He found it strange that the Span sounded hesitant, as though what he was about to say carried weight. What could possibly burden a star?
“You’ve been granted a favor.”
“A favor?”
“You may ask me for anything.”
“How did I obtain this favor?”
“…That is not something you need to concern yourself with.”
“Is it part of the competition prize?”
“No. And I advise you not to ask further questions regarding it.”
“…Understood.”
Atticus frowned slightly before deciding to let it go. No matter its origin, there was no reason to waste such an opportunity.
“…Anything?”
“Anything, so long as it does not require me to physically interfere with the world.”
It meant he couldn’t ask him to kill a god or simply elevate his rank. But Atticus already had something else in mind.
“Then… tell me about the one who—”
“…No.”
“…No?”
“For your sake and mine, do not ask about that person.”
“It doesn’t affect the physical world.”
“That is irrelevant.”
“….”
“If I attempted to answer that question… I would be erased before I could finish.”
The span said after a moment.
“….”
Now the earlier words made sense. That being would have silenced the Span before he could finish speaking, and Atticus would have wasted his favor.
“Alright.”
Atticus nodded, already considering his next course of action.
“Then—”
…
Moments later, as Atticus vanished from the space, another figure emerged.
“Well?”
“…You were right.”
“Haha… you really make this too easy, Span.”
The Verge erupted into deep, rumbling laughter.
“…How did you know?”
The Span asked after a moment, unable to conceal his curiosity at how the Verge had known what Atticus would ask for.
“Haha… call it an observer’s instinct.”
“….”
At the Span’s silence, the Verge let out another amused chuckle.
“A deal’s a deal, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“You owe me a favor.”
“…I know.”
“Haha… don’t sound so bitter. You agreed to it.”
The Span attempted to suppress the bitterness in his voice, but it was clear the Verge had already noticed. Once again, he had lost another wager against his younger brother.
“…What do you want?”
“I’ll decide later.”
“…Of course you will.”
“Haha… as always, it’s a pleasure betting with you, Span.”
“….”
“You’ll hear from me soon.”
After another bout of laughter, the Verge departed from the space.
The Span remained silent for several moments, staring at the place where Atticus had stood before clicking his tongue.
‘Annoying.’
…
Rhexan Virex stared down at the endless wasteland from atop his carriage, his teeth clenched tightly.
‘To look at me like that…’
After the final death, the resource war had ended in Atticus’ victory. Rhexan, along with the other Archdukes and countless others, had appeared above the grand coliseum to witness Atticus’ emergence.
No matter how much he tried, Rhexan couldn’t erase the disdain he had seen when their eyes met.
‘I’ll rip those eyes out soon.’
Rhexan clenched his fists so tightly that his veins bulged visibly. Not only had Atticus killed his son and humiliated him before the other Archdukes, but he had dared look at him with such contempt.
‘There’s no need to rush. His end will come soon.’
He and the other Archdukes had underestimated Atticus before, but never again. Atticus may have killed their successors, but he was still no match for any of the Archdukes from the major families, Rhexan included.
‘I’ll find his territory and then…’
Rhexan frowned as smoke rising in the distance caught his attention.
‘That’s…’
It was coming from his estate. As one of the ruling families of the Core, he had claimed an entire mountain range for himself, far removed from the city.
‘An attack?’
Rhexan narrowed his eyes and vanished from the carriage, reappearing above the estate.
“What… what is this…”
Sprawled below were thousands of severed Redflame corpses, smoke still rising from their charred halves.
‘How…?’
Rhexan slowly clenched his fists. Despite the sheer scale of slaughter, not a single building had been destroyed. Aside from the sea of blood pooling beneath them, nothing had been disturbed.
This was someone powerful.
‘There. The throne room.’
Rhexan summoned his Archduke-rank armor and weapon and instantly shot toward his throne room.
‘Is it another Archduke?’
Had one of the other major Archdukes used his humiliation as an opportunity to strike against him?
‘I’ll make them pay!’
Humiliated or not, Rhexan Virex was not someone anyone could trifle with.
He burst into the throne room moments later, freezing at the sight before him.
Sprawled across the marble floor were the lifeless bodies of his wife, children, and even grandchildren. Not a single member of his family had been spared.
“….”
“W-what…”
Rhexan fixed his trembling eyes on the figure seated calmly upon his throne. His snow white hair was untouched by the carnage, his katana still dripping fresh blood at his side. His face rested idly upon his fist as he looked down at Rhexan like he was nothing.
“A-Atticus Ravenstein…?”
Rhexan still couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. Atticus had done all this…? But his shock was quickly consumed by overwhelming rage as the truth settled in.
“YOU DARE!!”
Rhexan’s will detonated in a violent eruption that reduced the throne room to ruin and obliterated the entire estate.
“….”
Despite the devastating explosion, the throne Atticus sat upon remained completely untouched.
“I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS! YOU WILL REGRET EVER STANDING BEFORE ME!!”
Rhexan’s will continued to surge higher until the air itself transformed into a sea of flames. The mountain range began to melt beneath the unbearable heat.
“….”
Despite this, Atticus’ expression did not change as he slowly rose to his feet, flicking the blood from his katana before fixing his cold gaze upon Rhexan.
“YOU—”
A blur was all he saw.
And his entire world tilted.