Some time later, he stepped out of the building. The hot afternoon sun bathed his figure, but he felt no heat.
āIāve spoken to all of them.ā
Atticus had made sure to speak to everyone close to him. He had told Anastasia, and the others, about the scale of the battle ahead. About the threat. He needed them to understand what they were up against.
Now, his conscience was clear. He was ready for the next step.
Reaching the highest point on the hill, he looked down at the sprawling metropolis they had built.
It had only been a year, yet it was awe inspiring in every sense.
Atticus couldnāt help but feel a flicker of pride at what they had accomplished.
āLetās see what the people think.ā
He vanished from the hilltop and appeared in the middle of a bustling bar.
The room was warm, filled with noise and the scent of alcohol and roasted meat. Music played faintly in the background. The bar was packed, filled with people of different races, laughing, drinking, and sharing stories.
But despite standing in the middle of it all, no one saw Atticus.
He turned slowly, taking in the scene. Dozens of tables, dozens of conversations. Dwarves, humans, demons and many others, all sharing the same space.
It was something heād never have imagined possible in the old Eldoralth.
He let his senses extend, tuning in to the words flowing through the bar.
He focused on a pair of dwarves sitting off to the left, mugs in hand.
"I tell you, man... I donāt feel so good. I think somethingās coming. Something bad."
"You talking about the blue sky?"
"Yeah... that, and that voice. Talking about some... Virenalla or something."
"I feel you," the other dwarf muttered, taking a sip. "Somethingās going on. And the higher ups are being real quiet about it."
There was a pause.
"But we still got that human ruler. Youāve seen his power, right? Can anything even beat that?"
The first dwarf fell silent.
Atticus turned his attention elsewhere.
At a round table near the center of the room, a group of humans were deep in discussion.
"Iām telling you, itās all connected," one of them said. "That blue light in the sky, the voice, itās all part of something big."
"Yeah, but Emperor Atticus is on it," another replied. "Have you seen him fight? Heās insane."
A woman laughed, twirling her drink. "Honestly? Iād let him have my babies."
The others burst into laughter.
"Isnāt that going a bit far?" one of the men chuckled.
"Maybe, maybe not," someone else grinned. "You do know who weāre talking about, right?"
Suddenly, the sound of a loud bang interrupted the laughter. A mug had slammed onto a table, and the bar fell silent.
"Hunad!" a vampyros man hissed, trying to calm down his companion. But the other, a towering figure with icy eyes, wasnāt listening. His gaze was fixed on the humans at the round table.
"Stop speaking so highly of that murderer!" Hunadās voice rang through the bar, filled with venom. His bloodlust filled the air.
"What are you yapping about?" one of the humans snapped, standing up.
Hunad stormed toward their table.
"That trash is nothing but a murderer and a coward! He killed our queen! And he did it in the most cowardly way possible!"
The humans shot up from their seats.
"Donāt speak that way about Emperor Atticus!" one shouted.
The entire bar had fallen silent. All eyes were on the unfolding scene.
It didnāt look like this was the first time something like this had happened.
"Or else what, huh? Human trash?" Hunad snarled.
He reached their table, his overwhelming aura pressing down on them like a mountain. The humans instinctively took a step back.
"Only that trash child managed to get strong by some rotten luck. The rest of your race is still as pathetic and useless as ants!"
The humans clenched their fists, gritting their teeth. They were all Master ranks, but a vampyros Master was still above them in pure might.
Hunad smirked, stepping forward. But...
"I dare you to repeat that."
A cold voice cut through the silence. Heads turned toward the entrance.
A human with pure white hair stood there, eyes fixed on Hunad. Frost seeped from his form, his entire body coiled with tension, ready to strike.
Behind him were several Ravenstein men, their elemental auras flickering. Fire. Wind. Earth. Lightning. Ice. Each one of them stared at Hunad with hard, frigid eyes.
Hunad narrowed his gaze but didnāt back down.
"Tch. What are you going to do? Just because that trash came from your family doā"
He didnāt get to finish.
The Ravenstein charged forward.
Weapons unsheathed, elements surged, and in an instant, they descended on Hunad from every direction.
Atticus watched, unmoving, as the clash erupted. Hunad was strong, but facing multiple Ravensteins at once was a losing battle.
Authorities soon arrived and broke up the fight, arresting everyone involved.
As they were dragged away, Atticus vanished from the bar and reappeared inside an office.
"Hey."
His voice cut through the quiet, causing the man behind the desk, who had been flipping through documents, to freeze. Slowly, the man raised his head, and his eyes widened the instant he saw who it was.
"Supreme Ruler?" Oberon shot up from his seat and bowed toward Atticus.
"That title sounds really cringe, Oberon. Canāt you stop?"
Oberon cleared his throat. "Iām sorry, Supreme Ruler, but itās necessary to establish a proper title to address you by. You are the one in charge of everything. It would be wrong to refer to you by name."
Atticus sighed and shook his head. "Whatever. Have a seat, Iāve got something I want to ask you."
Oberon nodded and sat down, while Atticus took the seat opposite him.
"The vampyros..."
As he began, he didnāt miss the way Oberonās eyes twitched slightly at the mention.
"How do they feel about me? And about the current system?"
Oberon took a moment to answer, clearly choosing his words with care. He knew better than to lie.
"They donāt like it. They hate the fact that a human is ruling them."
"They cause trouble?"
Reluctantly, Oberon nodded. "They make wild claims. That you killed their queen in a cowardly way... that youāre unfit to rule."
"I see."
Atticus tapped a finger slowly on the desk, his eyes unreadable. Oberon couldnāt help but swallow.
"So... why are they still alive?"