Chapter 1255: SureFire

Atticus could feel the emotions in the voice despite not knowing its source.

"I should have realized it the moment I saw your little group in the Blue Hall," the voice continued, turning colder.

"There isn’t a single woman among you. It’s men like you who hold women back. You stop them from soaring, unlike the people of my world.

"In my world, women are respected. Warriors of legend, just as they should be. We create life, we deserve to rule it too. And now, it’s clear to me: the women in your world need help. They need freedom from vile men like you."

An idea popped into Atticus’s head and he didn’t hesitate to go for it.

"If you truly hold women in such high regard, then they don’t need your help, do they?" His voice was filled with sarcasm. "We’ll keep clipping their wings and spanking their buttocks, and I’m sure their boundless potential will make them soar higher than ever."

The air instantly grew colder.

"You scum—!"

"Besides..." Atticus cut in smoothly. "When the god of a world where women have apparently ’soared’ is running and hiding from a man... well, I hope you can see how hard that makes your story."

"You—!"

"Somehow," Atticus said again, cutting her off, "it feels like you’re trying to escape the spanking session I have planned for you."

"You bastard!" The voice thundered louder than ever before. The air turned frigid. The hall began to shake violently as stalagmites crashed down from the ceiling. Mana trembled in the air as if ready to detonate.

Through the chaos, Atticus’s golden eyes snapped to one direction, gaze narrowing.

He hadn’t remained idle while the god ranted. From the moment she spoke, he’d activated Ozeroth’s Omnicognition and begun observing the unseen.

He’d used the time to uncover the technique causing the opposing king’s erratic movements.

And now, he had it.

’There.’

To the untrained eye, Atticus barely moved. Yet, a crescent slash ignited before him, tearing through a section of the hall.

"How!?"

The god’s voice boomed again, this time with panic. She felt genuinely confused at how Atticus had seen through her trick.

The attack was seconds from landing when a dark grey aura suddenly flooded the hall, appearing between the king and the slash.

Their collision birthed a violent explosion that shattered pillars, ripped through stone, and sent shockwaves through the chamber.

’I was right.’

Through the thick haze, Atticus’s mind spun with rapid calculations.

Omnicognition had revealed the truth, there were multiple techniques layered here.

The first cloaked the king in movements.

The second cloaked the god herself.

And with that, Atticus confirmed an assumption: the king was not their god.

It was bad news. If he wanted to reach the king, he’d have to kill the god first.

The third technique was a teleportation ability, one that had been quietly transporting arrows.

It turned out the king had still been attacking Atticus’s group this whole time... from a distance.

Atticus cleared the noise in his head and focused. First thing’s first...

Find the god. Kill her. Reach the king.

His gaze sharpened, and before he could act...

"Command the world."

The sound rumbled from the woman god, and the world began to shift.

The mana vibrated violently. Cracks snaked across the ground. The air grew heavy, thick enough to choke, and mana refused to respond to even the simplest call.

The world had become hers. It was changing under her voice.

The control spread and surged towards Atticus, but he remained rooted in place, gaze steady and eyes calm.

His Will detonated in a burst of crimson glow that spread out like a storm of raging flames. It enveloped everything, and as though a god had decreed it, the cracks halted, the air lightened, and mana once more answered his call.

The crimson Will collided with the dark grey Will, unleashing a burst of force that ripped through the hall.

The area became unstable, an overwhelming surge of dominance coating the battle as both Wills collided, neither giving an inch.

’It’s just like the other general.’

Just like Dronvet, this god hadn’t awakened her concept either. But she had aligned herself with the iron will path. Her will was sturdy, hard, and heavy, just like Dronvet’s.

Atticus knew exactly what he needed to do to pierce through it. But he held on.

’I still can’t find her.’

It was odd. He was clashing with her Will, yet he still couldn’t find her body. Still, his eyes glinted.

’She can’t go anywhere.’

Their king was still present, flickering through the sea of his god’s Will. Inside there, Atticus couldn’t predict her movement anymore. Which meant he had no choice, he had to deal with the god first.

Atticus sighed. ’This is getting really annoying.’

The major problem with these battles was the cap placed on the lower plane. Because of it, gods’ Wills were on the same level, and so was their mana, somewhat.

It meant they could affect the world, and so could their mana, but against another god, they couldn’t directly impose power over one another. With their Wills the same, mind control wouldn’t work against another god who had enveloped themselves with Will. Same with other powers that imposed control, taking over or even negating a god’s mana.

With her Will now wrapping around her, he couldn’t negate her mana.

And because of the other stars telling them about his fight with Dronvet, he couldn’t expect her to let her guard down either.

Her voice rumbled once more.

"Split the sky."

A titanic arc of mana burst to life. It seemed to cleave the hall in two, roaring towards Atticus with insane speed.

Atticus barely moved.

"Vorpal Nova."

Another crescent slash ignited in front of him, surging to meet the incoming attack.

The impact was violent.

An explosion of roaring proportions rang out, the ceiling cracked and caved, crashing to the ground. A deep crater formed beneath the point of impact, and the caves around began to collapse. Thick haze swallowed everything.

’It would’ve been easier if I could find her body.’

The thought ran through the haze.

Piercing her Will blindly was foolish. Aside from the fact it could be a trap, he would consume a portion of his Will just forcing through. If he had to do it multiple times, it could drain him.

He had to be sure he’d find her body before acting, he needed a surefire plan.