Chapter 1288: No Choice

’They all passed?’

The same thought nagged at Atticus as he stared at the three apexes who had started regaining consciousness.

He was finding it hard to understand. To believe it. The fourth trial of the life weapon shouldn’t be something so easy to pass.

Most could say Atticus was belittling the abilities of the apexes. That he was trying to claim that he was special. That no one should be able to pass it except him.

But they couldn’t be more wrong.

Atticus had never taken any joy in the spotlight. Never felt joy in being better than others. Because so far, there was nothing to feel joy for.

He was a god, yes, but a god on a world in the lower planes. The bottom of the ladder. He had defeated multiple gods on his level, but that wasn’t something to be proud of.

Atticus had never believed he was better than the apexes. That was simply the wrong mindset to have.

He just had more abilities. More advantages. More power. Power that would let him survive a battle to the death with any of them. That would let him come out of situations none of them could ever dream of enduring.

This was the right thought to have. The thought that Atticus had. It was simply how it was. A fact.

During his fourth trial, Atticus could mimic mana signatures, use his will as a fighting force, and had an intelligence that many would kill to have.

Yet, he had almost died passing that trial. In fact, if not for Ozeroth’s advice, his cautious nature, and the ability to use his will, he would have succumbed to the spirit’s betrayal and died.

The apexes had higher wills than normal because of their past lives and rebirths, but none could use it like he could. None could manipulate it the way he had.

Atticus still didn’t understand what made him so special. Maybe it was the nonsense about the Kin of the Fallen Star. Or the fragment of Soldrate embedded in his being.

Aside from this, at least to Atticus’ knowledge, none of them could manipulate mana signatures like he could.

Yet they had all passed.

Atticus was starting to question everything when a thought struck him.

’Or they failed...’ His gaze sharpened. He remembered the penalty for falling to the spirit.

If they had died before reaching the end, it was over. But if they reached the end and eventually lost to one of the spirits of the previous wielders, their bodies would end up getting possessed.

Atticus shook his head and cleared his spiraling thoughts. The main thing was, they were waking up. It was unsure if they were themselves or if a spirit had taken over. But Atticus had every intention of choosing caution.

Three sets of gazes landed on Atticus the instant they opened. The three apexes blinked, hands reaching for their heads as a wave of disorientation hit them.

They shook their heads and tried to gain their bearings.

"You all passed."

Atticus’ voice made them turn towards him once more. A smile was about to form on their faces when they froze.

They had just registered the tone of his voice. They had just felt the weight of his stare. They had just noticed the tension in the air.

"Whoa, Atty," Lirae was the first to speak. Her voice sounded cracked, like she hadn’t spoken in a long time. She cleared her throat. "Did you miss us that much?"

Maera blinked, silently staring at Atticus, confused. Ae’ark’s gaze was cautious. He stood still, not wanting to make any sudden movements that could make him seem like a threat.

He could see the intensity of Atticus’ gaze, and he didn’t like it one bit.

"What’s going on?" Ae’ark finally said, choosing his words carefully. "Did we do something while we were in there?"

Atticus turned towards Ae’ark and stared. His eyes were piercing, and Ae’ark found himself drenched in sweat before he even realized it.

’They appear the same,’ Atticus thought, though the heaviness in his gaze didn’t lessen.

He had crossed out the part of them failing before reaching the end. Now, only two assumptions were left. Either they actually passed the trial, or a spirit had taken over their bodies.

For the latter, it would be almost impossible to tell. Losing to a spirit meant their souls would get absorbed.

Every single bit of their lives, their dreams, memories, gone. Even the slight nuances only they could perform wouldn’t be excluded.

He glanced from one apex to another. If he was staring at a spirit who had absorbed their soul, then it was near impossible to know.

Regardless, Atticus wasn’t taking chances. He stretched out his arm, and three golden lights ignited in front of them.

The trio’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow as they saw mana contract in front of them. Atticus’ voice came next.

"I’ll be straight with you," he said, trying to sound as soft as he could. While they had been enemies in the past, right now, he couldn’t fully consider them that. Though the one who reincarnated them still had a hold, for now, they were allies.

"It’s impossible for me to know if you actually passed the trial, or if a spirit has taken over. The former is cause for celebration. But the latter... means you’re a ticking time bomb."

"This is the only way I know to make sure you can’t do anything harmful."

Despite his careful words, the apexes’ expressions darkened. Their gazes landed on the mana contract and read the clauses. A slave contract.

They knew Atticus was the god of this world. He already held their lives in his hands. None of them could refuse a direct order from him. In a sense, they were already slaves.

But something about this... bit them the wrong way.

They were reincarnators. The strongest in their past lives. If someone had told them they’d be forced to sign a contract making them slaves to someone else, they’d have laughed.

Yet here they were.

And while Atticus’ voice was level, diplomatic... his eyes were not. From the weight of them, it was clear, there was no choice.