Chapter 1298: One Syllable

Chapter 1298: One Syllable

“Join a faction. Now.”

Iron Crown’s words were weighty. And they sounded more like a command than a suggestion.

It should always be the choice of the ascending god to decide what faction to join after the Virelenna.

This was a privilege that only came when Quiet Flame lost power and Iron Crown took control of the matters of the lower plane.

Though the choice was always made even before the end of the Virelenna. Most, if not all, gods had already fallen under different factions long before participating.

However, in all the Virelennas the stars had presided over throughout the millennials, this would be the first time a god would balatly refuse to choose a faction.

The stars were bound. By their own ancient laws, they could not harm the gods of the world. It was a rule they had imposed upon themselves eons ago, and one they had never broken.

Everyone knew it. The stars held the greatest power of all, yes, but even they were shackled when it came to harming gods. In such cases, the gods were meant to have the upper hand.

Still, as Iron Crown’s words dropped, no one expected Atticus to refuse. The weight behind that command, it was crushing. It felt like a refusal would go against the very weave of the universe.

Even the representatives felt it. That command. That weight. There was no way this child god could refuse.

The Redflame’s representative had straighten. Though he still burned with rage from the disrespect the child had shown him earlier, he had no intention of letting such a genius slip away.

‘A true will and concept…’

Such a person was destined to go far in the middle planes. It was a shame Atticus would have to abolish his true will and walk the Redflame path, but in the end, it would be worth it.

The man smiled. He could see it now. This boy, this god, could carry them across the Verge… into the Span… beyond.

‘The Crown.’

Thinking of reaching that point was akin to a child dreaming of becoming a superhero. Absurd. But with a talent like this… it suddenly didn’t feel so far fetched.

The other representatives also perked up. Though Atticus was best suited for the Redflame faction, it didn’t change the fact that they wanted him too.

“No.”

Everyone froze.

It took a moment to realize that the sound had come from the child god. The reactions varied.

Whisker let out a chuckle. Ozeorth smiled proudly. Magnus and Aric wore cold gazes, battle intent already leaking from their figures.

Atticus’s gaze was leveled calmly on Iron Crown. He didn’t feel like he had done anything noteworthy.

Meanwhile, the rest in the Iron Hall tilted their heads. They assumed they had heard wrong. It was the only logical explanation. The fact that Atticus had said that word didn’t seem possible to them.

They waited for him to speak again, but nothing came.

He simply stood there, meeting a star’s gaze like it was nothing. Then they realized he had actually said that word. He had actually refused Iron Crown. He had refused a star.

The representatives still waited. At the very least, they expected an excuse. Something that would explain why he had refused.

That way, Iron Crown’s position as a star would still be respected. Still, Atticus didn’t utter a single word.

The tension in the hall spiked. Of all of them, Nex was the most livid. An insult to his star felt like an insult to his very existence.

Killing intent had already started leaking from his body when Iron Crown finally broke the silence.

“You refused?” he said simply. From his tone, it was clear even he hadn’t expected that. Iron Crown blinked, one too many times.

“You refused.” He repeated, this time with more certainty.

A frown replaced Quiet Flame’s smirk as the hall began to tremble. He shot his gaze toward Iron Crown, about to call to him, when a growl suddenly echoed.

Quiet Flame turned toward Crimson Hollow.

The star’s crimson gaze shone down on Atticus.

“Your balls are bigger than I thought,” he said, finishing with a growl. “But bigger balls won’t help you survive up there. You need power. And choosing a faction will give you that. You’d have to be stupid to do otherwise, and that’s coming from a beast.”

“Any power aside mine will only ever be temporary. It is not worth anything,” Atticus responded calmly, not turning away from Iron Crown.

“And don’t compare me with the others. We’ll survive the middle plane with our own power, or we won’t.”

“Or you won’t?” It was Iron Crown who asked.

By now, the representatives’ expressions had twisted. Atticus had just implied they weren’t worth anything.

The big factions had turned boys into kings, emperors even. And this child dared disregard all of it.

“Or we won’t,” Atticus said again, calmly.

“We’re only able to send one god, and one world, through centuries. Sometimes millennials, depending on how quickly the worlds develop, and how well the previously ascended ones perform.” Iron Crown’s voice was like ice as he spoke.

“The latter is more important than the first. Significantly more. If the ascending world doesn’t perform well and grow stronger, we stars won’t have enough power to send more worlds to the middle plane.

“Each ascension is a gamble, and each time we make sure we’re sending the right candidate, one who won’t die a meaningless death.

“That is our duty. To make sure the circle continues. You will not survive without a faction. I’m not in the business of repeating myself. You will choose a faction.”

“No.”

Iron Crown gripped his iron throne’s rest tightly. The hall shuddered with his gaze. It truly didn’t help that Atticus had responded again with the same one syllable “No.” Nothing else.

Another growl escaped Crimson Hollow. He shook his head with a smile.

“I respect your audacity,” he said. “But it’ll be a waste to send you to the middle planes. What do you all think?” He turned to Iron Crown and Dreaming Sea.

Quiet Flame’s gaze narrowed.

‘Is this their play?’ His thoughts ran.

‘There’s no way they would refuse to send Atticus and choose another, right?’ His eyes found Nex below, and his heart lurched. Was this why they allowed Nex attend the meeting?

Iron Crown and Dreaming Sea had begun nodding when Atticus finally spoke.

“Your thoughts don’t matter to me.” He seemed to be addressing Crimson Hollow, but his eyes never left Iron Crown.

“You stars came together and created a game. I participated in said game, followed the rules, and won.”

“You’re not doing me a favor. I’m not asking for your help. I won my right to ascend. And unless you’re beings who don’t follow your own words, you’ll keep to your promise.”