NOVGO.NET Chapter 1517 Others
Chapter 1517 Others
“You mean to tell me that a major faction is this cowardly?”
Atticus turned toward Ozeroth, catching the detached burn in his gaze. Anger leaked off the man like heat off a forge. Atticus had already walked them through everything in painstaking detail, especially the matter of the children. They had seen the remains with their own eyes, and each of them had been struck by waves of fury.
Now that the culprit had finally been revealed, the hunger for retribution radiated from them. “Unfortunately… yes,” Whisker said, a shadowed smile crossing his face. “The Abyss faction isn’t like the others. They move in darkness. They thrive there.”
“We have to make them pay for this, bond,” Ozeroth growled as he turned fully toward him. And it wasn’t just him, Atticus felt the weight of every gaze settle on him. Whatever came next would be his decision.
Atticus let his mind descend into stillness.
‘It’s dangerous.’
The anger was there, definitely, but the reality beneath it was cold. He wasn’t the type to throw everything away for revenge, especially when it hadn’t even involved his loved ones.
They were already locked in a war with the Red Flames. Adding another major faction into the mix was nothing short of digging a deeper hole… and dragging the others in with him.
‘Is it worth it?’
He wasn’t some protector of justice or writer of wrongs. He was simply a man trying to keep his loved ones alive.
‘But…’
“What do you think?” Atticus asked, fixing his gaze on Whisker, who took on a thoughtful expression.
“The way I see it,” he said, “there’s no other choice but to fight them.”
“He’s right, Atti.” Anorah chimed in from the side. “The Abyss faction already targeted us. They won’t leave us alone just because we uncovered their plot. Their real aim is the territory, not the children.”
Atticus exchanged a glance with Whisker, who nodded. He released a breath. This possibility that they would continue their assault had been what he was trying to confirm.
‘There’s no other choice.’
“We’ll fight them.”
…
Hours passed. After making plans for their next move, Atticus and the others left the forest and returned to the city, where everything was set into motion.
Though Whisker had captured and interrogated the men and women responsible, there was still the mystery of how the Abyss faction had influenced people in his territory in the first place.
No god or champion should’ve been able to enter his territory without permission. While the others dealt with other matters, Atticus had resolved to find out how they had done it.
He went through the rules numerous times, sifting through his memories for anything he might have missed. It was after a few moments that a thought slammed him.
‘Whisker said he was responsible…’
That one man had been responsible for brainwashing a dozen others. The answer lay with him. From memory, Atticus recreated the perfect image of the man and went to the commissioner’s office, requesting information about him.
“M-my lord… this man… doesn’t exist.”
He froze the moment he heard the words. The pieces clicked into place in his mind. Now he understood how they had done it.
He immediately summoned everyone and reported his findings. They all expressed their shock.
“Smart,” Whisker said with a small smile. “No god or champion can enter a territory without permission, but the citizens aren’t restricted by the same rule.”
“Exactly,” Atticus said.
“So…” Anorah narrowed her eyes. “They sent just one of their citizens to destabilize our territory?”
Atticus saw the light in her eyes and immediately knew where she was going. His own widened.
“It’s not just one,” he said, shaking his head. “Sending just one person for a mission of this scale is impossible. Whisker might have uncovered the people responsible for the kidnappings, but there are more of them.”
Atticus had to admit, the Abyss faction had made quite the first impression. To think they could find such a loophole in the verge rules and exploit it so effectively.
The group’s eyes grew cold. If even one person had done this much damage, then the rest were far more dangerous.
“Tch. Bunch of spineless cowards!” Ozeroth grumbled.
“I’ll crush their skulls when I see them!” Ozerra added.
“Identifying their next target might be the best way to find them,” Anorah said, brushing her chin. “Think, what’s the easiest way to turn the people against their lord right now?”
‘To turn the people…’ Atticus repeated in his mind, and suddenly froze.
“The protesters.”
He vanished before he even finished speaking, appearing above the crowd. Their numbers had grown even larger, and their chants were fiercer.
Atticus spread out his awareness, scanning every inch of the square. He paused at a specific point and instantly turned.
‘The statue.’
There was someone beneath his grand statue. Atticus locked onto the figure, and the next moment, the man appeared before him in a flash of light, frozen in place.
“W-what!? What’s go—” His eyes widened as he saw Atticus. “Y-you!”
The others appeared a heartbeat later.
“You were sent by the Abyss faction, right?” Atticus asked.
The man trembled, looking at each of them before settling on him.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“How very convincing,” Whisker mused.
“Don’t lie. You were about to destroy the statue,” Anorah added.
“That’s because of his tyranny!” the man shouted quickly. “He abducts and eats children! He’s not fit to rule!”
“There’s an easier way to find out,” Atticus said coldly. With a thought, his will left him and enveloped the man. Screams tore out of the man’s throat as he thrashed in pain. A moment later, Atticus turned to the others.
“He’s one of them.”
Their expressions darkened.
Atticus retrieved the device from the man’s hand. A single glance told him what it was.
‘A bomb.’ As expected, he had planned to blow up the statue.
Atticus fixed his eyes on the protesters below.
‘He was trying to kill them.’