Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground

A fleet of warships burst down through the clouds, and as Jenera laid her eyes on them, they widened.

'The north!'

The two words thundered in Jenera's mind.

Everything had been a diversion! The warships that gathered to form one colossal vessel… the attempt to get close enough to the shield… all of it.

The shield eater must have escaped into the clouds as the formation was forming!

Jenera wasted not a single second as her voice boomed across the control room. "It's a diversion! They're at the north!"

The expressions of Oberon and many of the operators shifted violently. Their eyes darted towards the screen, and in the next instant, their hearts sank.

As the news reached the other paragons, they felt nothing but dread.

An abyssal black glow ignited on the hull of the aegis shield eater as it prepared to fire on the exposed northern flank.

The operators watched the scene unfold in horror. If the aegis shield fell, it would be nothing but carnage.

The abyssal dark glow intensified, and just when it seemed like all was lost, a calm voice cut through the tension.

"Leave it to us."

Eyes flickered, then instantly locked onto two warships tearing through the air toward the north. And in the next instant, many of their gazes lit up.

With everything occurring, they had almost forgotten about the free group.

It had been Jenera's idea, and as the army leader, no one had objected. Aside from the numbered groups positioned around the domain, she had set aside paragons for emergencies. Their purpose: to cover lapses in defense or reinforce another group if anything happened.

And for this, she had chosen two paragons. Jenera's eyes locked on the two trails on the screen, one like a streak of lightning, the other, searing fire.

Magnus and Avalon.

"I'll distract the others. Handle the shield eater," Magnus's thick, calm voice came.

"Okay, Dad!"

As Avalon responded, Magnus's warship exploded forward in a streak of lightning that tore through the skies.

His thoughts moved, and in the next instant, multiple beams exploded from his warship, passing through holes in the aegis shield and hurtling toward the Zorvan warships encircling the shield eater.

Their hulls lit up in response, unleashing beams of their own. The attacks collided mid-air in a chain of explosions that turned the sky scarlet.

But the moment had barely passed before Magnus's voice rumbled again.

"I am lightning."

His solid form manning the warship dispersed, leaving in its place a lightning construct that continued to operate the ship, firing attacks nonstop toward the Zorvan fleet.

A streak of lightning phased through a hole in the aegis shield before dispersing into the air, and in the next instant, thunder rumbled above the skies of the Zorvan fleet. Clouds gathered, and then, lightning struck.

An army of bolts tore down from the skies, striking the Zorvan fleet in a blinding explosion of light. Many warships detonated, covering the scene in thick haze.

But the smoke had barely settled before an abyssal black beam tore through it, screaming toward the aegis shield at air-splitting speed.

The operators' eyes shot open as their hearts thundered in their chests.

But before panic could fully set in, the sound of air tearing reached their ears, followed by a blazing comet screaming toward the incoming beam.

They collided mid-air, unleashing a massive explosion of crimson and abyssal black light.

"Yeah!"

The operators instantly burst into cheers. Many stood up from their seats, shouting excitedly toward the screen.

'Yes!'

Jenera's body burned with nothing but relief. And as the word reached the paragons, they finally released the breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.

"Good job."

Avalon grinned at Magnus's praise. He too had emerged from the aegis shield to directly face the threat.

"Thanks, Dad."

Just as he was about to say more, multiple streaks of light burst out from the remaining Zorvan warships, racing toward them.

Zorvan Colonels!

Avalon and Magnus glanced at each other, then turned toward the shield eater in the distance, still protected by a gleaming barrier. Magnus had also targeted it earlier with his lightning, but the shield had held.

Destroying that weapon would end most of their problems, for now. But unfortunately, they couldn't.

"Let's go."

At Magnus's words, the two shot back toward the domain, entering through holes in the aegis shield that closed up immediately behind them.

The streaks of light that had been approaching them came to an abrupt stop, revealing Zorvan Colonels. They stared coldly at the father and son for a few seconds… then turned back, heading towards their warships.

As the cheers of the operators continued nonstop, Jenera turned her serious gaze toward Oberon.

"How is he?"

Oberon didn't need to guess who she was referring to. He had just returned from speaking with him.

"He's… recovering. But I told him everything that's happened so far," Oberon responded.

"How did he take it?" Jenera asked.

"Like he takes anything you throw at him. Calmly. Honestly, I doubt I could make that boy panic even if I told him the world was ending and there's nothing we could do about it."

Even Jenera couldn't refute that. In the short time she had spent with Atticus, she had observed things about him that completely baffled her. To her, Atticus seemed like he was living in a different world than the rest of them.

Jenera nodded. "How long does he need to recover? We're almost at our limits. We need him now more than ever."

"He didn't say, and I didn't ask," Oberon replied. "But when he's ready… he'll come. I suggest we don't try to pester or rush him."

Jenera frowned. That wasn't enough for her.

"We have days left until the aegis shield crumbles, and that number resets to zero every 27 hours when the shield eater recharges. We need a timeframe so we can plan better."

Oberon fell silent.

He had spent more time with Atticus than Jenera and knew him better. The reason Oberon hadn't pressed him for answers was simple, Atticus was definitely already planning. That boy's mind never rested. He worked better alone. That was just how he operated.

But Jenera didn't know that.

After a moment, Oberon spoke again.

"It's too late to ask now. He told me he didn't want to be disturbed… said he wanted to train," Oberon lied, his face unreadable.

Jenera's frown deepened, but she didn't say anything further. If their greatest weapon requested not to be disturbed, they had no choice.

She turned back to the screen, barking orders to reform the defensive lines.

Although the shield eater had a cooldown of 27 hours, none of them could afford to relax.

They assumed the Zorvans had only one shield eater, and while that had held true for over a month now, the fear that another might appear kept them from even a second of rest.

The paragons returned to their positions, their alert gazes locked on the Zorvan fleet surrounding the domain.