Upon hearing Atticus's cold words, Astrion and Vorlock reacted differently, their expressions shifting accordingly.
Vorlock's initial look of confusion gradually transformed into an unsettling grin, and he couldn't help but chuckle, a raspy sound escaping his lips.
He found it almost absurd that a mere 10 year old would dare to threaten him. "A 10 year old brat is threatening me?" he mumbled, shaking his head as if in disbelief. The audacity of this child was something he couldn't quite wrap his head around.
On the other hand, Astrion's response was entirely different. Atticus's words had a sobering effect on him, and his face immediately contorted into a frown. Dead? Him?
He had been an orphan for as long as he could remember, but he had never cared. Who needed parents when you had power? He had been known as a genius since childhood. He awakened an extremely rare bloodline and reached the expert rank at a record time. His bloodline was so powerful that he had no equals in the same rank.
Now a mere pup who had gained a little boost in power dared to threaten him?
Astrion's aura immediately surged and space itself seemed to coil around him, a display of his remarkable control over the space element.
Vorlock, initially crackling with confidence, gulped when he saw Astrion's reaction. 'Fuck! He's angry!' he thought.
Everyone in the Obsidian Order branch in Sector 3 knew never to mess with Astrion. Anyone who had gotten him angry in the past had not lived to tell the tale. Vorlock couldn't help but subtly float to the side, away from the furious Astrion. He wanted to avoid the aftermath of his wrath!
Meanwhile, the one who had caused Astrion to be furious, Atticus, had already turned his gaze away from the two men. He had already passed judgment, and he would make sure to follow through.
He turned his gaze toward Aurora and Ember, who were floating suspended in the air, which he was manipulating.
Suddenly, with a thought, water enveloped both of them. He also turned his gaze to the other trainees sprawled on the floor and, with a thought, water enveloped each and every one of them, starting to heal them at a visible speed.
The sudden energy empowering Atticus had boosted his elemental bloodline abilities to unimaginable heights. Atticus could feel that he could control the four elements without the need for contact within a 100 meter radius with just a thought. The energy also increased the potency of his bloodline.
Gazing at Ember and Aurora's battered forms, Atticus couldn't help but wonder how it had taken him so long. Cedric had told him it would've only taken a few seconds. 'Then what happened?' he pondered.
He came out of his thoughts as he saw Aurora and Ember opening their eyes. They both immediately smiled upon seeing him. Although he looked different than usual, there was no way they would mistake him; it was Atticus.
Atticus let out a sigh of relief upon seeing them okay. "It's fine, I'll handle the rest now," he reassured them, his voice turning soft.
Ember and Aurora smiled and nodded. If he said he'd take care of it, then he would take care of it. They both trusted him that much.
Atticus then manipulated the earth underneath them to form a bed and rested them on it.
Astrion's anger was palpable. Was he just ignored? By a child?
The space around him seemed to crackle even more as his aura rose even higher.
"Vorlock, kill him," he commanded immediately. Despite seething at Atticus's disregard, it didn't change the fact that he felt it was beneath him to attack a child.
Vorlock let out a quiet sigh, thinking, 'Why go through all of that if you weren't going to attack in the first place?'
And he turned his gaze downwards at Atticus and focused. Immediately, a purple glow formed on his staff; it swirled and expanded, and he muttered, "Death orb."
At fast speed, it shot and cut through the air towards Atticus, who was still facing Ember and Aurora.
As the purple orb got within 5 meters, suddenly an incalculable number of azure streaks filled the air, each streak slicing through the orb like a thousand razor-sharp blades, the orb was cut into countless pieces, its flames extinguished.
Astrion and Vorlock's expressions froze. That strike… it was fast, too fast.
That level of strength wasn't something a child should be able to display. What happened? How did he get so powerful?
Atticus didn't even move, he was still facing Ember and Aurora, as if a flaming orb hadn't just threatened to burn him to a crisp.
Earlier, when he had scanned the area, he saw that about 10% of the trainees died, with some barely alive. If he had taken even a second more to wake up, Ember and Aurora could have been amongst them.
His heart couldn't help but constrict thinking about how close he was to losing them.
'Didn't Cedric say it would've just been a few seconds? What happened?' Atticus pondered.
Cedric had assured him that spending 6 months inside the life weapon's realm would only be a few seconds in real life. But seeing everything that had happened, it was obvious that more than just a few seconds had passed.
Atticus cleared his head of unnecessary thoughts. 'It doesn't matter.'
Atticus turned to face the duo, his once soft eyes now emanating a bone chilling, icy glare.
Cedric wasn't to blame; he had already helped him a lot. The ones at fault were the ones he was currently looking at. They were the ones that would feel his wrath.
Atticus didn't say a word to them. There was no need to. He had already told them their fates, and that was all they would get.
The cerulean aura surrounding Atticus intensified, taking on an infernal hue, while his piercing blue eyes blazed with an intensity that could sear the soul.
Atticus placed his hands on his katana's hilt and spoke, his words a judgment.