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As Atticus took a step forward,
"Atticus!" Hella called out, intending to stop the situation, but Atticus simply gave her a chilling look, one that froze her in her track.
'I'm an intermediate rank, why am i scared!' She was shocked at the aura Atticus was emanating, meeting his gaze was like being bathed in ice cold water.
Atticus kept walking toward Helodor whose momentum was stopped by a huge tree.
Helodor seemed to be in a daze, not haven't gotten himself together. His chin was shattered, his form battered and broken, every attempt at getting up seemed futile.
His eyes opened to behold the one he considered the source of his pain,
"Sta-aweee" Helodor's attempts to speak were incoherent, his words unintelligible.
Atticus's cold, unfeeling expression remained unchanged as he methodically closed the distance.
Step by deliberate step.
Helodor's heart pounded with terror at each advancing footfall. Regret flooded his thoughts, 'Why did I mess with him,' tears streaming out of his eyes,
Desperation shone in Helodor's eyes, his tears mixing with his pain "I'm soo-wreee" he managed to utter as Atticus finally reached him. Helodor's pleas were met with a chilling silence, Atticus's face offering no solace.
Slowly, Atticus raised his leg, each passing second stretching into what felt like eternity for Helodor.
And then, in a swift and sickening crunch, Atticus brought his leg down, breaking Helodor's right leg.
A gut-wrenching scream echoed through the forest, a manifestation of the agony Helodor was enduring.
Nate, Sophie, and Hella watched in shock and horror, their eyes wide and their bodies subtly trembling as they witnessed Atticus inflict excruciating pain by breaking each of Helodor's limbs.
The Atticus they had known for the past month was someone who had always appeared composed, amiable, and approachable. He had a straightforward demeanor, treating others based on how they treated him.
During their limited interactions, they had seen both his friendly and more distant sides, depending on the situations. However, they had never witnessed the depths of his wrath, nor the extent of his capacity for cruelty.
The rumors they had heard about Atticus's anger in the cafeteria were only vague whispers to them, nothing concrete. Thus, this was their first exposure to the terrifying aspect of his character, a side they could never have anticipated.
Seeing him calmly and deliberately inflict pain on Helodor was a jarring experience for them, shattering their perception of him and replacing it with an unsettling reality.
Nate's relief was palpable, 'Thank goodness I turned back' gratitude sweeping over him for having made the decision to turn back when he did.
Hella's feelings were different. Although she had always seemed bossy, this was how she had been raised. Her parents held a decently high position in the Ravenstein family, controlling one of the major branches of the Raven Vanguard.
She had been trained and taught from a young age to always be responsible, and that's just how she was.
She believed, as the captain of the squad, that her teammates' lives were in her hands, which was why she was always so serious.
Hella had trained day and night to attain her current strength. Although many said she was talented, she believed it was her hard work that had gotten her this far.
She was already prepared to stop Atticus when she saw him approaching Helodor, but she was astonished when she couldn't even follow his movements.
'How can he be so strong?' she thought, clenching her hands. 'I guess talent really does matter, huh.'
The forest echoed only with the anguished cries of Helodor as Atticus methodically carried out his actions.
Atticus was meticulous, well aware of the artifact's ability to generate a shield when it sensed a life-threatening situation. This knowledge guided his approach; he selectively broke bones that wouldn't pose such a danger, with his heightened perception, it was child's play.
With each punch, Atticus delivered a fierce blow, some landing on Helodor's already shattered limbs, and others striking his face. Minutes felt like an eternity for Helodor, the pain and torment seemingly unending.
Eventually, Atticus ceased his assault. He rose to his feet, his gaze shifting to the squad, a look that caused them to involuntarily flinch. Raising his hands, he extracted the spider carcasses from his storage ring. "I'll be expecting my points," he declared. Then, without further ado, he turned and walked away.
As Atticus left, a collective exhalation seemed to release the tension that had enveloped the squad.
"Nate, carry him and let's go back," Hella took charge immediately, already having composed herself. She stepped forward and began to store the carcasses in her storage ring.
It wasn't surprising to her that Atticus had managed to defeat the beasts alone. With the power he showed, it was expected.
Nate listened and quickly picked up the completely battered body of Helodor.
Sophie remained utterly stunned by what she had just witnessed.
'He was even stronger than I imagined!' While she had initially believed he was strong, she hadn't anticipated him still concealing his true strength. 'He was kind of hot,' she thought, a faint smile playing on her lips as her cheeks flushed a light shade of red.
She followed Hella and Nate back to the camp, thoughts racing through her mind.
Getting to the camp, Nate carried Helodor to the infirmary while Hella and Sophie headed straight to the beast division.
They turned in the carcass and got a notification about their points. Then they left silently, each with different thoughts in their head
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