The first figure was none other than the vizier to the sovereign, Niall! Niall's expression currently mirrored exactly what he was feeling: desperation!
He was desperate beyond measure. The bet he made with the sovereign was the only thing constantly playing in his mind.
Today, this battle would be their last, and it would determine whether or not he would become a slave to a teenage human boy.
Niall was desperate. He was frightened!
So much so that he decided to do something he never thought he would ever do—cheat.
'I'll just use a little bit more power,' he thought.
It was disgraceful, something that would make him unable to lift his head proudly ever again. But Niall didn't want to be a slave to Atticus, especially not after he had tried to kill the boy! Who knew for sure how he'd react?
However, just as he was about to call upon more strength, Niall suddenly felt his spine tingle. The feeling of death that Atticus had been experiencing these past weeks hit him like a tidal wave.
Niall felt a gaze staring at him. It was undoubtedly from an incredible distance, but to Niall, it felt as though it was right next to him.
'T-the s-sovereign?'
The sovereign had anticipated what he wanted to do and had sent a warning.
The abrupt change in the battle's pace caused Atticus's gaze to narrow. He could see that Niall was distracted by something but didn't care about the reason.
An opening was an opening.
Atticus's aura surged, and he blasted forward, swinging his katana in an arc toward Niall's neck.
'Shit!' Niall's gaze widened, completely caught off guard. Just as the blade was about to cleave his neck, it was suddenly stopped by some invisible force that wouldn't budge no matter how hard Atticus tried.
"Now, now, you should take it easy. The time is up already. You wouldn't want to kill your newly acquired slave, would you?"
The sovereign descended slowly, landing gently on the ground. A small smile was on his face as he noticed the coldness in Atticus's eyes.
'He has been at death's door constantly these past three weeks, and he didn't hesitate to take the chance when he saw it,' the sovereign thought, feeling an intense wave of goosebumps pass through his body.
Normally, for someone who had constantly been under the threat of death, there would be at least a moment of hesitation if they got a chance to kill the person who had been trying to kill them.
It was the most logical thing to happen. There should be an underlying fear that would have formed toward Niall, who had been trying to kill him, but Atticus displayed no such fear or hesitation. He saw the chance and immediately took it.
'Niall would have died if I hadn't interfered,' the sovereign mused.
If it had been any other weapon, then Niall might have survived. However, 'That katana is special.'
"Sovereign! I can still—" Niall started, but before he could finish, a palpable aura descended on the area, and his figure was abruptly slammed brutally against the ground, a splatter of blood instantly drenching the earth.
"Do you plan on going back on your word?"
The sovereign said succinctly. He didn't release his bloodlust, nor did he unleash any battle intent.
However, the simple fact that a paragon had spoken in a serious tone sent shivers down the spine of Niall and even Atticus, who was standing to the side.
Niall felt sweat drench his entire body, and he immediately kept quiet, bowing even as he lay on the ground.
The sovereign didn't spare him another glance and turned toward Atticus, his expression morphing into a smile.
"Congratulations, you survived and made spectacular gains."
The sovereign's gaze abruptly narrowed, and Atticus instantly felt a chill, darting backward with speed before immediately unsheathing his katana, his guard raised to the extreme.
"Good! Good!" the sovereign said excitedly with a smile. He had just leaked a little killing intent at Atticus and was satisfied that he had been able to react accordingly.
'He even drew his weapon against a paragon. What a kid,' he thought.
Atticus's will had increased to such a level that it was overflowing. He now had an aura around him, one that was impossible to ignore.
"Now we can move to the last aspect of your training: stabilizing your will. Come with me."
Atticus didn't see or even feel the movement. He simply found himself in a dark space with nothingness all around him.
Atticus sheathed his katana and looked around.
The past three weeks of training had shaped his demeanor. Most already knew him to be cold before, but now, he was colder than ice.
He currently had absolutely no expression on his face as he observed his surroundings, his hand tightly gripping his katana hilt.
But he didn't have to wait long; the darkness receded, and the scene changed.
And then, Atticus saw a scene that immediately made his skull go numb.
Avalon stood in the middle of a battlefield, on his knees, with an entirely battered and bloodied body.
A man stood in front of him with a maniacal grin. It was a face that Atticus could never forget, the same bastard who had shot him in the head back on Earth.
It was an extremely odd scene because the man currently had the same gun he had killed him with—pointed straight at Avalon's head.
An ordinary Glock 18 against a grandmaster+ rank? It would be a comical scene to many, something to laugh about.
But currently, there was not a single smile on Atticus's face. Only one thing: absolute horror.
From the depths of his soul, Atticus screamed, "NO!" his legs instinctively moving forward.
However, the man simply turned and flashed Atticus a grin he was all too familiar with. That was the last thing Atticus saw before a loud bang permeated the space.
Atticus's initial running figure slowed, his legs moving forward one by one. His hands were stretched forward, and his eyes were wide open.
His heart was beating in dull booms as he stared at Avalon's lifeless figure on the floor.
A few seconds of utter silence passed before Atticus erupted.
"YOU BASTARD!!!"