Atticus conversed with Avalon for a while. During this time, they spoke about various things. It had already been more than a year since they had last seen each other, so catching up on each other's lives was inevitable.
"So, what now?" Atticus suddenly asked after they had laughed and talked about different topics.
"We should get going," Avalon replied, standing up from the fire made chair, but he paused when he saw Atticus's expression. "What?"
"What do you mean, 'we'? I'm here to train, remember?"
"Really? After everything that just happened?"
Avalon was feeling very skeptical about leaving Atticus behind, especially after all that had occurred. He was genuinely worried.
"You don't have to worry, Dad. You've taken care of the problem already. What more could possibly happen?"
"I know, but… I mean, Father would understand, right?" Avalon tried to reason. After everything that had happened, he believed Magnus would understand if Atticus decided to leave the Abyssal Chasm earlier than the scheduled time.
"Do you really think he would?" Atticus asked with a small smile, causing Avalon to sigh heavily. They both knew how strict Magnus was. He wouldn't have said anything if Atticus had run from Alvis and Ronad, but since the problem had already been dealt with, there was no reason for him to leave.
Seeing that there was no convincing Atticus, Avalon controlled the fire and brought Alvis, who was suspended in the air, closer before breaking and severing all his limbs. He kept each of the rings Alvis wore safe.
Afterward, fire enveloped Alvis, and his whole body was seared and scorched. Avalon had to make sure that Alvis was completely restrained and, most importantly, drained. With the amount of damage he had just inflicted, Alvis's entire being would be focused on healing.
Seeing that he was secure, Avalon released his domain. As the veil of crimson lifted, Atticus's eyes landed on a scene of utter devastation. There was nothing left of the settlement, just a large scorched field spanning more than a kilometer.
'I really need to form my domain as fast as possible,' he thought. The power of a domain was immense and profound. There was no greater guarantee of his survival than having a domain by the time the Nexus event started.
"Can I have this artifact?" Atticus gestured to the world they were currently in before attempting to give Avalon cute googly eyes. Needless to say, Avalon was thoroughly frightened.
It simply looked as though Atticus was staring at him intently, planning his demise.
Avalon shuddered. "Yeah, I don't mind that, but it's bound to him. Once we figure out a way to unbind it, I'll give it to you, don't worry."
Atticus stopped trying to look cute and smiled. 'I can't believe that worked,' he thought. He had been so accustomed to maintaining a calm and cold demeanor over the years that he had inadvertently lost his touch. His only weapon against Anastasia had been lost, and he had no idea.
Afterward, Avalon still tried to convince Atticus to come along, but seeing as he refused, Avalon had no choice but to leave without him.
Atticus used the ring he had taken from the earlier hunting team to open a portal before the duo stepped out together.
Avalon's gaze immediately narrowed. He could instantly sense the staggering number of darkness beasts in the caves.
Avalon suddenly stomped his foot, and waves of concentric circles of fire radiated outward, blazing through the caves, engulfing each of the darkness beasts and reducing them to ash.
"Show off," Atticus remarked suddenly.
Avalon's mouth twitched at Atticus's comment. He cleared his throat before saying his final goodbyes and shooting through the caves, leaving Atticus alone.
Atticus sighed deeply, feeling a pang of guilt for lying to Avalon. He knew his father would never have left him behind if he had known there was a beast Paragon in the chasm.
'Considering the unstable nature of that man, anything could happen,' he thought.
Just as Atticus was about to start making his way back, the scene around him suddenly changed, and he found himself standing in a large throne room, a handsome man smiling at him.
…
Meanwhile, Avalon blazed through the caves, reaching the pit where Atticus had first landed. He shot upwards, carrying Alvis, who was wrapped in fire, and soon the bright sun greeted him as he crossed the barrier and reached the surface.
An overwhelming aura immediately descended upon the entire area, engulfing Avalon and Alvis. Then, a man appeared floating in front of them.
"Father," Avalon bowed respectfully upon seeing Magnus.
"Atticus?" Magnus asked immediately.
"He's okay. He stayed behind to finish his training,"
Avalon replied, sensing the pressure in the air ease slightly. He almost wanted to laugh. To think his strict and ever-serious father could be so worried.
"Explain," Magnus commanded.
Avalon quickly recounted the events that had occurred within the chasm to Magnus, including the details that Atticus had explained to him. After a few seconds, he finished narrating the events.
"The same group that killed Ariel and attacked the Raven camp?" Magnus's words were accompanied by a loud rumble of thunder, thick clouds forming all around the entirety of Dusk Town.
Magnus was furious, and the whole of Dusk Town could feel it. Darius and many other members of the Vermore family rushed out of the estate and fixed their gazes on the sky.
'What happened?' Darius's heart clenched with fear. He and many other grandmasters could tell that Magnus was responsible for this. He truly hoped it wasn't what he was thinking.
[Destroy everything that might link us to them,]
Darius silently communicated to his butler, who immediately bowed and left the area.
The person on whom Magnus's gaze was focused trembled uncontrollably. Any thoughts of trying to escape left Alvis's mind, and his earlier beast form reverted back to human.
"Take him back to the estate. Make sure he doesn't escape. Take the Aegis ship with you," Magnus ordered.
Avalon bowed before shooting up into the skies and entering the airship. Magnus wanted to be cautious. They might be in their sector, but anything could happen. The last thing they wanted was for Avalon to be ambushed.
The Aegis airship was made for war; it could withstand the bombardment of multiple grandmasters at once.
After Avalon left with the airship, Magnus turned towards the chasm, his anger subsiding. The clouds surrounding the town dispersed, and the rumbling thunder quieted. After a few seconds, a smile appeared on his face as he recalled everything Avalon had told him.
'He cut the arm of a grandmaster+?' Magnus chuckled.
…
"You were beyond amazing. It was even more entertaining than I expected!" The Sovereign praised with a wide grin.
Niall stood silently on one side of the hall, his expression filled with reluctance.
"Can I ask you one question?" Atticus inquired.
"Of course. What's on your mind?" the Sovereign responded.
"It was you, wasn't it? You allowed my father to enter the Abyssal Chasm."
Atticus hadn't thought about it before. In fact, it only occurred to him when he saw Avalon massacre the darkness beasts in the caves. As soon as it dawned on him, Atticus felt like giving himself a punch.
He had truly made a blunder. What if Avalon hadn't been able to teleport to his location? He would have died.
Atticus had assumed that because he was inside another world, it shouldn't affect teleportation, but considering the fact that Avalon was allowed to leave the artifact world, it became clear that something else was going on.
The Sovereign smiled. "That's right, I did that."
Atticus nodded and said nothing more.
"You're not going to ask why?" the Sovereign asked, intrigued.
Atticus shook his head. The reason was obvious.
The Sovereign chuckled. "I just keep liking you more and more. Let's move straight to business, shall we? Niall, step forward."
Niall flinched but hesitated only briefly before approaching and bowing before the Sovereign.
"You see, Atticus, during your training with Niall, the both of us made a bet. If he couldn't kill you, he would become your slave. Obviously, he lost that bet, and now, it's time to collect. Do you accept him?"
Niall turned towards Atticus, hoping the boy would refuse. However,
"Yes," Atticus didn't hesitate. Why would he refuse a grandmaster+ slave? It didn't matter if he was a beast or not.
"But only if he signs a mana contract."
The Sovereign nodded before stretching out his arm, and a golden folded paper appeared, floating towards Atticus.
Atticus used his blood to inscribe the same contract he had used for Yotad and Dario, then handed it to Niall to sign.
Niall turned towards the Sovereign but received only a cold look in return. Seeing no other choice, he signed the mana contract and felt himself bound to Atticus.
"So what now?" Atticus asked.
"Now, you do whatever you like. Remember, I'll always be watching," the Sovereign replied.
Atticus shuddered. That sounded creepy on so many levels.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh yeah, what's your name?" Atticus asked.
The Sovereign smiled widely before bursting into laughter. "I'll tell you before you leave the chasm."
Atticus nodded. "Let's go."
He turned and left the hall, along with his newly acquired slave.
Instead of returning to his underground cave, Atticus found a quiet spot in the middle of the forest and sat down cross-legged.
"Get me food and keep an eye out. Don't let anything interrupt my training," he instructed Niall.