Immediately, as Atticus saw the sword about to sever Ember's head, his gaze turned frightening.
Instinctively, he reached out to the only power he knew could help in the situation. It was the very first treasure he gained upon coming into this world, the strongest power currently in his repertoire – his Katana.
His Katana was always in one position, strapped to his left waist. No matter where he was going or what he planned to do, even during mundane activities like taking a bath, his Katana was a constant companion. He never went anywhere without it.
His hand instinctively moved towards the Katana, which gleamed and vibrated with anticipation. Atticus had ignored it for too long!
Throughout his stay in the camp, except for the initial test and some hunts, Atticus had not used it. It couldn't help but throw a tantrum as Atticus's hands touched it. But as if sensing Atticus's mood, it suddenly went dead quiet. His master wasn't playing!
With his perception operating at full power, Atticus increased the intensity to another level. The world, initially moving slowly, seemed to come to an abrupt stop.
The sword that was slowly moving towards Ember's neck paused. Immediately, tiny red veins started appearing in Atticus's eyes, with blood streaming down his cheek like tears.
Atticus felt an unimaginable pain emanating from his head, but he pushed the pain away, his expression not changing one bit.
Ever since Atticus learned his first art, he had never gone full power before. He had never needed to, but this situation changed everything.
He was currently 100 meters away from them, a stark contrast from the usual 20 or 30 he was used to. If he moved at the same pace he had always moved, he would need 1.5 seconds to get there, enough time for Ember's head to be cleanly severed.
He needed to go full power!
With his hands poised on the Katana's hilt, Atticus got into a stance.
Focusing on the entire mana contained in his core, Atticus released a controlled burst in his body, following the predetermined pattern. Each burst sounding like a small explosion in his form, making the ground quake.
Atticus's piercing blue eyes seemed to glow as his snow-white hair turned even whiter, floating suspended in the air.
A red glow suddenly enveloped him, and the ground 5 meters away from him seemed to cave in as if the weight of his presence was palpable.
Atticus's gaze was only on one thing: the man's head. The sword was already inches away from Ember's neck, and he had to sever the connection to his brain immediately.
He didn't care that the man was an Advanced rank individual. He didn't care that he was about to commit murder. He didn't care that this move he was about to make could leave him incapable of fighting for a while.
There was only one thing on his mind: save Ember.
Atticus's voice took on a strange tone as he whispered. It was as if multiple figures were all trying to speak in one body.
"Transcendent... Slash... God... Speed... Grace."
In the blink of an eye, Atticus's form seemed to blur and contort, an ethereal flash of movement that almost defied the laws of nature.
Before anyone could even process what had occurred, Atticus had crossed an astounding 100 meters and appeared behind the man.
The only proof of his actions was a vivid red trail, like a streak of lightning, etched across the space where the man's head was.
As Atticus sheathed his Katana and turned to face them, the world regained its motion, and as the man's sword was about to sever Ember's neck, a surreal disconnect settled over him. It was as if he lost the connection to his brain.
Immediately, the top of his head cleanly separated from his body, carrying half his brain with it.
He fell to the floor, lifeless.
Ember was astonished. What just happened? She immediately turned her head and saw Atticus standing there, blood streaming out of his eyes. It immediately clicked; he had saved her.
'How?' she couldn't help but wonder. The sword had been inches away from her neck, and there was no one close by. The force of Rowan's battle earlier had blown most of the trainees away from the training grounds.
She had already accepted death and couldn't help but be shocked that Atticus was still able to save her.
Atticus swiftly approached Ember. His entire body was arching, an intense headache threatening to pop his brain.
He gritted his teeth, pushing the pain away, and immediately tried to take out a health potion from his space ring. However, he discovered that he couldn't access it.
He shook his head, which was about to start thinking again, and decided to change tactics. He reached Ember, ignoring her intense gaze, and focused on the water element.
He willed the water and shrouded her broken arm. Ember felt a wave of relief wash over her as the water began to heal her arm.
However, Atticus wasn't yet at a level where he could fully heal that kind of injury. He was only able to reset the bone and superficially heal it.
He then stood up and also used the water element to alleviate some of his fatigue. He felt his body regaining some strength. He clenched his hand, 'I can still move, good,' glad that he could still move. He had half expected his body to be wrecked after that move.
Atticus quickly lifted Ember, who muttered a nearly audible "Thanks."
With his hands on her shoulders, Atticus gazed into her eyes and suddenly hugged her, muttering, "Don't ever leave my sight."
Ember was flustered by the unexpected hug, but then a smile graced her lips, and she hugged back, whispering, "Okay."
They separated in time to witness Aurora, Lucas, and Nate approaching.
'How did they make it past the battles?' Atticus pondered. But he immediately shook away useless thoughts from his head and turned his gaze to the body of the man he had just killed, lying on the floor.
He immediately noticed the insignia on his clothes, 'The obsidian order,' he thought. That was their insignia. It featured a black, stylized silhouette of the Zorvans, surrounded by a ring of obsidian.
His gaze moved away from the insignia to the man's headless face. It was then that it dawned on him; he had just killed someone.
His heart seemed to tighten around his chest as those words registered in his head.
But once again, he clenched his hands and pushed the feeling deep down within him. Now wasn't the time.
Atticus immediately pondered his next move. This attack on the camp, the enemies, everything about this situation was currently beyond him.
He couldn't do anything to affect the situation, and he knew it.
Yes, the fact that they attacked the camp was infuriating. Yes the fact that some of the trainees died was remorseful. Yes, he wanted to crush every single one of their heads in a fit of anger.
But did he have the power to do that? No. Did he have the power to obliterate a gigantic mountain with only one punch? No!
There was nothing he could do, and he knew it.
Shoving down the feelings of helplessness and uselessness that threatened to overwhelm him, he decided on his next course of action.
As soon as the trio arrived, Atticus spoke, "We're running away. Our strength is far too little to change anything here. Decide what you want to do; you have 5 seconds before I leave," his words were completely blunt.
Nate's expression immediately changed. Run away? He was a Ravenstein! It was ingrained in his very bones to never cower and always face challenges head-on. But he wanted them to run away? Never!
As he was about to protest, Lucas suddenly gave him a resounding slap on the back of his head, immediately halting Nate's words. He quickly nodded to Atticus, his decision clear; they were coming along.
Ember, too, was about to protest. The people attacking them were the Obsidian Order! The same bastards who killed her father. There was no way she was going to run away.
But she immediately halted in her tracks as she gazed into Atticus's eyes. He was currently giving her a look, a look he had never given her before. She immediately knew she didn't have a choice in the matter.
Ember couldn't help but clench her left hand in frustration.
Atticus knew what was going on in her head, but he didn't care. So what if they were the people who killed her father? What would change if she didn't have the strength to do anything?
She would be simply killed in a matter of seconds. Atticus was sure that that was what happened earlier. She probably saw the insignia and attacked without even attempting to run away.
He wasn't planning on giving her a choice in the matter; even if he had to carry her unconscious body, he would!
He turned his gaze towards Aurora, who immediately nodded. Since he had helped her, she had already decided to follow him, no matter where.
Seeing as everyone agreed, Atticus immediately turned and was about to start moving. But then an overwhelming aura shrouded each of them, locking them in place, as a voice broke through the air.
"You must be Atticus,"