Atticus’s Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground - Chapter 1035

Chapter 1035: Done
The forest was no longer a forest.

It had become a scorched wasteland, a hellscape carved by fire and chaos. Ash coated the blackened ground, trees reduced to nothing but charred stumps. Molten cracks split the earth, and the air itself shimmered under the oppressive heat.

And at the center of it all, two monsters clashed.

Draktharion and Viktor. Dragon and Demon.

Both figures were shrouded in blazing infernos, their movements blurs of motion, their roars tearing through the air like thunderclaps.

Each clash sent shockwaves racing across the ruined land. Fire surged from their bodies, waves of heat turning everything in the vicinity to ash.

Their claws were like blades of destruction, ripping, slashing, gouging. Their strikes were beyond violent, they were catastrophic.

However, as the clashes continued, Viktor’s breath soon became heavy. His body was burned and battered, and he was barely holding on.

‘I’m losing…’

The thought rang in his head, bitter yet heavy, like a death sentence. He hadn’t been beaten yet, but he knew it was coming. He could feel it.

And it was that clarity… that creeping certainty… that dulled his primal edge.

Demons thrived in chaos. In madness. In bloodlust. They grew stronger the more they let go of reason. But Viktor’s clarity, which had been born from the current desperation, had weakened him, because it made him lose his chaos.

And that was dangerous.

Especially against a beast like Draktharion.

The dragon had changed. His form had grown larger, broader. His scales shimmered like obsidian steel, his claws longer and sharper, each one capable of rending metal like cloth.

His horns curled further back, jagged and menacing. Even his jaw had begun to elongate, heat leaking from his maw with every breath.

He was still mid-transformation.

And yet his power had already soared beyond anything Viktor had ever faced.

Viktor’s arm was slashed open again, a deep, brutal gash that sprayed blackened blood, as Draktharion’s claw passed him in a blur.

He was sent hurtling into the distance, crashing into a pile of scorched stone.

But he still stood.

Still ran back into the fight.

‘I can’t win,’ Viktor thought again. And as he realized this, his gaze shifted, not toward Draktharion… but toward the orb.

‘But I can still do what I came here for.’

Atticus.

If he couldn’t win, he would at least free the one who could.

Viktor changed his approach, his strikes angled, his movement slanted. He started guiding the battle, step by step, toward the orb that imprisoned Atticus.

But Draktharion noticed instantly.

A low growl rumbled from his throat, his pupils narrowing into thin slits.

“So that’s your goal.”

His wings flared wide, flames erupting from his body like an explosion. And then, he moved.

Faster. Harder. Crueler.

His strikes came in brutal combinations, claws slashing horizontally, tail whiplashing from the side, a wing beating forward with hurricane force, knocking Viktor off his feet.

The moment Viktor tried to rise

BOOM!

A blast of dragonfire engulfed him, sending him skidding across the molten soil again.

Draktharion chased without pause, his movements now resembling a predator hunting prey.

Viktor kept trying to redirect the fight toward the orb, but each time, Draktharion blocked him, countered him, beat him down harder.

Every strategy was unraveled. Every attempt crushed.

Viktor’s stamina was dwindling fast. His body screamed in agony, wounds multiplying by the second. His bones cracked. His lungs burned.

Still… he moved.

Still… he endured.

Still… he fought.

But from a distance, Aurora and Zoey could only watch helplessly.

To them, the battle was just fire and blurs, a combination of chaos too overwhelming to comprehend. The dragon and demon moved far too fast for them.

The shockwaves were so devastating they couldn’t get any closer. Each one felt like it would tear them apart.

Aurora’s fists were clenched so tight that her nails pierced her palms, blood dripping silently.

Behind her, Kael lay on the ground, broken, eyes barely open, but still locked on the battle with unwavering resolve, his battle intent never waning. It was as though he wanted nothing more than to join in.

Aurora’s lips trembled. “Why… why can’t I do anything…”

All her years of training, years of pushing herself hard, of never giving up, had all been to be of help to Atticus. But now that he needed her the most, she was too weak.

She had never felt more worthless in her life.

Beside her, Zoey stood in silence. Her eyes were trembling and yet, they were still sharp and focused.

She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t wallowing. She was thinking.

She was done feeling sorry for herself. After her deep talk with Atticus about her feelings, Zoey’s way of thinking had changed.

No matter the situation, she would never waste time feeling sorry for herself. She would always use that time to think of a solution instead.

‘What can I do?’

She had someone. Someone others didn’t.

Lumindra.

And she called out to her.

‘Lumindra,’ she whispered sharply in her mind.

There was silence.

‘LUMI!’ she shouted again.

Finally, the spirit responded, hesitant and reluctant.

“You’re too weak to do anything, Zoey,” Lumindra said, her voice low. “You can’t even get close to that battle… You’ll be vaporized before you take three steps.”

Zoey shook her head. ‘Maybe I can’t, but you can.’

That silenced the spirit briefly.

‘You’re hiding something,’ Zoey pressed, her thoughts firm. ‘I can feel it. You’re blocking me from reading your thoughts. Don’t pretend I’m wrong.’

Lumindra’s voice came again, but heavier. ‘Even if we fused, Zoey… you’d still be too weak. You don’t understand what you’re asking.’

‘I do.’ Zoey’s eyes sharpened. ‘I know what’s happening here. You’re not telling me the truth because you don’t want me to risk my life.’

Lumindra didn’t answer.

‘And you think you’re protecting me. But you’re not,’ Zoey continued. ‘You’re just being a hypocrite.’

That struck deep.

‘You told me to embrace my feelings. To stop running. To live boldly and let my path unfold. This is where that path has led me. To this moment. To this choice. To this risk.’

Zoey’s emotion surged through Lumindra. ‘You said to be real. To stop doubting myself. But now that I’m doing exactly that, you’re the one holding me back.’