Free Web NovelChapter 1734: Larger Ant
"Manifest: Devouring Eden."
A pillar of light shot from the Nature King and pierced the sky, unfurling into a blanket that swallowed the heavens.
Atticus and Whisker’s expressions darkened. The potency of Nature Will contained within it was unimaginable. There was no doubt about the strength of this attack.
"Fall."
The blanket crashed into the earth like a seismic storm. A flood of Will slammed into them, sending them hurtling backward. Atticus forced his weight down, carving a deep trench in his wake as he brought himself to a stop.
’What was that?’
He stared ahead. The world was changing.
Flowers bloomed from thin air. Mountains split open, spilling endless rivers and twisting vines. Trees surged from the ground, blankets of dense brush swallowing the ruined land. Twisting sinew formed midair, followed by bones before reshaping into different creatures. Massive beasts walked the land while others dominated the skies, their screeches and roars echoing endlessly.
But that wasn’t what dominated his attention.
’My Will.’
Atticus’ expression darkened as he focused on it. The world was now so saturated with Nature Will that it had begun imposing itself upon his own. Countless flowers bloomed across his Will before turning to dust and carrying pieces of it away.
Atticus narrowed his eyes and his Will blazed. But, his expression only darkened further. No matter how potent he made it, more flowers continued to bloom.
’It’s adapting.’
The realization filled him with coldness. The Nature King had deployed the earlier art for precisely this reason. His Nature Will had adapted to Atticus’, and now this manifestation, one that clearly turned everything it touched into nature, had no trouble affecting it.
Atticus had always thought Nature Will represented plants, beasts, and all that. But only now did he truly understand.
It was evolution.
’What about Whisker?’
Atticus turned toward him, then paused. Though the man wore a grim expression, he was otherwise fine. Atticus couldn’t see a single flower blooming on him.
’I see...’
True Will of Freedom. Such a Will could not be bound by anything. As Nature Will attempted to adapt to it, it too would evolve, seeking freedom from the very thing trying to define it.
Regardless, from the sweat gathering along Whisker’s brow, it was clear it took everything he had just to endure the endless clash.
"Hm."
The Nature King’s booming voice echoed across the world.
Atticus looked up.
He hovered in the sky, weightless and untouched, as though the world itself existed beneath him. Endless land and flying beasts surrounded him, each glaring at them with predatory eyes. The Nature Will around him was so dense it resembled a vast ocean suspended in the air.
Pride and amusement lingered on his face as he regarded them both.
"I’m getting tired of this little play," he said. "It’s time to end it. Go."
The terrain trembled as the beasts poured forward.
Atticus turned and met Whisker’s eyes.
"Whisker..."
"...Yeah?"
"If I give you an opening, can you finish it?"
Whisker stared at him for a moment, then laughed.
"My star actor... you worry too much."
He grinned.
"Just make the opening."
Atticus nodded. He turned and faced the advancing horde, clothes and hair billowing behind him. The world seemed to slow as he walked.
One step. Flowers bloomed beneath him.
Another. Nothing grew.
Another. The ground blackened and cracked.
Another. Every flower blooming around him instantly turned to ash.
"Manifest."
Golden and white light pierced the sky, condensing into a dense shield around Atticus. Slowly, the white spread, overwhelming the gold.
The next step he took unleashed a scorching wave that swept across the land, reducing every vine and tree in its path to ash.
Atticus gripped his katana and lowered himself into a stance. One moment, he stood still as the raging and howling beasts closed in.
Then he was gone.
Countless blazing lines carved through the horde before the beasts disintegrated into ash. Atticus flashed before the Nature King, his katana already slashing toward him.
The Nature King’s gaze sharpened.
The sword whisked past him as he blurred aside. He waved a hand and an overwhelming surge of Nature Will came crashing toward Atticus from every direction.
Atticus’ Will detonated, momentarily blasting the incoming force apart.
He twisted and slashed toward the Nature King.
Green light flashed through the Nature King’s eyes as the ground split open beneath them, unleashing a sea of roots that speared toward Atticus.
Atticus didn’t stop his attack. His Will surged downward, reducing the vines to ash as his katana reached its target.
Nature Will rushed outward to form a shield, but the blade tore straight through it, carving a horizontal slash across the Nature King’s chest.
"Tch." The Nature King glanced at the wound before looking back at Atticus. "Must you insist on making this tedious?"
They vanished from the skies, clashing across the battlefield in rapid flashes. Trees, beasts, and entire sections of terrain exploded apart in their wake.
The Nature King was a phantom. He vanished and reappeared endlessly, unleashing swarms of beasts and oceans of roots while evading every swing of the katana.
Atticus was a white reaper. Every root and beast that approached him was cut down in an instant. Time and time again, he appeared before the Nature King, unleashing relentless attacks.
However, as the battle dragged on, the Nature King’s words proved true.
’It adapted again.’
Atticus’ expression darkened as he noticed the change. His speed was slowing. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Nature Will had evolved once more to counter his manifestation. Flowers had begun blooming across them, steadily draining them away.
’But...’
If that was all Atticus had, he would be disappointed. Atticus appeared high in the sky, his voice rolling across the battlefield like thunder.
"Katana Series: Sixth Art: Absolute Domain."
A purple light erupted around him, spreading into countless cloaks that wrapped around his body like a second skin.
For the first time, genuine shock crossed the Nature King’s face.
"Solvath..."
Silence descended for a brief moment. Then...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A streak of green tore backward through the battlefield. The Nature King’s expression darkened as he shot through the air. He had lost that exchange.
Atticus flashed before him, his blade already descending. His speed, his strength... both had risen dramatically. The Nature King narrowed his eyes and immediately saw why.
Multiple Wills had wrapped themselves around Atticus, layering over one another and boosting him by an absurd amount.
Still, the Nature King’s haughtiness only deepened.
"Remarkable." He said. "You’ve managed to become a slightly larger ant."
The katana struck empty air as he vanished, appearing above Atticus with a spinning kick tearing toward his head.
The purple glow within Atticus’ eyes flickered.
He shifted aside and twisted, narrowly avoiding the kick as his own leg swept toward the Nature King’s torso. The Nature King barely managed to cross his arms before the strike landed, sending him hurtling backward.
"Endless Blade."
Atticus shot forward in pursuit, unleashing a storm of slashes. They seemed to swallow the sky. Each blade of light blazed as it descended from every direction.
The Nature King’s Will churned violently before surging upward, colliding with the attacks and devouring them whole.
He swept an arm outward and a trident formed from twisted roots snapped into his grip. Nature Will coiled around it in dense layers as he vanished once more.
Atticus brought his katana down and met the thrust head-on.
Boom!
A flash of white on one side. Blazing green on the other. The resulting collision flattened the surrounding terrain and sent cracks racing out.
Yet they were already gone.
Again and again they met across the forest, clashing relentlessly. The Nature King appeared to be getting pushed back, yet the cold arrogance on his face never wavered.
Meanwhile, Atticus’ expression grew increasingly grim. The reason soon became apparent. The moment he switched to another Will, flowers began blooming across it.
His gaze sharpened.
Though he changed Wills repeatedly, Nature Will seemed to have begun adapting to every one of them.
’I have to end this now.’
His eyes settled on the Nature King, who wore a faint smile. Then Atticus exhaled, and without warning, he stopped attacking.
The Nature King hovered several meters away, his smile widening.
"What is it?" he asked. "Have you finally learned your worth?"
Atticus remained silent. His expression held a level of focus that made it seem as though nothing in the world could distract him.
"Still Blade."
