Atticus felt an overwhelming force relentlessly hammering against his will.

His body had reached such a level that ordinary flames could no longer affect him, yet every inch of him felt submerged in molten lava. Still, amidst the unbearable pain, there was clarity.

’The Reverent swallowed me.’

It wasn’t fire burning through his flesh, but primal will. And it wasn’t only attacking his body. It had clawed deep into his mind, trying to corrode his will entirely.

Right now, Atticus felt an uncontrollable rage assaulting him, one that intensified with every passing second. And it didn’t take long before he realized the source of that rage.

Atticus gritted his teeth.

’Solvath...’

It had stirred the Primordial Star. Flashes of Solvath’s betrayal surged through Atticus’ mind, and slowly, he felt control of himself beginning to slip away.

"RELINQUISH YOUR BODY TO ME. RELINQUISH YOUR BODY TO ME."

The booming voice threatened to split his skull apart.

’It’s... too much.’

Atticus continuously fought back against the will, but it was a losing battle. The primal will slowly corroded his own, and it wouldn’t be long before he completely lost himself.

"I... I have to move."

Atticus clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked apart. He tried to move, however, the primal will condensed around him even harder, reducing his movements to a crawl.

Still, Atticus didn’t falter. Even amidst the relentless agony hammering against his mind, he held onto himself.

As he tightened his grip around his katana, he suddenly felt a faint warmth spread from the hilt. The next instant, his consciousness was violently pulled away.

When Atticus opened his eyes again, he found himself standing within the forest of his Sixth Trial. Only this time, every single Atticus clone he had faced that day stood before him, staring silently with indifferent expressions.

None of them spoke. Yet their gazes seemed to say everything.

’They want me to... let go...’

But if he did, would he survive it? Atticus had long sensed the nature of primal will. Unlike other wills, primal will reduced one to their most primal nature. Their base form.

To surrender to it was to stop restraining anything. To stop thinking. To simply act. Every instinct. No filters. Just... act.

In such a state, would he still remain himself?

Atticus exhaled slowly, his gaze turning fierce.

’There’s no choice.’

He shut his eyes, allowing a deafening calm to settle over him. Then... he let go.

The primal will surged into him instantly, rushing toward his will. It engulfed it in an instant, pushing deeper and deeper until... it slammed into an immovable wall.

Solvath.

Boom!

A cold wave suddenly spread across Atticus’ mind. It felt... soothing. Cooling, like rain falling over a raging inferno. As the purple aura washed over it, the overwhelming primal will instantly stilled.

Then, from the depths of the Reverent will, Atticus felt his own will flare to life.

The next moment, it erupted, swallowing the primal will entirely. Flashes of light burst throughout his consciousness as the two wills began merging together. Moments later, they fused completely.

Atticus, who had silently observed everything, suddenly felt his mind expand in a way it never had before. He could feel it. The primal will surrounding him. The one currently binding him.

Even more than that, its entire structure unfolded within his mind like an open canvas.

Instinctively, Atticus focused. A tremor rippled through the primal will, and in the next instant, it unraveled completely, releasing him from its restraints.

Atticus narrowed his gaze as he felt the changes to his body. Beyond that, it felt as though his body had been thrust into overdrive.

His vision had turned crimson while an endless rage surged through his mind. He felt an overwhelming urge to devour. To destroy. To slaughter.

However, unlike before, there was nothing suppressing those urges anymore.

Suddenly, Atticus reached out toward every strand of primal will surrounding him. They churned violently in response, vibrating with terrifying intensity until... they erupted.

Outside, a violent pillar of crimson light burst from the mouth of the Reverent King as its stomach began radiating a blinding glow that intensified with every passing second.

The eyes of the remaining Executioners constricted.

But before they could react, the light reached its peak before erupting outward in a blinding explosion that tore straight through the Reverent King. Blood and gore rained endlessly from the crimson skies.

"Don’t tell me...!"

"No... no, that’s impossible..."

The Nature and Willguard gods stared at the aftermath in sheer disbelief. Even the Spirit god’s eyes had narrowed into slits.

Now hovering in the sky was none other than Atticus Ravenstein.

Only... his appearance had changed slightly. A deep crimson will blazed around him in relentless waves, while his eyes were unnaturally wide open, as though forcibly pried apart.

The air around him vibrated constantly, and the moment his gaze landed on them, an overwhelming bloodlust washed over them, unlike anything they had ever experienced before.

The Willguard felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.

He... he had survived the corruption of primal will... such a thing sounded utterly ludicrous. Yet that was exactly what had happened.

The Willguard stared at Atticus, his shock palpable.

"Ho—"

Squelch!

The Willguard froze.

Once again, he hadn’t sensed anything. But he had heard it. The sound of flesh being pierced.

Ahead of him, Atticus had vanished.

His trembling eyes slowly lowered, only to see Atticus standing directly before him, his fist having pierced clean through his heart.

"Y-you... what the hell are you...?"

Atticus suddenly grabbed the Willguard’s head with his free hand before violently pulling upward. The head tore free instantly, dragging the spine out in a spray of golden blood.

Atticus casually flung both pieces aside like worthless trash.

"Ancestral Beast!" the Spirit god thundered as his form expanded into a gigantic fist that smashed toward Atticus.

At the same time, the Nature god invoked his ultimate art, and countless roots erupted from every direction toward him.

Yet Atticus did nothing.

The attacks slammed into him... only to feel as though they had collided against an impenetrable wall.

The giant fist shattered instantly, bending at grotesque angles, while the roots twisted violently before crumbling apart into fragments.

The Spirit and Nature gods’ eyes constricted violently. Atticus hadn’t even attempted to defend himself, yet their attacks had still collapsed apart.

Their expressions sharpened as they prepared to move again, but Atticus finally spoke.

"Godspeed Grace."

Neither of them saw anything.

One moment, Atticus hovered before them.

The next, he had already appeared behind them.

Neither of them even had time to comprehend what had happened before their world suddenly tilted.