Tiban’s gaze was trembling.

"...You withstood it?"

How was that possible?

Yet Atticus maintained his calm indifference as he slowly raised his palm.

The next moment, his Will condensed into a massive pulsing orb before blasting forward in the same breath.

Tiban’s eyes contracted violently.

"Tch! What do you take me for?"

His Will rippled outward, rapidly forming a dense golden dome around him.

If Atticus could withstand his attack, then naturally he could withstand Atticus’ as well.

Atticus’ attack carried far less environmental destruction than Tiban’s. Yet the moment it collided with the dome, Tiban’s eyes suddenly trembled as his Will began corroding at the point of impact.

"What..."

The dome tore apart the very next instant.

The orb slammed directly into Tiban, sending him hurtling backward as overwhelming pain ravaged his body. By the time he crashed beside Dunot, his body had already been reduced to a pitiful state.

But before the Will could finish him off, another blinding light suddenly erupted from his chest.

A man far older than Tiban appeared before them.

"F-father..."

Tiban stared at the man with shame etched across his face.

Just like him, this man was also a lower Level Five. Only... he stood at the peak of it.

It took the man a brief moment to orient himself. But once he did, he reacted exactly as expected.

He attacked Atticus.

Yet all it took was a single strike.

Before the man could die, another light erupted from his chest, followed by the appearance of yet another aged man.

"F-father..."

Yet this one was defeated in a single attack as well.

Another light.

Another man.

Then another.

Then another.

It soon became clear to Atticus that this lineage ran deep. Each patriarch across every generation had placed some form of mark upon their descendants, one that instantly summoned them the moment death approached.

And the further back the bloodline went, the stronger the summoned patriarch became.

Yet every single one of them fell in a single attack.

With his own Will fused together with Primal Will, Atticus hadn’t merely gained the ability to wield Primal Will.

He had created an entirely new variant of Will. One so powerful that not even Crown Will could withstand it.

Even at the same level... even at a higher level...

His Will was absolute.

Minutes stretched onward as ancestors of the Mosan family fell one after another like flies.

By the time the twentieth ancestor fell, another finally appeared. Yet unlike the others, this one carried an entirely different disposition.

For one, he was stronger than all the rest, standing at peak Level Five.

And also...

Ancestor Borun, who had been deeply immersed in secluded cultivation, appeared amidst the ruins of the city.

He was ancient, his back hunched while his beard stretched to mere inches above the ground. A cane rested calmly within his grip.

As he appeared, there wasn’t even the slightest trace of shock on his face.

Instead, he calmly swept his gaze toward Atticus, taking in the overwhelming pressure radiating from him, along with the ruined remains of the city itself.

Then his eyes shifted toward the pitiful state of his descendants.

Yet despite everything before him, Borun showed no emotional reaction.

Instead, he gave a short nod before asking calmly,

"He did this to you?"

The descendants could barely nod, their expressions filled with humiliation and shame.

Borun gave another curt nod before slowly turning toward Atticus.

Even after defeating every one of his descendants, not a single drop of sweat clung to Atticus’ figure.

Borun suddenly inhaled sharply before bowing a full ninety degrees.

"Senior! I sincerely apologize for my descendants’ stupidity! They must’ve committed some star-defying offense to earn your anger! Compared to you, we’re nothing but dirt beneath your feet! Please, show mercy!"

The defeated descendants looked utterly dumbfounded.

They stared at Borun in complete disbelief.

Just... what was he doing!?

"What are you idiots doing?" Borun suddenly snapped coldly at them. "Get on your knees and apologize to the Senior!"

"B-but—"

"But?"

Borun’s heavy aura crashed down upon every descendant present.

"If you don’t want our entire bloodline wiped out today, then kneel. Now."

The descendants trembled beneath his furious glare. Despite their injuries, every single one of them slowly dropped to their knees.

"P-please... forgive us..."

These were descendants of the great Mosan family, one of the ruling powers of the First Crown.

Yet now, every one of them trembled while bowing before a child.

"...As you can see, Senior, they’re sincerely remorseful," Borun said solemnly. "And they’ve clearly learned their lesson. Pain is the greatest teacher, after all. Please... let this matter end here."

Atticus answered without the slightest hesitation.

"No."

Borun’s expression froze. Slowly, his teeth clenched together.

"...Then what do you want, Senior? The life of the one who offended you?"

He turned toward the descendants.

Each stared at one another in confusion. They had all been summoned here without even knowing what had transpired.

"I-it’s him!"

Dunot pointed directly at his son without the slightest hesitation.

"F-father! No, wai—"

"Shut up!" Dunot barked furiously. "Your stupidity dragged the entire family into this disaster! If someone has to die, then it’ll be you!"

Borun waved a hand, instantly engulfing Elomot within a golden dome before pulling him over.

Though Elomot’s eyes were filled with pleading, Borun’s expression remained completely indifferent as he gripped him by the neck.

"How about it, Senior?" Borun asked. "If it’ll ease your anger, I’ll kill him myself."

"Pl-please don’t—"

"Silence."

Borun sealed his mouth with Will.

A moment passed. Yet Atticus’ expression didn’t change in the slightest.

Borun frowned faintly.

"...Don’t tell me you intend to kill him personally?"

"No."

Borun’s brows furrowed deeper.

"Then... what exactly do you want?"

"Your lives."

Borun’s expression darkened instantly. This... this was exactly what he had been trying to avoid.

From the very moment he appeared, he had already determined that defeating Atticus was impossible.

He himself stood at peak Level Five, yet even he wouldn’t have been capable of defeating all of his descendants so effortlessly. Especially the numerous Level Fives among them.

If Atticus truly wanted their lives... then there was nothing he could do.

After living for millennia... was this truly how their lineage would end?

Borun slowly gritted his teeth.

"...You mean the lives of my family?"

"No."

Borun’s eyes widened faintly. If not their lives... then whose?

Even now, the killing intent pouring from Atticus chilled him to the bone.

"Then whose lives...?" Borun asked slowly.

Suddenly, Atticus’ hand settled upon the hilt of his katana as crimson Will blazed violently around him. His voice, when it came, was subzero.

"Everyone."

Borun’s expression instantly turned ashen. But before he could react, Atticus spoke.

"Godspeed Grace."

The next moment, a crimson streak tore across the entire city.