Chapter 920 Foolproof


    The forest was engulfed in an oppressive silence. The air buzzed with tension as a pir of light shot into the heavens, its radiance blinding and all-consuming.


    Grand Elder Yorowin''s crimson gaze gleamed with anticipation as he fixated on the light. With a slight shift of his focus, Candence and the other Resonara, still immobilized, were suddenly yanked into the air, hovering behind Yorowin like marites, unable to move.


    Their gazes trembled as they stared at the towering pir of light, its intensity growing with every passing second.


    ''Don''t tell me…'' Candence''s thoughts spiraled. His assumptions wed at his mind, forcing him to confront the possibility. He had been wondering where Atticus had disappeared to. The scouts apanying him had reported seeing him move deeper into the forest.


    But what if… what if the reason they had been spared was because of Atticus?


    The light reached its peak, blindingly bright, before beginning to dim. Slowly, it vanished, leaving only the sun above to illuminate the blood-soaked forest.


    A wave of emotions rippled through everyone present.


    Candence''s gaze trembled. ''I was right,'' he realized. His assumption had been correct. They had been kept alive because of Atticus.


    And that could only mean one thing: the paragon intended to use them as leverage. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The blood shadows shifted, their gazes sharpening as an intense bloodlust seeped from their forms. Sharp fangs sprouted from their mouths as they readied themselves for confrontation. Perched high in the trees and scattered across the forest floor, they surrounded the figure who had emerged from the light.


    Among them, only Yorowin''s gaze narrowed as he studied the figure.


    ''He''s changed.''


    As a natural-born predator, Yorowin could sense even the slightest shifts in his prey. He had glimpsed Atticus briefly before he entered the spire, and the difference now was unmistakable.


    ''Something happened. I can''t sense his energy…''


    The figure stood calmly, unshaken, his mere presence halting the world around him.


    His white hair had grown longer, faintly glowing as it flowed behind him like something alive. He was taller now, towering at seven feet, his muscr framepact yet radiating an overwhelming sense of restrained power, like a storm biding its time before unleashing its fury.


    The air around him was eerily peaceful. Despite the oppressive aura of his presence, there was no energy radiating from him, not a single trace.


    The air around him was eerily peaceful. Despite the oppressive aura of his presence, there was no energy radiating from him, not a single trace.


    His mismatched eyes, one glowing faintly with an icy blue hue and the other a menacing, deep purple, scanned the blood shadows with calm indifference before locking onto Yorowin, who hovered high above.


    Yorowin hesitated, suppressing the unease rising in his chest. He had made a miscalction earlier by underestimating the situation, but now things were different. Now, he was here.


    Whatever had changed, this 17-year-old boy could not match a paragon, especially one from a superior race.


    "Apex Atticus Ravenstein,"


    Yorowin addressed him, his hands sped tightly behind his back. His voice was calm, carrying an air of dominance that seemed to permeate the entire forest.


    Seconds passed, and there was no response, only silence.


    Yorowin tilted his head slightly, one eyebrow raised. Instead of annoyance, he felt amused by the tant disregard.


    To him, Atticus''s silence didn''t matter. What mattered was achieving his goal.


    sping his hands tighter behind his back, Yorowin continued, his voice steady and cold.


    "You humans have encroached upon Vampyrosnds, spilled the blood of my people, and dared to disrupt our order. This is uneptable and will not go unanswered."


    His words sounded so absurd that Candence and the other humans couldn''t help but grit their teeth. The Vampyros had been killing humans for months, ughtering them in droves, and now they had the audacity to im they were the victims?


    Anger boiled in their hearts, but there was nothing they could do. Only those in power dictated the rules.


    Instead, their focus shifted to worry. Atticus was powerful, without a doubt, but against a paragon? None of them could imagine him winning such a fight.


    The one to whom the words were directed, however, didn''t move or speak. Atticus stood motionless, his glowing eyes locked on Yorowin with an unsettling calm.


    Yorowin''s patience began to thin, a frown appearing on his face.


    "You have two choices: surrender or perish."


    The words hung in the air like a death sentence. The blood shadows surrounding Yorowin stood still, their lethal intent rising, poised to strike at their paragon''smand.


    The humans, held hostage behind Yorowin, remained frozen and immobilized. Every eye was on Atticus, waiting, wondering what he would do.


    And then, Atticus moved.


    It wasn''t a step or a leap, it was as if he simply vanished into thin air. The space where he had stood shimmered faintly, now empty.


    Yorowin''s expression faltered, his gaze narrowing into sharp pinpricks.


    ''That movement…''


    It was fast. Too fast. It wasn''t the speed of a master, nor even a grandmaster.


    It was paragon fast.


    Faster than anything he would have anticipated.


    The blood shadows were caughtpletely off guard, unable to react as Atticus reappeared in the distance. He stood tall, unruffled, his calm gaze meeting Yorowin''s from afar.


    ''What is this?''


    Yorowin''s amusement evaporated, reced by a dangerous gleam in his eyes.


    With a flicker of motion, he brought Candence and the other immobilized humans with him, appearing high above Atticus once more.


    "Enough with the games," Yorowin said coldly, his voice dripping with venom. "Surrender, or I kill every single human behind me."


    Yorowin''s reasoning was simple: the alliance use between the races forbade paragons from initiating direct attacks on the apex of another race unless provoked physically.


    That was why he was taking this approach. He needed leverage, a way to capture Atticus and extract every piece of information he could about the spire.


    It was a foolproof n. Or so he thought.


    The silence stretched, tense and suffocating, until Atticus finally spoke. His voice was calm, steady, and chillingly deliberate, each wordnding like an irrefutable truth.


    "You are currently encroaching on the human domain. You have spilled the blood of my people and disrupted our order. This is uneptable and will not go unanswered. You have two choices…"


    Yorowin''s gaze flickered, and Atticus tilted his head slightly, his glowing eyes narrowing as an overwhelming aura descended upon the forest.


    His katana trembled as he continued.


    "…Surrender… or perish."