Atticus's Odyssey: Reincarnated Into A Playground novel Chapter 1138

Centuries ago, when the Zorvans first attacked Eldoralth, the people had been at a complete loss, unsure of how to deal with the threat.

The deep division between the races had stunted Eldoralth's progress, and over the years, their technological advancements had only declined further.

The Zorvan's sudden and brutal attacks pushed the death toll to unimaginable heights. Entire races were brought to the brink of extinction, while others were wiped out completely.

That devastation, however, painfully forced the remaining races into a harsh realization, and, for the first time in history, they banded together to form what would become known as the Alliance.

Ironically, the arrival of the Zorvans also brought an unexpected benefit: exposure to new technology. Combined with the creativity of the planet's brightest minds, Eldoralth's technological advancement soared to heights previously unthinkable.

Invention after invention began to surface, and among them was the one that saved them from total annihilation: the Aegis Shield.

Its creation had not been intentional. Many would even say it was a mistake.

Alliance scientists had been experimenting with a new energy source recently discovered near the planet's core, mana crystals, when they unintentionally produced a weaponized defensive system capable of withstanding the Zorvan threat.

Naturally, the Alliance did what any desperate force would do with a powerful new tool, they overused it. _{ƒгeewebnovёl.com}

They stretched the Aegis Shield to envelop the entire planet, a vast, massive landmass, draining a significant amount of mana crystals from the core.

The crystals were then divided amongst the races, who shared them to power their respective sectors.

But that decision came with consequences.

Asides from the fact that the Zorvans had already established a foothold on Eldoralth because they had opened their portals before the Aegis Shield's deployment, the Alliance discovered another, far more catastrophic consequence of their actions: the mana crystals weren't just energy sources, they were the core of the world itself.

They were part of what breathed mana into the world, constantly replenishing the magic in the air.

Removing the crystals triggered a planetary response.

To replace what had been lost, the world began pulling from the ambient mana in the air, and the first time this happened, the paragons, whose sensitivity to mana was unparalleled, immediately felt it.

The mana across Eldoralth had thinned. Drastically.

And things only got worse.

To maintain the Aegis Shield, the Alliance needed to continually refuel the Aegis Nodes with mana crystals. The more territory covered, the more crystals consumed.

Eventually, they realized that while mana in the air would slowly recover on its own, continued usage without rest would thin it permanently.

This revelation forced the Alliance to make difficult choices.

First, they shrunk the Aegis Shield down, no longer encompassing the entire world. Instead, they concentrated it to protect just their territories.

But even this required mana crystals to maintain.

Thus came the second plan, after countless experiments, they finally determined the safe threshold: the precise amount of mana crystals they could extract that would fuel the shield while still allowing the ambient mana to recover.

Unfortunately, this too came with a flaw.

The shield could only last for a set number of months before requiring a full recharge. But to protect the ambient mana, they couldn't mine new crystals immediately.

They had to wait until the world had replenished what they had used, a process that took 15 full days after the shield shut down.

Those 15 days became known as The Hollow Sun.

During the Hollow Sun, the Aegis Shield would be completely offline, and the Zorvans would strike with full force.

Without the shield, the Alliance would be exposed, and the Zorvans would always target the Aegis Nodes, which were the pillars keeping the defensive network alive.

This was where the true role of the Alliance military came into play.

Scattered across Eldoralth were massive military strongholds, positioned in strategic locations surrounding their protected territories. At the core of each stronghold sat an Aegis Node.

And every time the Hollow Sun came, those strongholds became the first battlegrounds.

During that time, it was imperative, absolutely paramount, that the Alliance military be at its strongest.

That answer sucked the air from the group. The paragons' expressions darkened further.

Youn then stepped forward. "The Hollow Sun begins the day after tomorrow. We have to rally the other races… what we have left."

Jenera turned to him, her face like stone. "Rally? Rally who, Youn?" She swept her gaze across the group. "We have no idea what's waiting for us out there. What if another monster shows up and blows us all to bits?"

Her voice dropped, sharp. "And besides… after what they just saw, do you honestly think the other races would leave the sanctuary of their aegis shields to fight?"

The group fell silent, her words sinking deep. She wasn't wrong. No race would willingly step out into chaos after witnessing the apocalyptic battle between Atticus and the Gardener.

"But they don't have a choice." Oberon chimed in. "If we don't act, the Zorvans will swarm our lands. If they establish themselves on our side of the planet, there'll be no stopping them."

Jenera's voice turned icy. "Then will you leave to inform them?"

Oberon froze. He couldn't say anything.

Jenera's gaze swept the paragons. "Would any of you?"

No one answered. They couldn't meet her gaze. The truth was clear, after what they'd just seen, none of them knew what else might be out there. They were hesitant. Afraid.

Jenera scoffed. Just as she turned to speak again, Oberon suddenly spoke.

"What about the other one… Whisker?" He glanced toward where Whisker had stood earlier. "He had been the one fighting the Gardener. Supposedly, he's even stronger than Atticus."

The paragons' eyes lit up slightly. None of them knew much about Whisker, but if there was even a chance that he could help them…

Their heads snapped toward the spot only to see that it was empty.

Their eyes widened in alarm.

"Where did he go?!"