Chapter 1060 Cruel

Dorian lost consciousness after expressing his sympathy for Arthur. Watching the man, whose hair had turned white, Arthur remained silent. His breathing grew deeper as he seemed to enter a sort of mental shutdown.

Arthur deeply regretted allowing Dorian to experience his wrath, even for a mere tenth of a second. It was evident that it was something no human could bear. This left Arthur wondering why he, of all people, could endure it.

Though he had previously attributed this unusual resilience to the side effect of his creation powers, apathy, he could no longer deny the truth. Arthur began to suspect that he was not a human but something entirely different.

Having encountered countless races within the tower, Arthur didn"t feel alienated by the idea of being non-human. In fact, it relieved him of the burden of being an outcast from human society.

The battle had come to an end, and the victor was clear. Arthur turned his attention to the remaining warriors from Xeloria, their minds forever scarred by the memory. He reminded himself that he wasn"t a hero to these people.

After a few minutes, someone approached from behind. Arthur didn"t need to turn his head to recognize the newcomer. Sir Jonathan sat beside him and glanced at the unconscious Dorian.

"It was a tough battle," the knight muttered as he removed his armor and discarded it, revealing a long gash, likely inflicted by Skyline before her defeat. "Without your weakening of their army and general, we would have lost."

"You"ve won, but at what cost?" Arthur asked, gazing at the surviving troops. "Of the original thousand troops we started with, only a hundred remain. The rest will revive back in Xeloria, weakened and shattered. Have you died before, Jon?"

"Once, when I was still new to this tower."

"What was it like?"

"It felt like rebirth, but something was lost along the way," Jonathan said as he pulled back his long hair and tied it. "I had this nagging feeling that I"d forgotten something. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn"t remember what it was. Then, I found records of my journey."

"What kind of records?"

"Just notes I used to write. Turns out I"d forgotten that I had a family outside this tower. It had never crossed my mind, as if I"d never considered the oddity of not having one. However, I remembered nothing about them and felt no longing for them."

"Is that how the tower punishes death?"

"It might be, but it feels more like the cost of being reborn. No corpse remains in this tower, so it appears the tower absorbs and rebuilds them."

"Then, I"ve condemned these men to lose parts of themselves," Arthur said with a guilt-ridden expression. "Is it acceptable to hurt a few to save many? My father always believed it was, even if he sacrificed his family. Regardless of his reasons, I despise him for what he did."

"Your father may not have been entirely wrong, but you have every right to hate him," Jonathan said as he took out bandages from his bag and began tending to his wounds. "We hope our loved ones would choose us as we would choose them."

"Unfortunately, that rarely happens," Arthur noted as he got up from the ground. "I"ll heal those who survived so that we can move on. We still have one last artifact to find. Have you obtained the invisibility artifact?"

"It dropped after I defeated Skyline of Crestview," Jonathan replied as he retrieved a necklace in the shape of a tear. "Check out its skills."

[Separation Tear]

[Category: Event Item]

[Level: Max]

[Usages: 95/100]

[Skills: Disappearance – Reunion – Separation]

Arthur was shocked as he examined the item. While he expected the first skill, he hadn"t antic.i.p.ated the power to teleport entire armies, both reuniting and separating them.

"This item isn"t limited to armies alone," Jonathan explained. "It can also reunite you with others you"ve met inside the tower. You only need to know their names for it to work. However, the person in question must be loyal to you; it doesn"t function on enemies."

"This could be more useful than I thought," Arthur muttered as he opened his palm to examine it. Jonathan didn"t hesitate to hand over the item, and Arthur activated it almost immediately. A hologram appeared before him.

[Allies]

[Xelorian Army (10)]

[Whisker]

[Seraphine]

[Sarohan]

[Rodrick]

[Silver Rose]

[Joey]

[Koby]

[Dorian]

[Ramiel]

[Haldor]

[Elanor]

[Hawkins]

…

The list continued on. Every person who had provided Arthur with their challenger"s name was listed in the menu. Moreover, Arthur could reorganize the entire army using the first option, dividing it according to its platoons. In the midst of battle, this would have been an omnipotent tool.

"Skyline made a mistake using the artifact herself. If she had trusted someone to hide far away and use it, they could have escaped with the artifact."

"No one believes they might lose," Arthur remarked with a frown as he scrolled through the list. However, he came across a name he had not antic.i.p.ated. It made him freeze in place as he began to doubt his own eyes.

[Seref]

The man he loathed the most was inside this tower. Arthur couldn"t comprehend how this had happened, but it was undeniable. Furthermore, the item somehow gave him the option to summon his father to his side, revealing a sickening fact.

"Tell me, Jon," Arthur called, his finger trembling. "How is it that my father, whom I just said I hate, is considered an ally of mine?"

"...how can that be?" Jonathan paused with confusion before his eyes widened in shock. Then, he struggled to get up. "Is his name the same as the challenger"s name?"

"It seems to be. However, it doesn"t explain why..."

"Your father feels loyalty toward you," Jonathan said, staring at the shining teardrop with a somber expression. "Although you hate him, he doesn"t hate you. The tower doesn"t care if you hate him; it only cares if he feels loyal towards you or not."

"Does that mean I can summon him now?" Arthur muttered through gritted teeth. His black lightning was beginning to lose control as his rage overtook his mind. Jonathan s.n.a.t.c.hed the necklace from his hand, and the name disappeared.

"I don"t understand where this wrath is coming from, but you need to control it before you meet him," Jonathan urged as he put the necklace away and stood before Arthur. "I don"t understand why your father is in this tower, but it means you have a chance to meet him."

"I only need one chance to confront him," Arthur said with a darkening expression. "What he did is unforgivable, regardless of his reasons."

"You don"t have to accept his reasons, but in order to find closure, you need to know them," Jonathan advised with a sincere expression. "This is for your own sake, Alexie. Please believe me. I, too, was once enslaved by vengeance, but I realized that true freedom lies beyond it."

Arthur struggled to see wisdom in Jonathan"s words, as his wrath still threatened to deafen him with enraged voices. However, he managed to regain control before opening his eyes. Jonathan continued to look at him with concern, holding the teardrop in his hand.

"If the war ends, the item can no longer be used," Arthur stated as he regained his composure. "I need to meet him before the war ends."

"I will ensure there are enough usages left for you to do so," Jonathan promised as he placed a hand over his heart. "I vow to make this happen. Until then, you need to learn how to control your feelings and powers."

In the end, Arthur nodded, watching as Jonathan put the necklace away. The possibility of meeting his father was not something he had considered until he encountered his fallen self in the demonic palace.

Jonathan then turned his attention to Dorian, who appeared to have gone through a harrowing experience. His furrowed brow silently asked the question on his mind, which Arthur answered for him. "He wanted to experience my wrath for a tenth of a second."

"I understand," Jonathan said as he leaned forward and picked Dorian up. "Although he"s a pain in the a.s.s, he is still my young lord. I will take care of him. Please take care of the soldiers."

With that, Jonathan left, and Arthur made his way back to the battlefield. His mana shone with a green aura as it emanated from his body. Since most of his mana was sealed within this tower, Arthur couldn"t use his domain. Instead, he used a spell that could at least sustain their lives.

The soldiers rose from the ground, their strength returning to them. As they turned towards the man responsible and saw their hero, they began stomping the ground with their feet. Yet, Arthur walked over the blood he had shed, feeling like a fraud amidst their grateful gazes.

"If you"re going through h.e.l.l, keep going."

Arthur walked through the h.e.l.l he has created before reaching the center of the battle. Every soldier was looking at him, stomping on the ground as they saluted him. In their eyes, he was a hero. In his, he was cruel.