Tower of Heaven

Only, that was not the reaction they received.

While Atlas and Artemia sieged the residence, Horus broke into Inku's home and entered the basement once more.

He approached those ten figures he'd left behind earlier and cut the chains that bound them.

'Now…'n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He took out the healing pills that Atlas gave him.

'He said these would be enough to solve any immediate problems.'

One by one, he fed the sacrifices their pills. Since they were only mortal, they could not digest the healing essence on their own. He had to personally facilitate the process of absorption in all of their bodies.

But, the results were as promised. When the energy flowed to all corners of their bodies and sunk into their systems, they slowly began to heal. The skin that had been stripped from them regrew, and all visible injuries closed.

'This…'

Horus' eyes widened.

'I have never seen such an effective healing pill.'

This was another level of processing. Whoever made them was clearly extremely practiced in the art of alchemy.

'The effect is enhanced when spiritual pills are used on ordinary mortals, but this is still impressive.

Before, it was hard to even tell who was male or female among those who were skinned. Now, their faces and bodies had been restored to their original appearances.

'When he said that these pills would solve all immediate problems, he must have meant all problems related to the body.'

These villagers would no longer have to worry about their injuries.

'However, their trauma and their memories, along with their relationships with the village people themselves…'

Horus frowned.

Was this why Atlas always looked like he knew something they didn't?

Their plan was sound on the surface, leading to the villagers' freedom, but…

'...will they see it the same way?'

Horus had an inkling of what would happen from this moment, so he was less surprised when it did. Artemia, however, did not have the slightest clue.

The three of them came back together amidst the confused villagers who'd heard the sounds of battle coming from the top of the hill. They stood on the stage together with the chief to announce the news.

"As of today…" the chief said, his body shaking somewhat.

"...the messengers of God are no longer with us."

He looked down mournfully.

"They have been killed by these people here."

He did not introduce them as saviors, but as usurpers. The reactions could be expected.

"How dare you?!"

"Traitors!"

"How could you do this to us?!"

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The barrage of insults hurled at them was filled with words that Atlas didn't dare to repeat.

Artemia's eyes widened in shock as she faced it, and she couldn't hold herself back from responding.

"You were being oppressed! They forced you into killing your own people! How can you support them?!"

"Sure, we had to sacrifice some people, but what else?! We were happy! Life was good! You ruined everything!"

Kii stormed up on the stage and grabbed Horus by the collar.

"We trusted you, and this is how you repay us? How could you?!"

Pah!

She slapped him across the face. He stood there and took it in silence, his eyes cold as ice.

Voom!

Suddenly, a pulse of qi spread through the air and pushed everyone back, throwing Kii off of Horus. A barrier appeared between the stage and the people below, forcing them to stay at a distance.

"This is what happens when people get complacent," Atlas said, addressing Artemia and Horus.

"To them, they only had to sacrifice a few people, and in return, they received security. The strength of those cultivators kept their village safe in their eyes, and their presence led to the growth of crops. They no longer care if ten people have to be sacrificed every year. Those deaths mean nothing to them. People like them…have become too comfortable relying on others and have forgotten how to fend for themselves."

Sure, objectively it was better for them to be free of those cultivators. Considering how easily they were defeated, they couldn't be called anything close to strong. They were also the ones ruining the crops, so with them gone, the harvests would no longer wither as they used to.

Within some months, the dark qi spread through the hill would disperse, returning them to their situation from 300 years ago.

That was a time of peace, but these villagers no longer remembered it. Every single one of them had been sacrificed so many times that their memories of a life before the sacrifices didn't exist anymore.

"In this kind of situation, you'll never see the glory you want to see. People won't respect or thank you. They will jeer at you and condemn you from changing the situation they'd become content in," Atlas continued.

"Your path depends on how you respond to their criticism."

He looked at the two young geniuses.

"Being heroic doesn't always mean being celebrated. It is a choice that has to be made even if nobody else understands your intent. Will you allow them to seethe in their own complacency, or will you set them on a path that they will not appreciate until what could be hundreds of years later? Will you leave them be, or will you step in regardless of their will?"

"There is a right and a wrong in almost every situation, but what is right and what is wrong is determined by those with power. If you are going to be the people with power, then you must stand firm on what you believe is right. Even amidst criticism, never bend or fold. That is the way of a cultivator."

He turned his eyes back to the villagers. His stare held an invisible power that immediately forced them into silence.

"You may hate us, but that has nothing to do with me. This is your reality now, and you must learn to live with it."

"Why?! Why should we?! Without the messengers of God, we will never have another good harvest!"

Only a few villagers had the courage to stand up to him, but Atlas didn't have to respond to their provocation.

"You're all wrong! You're living in delusion!"

A voice came from behind the crowd. Who else could it be but Haku?

"This degeneracy can't continue any longer. Those people who called themselves messengers were liars! They were the ones ruining the harvest! They were the ones going against Eiryu's will! Our village has been polluted by that filth for too long!"

Even his words were not taken seriously.

"You're lying!"

"Haku, you dare side with the outsiders?!"

Stubbornness that disagreed with every shred of reason in anyone else's mind. That was the kind of attitude developed by complacent people.

Voom!

Another pulse of qi forced their mouths shut.

"If you want to see for yourselves the result of your actions, follow Haku to the back of the hill. Witness it with your own eyes and then tell me that we are wrong for saving you."

Atlas separated himself and his party from the situation. He nodded at Haku, who responded with a firm expression.

When it came to convincing the villagers, only a fellow villager could do it.

Atlas, Artemia, and Horus no longer had a place in the situation.

The two young geniuses had been silent ever since Atlas addressed them. Watching the villagers react, they truly couldn't fathom the workings of their minds.

People had many faces. Some were rational, and some were emotional. Most people both Artemia and Horus had interacted with had at least a slight understanding of reality, but these people were completely delusional.

They had been isolated in this hidden corner of the 39th Floor dungeon and isolated from society for so long that they forgot their basic principles.

Not many words were spoken between the three of them as they returned to their temporary residence, but they understood each other's intent.

It was time to leave this place. The golden facade of the village was ripped off and all that remained was the ugliness beneath.

Still, it was a lesson and an experience.

And, as they learned together and experienced the world, the bond between the three continued to deepen.

At the very least, the relationship they built was not a facade and would never be one.

Of that much, they could be absolutely certain.