Tower of Heaven

Corpses weren't horrible, but they were always bound to be unsettling when gathered in large quantities.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

According to Ruru's recollections, he had been trapped here for around one human year. The number of humans fed to him in that time was in the thousands. All of their half-eaten corpses had been stored right here, in this place directly below the city.

Atlas thought that it was something like a mass grave at first. It wasn't unexpected considering the other operations of the people who captured Ruru. The plague in the slums could also be explained through these bodies, as this location was roughly right under the slums.

The collection of dead bodies that were being affected by the energy of the Sacred Relic created a powerful harrowing energy that reaped lives.

'Then, all of the clues I received upon entering the realm have been solved.'

The source of the plague, the nature of the tomb, and the reason for the increase in crime and kidnapping. All of it was present inside of this tomb and Ruru's story.

But Atlas realized soon enough that he'd stumbled upon something more than that.

He walked into the mass grave and saw that the huge pile of mutilated corpses was only the beginning. They were stacked high on the ground and to the ceiling on both sides, but they were arranged in such a way that it was possible to move around or over them.

Curious about it, Atlas investigated.

He went past those corpses at a certain point, and that was when he understood that this wasn't a mass grave at all.

'Well, that isn't quite correct.'

As he stood there with a mound of corpses behind him, what he looked into was a corridor that led to a fork. It seemed like another labyrinth system just like that of the tomb, but there was one key difference.

The walls were lined with skulls and bones.

'Catacombs.'

So this was a city that had that kind of history. Even in the past, they had events where they came close to extinction at the hands of their own.

Spreading his spiritual sense, Atlas observed as much of the catacombs as possible. Only, even at the edge of his spiritual sense, he had not found the end of the underground burial site.

The walls lined with bones were present in corridors and tunnels that spanned the entire length of the city.

'Is it something that has been done for generations, or was this created by a single event?'

Whichever was the truth, it was clear that some of these skulls had been in the walls for several hundred years. They were cracked and yellowed, on the verge of corroding into nothingness.

Still, the structure of the walls was so packed that even the corrosion of these skulls didn't affect its form.

'The Sacred Relic is not the Death Relic. That artifact is already too corroded to turn into a token of death. The true artifact…right. It was probably created here.'

With the energy of death gathered in these catacombs, the energy of the Sacred Relic, the new influx of death, and finally…

'The key that made all of it come together into the formation of a Death Relic.'

Atlas looked back at Ruru.

'The death of a dragon, and the consumption of its heart.'

He nodded to himself.

"I understand it now."

The "truth" that he was requested to find by the artifact, he understood it well.

The Death Relic was just as Atlas originally thought. It never cared about things like being saved or purified. It didn't believe such things were necessary.

The reason it called them into this realm was to find an owner who could understand and execute its will.

'You wish to be the one in control of your wielder, is it?'

Well, Atlas didn't care. He never planned to keep the Death Relic for himself in the first place.

What was its goal in creating this manifested realm and bringing eight Ascenders into it? Why did it want to choose its master this way?

'Not because it has lingering regrets, but because it has an unresolved grudge.'

Right, that was an attitude more worthy of a Death Relic. If it was like that, then it made more sense.

'Rather than calling us here to save it, it only wants personal satisfaction. It called us here because it wants to see a past that is different from what it knows.'

He thought about it deeply. The entire scheme that was being plotted by those who kidnapped Ruru, the troubles of the city, the nature of this realm… When it all came together, Atlas could only come to one conclusion.

"It wants revenge."

'Revenge?'

His own thoughts surprised him, but he felt like the moment that word entered his mind, he understood the artifact perfectly.

Something about the concept of "revenge" was something he could perfectly rationalize in any situation. For some reason, he felt like if the motive was revenge, he did not need any extra explanation to comprehend anything.

'Yes. It seeks revenge. It wants us to act as a blade for its desires.'

It made sense. Death Relics were proud artifacts as Death itself was a Supreme Dao. They were selfish and indifferent entities when they were given sentience.

It didn't care about its owner or its past. The only thing it cared about was its own Legend.

'And its own Legend was ruined by the nature of its creation.'

As Atlas understood these facts, the world seemed to speed up around him. His eyes took a bird's eye perspective as he watched the world.

He could see the appearance of a city being swallowed by a cloud of dark energy. The city and everyone inside of it disappeared, but those who plotted and led to the creation of the artifact ran away, afraid of its power.

From there, the artifact was forced to rot for time unending. It was eventually found by several unworthy owners, but it only killed them and returned to its slumber.

The artifact eventually realized that it needed a master to reach its full potential. That was when this Mystic Realm appeared as a manifestation of its power.

What it wanted to see was the correction of its Legend and the potential to turn that Legend into something greater. It wanted to find that in an Ascender.

'And you think I have those qualifications, so you are showing me these things.'

Atlas knew that the images in his mind weren't appearing randomly. Since he'd found the ultimate truth, the artifact seemed to be prodding him along, urging him to confirm his doubts and start acting.

In fact, the images of eleven people appeared in his mind. They were eleven people who were guaranteed to currently be staying in this city.

As he memorized them, Atlas shook his head wryly.

"If you want me to do it so badly, then I have no choice."

In the end, they were the ones who sinned first, so they could only blame themselves for what was about to happen.

With that thought in mind, Atlas returned to the main chamber.

He figured that Ruru would also be very happy to hear of his new objectives.