Chapter 1147 A Funeral
After the tower stabilized again, peace reigned for a while. Those inside the tower continued on with their lives, starting a new era of trade under their new lord. Rumors about the second floor becoming the best place to live reached those in the wilderness, but many still wanted to conquer this tower.The original content can be pinpointed to n0v3lbin•
Since the Red Tower had an infamous reputation throughout the universe, many warriors came to challenge it. Some of these warriors remained on the third and fourth floors, still seeking to conquer the tower.
A few days before these challengers began seeking the tower master, a funeral without attendance took place on the fourth floor. The Strings of Fate, which had always sought to resurrect the Demon King that would destroy the world, attended.
Ilia Perli lowered the coffin to the ground, which contained the corpse of his brother. Those who died of sickness do not get resurrected inside the tower, because they would just die again. Thus, the corpse remained, with tear marks on its eyes.
"You don't need to be here, my lord," said Ilia as he lowered the coffin and jumped out from the grave he had dug. "I just wanted to give Yuvan a proper burial as his older brother."
"I want to be here," said Arthur as he raised his hand, creating a metallic shovel. Ilia looked at him for a few seconds before grabbing his own shovel. Then, the two men began covering the coffin with earth until it disappeared.
No one said a word during the burial. Even the Strings of Fate did nothing except stand there and watch. Ilia did not invite them, but they appeared after Yuvan died. These people had no more desire other than destruction, which made Arthur pity them.
Once the coffin was below the earth, Ilia brought a wooden tombstone. Despite his desire to take revenge on the man, Arthur did not deny him a proper grave. Thus, he helped Ilia with the tombstone.
[Yuvan Perli]
Arthur stared at Ilia Perli carving his brother's name on the tombstone, and remembered the first time the two of them met. It was in the ball where Arthur was awarded the medal of heroism. Ilia greeted him at that time and tried to recruit him for the Unbroken Corps.
Life has a weird way of working out. Ilia was an enemy at one point in life, now, Arthur could not trust him any more than he did. This man was the embodiment of honesty and righteousness. On the other hand, Yuvan Perli was a master of deception and evil.
The two brothers were different sides of the same coin. This made Arthur worry about his own brother and his current whereabouts. In the end, Oren was right about the powers of wrath. They were cursed, but they were a necessity.
"I remember the first time I saw Yuvan in mother's embrace," said Ilia as he stared at the tombstone, his knees digging through the soil. "I was seven when he was born. The moment he was born, he caught a terrible flu, so severe it almost killed him. All I remember was his burning skin as I touched him."
Ilia was confused as he turned around, looking for the source of the sounds. Arthur, on the other hand, realized what was happening instantly. The laughter and joy came from within the grave, as Yuvan relived a memory of his past.
"Your brother's soul did not join the kingdom of wrath," said Arthur as he stared at the sparkling light rising from the grave. "He no longer hates nor resents this world."
Ilia stared at the sparkling lights that rose from the ground, hearing memories of their childhood from them. Despite the life that he had, Yuvan died in peace because he accepted his fate, no matter how twisted and lonely.
As he witnessed the miracle and heard the voices, Ilia cried again. This time, his tears were nostalgic of a distant past. The laughter of their younger selves reminded the man that some memories are worth remembering.
"I apologize, sir, because my brother found peace although he was vile," said Ilia with tears streaming down his face, which he refused to show to Arthur. "He does not deserve rest after killing so many. I know he does not, but I am selfish enough to feel happy that he did."
"Everyone deserves peace upon their death, Il
ia," said Arthur as he grabbed the man's shoulder, which shook a little. "Your brother was just another victim of an unfair world that condemned him to make wrong choices."
After a few minutes, the lights disappeared and so did the sounds. Ilia wiped away the tears from his eyes before turning toward Arthur, smiling at him and nodding.
"Let's return, my lord," said the middle-aged man, to which Arthur nodded. Then, the two walked away from the grave, as did the rest of the Strings of Fate. As the grave sat on the grassy hill, the tragic story of a villain ended.
Residents of the tower also found peace under the rule of Dorian. Challengers reached the fourth floor to conquer the tower since monsters no longer attacked them, but they found a more terrifying opponent waiting for them.
Ramiel took the duty of protecting the tower that his king conquered. No one managed to defeat him, and they had to suffer seeing him eat the handmade lunch Luna Stormblade made for the demon. That made most of the single men vomit blood in rage, before leaving the fourth floor and heading toward the second.
Dorian was fair and honest, making him loved by all those serving him. Although he wielded immense power and wealth, he barely spent money on himself, and instead invested every power he had to develop Karma City.
In the short span of a week, the city became the oasis inside the tower. Its population reached a staggering million before long, making it thrive even farther. While it was developing, the tower master was hard at work creating an artifact that would shake the world.
