Tower of Heaven

'This is troublesome.'

Atlas arrived on the border of the capital after another day of traveling. He took longer than he wanted to, but there was no other option.

'The entire Dark Forest is swarmed with those mind-controlled puppets. When they sense movement, they kill. When they kill, demon beasts are attracted, and the area becomes untraversable.'

Due to this problem, Atlas had to take a roundabout route back. One day was the best he could do.

The most unfortunate part was that he wouldn't have been able to do anything regardless. Everything had already been set up.

He arrived at the border gate, concealing himself as an ordinary member of the crowd, when he realized that strict checks were being done on every individual entering the city.

'The walls are too high for me to climb in this body. I also cannot use concealment to slip through, as there is nowhere for me to hide myself.'

The only means he had were the ones that Kade von Ataraxia could use.

'There is no way for me to avoid this.'

Atlas could only hope that the worst-case scenario would not come true.

But, of course, the worst-case scenario came true.

He walked up to the guards while masquerading as part of a group that stood in front of him. They were allowed to pass through, but Atlas found two spears firmly blocking his path forward.

"Take off your hood," the guard demanded with a menacing expression.

Atlas hesitated, stepping back slightly. Before he could do anything, a spear was already at his neck.

"Take off your hood. Now!"

It would have been a different situation if they were enemies, but these were empire soldiers. Atlas couldn't just kill them.

With another choice but to comply, he revealed his appearance. When he noticed the faces of those around him, he understood clearly what had transpired in the capital since his departure.

The perfect golden hair and crimson-red eyes of the Ataraxian Imperial Family could only belong to a single person. The others who possessed the same features were still inside the palace.

The moment of silence felt extremely long, but in reality, it was brief.

"You have a lot of nerve returning here, traitor!"

The guards wrestled him to the ground and pulled his arms behind his back, chaining them together.

"How dare you show your face to us?! I'll kill you right here!"

With those kinds of words coming from the guards, it was hard to imagine the sort of slurs being slung at him by the civilians.

"Traitorous bastard!"

"Pathetic beast!"

"I'll kill you!"

Atlas could do nothing as his head was slammed into the rocky ground. He was manhandled and dragged to his feet as the guards practically threw him forward and forced him to walk.

'This reaction…'

In a way, it made sense. Ataraxia's Emperor, Johannes Von Ataraxia, was a beloved ruler who always put the people first.

'And Johannes Von Ataraxia…is likely dead. In their eyes, the killer is none other than me.'

Atlas was lucky he didn't get stoned to death as the guards walked him to a carriage with a dark cell hidden within and threw him in. Leaving him submerged in complete darkness, they commanded the horses to take them to their destination.

He couldn't fight back, not only because he didn't want to hurt innocents, but also because he needed to reach the capital.

Even if he had to break out of a cell to roam it freely, it was far better than being stuck outside the walls.

This way, he had a chance to change the situation that the enemy Ascender created.

'They are clearly being commanded by people in high places.'

Atlas didn't know the Empire of Ataraxia, but Kade did. He knew these streets very well, so the path the carriage was taking appeared in his mind based on the condition of the roads alone.

'We are approaching the palace.'

If so, then he could assume where he was going to be left.

Time proved his assumptions correct. When the carriage stopped, a bag was placed over his head and he was led into the Imperial Prison, a place where only the worst of the worst criminals were held.

Atlas was only able to breathe freely again after he was already chained to a cell wall in the depths of the earth beneath the Imperial Palace.

'Could this situation be worse?'

Right under the enemy's nose, escape would be a trying task.

Atlas needed time to reconstruct his plan after accounting for his current circumstances.

But, he cursed himself by questioning it. He provoked the devil of misfortune, who retaliated in kind.

The situation absolutely could get worse.

Atlas was forced to spend several hours listening to the screams of an inmate being tortured in a nearby cell.

And then walked in that person.

A person who Atlas didn't know whether to pity or scorn.

Klyde Von Ataraxia, this empire's Third Prince.

"Nice to see you again, brother," he said with a smile.

"You look a bit worse for wear. Are you alright?"

This scene felt familiar to Atlas, but he didn't understand why. Assuming that he was integrating with the Second Prince's emotions, he responded through gritted teeth.

"Why have you come here?"

He spoke coldly, his eyes filled with a sharp intent.

"No particular reason," Klyde responded lightly.

"I merely wanted to see what you looked like when you lost everything that made you strong."

His words were laced with a tone of deep-seated envy, however, Atlas didn't fall for it.

"You are not my brother. You will not speak to me like you are speaking for him," he sneered.

"Be aware. Your plans will fail as long as I am still alive. If you want to achieve anything, you should kill me now."

"Hahahaha!"

Klyde laughed loudly.

"Kill you now? Why would I do that? I'm going to be a fair and honorable emperor, you know. You will be given the right to stand trial before any decisions are made."

"But…everyone hates you now? I wonder if you'll be able to convince them that you're innocent…"

Klyde shrugged with a sigh.

"Well, it doesn't matter. You can stay alive for a bit longer, since I want to kill you when it comes time for my coronation. It would be a much grander spectacle that way."

'Was this the fate that Kade avoided?'

He had already been informed of the hung jury, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Klyde called out some guards, who opened the cell and put Atlas into a new pair of shackles that weren't attached to the wall. He was once again dragged out of the prison, but the walk this time was not far.

Directly outside the palace walls, a stand had been placed where he could stand. The citizens of the capital stood below it, all crowded in the square. There was no judge. No, the judge in this trial would be the Third Prince himself.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He yelled, spreading his arms.

"I have brought before you the man who killed my father, our Emperor!"

The crowd erupted in yells and shouts filled with seething hatred for Kade Von Ataraxia. Klyde put his arms out and motioned for them to calm down, waiting for silence to return before he continued.

"It is obvious what fate such a vile criminal deserves, however, my father ruled this nation with a fist of justice! Even if he is a heinous man, we will still give him the chance to defend himself! The criminal has been brought before you today for this one purpose. You, as the citizens of this nation, shall decide whether he deserves to live or die!"

The expressions of the crowd were synchronized. Their glares focused on a single man, and though they kept silent, it was obvious that they weren't planning on listening to his words.

Atlas looked down at them from the stand. His golden hair was muddied. His royal garb had been replaced by the rags worn by a prisoner, and he was covered in cuts and bruises.

A feeling bubbled up in his chest. It was a raging desire for vengeance that originated from the people's wrath.

'It should have never been me.'

Kade Von Ataraxia was the only person trying to save the Empire. It should have never been him on the stand receiving the people's ire.

'Perhaps…it was better for you to lose your life valiantly in combat than to be humiliated like this.'

Still, Atlas said nothing.

He looked at the crowd and didn't say a single thing to justify his actions.

Everything would become clear to them soon.

Until then, he had no choice but to bear their hatred.