Tower of Heaven

"It almost amuses me that I am doing such a thing, but if this crystal is being activated, it means 'that person' was not lying. My good brother…you've returned."

It was hard to see him properly. Because of the wear the memory crystal experienced with time, portions of its function had been lost.

But there he was.

Sitting on a throne in the starry void, Kallos himself looked into the crystal with a sad smile on his face.

He was nothing like the man Atlas used to know.

His hair was greying, and wrinkles made his face appear far more aged than Atlas ever thought possible.

He didn't look like the boisterous young man he was when they happily sparred and shared drinks.

No, at the point of this recording, he was already an old man without much time left.

Atlas' chest tightened.

It felt like Kallos was staring into his soul as if he knew from the start this moment would occur.

Or rather, he'd been praying for it with his everything.

"How long has it been…? Almost five thousand years have passed since the last time we met, yet, I have been unable to rid myself of the guilt in my heart."

"Kallos…" Atlas muttered painfully.

He knew a conversation was impossible. He already accepted that his closest friend was gone.

However, he couldn't stop himself from speaking.

"Kallos, what happened to you…?"

Atlas asked again, this time to the man himself.

He needed to know.

He needed to understand how this happened.

With the lifespan of an Emperor at the World Core Realm, Kallos shouldn't have been anywhere near the end of his.

But somehow, he had not lived to see their reunion.

Atlas couldn't sit idly and accept this without knowing the truth.

"Knowing you, your mind must be ablaze with questions about my death, however, I assure you. Nothing that took place happened without my knowledge."

Kallos spoke as if he knew what Atlas was going through.

No, with their bond, he probably knew exactly how Atlas would react upon learning of his death.

"There is not much I can say. My hands have been tied with several Heavenly Oaths to guarantee that not a single word of these events can leave my mouth. This memory crystal…"

Kallos smiled sadly.

"...this is merely me being willful. It is my selfish desire to say goodbye."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Brother, I do not know the circumstances behind your return. I only know that you will come back someday. I am sure you have your own plans for the future, therefore, I will only say one thing…"

"Please do not be consumed in anger. Please do not let your hatred guide you down the wrong path. I do not…I pray you do not follow the same path as me, for this road only leads to endless sorrow."

"There is no satisfaction at its end. Only a void that cannot be filled regardless of what you try."

Atlas frowned heavily.

He couldn't understand.

Hatred?

While he understood Kallos' good intentions, he didn't know why they were necessary.

Was there anything in his memory that begot such words of advice?

'There is not.'

The more Kallos spoke, the greater his confusion became.

He could only assume that his doubts would be answered as the recording continued.

However, was it waiting for such a moment?

As if fate were toying with him, the memory crystal's decay finally began to show itself properly.

The recording morphed and Kallos' appearance became vague. The words he spoke were choppy, with no semblance of reason to guide them without context.

"I…desperate…they…slaughter…"

"You…grow…please…fulfilling…"

"Conceal…power…greater…bloody…heavens…"

Atlas' frown deepened with every word.

The lack of cohesion made it impossible to understand, but Kallos' tone was positive no longer.

Atlas could barely see his face through the decaying images of the memory crystal, but he felt like the regretful, desolate expression on Kallos' face was clearer than anything.

At that moment, the great Behemoth Emperor of the past raised his head, looking straight into the screen.

"Execute…traitors…fated…revenge…"

Atlas was stuck in his own mind. His thoughts were raging, trying to understand his brother's words, waiting for the next piece that would help him complete the puzzle.

Reality felt vague.

It wasn't the first time he lost someone, but in this life, he had never experienced this feeling.

It wasn't just loss.

It was an inevitable fate.

The fate of a man reborn in a time that was not his own, a man who woke up from his deep slumber only to find his most treasured people long withered away.

"Live…well…"

Atlas' eyes widened as his attention returned to reality.

The last thing he saw was Kallos smiling warmly, clear as if it had been recorded just yesterday.

"Goodbye…brother."

Crack!

"No, wait."

He reached towards the memory crystal desperately.

But the crack in its surface only got wider.

"Wait, dammit!"

He tried to wrap his hand around it. He didn't have the power to save it, but he wanted to make a last effort.

He wasn't done.

He didn't get to say goodbye yet.

"I SAID WAIT!"

He roared as he clenched his fist.

But all he grasped was the powdered remains of the crystal.

He fell to the ground numbly.

"Selfish bastard…"

He gnashed his teeth in anger.

He wanted to do something, anything to get rid of this feeling in his chest.

But was there a solution?

Even in his long life as the Heavenly Emperor, he never found a way to truly cope with loss.

[Treacherous Phoenix looks upon you pitifully.]

The gaze of a God.

"You should not be here."

Atlas spoke coldly without raising his gaze from the ground.

The Gods had stopped following him ever since he entered the main inheritance area where he found Kallos' Beast Soul.

He didn't know how it was done, but their perception was blocked thoroughly.

[Treacherous Phoenix shrugs, saying they were not restricted.]

"Is it just you?" Atlas asked, his voice still icy.

[Treacherous Phoenix nods slowly.]

"Then swear a Heavenly Oath. Nothing that took place here can be known to anyone else."

Atlas knew it was unrealistic to expect a God to accept his demands easily.

If it wasn't for [Perfect Adaptability] stabilizing his emotions so grief didn't cloud his mind, he wouldn't have been so calm.

After all, if his identity and the truth behind his reincarnation were known to the public, endless troubles would follow him everywhere he went.

It was likely he wouldn't live long enough to discover the truths he so desired.

However, contrary to his expectations…

[Treacherous Phoenix nods in understanding.]

A surprisingly positive response came back.

Almost instantly, a new holographic window appeared in his sight.

[An Ancestral Pact has been established between Godly Entity [Treacherous Phoenix] and Ascender [Atlas Vaun]. If this pact is broken, the offender's soul will become the exclusive property of the offended party.]

Atlas' eyes widened slightly.

'Ancestral Pact…?'

If a Heavenly Oath was a promise to the Heavens themselves, an Ancestral Pact was a contract with the Heavens as a witness.

If the established terms were broken, one would lose "everything" to the other party.

It wasn't as simple as ownership of a soul.

As the details of the pact appeared on the screen, Atlas couldn't help but frown.

It was exactly as he requested.

In fact, the pact this [Treacherous Phoenix] proposed was made fully to his advantage, complete with several clauses that would ensure not a single loophole could exist in its terms.

This level of accommodation…

"Who are you?"

He had to ask.

[Treacherous Phoenix hums thoughtfully.]

[Treacherous Phoenix says they are merely someone interested in seeing you reach your full potential.]

"In the end, it is a matter of entertainment."

[Treacherous Phoenix says there is nothing Gods crave more than entertainment.]

"...very well."

It should've been unsettling, but in fact, Atlas preferred this.

If the reasoning behind this exchange was as they said, Atlas didn't have to worry needlessly about their intentions in the future.

It was a rather straightforward relationship.

Nevertheless…

'That God is one of many I will encounter in my travels. There is no need to give them so much attention.'

Atlas pressed his finger forward and accepted the conditions laid out on the holographic screen.

A piece of glowing papyrus materialized in the air before tearing into two halves.

One shot directly into Atlas' soul, while the other disappeared into the void.

[The Ancestral Pact has been successfully established.]

[You have achieved something unprecedented! The Tower…]

Atlas swept away the window, uncaring of the Tower's message for now.

'With that taken care of…'

His eyes narrowed.

'Kallos mentioned a being who foretold my reincarnation.'

Atlas had come across another secret he could only unveil through ascending.

But before he could unravel the truth behind Kallos' death and the mysterious figure who instigated it, there was one last task to complete.

He needed to escape this tomb and leave the 11th floor before the 5 Great Societies could capture him.

If he couldn't…

'...once again, everything I desire will be lost in an instant.'