Chapter 1123 My Mercy

Everyone arrived at the same time, unscathed. Their stats had skyrocketed because of Arthur, which made the Trial of Heroes a breeze. The only thing that could pose a challenge to them was the Strings of Fate.

Whisker tried to push the masked man back, but the two were evenly matched. Yuvan clapped his hand, and the masked man jumped back, landing in his original position. Ilia glared at his brother, who seemed relaxed.

"Everyone here is at the limits of what this realm could handle, so this will be an even match. Of course, we are twelve and you are nine. This could be where the difficulty lies in this challenge. If you can defeat us…the tower will open its gate, and you can meet our master."

"Do you think that's a real challenge?" asked Arthur with a raised brow as he summoned his dagger, unleashing a cry of wrath that made the world tremble. As the masked men took a step back in fear, Arthur shot them a look of disdain. "Think again."

"We don't underestimate your powers, dear Demon King," said Yuvan Perli with droplets of sweat glistening on his forehead. "Please understand that we don't come with disrespect. Our entire existence, each one of us, was to find the demon king."

"For what reason have you sought me?" asked Arthur with a frown as he lowered his dagger, reducing the intensity of its aura. "You have given me this dagger that can unleash my powers, and even the knowledge to control it. What are your reasons?"

"Reasons?" muttered Yuvan with confusion before he let out a maniacal laugh. "We can tell you that our reasons are noble, but we would be lying!"

The masked men laughed, albeit nervously, as they heard his words. Arthur scanned them, one by one, and looked into their existence with his golden eyes. The next moment, his face contorted in anger as his aura sharpened, almost ripping them apart.

"You are nothing but anarchists," said Arthur with boiling anger as he grabbed his dagger tighter. "Is that your reason?"

"What better reason can we have…to summon the Demon King?" asked Yuvan as if things were obvious. "We just want to take revenge on the gods that dictated our lives and made them what they are! We want to see the world that has hurt us burn to the ground!"

"I thought that you might have some redeeming qualities, but I was wrong," said Arthur with disgust as he waved his dagger and made it disappear. "Kill them."

"Are you not going to do it yourself?" asked Yuvan with a smirk as he watched Arthur walk away, choosing to avoid the fight despite his rage. "You hold so much rage, but you are holding back. What is the reason?"

"In my current state of wrath, none of you would enter the cycle of reincarnation if I killed you," said Arthur with his back turned away. He walked toward a high spot where he sat down and stared at the battlefield. "This is my mercy toward you foolish souls."

As they heard his command, the eight comrades he had gathered stood in a single line: two demons, a feline, a Waiga, and four humans. Their appearance was threatening and heroic, their eyes not showing a shred of hesitation.

"Are these your generals?" asked Yuvan with a smirk. "You are on a different level than us, but these mortals…don't stand a chance."

"Don't underestimate my soldiers," said Arthur with a smirk as he rested his chin on his knee, his hand covering his mouth. "They are handpicked."

The tension rose between the two forces as they glared at each other. The tower was surrounded on every side by the String of Fate, but they realized that these challengers would not try to go past them.

As the Strings stood in a single file, the battle was about to begin. The man who took the first stride was Ilia Perli, who saw no one else other than his brother. His eyes seemed sorrowful as he stared at his younger brother.

"Please leave my brother to me, everyone," said Ilia Perli as he closed his eyes and summoned his spear. "I have to be the one carrying his blood on my hands. This is the end of your path, Yuvan. I wish Mom and Dad were different, but they are not."

"Oh, please," said Yuvan as he rolled his eyes. "You had everything that I didn't have, and you wish things were different? How do you think that makes me feel? As always, you cannot see past yourself."

"I think this is our curse, then," said Ilia as he opened his eyes. "Neither can you. If you only wore my shoes for a single day… things might have turned out differently."

"Don't act pathetic now, dear older brother. I have been raised while being told that I can never be like you, so put up a strong front until the end!"

Ilia did not say anything more but raised his spear as he glared at his brother. In his eyes, countless memories flashed that had led them to this moment. Although the two led different lives, Ilia wished that he had told his young brother the truth.

"After you became a grandmaster in the runic path," muttered Ilia as tears fell from his eyes. "I could have never been prouder of anyone, not even myself."

The smile disappeared from Yuvan's face, as he could tell that his brother was being sincere. After all, he knew that his brother would not lie at this moment, where everything was about to end. As he caught a glimpse of the unsaid emotions that Ilia had, he saw the Lightning God descend to the world.

White lightning crackled around Ilia, striking the nearby soil and destroying it. As his tears evaporated, the same could be said about his emotions. He turned into an emotionless soldier that turned into a bolt of lightning.

Zzzzzzz!

Ilia disappeared before the bolt rushed toward Yuvan, who was still absent-minded. A masked man rushed forward to block the lightning bolt as Yuvan snapped out of his daze, realizing the futility of his regrets.

Before the masked man could hinder the lightning, a blood scythe sent him flying. Another one rose to fill his spot, but a wyvern descended from the sky and pinned him to the ground, with Lian riding it.

Yuvan saw the lightning spear about to reach him, making him grit his teeth and bite his finger. Blood fell on the ground before it drew a runic array on the battlefield, spreading at the speed of light.

"Illusion Realm!"

The array lit up with lights as a red dome appeared, swallowing them all. Yuvan was a master of illusion arrays, making him a tough opponent once his array activated. The entire world disappeared, replaced with darkness.

Ilia materialized from the lightning as Yuvan disappeared, escaping his attack once again. He landed on the ground as he looked through the darkness for his brother but was unable to find him.

"Reveal yourself, Yuvan!" roared Ilia with rage as he looked around and sent bolts of lightning around him. However, the lightning struck nothing, wasting his strength.

"You cannot find me anymore, brother," said Yuvan. "I would not fear you as long as the creator is not on your side. Your battle powers have surpassed me, but they are useless in my illusions!"

"Accept your death as a punishment for the lives you ruined, Yuvan!" shouted Ilia Perli toward the darkness. "I know that you have controlled countless people to do as you please, and killed countless others for your gains."

"Everything I did was because of you, dear brother," said Yuvan from within the darkness. "I realized that there is not a place for me in this world because you existed, and I want to punish the world for this."

"This will never lead you to happiness!"

"You are so delusional, brother," said Yuvan as he appeared from within the darkness. "I was never meant to be happy."

Ilia turned toward his brother as the scenery began to form. Before he could attack again, he realized that the two of them were standing in a familiar backyard. A teenager appeared beside them, training with laser-like focus.

"This is young Ilia, determined to join the knights of his majesty," said Yuvan as he stared at the teenager. "I have prepared this illusion just to show you what my life used to be like because of you. Follow me, brother."

"I will not entertain your self-pity any longer," said Ilia as he raised his spear again, ready to strike. "I don't have time for excuses. Nothing will justify the things you did."

"You cannot kill me in this illusion, brother," said Yuvan with a smile as he began shrinking, turning into a child. "I am nothing but a part of this illusion. You can strike me, but you will always miss."

"What do you want from me, then?" asked Ilia with his spear still aimed at the child he once doted on. Yuvan turned toward him with a smile as he pointed at the door. At that moment, their father came out.