When the final Trial started, Tony was in complete darkness.
The darkness shattered without warning and Tony Clark suddenly found himself standing before the gates of the Clark Family Manor.
For a moment he didn’t understand what he was seeing. The familiar walls stood before him. The familiar banners hung from the towers. The familiar stone paths stretched through the courtyard. Everything looked exactly the same as he remembered.
Then his eyes slowly moved downward and his entire body froze. Blood covered the ground. Blood covered the walls. Blood covered the banners. Broken weapons were scattered everywhere.
Corpses lay across the courtyard. Corpses lay across the roads. Corpses lay before the gates. The entire Clark Family Manor had transformed into a graveyard.
The smell of blood filled the air. The silence itself felt suffocating.
Tony stood motionless while staring at the horrifying scene before him. He had seen battlefields. He had seen corpses. He had seen death before. Yet nothing could compare to this. Because every corpse lying before him belonged to someone he knew.
At the center of the courtyard sat Emma Stone. She leisurely rested upon a swinging chair as though enjoying an afternoon breeze. A blood-covered sword leaned beside her chair. The sword itself was dripping fresh blood onto the ground. Her clothes were stained red. Her hands were stained red. Her smile was stained red.
She slowly swung back and forth while staring directly at Tony. Around her stood countless familiar faces. Members of the Imperial Family. Enemies of the Clark Family. Rival clans. Political opponents. Every faction that had ever desired the downfall of the Clark Family stood gathered together.
None of them looked afraid. Instead they were smiling. Laughing... Waiting... Watching... It was as though they had gathered specifically for this moment.
Tony slowly lowered his gaze and finally noticed his own reflection upon a broken pool of blood.
He wore the robes of a Supreme Warrior. Terrifying power flowed through his body. His cultivation had already reached the realm countless martial artists dreamed about. He had become one of the strongest people alive. Yet none of that mattered anymore.
Emma laughed softly while watching his stunned expression. "Welcome back, Tony Clark," she said while lazily swinging upon her chair. "Did becoming a Supreme Warrior feel good? Did reaching the peak make you happy? Did all those years of cultivation satisfy you?" Her laughter became louder. "Unfortunately, you arrived too late."
The surrounding enemies immediately joined her laughter. The Imperial Family members were the loudest. First prince Mark Smith stepped forward while clapping mockingly. "Amazing. Truly amazing. The mighty Supreme Warrior Tony Clark has finally returned."
Another noble laughed loudly while pointing toward the corpses. "Look at what your strength accomplished."
A third class family leader smirked coldly. "You spent your life becoming stronger while your family died."
More laughter erupted.
"The Clark Family survived thousands of years... Countless generations protected this family. Then came Tony Clark. Congratulations... You managed to destroy everything your ancestors built." The mocking words of King Jamie Smith echoed endlessly throughout the courtyard.
Tony knew it wasn’t real. He understood this was the Trial of Inner Curse. He understood this was an illusion created from his fears. Yet understanding didn’t help. The smell of blood felt real. The corpses felt real. The grief felt real. The guilt felt real. Everything felt real.
Slowly he began walking through the courtyard. Every step felt heavier than carrying mountains. He ignored the laughter. His eyes moved from one corpse to another.
Servants he recognized... Children who ran through the manor halls... Faces he knew. Faces that now stared lifelessly toward the sky.
Then his eyes stopped upon the body of his grandfather. The old patriarch lay against a shattered pillar. His eyes remained open. His expression remained calm. Yet somehow the sight struck harder than any sword. Tony’s breathing became uneven. The old patriarch had always seemed invincible. Like a mountain. Like the foundation of the family itself. Yet now he lay dead like everyone else.
Then another voice suddenly emerged. "Tony..."
His entire body froze. Near the entrance gates lay his father... Unlike the others, he was still alive... Barely. Blood covered his robes. Blood covered his face. His breathing was shallow. His eyes had lost their brilliance. Yet he was still alive.
Tony immediately rushed forward and dropped to his knees beside him. "Father..."
His father’s trembling hand slowly reached upward before grabbing Tony’s ankle.
The old man’s eyes stared directly into his son’s soul.
"Why?" his father whispered. "Why did you fail me?" His father coughed blood.
Tony’s heart broken into pieces.
The patriarch stared into Tony’s eyes. "We trusted you... We believed in you. We gave everything to you. So why... Why are they all dead?"
Tony felt something inside him shatter completely.
The old man’s gaze never moved away. "Why did you fail the family?"
The words echoed endlessly.
Why did you fail the family?
Why did you fail the family?
Why did you fail the family?
Tony knew this wasn’t real. Yet this was his greatest fear. Coming home one day and finding everyone gone. Finding the Clark Family destroyed because he wasn’t strong enough.
If not Emma Stone... Then Elsa. If not Elsa... Then the Imperial Family. If not them... Then some unknown enemy. The world was filled with enemies. The Clark Family stood tall because generation after generation protected it with their lives.
’What if one day he failed? What if one day everyone died because of him?’
Tony slowly lowered his head... Tears finally escaped. "I’m sorry."
His voice cracked. "I’m sorry, Father."
He embraced the old man’s body tightly. Like a child... Like a son... Like a failure. And cried.
The surrounding laughter grew louder. Emma stood from her chair and slowly approached.
Meanwhile Tony felt like every corse is questioning him with anger.
"Why weren’t you here?" "You promised to protect us." "What was the point of becoming strong?" "You abandoned us." "You failed us." "You failed the Clark Family."
The accusations surrounded him from every direction. Each one pierced his heart.
Emma eventually stopped before him. The bloody sword rested upon her shoulder. Her smile widened. "This is the price for playing with me, Tony Clark."
She leaned closer. "Do you regret it? Do you regret everything now?"
The surrounding enemies laughed.
Suddenly Tony moved with bloodshot eyes. The ground exploded beneath his feet.
Emma’s smile disappeared. Before anyone could react, Tony appeared before her and wrapped his hand around her throat.
The entire courtyard shook. His killing intent erupted like a storm.
Emma’s feet left the ground... The laughter stopped instantly. For a brief moment everyone felt genuine fear.
Emma stared into Tony’s bloodshot eyes, then laughed. Even while being strangled... Even while facing death... She laughed.
"Kill me."
Tony tightened his grip.
Emma’s smile only widened. "Go ahead. But you’ll still suffer. You’ll remember this forever. You’ll remember how you destroyed your family."
Her laughter echoed. "You’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it."
The courtyard fell silent.
Everyone watched. Waiting for Tony to kill her. Waiting for hatred to consume him.
Then suddenly Tony’s eyes closed. When they reopened... The rage was gone. The madness was gone... His grip loosened... Emma looked confused.
Tony released her... She fell to the ground in the next second. "Kill you? No... Your life isn’t worth my hatred. What is your life worth? You can’t even take your revenge in my presence... Pathetic!" He spat at her feet with a loud scoff.
Emma froze.
Tony continued walking away and turned to his side. "I’m tossing your life away. As an offering to a street beggar."
For the first time Emma’s smile disappeared completely.
Meanwhile Tony walked close the bodies of his family members... Then he knelt... His hands cupped together... His forehead lowered.
The entire courtyard became silent.
"Ancestors..." His voice trembled. "I failed to protect the family."
"BANG!"
Then his forehead smashed into the stone. Blood immediately appeared.
The spectators froze.
Tony continued. "Please accept my apology."
"Bang!"
His forehead struck the ground again. More blood flowed... The stone cracked. Yet he continued. Again... And again... And again. Blood ran down his face. His forehead became a bloody mess. Still he continued.
"Please forgive me. I failed." Another impact. "I failed the Clark Family." Blood spread across the courtyard.
Nobody laughed anymore... Nobody mocked anymore. Even the enemies stood frozen. Even Emma stood frozen.
Far beyond the illusion, the World Tree Spirit watched everything unfold.
She knew it was fake. She knew the people weren’t real. She knew the deaths never happened.
Yet Tony could feel everything. The pain... The blood... The grief... The guilt. And still he continued apologizing.
Not because the trial demanded it... Not because he wanted rewards... But because if such a future truly happened... He genuinely believed he would deserve forgiveness from nobody.
Finally the spirit could not watch anymore. With a wave of her hand, the nightmare shattered.
The illusion collapsed... The courtyard vanished. The corpses vanished. And Tony Clark disappeared into darkness once more.
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/// A/N- Sorry for the late release. For writing this Chapter, I need to feel the pain myself before writing some conclusions. Really happy for all Power-stones and Golden-tickets. I will release bonus Chapter to compensate. Tq @Atomic_Ozzie for support and review! ///