Evan felt satisfied.
'Everything happened as I planned.'
Every two faced bastard in the Imperial Frost Clan had their own agendas and schemes, but none of them grasped the truth that they were just mere pawns in Evan's grand game ever since the Inheritance War started.
Like marionettes with invisible strings, they had danced unwittingly to his whims and desires.
His mind could be considered to be no less impressive than a twisted web of cunning and calculation as he had orchestrated this entire play when he received the treasure map left behind by Ethan Frost!
To explain it in simple words, Evan had made a plan to enter the Monster Tower long before he was forced by circumstances, which led him to start the inheritance war.
Whenever this war happened, the Monster Tower served as the battleground. Even during the last war, which was started by Evan's grandfather Eldrid, the participants were made to climb the tower.
Starting the inheritance war was Evan's best opportunity to enter the tower because there were two conditions for entry. First, one had to be an Awakened Soul Cultivator in either the Soul Manifestation or Soul Fusion Realm. Anyone above or below that level couldn't enter the tower due to the tower's spirit. Second, during normal times, permission from the Imperial Frost Court was required. However, most officials and ministers in the court were against Evan and wouldn't allow him to achieve his goal. If they had known his intentions, they would have done everything possible to stop him.
That's why Evan resorted to extreme measures.
Not to mention, he didn't have any other options.
He was on the verge of being exiled from the capital planet after his identity as a control-type soul cultivator was made known.
Hence, he had resorted to ruthlessness and initiated the inheritance war, fully aware that it would result in casualties.
Human greed, he believed, was a truly unpleasant trait. If his fellow clan members hadn't harbored ambitions for his position, they wouldn't have been compelled to join the inheritance war and lose their life.
In an attempt to ease his conscience and find justification for his actions, he convinced himself of this reasoning.
'I can't deny that I played a part in their deaths, but I had to prioritize my own survival.'
However, he acknowledged his partial responsibility for their deaths, knowing that he had presented them with the opportunity that led to such consequences.
'Justifying my actions doesn't erase the consequences or the guilt, but it's the only way to keep moving forward.'
Though he felt guilt, he refused to let it sway him.
The world was a harsh and unforgiving place, and one couldn't afford to be tender-hearted or compassionate.
'Soft-heartedness has no place in a world where survival depends on tough decisions. I don't think it was a mistake to embrace the cold-heartedness demanded by this unforgiving world in the pursuit of my goals. If I hadn't gone to such lengths, it would have been me who would've died.'
Had he hesitated when the opportunity arose, he would have faced deportation from the capital, and without a doubt, he could surmise that he would have been eliminated shortly thereafter. Nicholas and those who desired his permanent removal wouldn't have hesitated to bring about his demise, after all.
"Time to put the baby birds in their place."
After assuming his position as the Ruler, Evan wielded his newfound authority like a absolute hegemon and expelled all the participants of the inheritance war, except for himself and Aiden, from the Monster Tower.
...
On the second floor of the towering structure known as the Monster Tower, the participants were fully engrossed in their trials.They dedicated themselves to overcoming challenges, unaware of the sudden turn of events awaiting them.
However, without any warning, they suddenly found themselves expelled from the tower, and disbelief washed over them.
"?"
Their eyes widened with surprise as they were abruptly transported outside of the Monster Tower.
This caught them off guard and left them momentarily stunned.
For a moment, their minds struggled to comprehend what had just occurred.
Among the bewildered participants, Mathew couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and confusion. As his mother's life and death depended on his performance in the inheritance war, he had been diligently working his way through the trials, giving his all, and the unexpected expulsion left him questioning what had gone wrong or if he had missed a crucial detail.
"What just happened? One moment, I was battling through the trial, and the next, I'm abruptly expelled from the Monster Tower? This is unbelievable!" Mathew exclaimed, his voice filled with frustration.
Dante, too, felt the weight of disappointment as it settled heavily within him. His progress and efforts on the second floor had suddenly been rendered meaningless, causing him to feel so devastated that his words got caught in his throat, suppressed by his emotions.
"I... I..." he stammered, struggling to express the magnitude of his letdown.
Beneath his outward image as the distant nephew of the seventh seat of the Council of Elders and the cherished favorite of Nicholas, the leader of the frostweavers, lay a stark reality: he was nothing more than a mere tool. And what fate awaits a tool once it has served its purpose? It gets discarded. Dante harbored no desire to meet such a grim end. However, he was acutely aware that failure to meet Nicholas's expectations would undoubtedly result in his demise.
No wonder Dante was overwhelmed with emotions. The weight of his predicament pressed down on him, causing a whirlwind of conflicting feelings to swirl within. Fear gripped his heart as he contemplated the consequences of falling short of Nicholas's expectations. The thought of facing a grim fate, cast aside like a useless tool, sent shivers down his spine.
"I was so close to completing the trial and advancing to the next floor! Who could have done this? Was it some kind of malfunction?" Dante finally managed to say, his voice tinged with the pain of his dashed hopes.