How does the conclusion of "The Pit in the Pendulum" impact its overall meaning?

The final
paragraph of 's 1842 story is

"There was a
discordant hum of human voices! There was a loud blast as of many trumpets! There was a harsh
grating as of a thousand thunders! The fiery walls rushed back! An outstretched arm caught my
own as I fell, fainting, into the abyss. It was that of General Lasalle. The French army had
entered Toledo. The Inquisition was in the hands of its...