Episode 93: Judgment
A brilliant beam of light descended from the heavens, melting everything it touched, as it showcased its majesty in the heart of the Kingdom of Tenerope.
“What… is this?”
Its power was overwhelming—far beyond what could be compared to advanced magic. It was on a level that could only be called transcendent magic. Such was the immense magical energy contained within that radiant beam from the sky.
‘But… I think I heard Francia’s voice.’
Whether it was due to his exhausted body or his heightened senses, Yohan couldn’t tell. However, he was certain that Francia’s voice had brushed against his ears.
“…Am I starting to hear hallucinations now?”
Regardless, this was his chance to escape. Yohan forced his staggering body to move as he set out to find Eris.
Unfortunately, Fedelian was nowhere to be seen. It seemed the shadows had taken him and fled. It was regrettable, but there were plenty of ways to track him down.
By entering a state of mental resonance, Yohan had perfectly identified the unique mana signature Fedelian possessed. Using that as a basis, he could cast tracking magic and find him at any time.
He didn’t need to worry about Cassis, either. With one shoulder lost and his body sprawled out, Cassis was already suffering from severe blood loss. It wouldn’t be surprising if he went into shock at any moment. Especially amidst the current chaos, his survival seemed unlikely.
In any case, Yohan continued walking. Eris had flung westward, but the distance was considerable. As a result, the aftermath of the battle hadn’t reached that area.
Barely dragging himself to a pile of collapsed building debris, Yohan raised his hand and summoned his mana. Crackle—! His battered mana circuits felt like they were burning.
“Guh…”
Suppressing the pain, he used his magic to lift the debris. As he dug deeper into the wreckage, Eris’s unconscious figure finally emerged. Her faint breathing barely clung to life.
“Eris.”
Supporting her and calling her name yielded no response. Her condition was dire. Her already pale skin had turned completely ashen, and her breathing was shallow.
‘Damn it.’
Eris might die.
He needed to reunite with the inspectors as quickly as possible.
Yohan picked Eris up in his arms and began walking, albeit slowly. Explosions resounded in the distance, accompanied by the screams of citizens.
The ground trembled, with black, acrid smoke rising into the sky and ash swirling everywhere. The stench of burning pricked his nose.
“Ugh…”
As Yohan left the scene, Eris stirred in his arms. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her hazy gray irises staring at him.
“Who… are you?”
“It’s me.”
“Ah…”
In a cracked voice, she asked,
“What about the traitor…?”
“He escaped.”
Yohan quickly added,
“But you don’t need to worry. I can track him down easily. For now, we need to focus on the present.”
“…I see.”
Eris’s body slumped again, her eyelids growing heavier.
“Stay with me. Stay awake.”
“…”
“Eris!”
“Ah…”
When Yohan shouted, Eris gazed at him with her clouded eyes. Then, she slowly lifted her hand and gently touched his cheek.
“You’re so handsome…”
“…”
“I wish you were my lover.”
“…”
“…Your skin’s so nice.”
“I’ll let you touch it all you want later.”
“Wow…!”
It seemed her disoriented state was making her spout all kinds of nonsense. Yohan remained silent, wondering if she would later regret this and curl up in embarrassment.
It was at that moment they finally escaped the scene.
“Special-Class Inspector Highlander! Special-Class Mage Lahart!”
Other inspectors were approaching.
They weren’t in great shape either, likely due to their clash with the Golden Steel Knights.
“Let’s evacuate. An escape route has been secured.”
“Is there a healer?”
“Yes!”
“Take care of the Special-Class Inspector Highlander.”
Yohan gently laid Eris down. An inspector skilled in healing magic assessed her condition.
“…Her abdominal organs are completely ruptured. It’s a miracle she’s still alive.”
The damage had been inflicted by the Grand Swordmaster. It would’ve been strange if she were unscathed.
“But she can be saved. It’s not too late.”
“Thank goodness.”
Fwoosh! The inspector’s hands glowed with green mana, which flowed into Eris.
Slowly, her complexion began to improve.
“I received word that reinforcements are on their way, including the Bureau’s First and Second Division as well as the Imperial Knights.”
The commander of the Bureau’s First Division, Grand Duke Lenokhonen, was also a Grand Swordmaster who had reached transcendence. The commander of the Imperial Knights, who protected the imperial capital, was no different.
One might wonder why they hadn’t moved from the beginning. The stronger someone was, the greater the restrictions placed on them. Like a sharp blade, their actions required a justified cause.
“Yes, let’s join them immediately.”
Yohan nodded and turned to look back.
Thick, acrid smoke was still rising in the distance.
‘…What was that light?’
It wasn’t something the Empire could have dispatched. There were no mages capable of wielding such magic.
‘I have no idea.’
In any case, they had received significant help. Now, they just needed to focus on recovery and dealing with Fedelian. Yohan turned back around and followed the inspectors.
***
In a forest near the royal capital.
With the help of shadows, Fedelian escaped to an uninhabited area.
He was in a wretched state. His body was covered in burns caused by mana, and one of his ankles had been severed.
“…It’s not regenerating.”
“What?”
A shadow adept in healing arts attempted to restore the damage, but his missing ankle did not return.
“Well… the severed area is completely cut off from mana. As a result, mana can’t permeate-“
“Damn it!”
Fedelian struck a rock with his clenched fist.
Crack!
Stone fragments scattered in all directions, and his face contorted with rage.
‘Yohan Lahart, you… until the very end…!’
At this rate, even escaping was impossible. His mobility was severely compromised. Even with the shadows assisting him, it was only a matter of time before he was caught.
“Damn it…”
Fedelian ran his hands over his distorted face, wiping it in frustration. Everything had gone terribly wrong.
The trusted Duke Aegis had been caught in the sudden bombardment, and Cassis Lenokhonen, whom he thought would be helpful, was on the brink of death without achieving anything.
At this rate, not only was taking the throne impossible, but even survival was uncertain.
“For now, I need to escape. Somewhere else-”
At that moment-
BOOM!
The shadow in front of Fedelian disappeared without a trace, leaving only a severed wrist behind.
“What the…!”
“Fedelian Rozino.”
Before he could even process his shock, a clear, feminine voice echoed in his ears. It was a familiar voice. He turned his head.
“…Francia? Why are you here?”
There she stood, the very woman Fedelian had so desperately sought.
“I’m relieved I can deal with you personally.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
Buzz!!
The golden blade in her hand glowed brightly. Massive waves of mana swirled around her, creating a fierce storm that swept through the area.
Crash!
“Ugh!”
Fedelian raised his arms to shield his face. He couldn’t open his eyes-the wind was too sharp.
“Francia, what are you-!”
“I’m going to kill you.”
Step.
She took a step forward. Her crimson eyes were cold and unfeeling, her face stiff and hardened. A vicious, ominous bloodlust emanated from her.
“Don’t think you’ll die peacefully. I’ll annihilate your very soul.”
The tip of her golden, gleaming sword pointed at Fedelian’s heart-the vessel of a human soul.
“Damn it, what are you all doing?!
Attack-!”
“It’s just you and me now.”
Before he could finish his sentence-
Stab!
A golden ray pierced through Fedelian’s heart in an instant. Blood gushed out as a strangled scream escaped his lips.
“They’re all dead.”
“Gah…!”
As expected of a special-class knight.
Even with his heart pierced, he barely clung to life.
“Heh.”
Step.
Her unsettling laughter echoed as she took another step forward. Francia approached slowly, a crooked smile spreading across her lips.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
“…”
“I’ve always wanted to kill you.”
Lying on the ground, Fedelian looked up at her, blood spilling from his mouth. The pain was unbearable-excruciating beyond words.
“I hope you atone for your sins in the heavens above.”
The golden sword was raised high into the sky, its tip aimed at Fedelian’s neck.
“I doubt you’ll rest in peace, though.”
Slash!
The blade tore through his skin, ripped apart his muscles, and shattered his bones. But death would not come easily to him.
The artifact Gladius Luminis was a sword of judgment that punished its target for their sins.
Fedelian’s sins were so innumerable that he would burn in the fires of hell for centuries.
“Haa…!”
A faint smile tugged at Francia’s lips. It appeared like an ordinary smile, but it carried an inexplicable distortion.
“Yohan, wait for me…”
Suppressing the euphoria coursing through her, she began walking again. She didn’t need to worry about the shadows anymore-they were already dead.
The reason why someone as minimal combat power as her possessed such overwhelming power was thanks to the artifacts she had taken from the Celestial Mage’s library.
Each artifact was a weapon capable of annihilating entire armies. With time on her side and everything ready, she no longer needed to hold back.
‘I’ll have to kill them all.’
Initially, she had only planned to kill Fedelian and Cassis. But her mind had changed. To ensure there were no loose ends, everyone else had to be eliminated too.
‘For Yohan and me.’
Her crimson eyes gleamed coldly, radiating an intense bloodlust.
***
Reinforcements arrived.
Judging by their speed, they must have been on standby from the beginning.
After recovering just enough to move, Yohan joined the inspectors in pursuing Fedelian.
His last known location was in a forest near the royal capital.
But-
“What is this…”
“They’re all dead.”
The forest was practically a sea of blood.
All of Fedelian’s shadows lay dead, their hearts impaled.
“Let’s go in and take a closer look.”
Following the mana tracking spell, they ventured deeper into the forest.
A wide-open clearing appeared, and there, a familiar head of blonde hair came into view.
“That’s…”
“Fedelian.”
It was Fedelian. He was dead, unable even to close his eyes. Only his head remained…
“…”
“…”
The inspectors were speechless, their lips parting wordlessly. Who could have killed Fedelian so brutally?
“Judging by the fact that only his head remains, there must have been infighting.
It aligns with Tenerope’s position as they’ ve stated publicly.” said Jevella Highlander quietly.
“With things this messy, there’s no reason to support Fedelian any longer. A coup for the throne is now impossible.”
She was right. For Tenerope, killing Fedelian now and pleading for leniency was their best option, even if it was too late.
“Whew.”
Yohan swept his bangs back and let out a deep sigh. He felt oddly hollow.
‘At least Cassis can still be executed…’
They had successfully captured Cassis.
After treating him just enough to keep him alive, he would be executed in the streets of the capital.
The man would go down in history as a traitor and a madman whose brain seemed to be made of muscle.
“Is it over now?”
One of the inspectors asked.
“Yes. The purge is complete, and the escaped Cassis Lenokhonen has been captured.”
The executioner’s task was finished.
There was no longer any reason to remain on Tenerope’s soil.
“Let’s head back.”
In the end, the mission had been successfully concluded.
***
Flames consumed the ground, and the sky was covered with dark crimson smoke.
Molten lava churned below, and the air reeked of burning sulfur and ash. A wind howled endlessly, echoing like screams.
“Aaaaaargh!!”
The sensation of his flesh melting away tormented him. No, it wasn’t a mere hallucination-it was far too vivid, too agonizing. The searing flames seemed to devour his nerves, tearing his consciousness apart.
The pain of burning flesh engulfed his entire body.
The heat pierced his throat as though the fire had seeped into his very bones, while the flames danced wildly on his skin, relentlessly shredding his senses.
“Gaaaah…! What… what is this?!”
Fedelian’s groans didn’t cease. It was as if he had become a living torch.
The pain wasn’t just heat-it felt like thousands of blades slicing through his flesh, an endless stream of screams, and a nightmare consuming his mind.
“Aaaaagh…!”
Swallowed by the inferno, Fedelian screamed in agony. Acrid smoke filled his lungs. It was hot. Hot. Hot. Too hot.
How long would this torment last? Surely, it was only for a moment. Yes, just a moment. If he endured it a little longer, it would end…
[Your sins are being judged.]
At that moment, a voice echoed through the fiery hell.
[You have taken thousands of lives and trampled upon your own kind. Know the weight of your sins. Your punishment will last as long as the blood you’ve spilled, for each life you’ve claimed.]
“Guh…! What are you talking about…?”
Fedelian bit down on his lips as his body burned with excruciating pain.
[A total of 7,814 years.]
The voice of judgment continued.
[That is the time you will endure the suffering of hellfire.]
Fedelian’s face turned pale as a sheet.