Free Web NovelGunther’s calculation proved correct in at least one regard.
Shhhk— BAM!
The “Karma Judge” forced its way through the Labyrinth gate. This entity seemed intent on crushing absolutely everything in its path.
BOOOOM!
A thunderous explosion rang out behind him. Verion’s presence, who had been about to leap after the falling Gunther, was abruptly cut off.
“......!”
He sensed an overwhelming threat. A flash of light and scorching heat swept through the space. The impact was so violent that even Gunther, plummeting downward, almost turned back.
“Are they... fighting each other?”
But Gunther forced himself to keep looking down. The ground was approaching.
Right before ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) impact—
U-u-u-u-u—
[The one flying ahead of the wind spreads her wings.]
The blessing of the one flying ahead of the wind wrapped around his body, sharply reducing his fall speed. Immediately after, an invisible force caught him midair at just the right moment.
“Good, Rietta.”
This was a precaution Gunther had arranged in advance. At the moment the divine power of the one flying ahead of the wind manifested, she would apply telekinesis at this exact point. So far, everything was proceeding according to plan.
“.......”
But soon, Gunther witnessed something that far exceeded his expectations.
— ...What is this.
His trembling gaze froze on the scene ahead.
Splurt— Splurt—
A rain of blood poured down from the sky.
Pop. Pop. Pop-pop-pop-pop—
Before his eyes, the hundreds of people forming the Ritual of Storm Fusion burst one after another like balloons.
Pop. Pop. Pop-pop-pop—
The speed was too fast to count. Hundreds of bodies were torn apart instantly, and the massive human sphere visibly shrank. Along with it, the overwhelming divine power that made the skin crawl rapidly faded.
...There was only one conclusion.
“The Karma Judge is suppressing Verion.”
And with a gap beyond imagination.
[Three gods attempt to identify the target.]
[The Vanguard of the Dark Night carefully observes the Judge.]
[The Ruler of the Oceans narrows her eyes and remains silent.]
“That strong...?”
Gunther, who had just fought Verion, knew better than anyone how powerful he was. A monster who toyed with him even while he was loaded with the effects of “Overdose.” At minimum — Apostle of Justice level. Considering this was the final weapon created by the combined forces of the Cult of Trust and the Society of Holy Flame, Gunther had been certain it was the strongest enemy currently possible.
“What the hell is this ‘Judge’...”
Gunther reflexively looked back. But he couldn’t capture the Judge’s form. Only blinding flashes of white light filled his vision. The only thing he managed to glimpse was Verion’s body, suspended in midair like in a web, being torn apart, regenerating, and torn apart again in real time.
“.......”
It was certainly advantageous. But reality had deviated too far from his calculations. If he didn’t hurry, the plan would collapse. Because in the end, the Judge would come to kill him as well.
“Where is he...”
Gunther looked forward again.
If Verion was the “anchor” absorbing the ritual’s enhanced energy and regeneration, then the main caster controlling the ceremony was the Archbishop of Trust, Ardel.
...Now that his subordinates were being slaughtered at an unimaginable rate, could he remain unharmed?
— Kha-a-a!
Hearing a scream from the altar, Gunther snapped his head up.
“There!”
An old man convulsing and coughing up black blood. His long beard and luxurious priestly robes were already soaked through.
Under normal circumstances, Gunther wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere near him. The Archbishop was still a 6th hierarchy priest — far beyond what Gunther could handle alone. But now, an opportunity had appeared that would never come again.
U-u-u-u-u—
[Shadow Step activated.]
There was no time. Everything had to go into a single strike.
Flame of Eternal Torment surged along the greatsword. Azure flame stage. Brilliant blue fire roared to life, coating the blade like a protective layer. Only then did Ardel sense his presence and recoil in horror.
— You... defiler of God’s domain!
He didn’t even finish speaking.
Shhhk—
Gunther rose from the Archbishop’s shadow.
U-u-u-u-u—
A defensive barrier instantly deployed. Skill did not fade — his reaction speed matched his status as Archbishop.
But it was already too late. Ardel was pouring an enormous amount of divine power into the ritual. He had no resources left to form a complete shield.
Pshhhh—
The greatsword sliced through, tore apart, and burned away the barrier. Then it pierced straight through his chest. The Archbishop’s body froze. For a moment, he couldn’t speak.
Disbelief filled his eyes. Slowly, he turned his head. The greatsword protruding from his chest. And Gunther gripping its hilt.
— Ah... in the end... I never left... the world of shadows... oh, Beltracha.
...The world of shadows? As Gunther tilted his head in confusion, the light in Ardel’s eyes faded.
Ding!
A notification sound rang out, signaling the completion of his “first objective.”
[Level Up! / Lv. 100]
[Strength: 74 → 75]
[Maximum level of 3rd hierarchy (100) reached. Complete the trial to advance to the next stage.]
[Acquired experience exceeded the limit.]
[Excess experience stored.]
[Experience will be applied after advancing to the next hierarchy.]
[Selecting advancement trial.]
...This life was destined to end in death anyway. Levain had died, and he himself would soon be erased by the Judge. So he intended to squeeze everything possible out of the situation before dying.
But... it seemed achieving the “second objective” would not be easy.
“...I tried to profit from someone else’s fight.”
The original plan was simple: intervene in the clash between Verion and the Judge and land the finishing blow on one of them. That would grant an enormous amount of Karma and experience.
“That’s what I need most right now.”
At present, his Karma debt stood at –3881. Since the reward for saving Valloren had not yet been calculated, he would eventually clear the debt. But beyond that, he needed a large surplus of Karma.
“Because after returning, I’ll have to fight Verion and Ardel — after they complete the ritual — without relying on tricks with the Judge.”
He needed to further strengthen the three gods, and if possible, raise his hierarchy. All of that preparation required Karma.
“...I knew things wouldn’t go exactly as planned.”
Half success. Gunther stood in the lowlands and looked up at the sky.
Splurt— splurt— splurt—
The blood rain grew so heavy it obscured his vision. The paladins and priests forming the ritual were gone without a trace. ...Verion’s presence could no longer be felt either.
— Gunther...!
— Watch out!
He saw his allies running from afar. It seemed they had rescued the victims and realized something was wrong here.
But it was too late. The Judge had already arrived right before Gunther.
“.......”
Unlike how it had indiscriminately shredded Verion, now it descended strangely slowly. As if pausing for final deliberation before delivering judgment.
Gunther etched its form into his memory.
“If only it were possible to talk to it.”
He hadn’t tried, but at a glance it was obvious — negotiation was impossible.
A figure resembling a winged giant.
Tssss— ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Half of its body was composed of white light. A blinding, pure radiance, like refined lightning given form, flowed downward.
But the other half was completely different.
Opposite the light clung a dense darkness without clear shape. Not even a shadow, but more like a void where light itself had been carved away.
“...It looks... impossibly dangerous.”
There was one reason Gunther hadn’t killed himself immediately when the “Judge Pursuit” branch appeared. If the Judge was an entity directly tied to Karma, it might possess information about “Return” — something Gunther desperately sought.
But the moment he faced it directly, Gunther discarded all such expectations. The creature didn’t even have a mouth to speak.
— Anything to say about Karma or Return?
— .........
Of course, there was no answer. Gunther relaxed his shoulders. Calmly, he watched as the being before him raised its arm. The same strike that had shattered Verion. Now it would end his life.
“Still... this was a successful iteration.”
Death was familiar. His mind was already forming plans for the next cycle. But—
“......?”
What reached Gunther was not the usual sensation of death. In the darkness behind his closed eyes, a blue light ignited.
Ding!
A system message. Visible whether his eyes were open or closed.
[Three gods scream desperately that you must not die by the Judge’s hand.]
[The Ruler of the Oceans senses distortion in causality and sends a warning.]
“......?” freewebnovel.cσ๓
Before Gunther could react, messages began pouring in.
[WARNING]
[“Karma Judge No.98” has marked you.]
[Your existence has been placed on the scales of Judge No.98.]
[Calculating causality]
— In the event of your death by the hands of the “Karma Judge,” calculation will proceed under the following rules.
...At that moment, an icy chill shot down Gunther’s spine like lightning. Something had gone wrong.
“...I need to kill myself. Now!”
His instincts screamed. But a second later, Gunther realized—he couldn’t move. Not his hands, not his feet, not even a finger or his pupils.
“What is this?”
Because of that “mark”? The messages continued mercilessly.
[CALCULATION DETAILS]
— Future Karma acquisition rate will be significantly and permanently reduced.
— A portion of abilities obtained through Karma will be destroyed. (Targets selected randomly based on “Karma Debt.”)
— Hierarchy will be reduced (Hierarchy 2).
— The world will record you as a “corrupted variable.”
(All future action evaluations will receive penalties.)
Gunther finally understood.
Like a tax authority liquidating the assets of a delinquent debtor for scraps, the Judge intended to dispose of his “causality” at its own discretion. All the stats and skills he had accumulated through countless deaths—reduced to nothing.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!”
This wasn’t something a few deaths could fix. The scenario had already passed its midpoint. With this penalty, he might not be able to clear the game at all.
...The most hopeless terror since learning about Return After Death.
“No...!”
Gunther’s will convulsed violently. But all he managed in the end was to slightly lift an eyelid.
It trembled open. And all he saw—
Flash—
A blinding burst of light.
.
.
.
And then a voice.
— This is my final gift to you, Gunther.
Ding!
[A collapsing deity attempts to protect you.]
[The Vanguard of the Dark Night’s scenario reacts to you.]
The Seven Evil Gods sealed ascension, and humans can no longer reach divine status. However, an existing deity may, before disappearing, manifest its divinity where it chooses.
[The Vanguard of the Dark Night places its divinity on your scales.]
[ERROR OCCURRED]
[The Judge’s scales are fluctuating.]
[Planned calculation canceled.]
[The value of the divinity offered by the Vanguard of the Dark Night exceeds current Karma debt.]
[Balance inverted.]
[...Excess converted into reward.]
.
.
.
Go forward, Gunther. Go and bring an end to this dark night.
.
.
.
[You have died.]
[Counting death records.]
[28/99]
