The Black Mage's Judgment
In the Great Forest War, the sight of Anti-Karma caused the movements of millions of black mages to freeze simultaneously. They watched in horror as something began crawling endlessly out of their own shadows. Ghostly figures resembling corpses, their translucent bodies swaying, lunged at them and began to tear into their flesh. The black mages recognized the apparitions instantly.
"Hallucination magic!? No! You—!"
Kiaaaaaah—!
Uwaaaaaah—!
The ghosts of friends they had betrayed and murdered screamed in anguish. The wails of betrayed masters tore at their eardrums. Humans sacrificed in black magic rituals crawled up from their split bellies, spilling entrails as they clutched at ankles. From the heavens, the entire sky appeared to be overrun by ghosts, a vision visible across the entire Middle World.
A black mage, nine circles of mana blazing, shouted, "I will grant your enemies the chance to take revenge while you still live. Offer your karma to me."
The ghosts, drunk on the blood and flesh of their foes, opened their mouths in ecstatic response.
Kahahahah—! Kihihihih—!
Rejoicing at the sudden opportunity for vengeance, the ghosts began to materialize. In their horrific, mutilated forms, they advanced toward their targets with eyes full of hatred. The black mages desperately tried to cast spells to defend themselves, but their paralyzed bodies refused to move.
"Kuaaaaaak—! Aaaagh!"
The materialized ghosts' hands began to dismember the black mages. They were forced to scream endlessly as they watched their own hearts ripped out and limbs severed before their eyes. Finally, feeling their skulls shatter and brains spill out, they experienced their own deaths and felt relief. The surrounding ghosts let out mournful sighs.
"In black magic, death is not the end."
Paaat—! Pat! Pat—!
Light burst from the shattered bodies of the black mages scattered everywhere, and they began to regenerate. Severed limbs reattached, hearts reformed, and brains revived.
"Kaaaaaaaak—!"
Realizing they had been subjected to a necromancer's resurrection, the black mages thrashed madly, only to be torn apart again by the materialized ghosts.
"This is the price for offering precious karma. Violate them until you are satisfied."
The black mage's merciless sentence fell upon the black mages. They were condemned to endure infinite torture at the hands of their victims while still alive. Kihihihih! Kraaaaaah! Millions of black mages were gruesomely torn apart by the materialized ghosts, resurrected, and killed again, all witnessed by every sentient being in the Middle World.
The black mage, holding the heads of two demon kings in each hand, looked down upon the scene, nine circles of mana glowing. Hwaaaah—! Kkukkkkukkk! Agonized screams and laughter filled the air as chunks of flesh sprayed across the sky. Those with weaker minds fainted, fortunate enough to wet themselves in the process.
"How the hell are we supposed to subjugate something like that?"
The human nations, which had been preparing for war under the divine oracle to subjugate the evil black mage, trembled in fear and shrank back. Yet the surviving black mages' eyes widened infinitely. Those dying so horribly up there had all been beings who had ruled over them like gods.
'Even high-ranking black mages are being slaughtered like insects.'
'Above all, the pinnacle of black magic is right there.'
The low-ranking black mages, who had survived because their sins were not yet deep, cried out in unison in their hearts.
'Look at that great power of black magic. It revives the dead and prevents the living from dying.'
'It slays demon kings, twists the laws, and turns all terror toward itself.'
Even the low-ranking black mages feared they too would be judged. Yet their hearts swelled with pride at the fact that the great mage who had subjugated even demon kings was himself a black mage.
After a long period of slaughter, the resurrected figures began to disappear one by one. The evil spirits, satisfied with their revenge, gradually entered the cycle of reincarnation. In proportion, the black mages afflicted by Anti-Karma also shrank one by one, transforming into black orbs.
Hwoooooong!
The high-ranking black mages whose judgment was complete turned into black orbs of varying sizes and were sucked into the black mage's extradimensional space. The process ended as dawn broke. When the sun rose, the millions of high-ranking black mages had all vanished, leaving only the land soaked in blood, stretching endlessly like a sea of crimson.
"Next is your turn."
The black mage's figure enlarged in the sky, the face beneath the black robe gazing down upon every sentient being in the Middle World. The eyes of countless emperors and kings widened as if they would tear apart. An overwhelming sensation that something enormous was targeting them surged endlessly. Their hearts pounded as if about to burst, and tears welled up in their eyes.
"You said you would subjugate me under the gods' orders? What price will you pay for daring to trouble me?"
The emperors' and kings' minds went blank. They had just witnessed high-ranking black mages being torn apart by evil spirits all night, dying and reviving only to be annihilated. Now the target of that terrifying judgment had shifted to them.
"You wouldn't do it yourselves, would you?"
"We will pay! We will do anything you desire!"
The emperors and kings shouted through the communication formation. Their instincts screamed that the slightest misstep would condemn them to the same fate as the black mages, so the words burst out reflexively.
"Good. Since you have not yet attacked me, I will allow negotiations."
"Thank you! O great mage!"
The rulers of the sentient beings answered reflexively under the gaze of the enormous figure that seemed to be staring directly at them.
"From now on, swear in a contract that you will treat legitimate black magic equally with other magics and will not oppress it. As proof of the contract, offer your most noble women, and if a child born to such a woman desires the throne, you will abdicate in their favor. This contract remains valid until that woman dies."
"?"
The emperors and kings, who had been listening intently so as not to miss a single word, doubted their ears at the unexpectedly simple conditions. When the black mages suddenly realized the implications regarding their own status, some even burst into tears. Having been forced into black magic due to their lowly origins despite their talent, they were seeing a higher being defend them for the first time.
Though the black mage had slain millions of high-ranking black mages in anger, he was still a mage who had mastered black magic and its sovereign. "If you break this contract, any act of retaliation by the other party will be permitted. Sign immediately."
Jwaaaak—! Jwaak—!
A golden contract document appeared before the emperors and kings and unfurled, with a golden pen floating in the air. The rulers, eager to sign and end the ordeal, hesitated when the sensitive matter of succession arose.
'If it is the most noble woman, it would be a princess with succession rights.'
'We could send a princess, but the problem is that the child born might inherit the nation.'
Of course, as long as the current heir remained, it would not be an issue, and even under absolute monarchy, the throne was not decided by bloodline alone. However, if a princess bore the child of a black mage who had slain demon kings and brutally executed millions of black mages, an enormous crisis would immediately destabilize the succession.
'This cannot be decided lightly.'
'When the throne is at stake, it is not something to be decided under threat, even at the cost of one's life.'
After hesitating, the thought that the contract would expire upon the woman's death—a short-term agreement—occurred to them, and they moved to sign without further hesitation.
'Thinking about it again, it is not such a bad thing.'
'If things go well, we could receive the protection of that great black mage for decades.'
The idea of gaining the cooperation of a black mage who toyed with even demon kings outweighed any reluctance about their daughters, and everyone began to sign. Then the black mage's warning reached them.
"This is a Karma Contract, possessing authority beyond even the Creator God. If you think you might break it, it would be better to refuse now. The price you will pay will be incomparable to anything before."
Though they hesitated at the sudden warning, the emperors and kings had already made their choice.
Sseusssuk! Sarrrreuk!
The signatures of the emperors and kings on the golden parchment glowed, emitting the light of contract completion.
"The contract has been established. The grudges between the human nations that received the gods' commands and I, the black mage, have been settled. However, things are not yet finished with your divine nations."
As the black mage waved both hands, drawing something in the air, enormous magic circles appeared simultaneously in the cities and plains of each nation.
"Hand over all holy relics and saintesses. Otherwise, the divine nations will be destroyed."
Violent mana engulfed the entire Middle World and began to absorb something. Startled by the black mage's sudden change in attitude, the emperors and kings shouted.
"O black mage! The contract will be fulfilled. If you desire the holy relics and saintesses of the divine nations, we will offer them."
The emperors and kings intended to force the divine nations to surrender their saintesses and relics by any means necessary. But they fell silent at the black mage's next words.
"Persuade fanatics? Even I cannot do that."
With those words, the black mage activated nine circles of mana and manifested magic across the entire Middle World.
Puhahahahahah! Shuahahahah—!
Yellow something began pouring endlessly into the enormous magic circle that had appeared in the sky. Pa! Papapapa! Each time the magic circle flashed in the air, golden fields turned to ochre. All the wheat and barley across the Middle World that had ripened but not yet been harvested was being sucked into the magic circle. This phenomenon occurred in every major granary on the continent.
"What—! What is happening!?"
People fell into panic as they watched wheat and barley being drawn into the magic circle filling the sky. Then another anomaly occurred in their cities as well.
Pachang—! Chang—!
Sacks of grain in the city storehouses burst through ceilings and vanished into the sky. Even the grain in household jars flew away.
"My food!"
"Grab it—!"
Many people tried to catch the flying sacks of grain in the absurd situation, but all missed and tumbled to the ground. Once all the grain in the Middle World had disappeared into the magic circle in the sky, the black mage's voice followed.
"There has always been something strange throughout history. Why do demon kings choose the difficult method of killing directly? What is the easiest way to kill humans?"
The black mage continued speaking while playfully spinning the demon king's head held in hand, a hint of madness in the tone. Only faint groans escaped the demon king's mouth now, signaling that he was still alive, and his facial muscles twitched slightly each time the horn was grabbed and twisted. For the demon king, such humiliation at the hands of a sentient being was unprecedented, and the knowledge that it was not yet over filled him with dread.
"What would I do? How can I kill efficiently? Spread a deadly plague through cities? Poison the source of water? Grind everything to dust with an earthquake? Even then, some humans survive. This is the answer to that dilemma."
Huik! Hwieeeeeek!
The black mage waved a hand through the air and canceled the magic circle. The plunder of all grain existing in the Middle World was complete.
Hwieeeeeeeng—! Ppaaaaaak—!
The black mage clapped both hands together. Naturally, the demon king heads he held collided head-on, and they screamed in ugly unison.
"Kaaaaak—!"
"Kek—!"
"Listen and learn well, you stagnant things."
The image in the sky changed again, showing the grain sucked into the magic circle piled up like mountains somewhere.
"If you truly wish to exterminate humanity, steal all the grain. Without that food, they will starve to death, and within three months, five hundred billion humans will fall below one billion. Then the gods' blessings will vanish from the Middle World, and within a year, humans will go extinct."
Everyone's minds went blank at the black mage's mad words. If all the grain truly disappeared, starvation would begin immediately, bringing a horrific reality they had never witnessed before.
'If the human population decreases, the other races we have pushed into the wilderness and stolen their lands from will not stay still.'
'Humanity has a history of enslaving some races, so they could be hunted and enslaved in turn.'
Elders who had experienced near-starvation due to droughts, floods, or the harsh exploitation of lords covered their faces with both hands and tried to scream.
"The divine nations must immediately surrender all holy relics and saintesses of their own free will. The human nations that just signed the contract will be given grain, but there will be no negotiations with fanatics who wage war in the name of gods and hunt heretics. Their entire nations will be destroyed, and any surviving fanatics will starve to death."
The black mage pointed to the grain piled like mountains and continued.
"Do you not believe me? A demonstration is necessary, is it not? Therefore, I will deal with the Holy Empire of War first."
Saaaaah! Hwaaaaaaaaah—!
At the black mage's declaration, some let out sighs of relief while the citizens of empires and nations named after gods or saints cried out in despair. Kueooooork—! Especially the Pope of the Holy Empire of War, who had just been named, clutched his chest and collapsed without realizing it, only to be hurriedly supported by the cardinals around him.
The black mage's fingers spread and appeared at the front of the screen. Three fingers of the right hand extended, and the black mage's voice struck the ears of the Pope and the holy order.
"Decide within three seconds. Three."
The Pope and saint kings were shocked. Being given only three seconds for such a decision meant there was no intention to negotiate.
'That black mage really intends to annihilate us.'
'This could mean apostasy!'
'We need time to think about what to do.'
The black mage's extended fingers folded mercilessly, one by one.
"Two. Clash Planet—!"
Hwoooooong! Gooooooooong!
Several enormous planets appeared in the sky above and began to move. Nine circles glowed from within the black robe the black mage wore, mana clearly swirling through the atmosphere. This was a famous magic familiar to anyone who knew magic.
"Surely not Meteor—! But what is that size?"
"Was that vibration and roar earlier magic!?"
While the mages were horrified by the immense power of the mana the black mage wielded in the air and its consequences, the summoned planets began to glow red and descend. At the end of their trajectory, faintly visible, was the grand temple of the War God.
"One. As fanatics who dared to challenge me, all of you shall become martyrs."
As the star grazed the earth, objects began to float upward due to gravity. Screaming animals fled while humans stood frozen, staring blankly at the sky. Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—! The falling star burned bright red from atmospheric friction, and the superheated air made breathing impossible. On the screen in the sky, the planet falling toward the grand temple of the Holy Empire of War grew steadily closer. Gugugugugugugugung! Deudeudeudeudeudeudeuk! Creatures being sucked into the star by its gravity and the splitting earth looked as if they were happening right beside them. Mountains and villages set ablaze by the superheated air came into view.
The black mage's voice rang out coldly.
"The heaven you so desperately desired is right in front of you. You fanatics who have given up thinking for yourselves."