The War God's Judgment
Rohan couldn't wrap his head around it.
He knew full well he'd uttered blasphemy.
But the other guy's reaction was off.
Not something like How dare you mock a god!—no, the priest just asks what he means and charges in screaming for him to die.
A normal priest would've called for judgment or demanded he wash away the insult with blood, scrambling to draw even a sliver of the god's attention.
Is he just a different kind of priest?
Maybe 'cause he's young. Acting like that, the god won't pay him any mind.
Whatever. Doesn't matter to me.
From the way he handled the sword, he looked like a holy knight. Fancy shiny weapon, but no shield or armor.
Seemed about 16? 17? At that age, no way he could beat someone like Rohan, who'd lived for ages.
Idiot.
Should be approaching with caution, but he's letting emotions take over and rushing in?
Rohan sneered mockingly as he chanted his spell. Regular mages stuck to set incantations, but black mages were different.
They sacrificed their own souls to craft new magic formulas on the fly. No fixed methods—that's why other mages found them so tricky.
"Bind!"
Countless white skeletal hands erupted from the ground, lunging to grab Eugene's feet.
His divine power swirled around him. That blood-red barrier, looking just like an aura shield, wouldn't let a single bone touch his body.
...Red?
Rohan blinked.
Red? Not divine power? No, that couldn't be.
The hands melted into sludge before even making contact—definitely divine power.
...Wait. Red?!
Red divine power.
The unique mark of priests serving the War God Arcana!
Why the hell is a War God priest here?!
Two hundred years ago, the War God's sole apostle ended the Great War and vanished into this forest.
The grand temple had relocated here, and the god seemed to fade into history, resting for some future purpose.
These days, folks paid attention thanks to the priest's notoriety and the god's past feats, but up until a century ago, it was mostly forgotten!
And no matter how Rohan approached, no matter how he tampered with the barriers coveting the god's power, no matter how he prepared human sacrifices—the War God never budged.
Yet now, suddenly, a priest shows up?!
No. This is actually a golden opportunity.
The War God chose only one apostle. Unlike the Light God, Sea God, or Forest God with their hordes of priests.
A blessing concentrated on a single soul.
But that kid was still green!
No way a lofty god who'd never blessed even past heroes could let some child bear the full weight.
"Even if you're a War God priest... you can't surpass these long years I've endured!"
Black magic coiled around Rohan's glaring form.
"Rise!"
The skeletal hands shot up high, hoisting Rohan into the air.
At the same time, countless skeletons clawed their way out of the earth, blocking Eugene's path.
"Those skeletons...!"
"Haha! Undead I snagged from the village I hit a few days back!"
"Groooaaarrr—."
Rohan tapped the skeleton's palm with the tip of his staff.
A faint vibration.
"Gather."
But the moment that extra spell layered on—
The subtle tremor exploded into a massive quake echoing through the entire forest.
...Rumble rumble.
...RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
Soon, goblins burst from between the trees.
"Keeek!"
Berserk goblins frothed at the mouth, thrashing wildly.
Lurking behind them were sinister goblin shamans in black robes.
"......"
Eugene halted in place, eyeing the horde of skeletons and goblins swarming toward him.
If he were a full adult, he'd ignore trash like goblins and cut straight through.
Still a kid after all! Weak! I can kill him!
Sacrifice that brat as a human offering, and he'd gain power rivaling the gods.
Rohan leveled his staff at Eugene, eyes gleaming with greed.
"See the goblins in front of you? The shamans can force the others into berserk mode. So don't move a muscle! Twitch even once, and I'll berserk every last one in this village."
Goblins were weak on their own.
But in numbers?
Berserk, throwing their lives away without a care?
No War God priest—no matter how blessed—could break through at that age!
Today, he'd seize divine power and etch his name into history.
The Karma family will be just the beginning.
Eugene stood frozen, staring up at him.
Truth was, he hadn't stopped because of the goblins or skeletons. He knew instinctively he could sweep them all even now.
But he'd halted on purpose.
This spot was perfect for smashing that bastard.
"Y'know, I was kinda curious what beef you had with the Karma family—why bother cursing them and ruining their lives... stuff like that?"
Red energy enveloped Eugene's body. The War God's Blessing activated, surging vitality through every limb.
"But screw it. You're just trash. Die. I'll squeeze the rest outta your goons under torture."
His eyes burned crimson.
Senses sharpened to a razor's edge. The War God's Blessing didn't just boost physical prowess—it revealed the opponent's deeds and sins.
Rohan Arma
Status: Wanted Criminal
Murders: 500 (estimated)
Villages Massacred: 5
Sins Accumulated: Murder, Human Sacrifice, Blasphemy
Whatever sob story he had, the bastard was a criminal, plain and simple.
Eugene wasn't some hero, but he had the power to kill scum like this.
"So just die."
Thud!
He kicked off the ground and rocketed upward. Rohan's eyes bulged like saucers as he hastily raised his staff.
Mana swirled around the staff.
"Strike down!"
Boom!
A spell he'd favored before turning black mage. Lightning infused with mana packed way more punch than regular magic.
But it never reached Eugene.
"Cancel."
The mana forming the bolt scattered.
A higher-circle mage had disrupted the flow and shattered the formula.
"Black mage Rohan."
Nipella Aoman murmured his incantation, casting. Sure, he'd been briefly "missing" after Rohan's ambush, but he was a Sky Academy professor—the continent's elite.
Cancelling some half-baked power from a human-sacrifice hack like Rohan? Child's play.
Especially since it was standard magic he saw all the time—not black mage weirdness!
"Stop the pathetic struggling and die. Your family is already wiped out. This is all on you."
"Shut your mouth! What do you know?!"
Rohan thrust his staff skyward, veins bulging in his eyes.
A gift from his father, the lord who'd ruled the Arma territory.
Back then, thrilled by the pricey staff, Rohan had sought a shortcut to power to live up to expectations.
"I-I just wanted to revive the family...!"
They'd been exterminated for defying the imperial palace and temples.
Intruding on the great War God's domain without permission, desecrating the forest, plus all their accumulated crimes...
"Revive my ass. You started shit you couldn't handle—take the damn consequences."
Eugene's foot hit the massive skeletal hand. It convulsed in agony from the divine power, flailing wildly.
Rohan leaped back onto its shoulder.
A red streak grazed past him. Slash— a thin cut opened on his cheek, blood trickling down.
And then—
Crash!
The headless skeleton crumbled.
The red divine power had incinerated its mana core, preventing regeneration. Rohan, robbed of footing, plummeted.
He clenched his staff mid-fall.
"I-I can't die here!"
All his mana coalesced, summoning undead.
Fake lich! A gray-robed fake lich materialized.
"Kill him! Kill that bastard!!! By any means!!!"
—Aaaahhh!
The fake lich, rampaging on its master's emotions, gaped wide and unleashed its mana in a frenzy.
A wail shattered minds and withered spirits.
But Eugene didn't flinch.
He gripped his sword with both hands, slowly raising it overhead.
Vrrrrm—
Crimson energy coiled around the blade.
Eugene lacked experience and mastery.
But the moment combat began, his ignited eyes and exploding senses told him exactly what to do and how.
His sword wasn't a true divine artifact. But it was damn close, its power hinging on the wielder.
In one go...
He could see the flows. The mana blanketing the area read clear in his sharpened vision, revealing precisely how to sever it.
Slash.
Whoosh!
The swing looked like a whiff.
But the result was anything but.
Shlick!
The fake lich's mana split clean in two. Divine power torched it, and behind the shattering illusion, the falling Rohan came into view.
Eugene's pursuing eyes locked on him—sweat-matted hair from mana exhaustion, pupils drowned in despair.
The initial arrogance, the hubris to defy a god—all gone.
"Ain'tcha kinda weak?"
Rohan met Eugene's gaze.
Those eyes, curled in utter scorn— no priest's eyes.
More like...
"D-Devil...!"
"That's you. Nah, devil's too good for trash like you."
Eugene whispered coldly.
"You're just exp Arcana-nim left for me on purpose."
Rohan's eyes flew wide.
What? Left on purpose? Bullshit. He was a genius, called as much.
He'd used his brains to dodge the god's gaze, sneak past barriers, carve out this "gap," and bide time to steal divine power.
A solid plan. Would've worked.
But on purpose?
Danced in the god's palm from the start?
"N-No way—"
Eugene drove the sword into his heart without another word. Rohan spewed blood as it pierced clean through.
Splurt!
A lateral slice halved the heart-impaled body. Light faded from Rohan's eyes.
The pair plummeted.
Pretty high up. Eugene had reached it with a few leaps, thanks to the blessing on his legs.
The knights were slashing goblins with their sword auras, but too far off.
Eugene wasn't worried, though.
"Fly!"
Nipella cast to ease their descent. And he wasn't weak enough to die from a fall like this.
With Rohan slain, calm returned, his head cooling rationally.
Damn. Got worked up for nothing.
First time facing a black mage, plus that parental insult snapped his reason for a sec.
But now? Total small fry.
Deader than dead. Just cleanup left.
He glanced below. Still crawling with skeletons and goblins. Masterless, they'd gone berserk, shamans screeching weirdly.
Seemed easy to mop up. Knights were taking time, but not struggling.
Hm?
Vrrr!
The sword vibrated. Specifically, the gem embedded in the blade.
...What the?
The sword jerked on its own, tip pointing at a building.
Then Eugene's divine power drained right out, the sword shuddering wildly.
"What? The hell?"
He gripped tight in panic. But the gem, quaking like it wanted to bolt, flashed bright.
...!
Something flew in. Eugene instinctively raised the sword to block.
But no need. The thing's target was the sword itself.
A blue gem, shaped just like the red one in the blade.
...The fuck?
This really not divine? Wait, why's a gem flying in to embed?
Questions swirled, but he shook 'em off and eyed the goblin/undead swarm below.
Clear first.
Can't do shit till the mess sorted.
He coated the blade with divine power like before. His eyes went wide.
"Wha—?"
The divine power meant for coating slipped his control, flailing wildly... then detonated in a massive blast.
KABOOM!