Chapter 9: Judge
Translator: CKtalon
“Die?”
How arrogant.
Psoriasis-who only had his head left outside the dark quagmire-sneered sarcastically.
That’s right. Being completely controlled by this evil spell, it could only be at the mercy of others. Its body that had descended into Currere would indeed be destroyed by this magic chanter.
From a mortal’s point of view, it was indeed about to die.
However...
“Hero, bring it on. Try killing me.”
Psoriasis laughed maniacally at the magic chanter.
“Use your weapon, your magic, your intelligence, courage, will, or something else to kill me.”
Although it was still enduring the pain of being bitten by millions of hungry Undead, it couldn’t hide its delight.
“Kill me like a fool destroying a reflection in the mirror; kill me like a lunatic shattering the moon in the water. There’s no need to stand on ceremony; tear apart my shadow in this world in vain. If it’s not enjoyable enough, go ahead and torture me before killing me,” Psoriasis said ferociously.
“Then, I’ll come back again and again with hatred for you and experience from my previous failures. I have infinite time and countless opportunities. So what if you prevail now? You can’t keep winning, mortal.”
“There’s a very widespread story in the Moon Realm. I believe you’ve heard of it.”
After the other party finished speaking, Zhou Mu slowly spoke.
“A long time ago, there was a most cunning and arrogant swindler in this world. He boldly made a bet with the 13 Moon Realm Void Sovereigns and won 12 consecutive bets. And every time he won a round, he requested the Void Sovereign to forge a weapon that could injure Them.”
As Zhou Mu spoke, he opened a deep spatial rift and reached in to search for something.
“But in the last bet, he lost, and his soul was eventually split by the Void Sovereigns. This story is often used to warn mortals not to bet with demons, but I think that that person is a great warrior. This is because he left 12 weapons in the world that can injure the Void Sovereigns’ essence.”
Under Psoriasis’s uneasy gaze, he drew a simple straight sword from the spatial rift.
It was a normal sword that nobody would pick up even if it was dropped downtown. The workmanship was so crude that it was like the work of the son of an old blacksmith in a neighboring village during his first forging tutorial.
“Later on, someone traveled the entire continent to collect these 12 weapons and gave them to his companions. He established an organization specially used to suppress the monsters that couldn’t be killed. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? That organization is known as the 13 Judges, and those who hold those weapons are known as...”
As Zhou Mu spoke, he pointed his ordinary straight sword at Psoriasis’s throat.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Judge.”
When it sensed the power contained in the straight sword that could completely kill it, Psoriasis felt an unfamiliar emotion for the first time-fear.
“Wait... Wait a minute, I don’t...”
Looking at the sword at his throat, Psoriasis was about to say something in horror, but Zhou Mu ignored him and stabbed in.
There were no gorgeous special effects or deafening sounds.
The Stumbling Demon died silently.
The corpse didn’t turn into black salt crystals and dissipate. Instead, it was gradually swallowed by the mire and disappeared.
He died as easily and straightforwardly as a mortal.
...
A towering flaming vortex rose from the colorful spore cloud, incinerating the cursed mist in less than ten seconds.
Purgatory Storm
A Lv. 8 Fire spell.
If she had seen the casting of this spell a few days ago, Liliana would’ve definitely cried out in excitement. However, she didn’t show any emotion other than numbness when she saw a Lv. 8 spell.
She had seen more Lv. 8 spells today than in her entire life.
The man who had shattered her worldview countless times today stood on the devastated, scorched earth and stared at the huge pitch-black gem floating in midair.
“Come over. It’s safe now.”
The other party’s voice sounded, and Liliana obediently walked over. The air was filled with the stench of burning feathers, and she felt the residual heat of the flames with every step she took.
Liliana asked as she walked.
“What about that monster?”
“Dead.”
The person replied hoarsely, his gaze still fixed on the black gem.
“Is David Obis imprisoned here?”
“That’s right. I still have some questions... Cough, cough, cough, cough... F*ck... Cough, cough, cough...”
Before that person could finish speaking, he suddenly coughed violently.
Liliana watched nervously as the person suddenly coughed until he was out of breath. Sometime after he calmed down, she asked hesitantly, “Are you alright...”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. I just choked on the mist. I’ll be fine in a while.”
Was it only a choke...
The scene of birds and insects being devoured by the mycelium appeared in Liliana’s mind.
If it weren’t for that person’s Sunbird pendant, she would’ve long died in the terrifying mist.
Recalling that the other party’s pendant was still on her, she hurriedly took it off and prepared to return it to him, but the person only waved his hand, indicating for her to keep it.
“Really? Such a precious thing...”
“I might need your help in the future, so treat this as payment. Moreover, this is a replica I made while mimicking the Phoenix Pendant’s enchantment. It’s nothing precious.”
He enchanted it himself...
Liliana’s mind went numb from the other party’s words.
Zhou Mu ignored the stunned Liliana behind him and took a few steps back. He then raised his staff and removed the effects of Shadow Cage.
The huge pitch-black gem floating in the air turned into a shadow and dissipated, and the genius mage named David fell to the ground from midair.
His concept of time seemed to be stuck at the moment before he was imprisoned. The moment he landed, he held the staff in his hand tightly and pointed it at Zhou Mu and Liliana.
However, he quickly realized that the battle was over.
“Where did my contracted demon go?”
Perhaps because he couldn’t sense the Stumbling Demon that was connected to his soul, David asked directly when he saw that the two people not far away had no intention of attacking.
“Since you can’t sense it, it’s naturally dead.”
Zhou Mu replied matter-of-factly.
Lunar Monsters were immortal. Even if their bodies in Currere were destroyed, it was like the shattering of a mirror’s reflection, banishing them back to the Moon Realm. It wouldn’t injure the monster at all.
However, David wasn’t in the mood to correct the other party’s choice of words.
“You defeated it?”
The other party nodded.
With a clang, he threw the lead-colored staff to the ground.
“I surrender,” David said decisively.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“I thought you would struggle.”
“To be able to banish the Stumbling Demon alone, I have no chance of winning.”
Zhou Mu nodded, and a silver thread extended from the top of Withering Cold, binding the other party tightly.
“So what will happen to me? Will I be handed over to the Church or...”
“Answer my question first.”
Zhou Mu walked in front of David and unfolded a parchment map for him.
“You deliberately spread this treasure map of the Southern Grief Mountains through the black market, right?”
Liliana’s heart tightened when she heard this question.
When they were still at Twilight Fortress, the mysterious mage had asked her in detail how she had found this ruin.
After she told him how she had spent a lot of money to buy this treasure map from a mysterious vendor in the Nordland underground black market, the person took the map from her.
In that case, this map, this ruin...
Could it be a trap from the beginning?
Was it all her fault? Did her two classmates and the adventurer team she hired die because of her?
“Yes,” David replied.
“I spread the map on the black market in Nordland to attract rash adventurers or archeological teams. Be it the communication ceremony for the Lady of Starvation or the anchoring ceremony for the Lunar Monster, they all require...”
Liliana felt as if she had fallen into an ice cavern.
“All of them require a blood sacrifice. I know that; you don’t have to tell me. That’s not what I’m asking.”
Zhou Mu bent down slightly so that his gaze was level with his.
“I specially took note of it when I came over. Many of the places marked on this map are different from reality. For example, these forests on the map have disappeared. The largest pass is blocked by a landslide, and these rivers have already dried up.”
Zhou Mu pointed at the locations he had described on the map and said to him.
“Do you know why?”
Although it was a question, the other party didn’t sound like he was asking him at all.
David shook his head.
“It’s very simple because this map is the Southern Grief Mountains from a thousand years ago.”
Something in the man’s eyes made the hair on David’s back stand on end.
“Where did you get this map?”