Divine Judgment
The battlefield had fallen into chaos.
Five pillars of white light had already disappeared into the night sky. Three support players. Two of the strongest damage dealers.
Gone.
Only fifteen remained.
No...
Not truly.
Without their healers and coordinated firepower, the once-disciplined formation had become nothing more than scattered individuals.
Valerius slowly tightened his grip around his sword. For the first time since entering Divine Nexus...
His confidence wavered.
He no longer looked at Aster as prey.
He looked at him...
As an opponent.
No.
As something even more terrifying.
"...Who are you?"
His eyes narrowed. This time, he didn't look at Aster's weapons, nor his stance.
Instead, he focused entirely on the black cloak. The inspection window appeared.
Again...
Nothing.
No name.
No level.
No class.
Only one thing remained visible.
The faint silver emblem resting upon Aster's chest.
"...That emblem..."
His heart suddenly sank. He remembered the reports.
Every companion who had fallen had been defeated in a single strike.
Not prolonged battles.
Not exchanges.
One attack.
One defeat.
Only now did he truly understand. The reason wasn't equipment nor luck. The gap between them was simply overwhelming.
His breathing became uneven.
"...Impossible."
His thoughts raced.
A beta tester?
No...
Someone trained from childhood by one of the great families?
Or...
Someone even those families couldn't cultivate?
The answer no longer mattered. One thing was certain. The cloaked player standing before him possessed combat experience far beyond his own.
Not only superior technique. But almost certainly a much higher level. For the first time Valerius felt fear.
It wasn't the fear of losing equipment nor reputation. It was the instinctive fear one warrior felt when facing another whose strength he couldn't comprehend.
He took one step backward.
Then shouted,
"Hold him!"
The remaining elite players hesitated.
"...Leader?"
"I said hold him!"
"Buy me time!"
Although fear filled their faces, none dared disobey. The tanks rushed forward.
The remaining swordsmen followed.
Archers released volleys of arrows.
The surviving mages cast whatever spells they still possessed.
Valerius himself retreated several meters. He planted his greatsword into the ground. Mana surged violently around him.
Ancient runes spread beneath his feet.
A super rare skill.
One he had never shown publicly.
His trump card.
He glared at Aster.
"So what if you're stronger?"
"So what if you're hiding?"
"I..."
"...am the greatest player in Divine Nexus!"
His voice echoed across the forest.
"A nameless player like you..."
"...will never block my path!"
Golden light gathered around the blade. The pressure intensified. Valerius carefully observed Aster.
His breathing.
His movements.
Then he smiled.
"...You're out of mana."
"No more tricks."
"No more disappearing."
His smile returned.
"This ends here."
The surrounding players desperately fought to keep Aster occupied.
They didn't expect victory anymore.
Only seconds.
Just enough time. The runic circle beneath Valerius expanded. The ground trembled.
The sky darkened.
High above the battlefield...
Countless particles of golden light gathered together.
Slowly...
They condensed into the outline of a colossal sword. It dwarfed the surrounding trees. An immense blade forged entirely from radiant mana.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier beneath its weight. The elite players instinctively retreated from its shadow.
Even they had never witnessed Valerius unleash the technique at full power.
---
Divine Judgment
Rank: Super Rare
Heavy Swordsman Skill
Lock onto a designated target and summon a colossal sword of condensed mana from the heavens.
After a short channeling period, the sword descends with overwhelming force, dealing catastrophic damage within its impact zone.
Targets caught beneath the strike suffer devastating physical and mana damage.
A direct hit is considered almost impossible to survive during the current stage of the game.
---
Valerius slowly raised his hand. The enormous sword high above responded.
Its tip turned pointing directly at Aster.
"I'll admit it."
"You're the strongest opponent I've met."
"But this..."
"...is unavoidable."
The gigantic blade began to descend.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
The surrounding air screamed beneath its immense weight.
Every remaining elite player instinctively smiled.
Aster stood alone beneath the descending sword. His mana was gone. His concealment unavailable. The moonlight reflected quietly upon his twin blades.
His black cloak fluttered gently in the wind. And despite the colossal sword falling from the heavens...
His expression never changed.