That's it.
Osian thought to himself as he watched the Judge disappear into the steam train.
This spot, obscured by the golden field used by the Judge, was once a railroad track.
‘I thought the tracks were destroyed and the train couldn't get here, but they removed all the useless compartments and just moved the locomotive.’
It wasn't impossible if the people who were stuck on the train worked together.
Some of them must have had some pretty unusual abilities or powers.
He was able to drive the Judge up to the railroad tracks and push him into the train.
"Huh? Looks like we just hit something."
"Who cares, the clueless bastard did it to himself!"
The fixers on the steam train didn't seem to mind that they'd run over the Judge.At that moment, the golden field began to lie to one side, as if drawn by something.
Osian narrowed his eyes at the sight of the field still standing.
‘Isn't the Golden Field supposed to cancel itself when the user dies?’
And yet, it hasn't disappeared yet.
Osian's pupils dilated.
"Oh no."
As Osian muttered that, the divine power that made up the Golden Field began to gather into one place.
The golden light, blowing in the wind like dandelion seeds, was headed toward the front of the steam train.
It was then that the train that had crashed into the Judge stopped.
"What? What is this?"
"Why did the train stop again.......?"
The people on the train made puzzled noises.
Some of the more perceptive people stiffened.
Immediately, a golden pillar of light shot out.
The golden pillar exploded soundlessly, literally shredding the steam train.
The black front of the steam train was engulfed in golden flames and burned, as were all the people on board.
There were no screams.
Those who were touched by the purifying flames were reduced to golden ash and scattered like dust.
It was an unbelievable sight to behold.
At least thirty people, all but a handful of them had been swept away by the explosion, except for those who had seen it coming and escaped.
And from the center of the still-rising golden pillar, the Judge rose to his feet.
A gust of wind blew his hood back, revealing his bare face.
Despite his name and stern demeanor, the Judge was a blond boy with fairly fine lines.
He looked to be in his late teens at most.
'I'd have thought he'd be quite a bit older from the way he talks and acts.’
His eyes, however, were empty, as if he had seen the world, which is not something a person his age should have.
Moreover, the endless flow of golden divine power, like underground water, suggested that the Judge's talent had reached the heavens.
‘Balud had Heroic-level qualification, but this one in front of me is beyond that.’
He was already a paladin of heroic proportions.
That meant he was a difficult foe to deal with for the current Osian who could only use starlight.
The golden pillar of light gradually tapered off and disappeared.
So did the embers scattered around him.
However, Osian remained vigilant.
The disappearance of the golden pillar was only a cosmetic appearance.
In reality, its vast power was still contained within the body of the Judge.
"Purify all heretics."
As he muttered that, bullets flew toward the Judge.
"Aaaah, you freak!"
The Fixer who had just narrowly escaped death by jumping from the train fired a barrage of large-caliber bullets from his specially modified rifle at the Judge but before the bullet could reach the Judge's body, it was consumed by a golden flame and turned to dust.
"What the......."
It didn't bounce the bullet off, or even melt it with high heat, but disintegrated it?
And not just any bullet, but a large-caliber bullet that would crush a monster's solid skull in a single shot.
The Fixer stared blankly at the Judge, even as he slowly extended his hand toward him.
Help me.
Just as he was about to say that.
Boom!
Golden flames rose up and consumed his body.
It was a colorful, yet silent death, with no screams and no mercy.
The sound of steam puffing out forcibly drew the Judge's impassive gaze behind him and what he saw was a massive brass fist.
It was a reinforced human in a suit resembling an old-fashioned diving suit, called the Bleeding Edge.
The super-heavy punch, fueled by the recoil of a burst of compressed steam was an attack of tremendous power, capable of blowing a hole through even thick, massive plates of steel.
No one can react or block it, unless the opponent is an even bigger monster.
Boom!
The enhanced human's fist began to burn with golden flames.
The enhanced human tried to extinguish the flames, but they spread further and further up his suit, engulfing his entire body.
The high-tech suit, resistant to bullets, gunpowder, and magic, melted away in a matter of moments.
The fate of the human inside was obvious.
The Judge, having cleared the way, stared at Osian, his cold gaze held death.
'I never thought I'd have to fight such a monster before I accepted this commission.’
But after coming this far, there was no turning back.
Osian wordlessly sheathed his sword.
The Judge's eyes widened at the sight of him.
"......Heretic. You're not running away."
"If I were to flee now, would you let me live?"
The answer to the provocative tone was surprisingly affirmative.
"Yes."
"Why, I'm a heretic in your eyes."
"Certainly you have rejected the will of God by allying yourself with that wicked witch but because of the courage and strength you have shown, that pure power says you deserve the mercy that is bestowed upon you."
He meant the Holy Light.
That favor is likely due to Osian's maxed-out Faith stat.
Osian glanced at the white-hot glow of his sword.
"So you're going to turn a blind eye this time?"
"Leave the witch behind, and if you do, I'll let this one slide."
The words bordered on arrogance but after what the Judge had shown him, he had every right to be arrogant.
He shouldn't be considered a human being.
It was certainly right to walk away gracefully, especially when he was offering to spare his life.
It was the right thing to do.
"I can't do that."
"...... Are you serious? If you fight me, you’ll die."
"You turn away from a fight because you're afraid of dying."
Osian muttered that and turned his attention to the jeep they had gotten into.
Ena was sitting in the passenger seat, her gaze filled with fear and worry.
She had stayed where she was, doing as Osian had told her, when she could have left them alone and run away.
She was either stupid or a good listener.
Osian smirked at the sight.
When the Judge looked puzzled, Osian glared at him with clearer eyes.
"That is not honorable."
Dying is scary. I hate it, of course.
But what I hated even more was running away from this place right now.
“I did my best to show mercy.”
Hot, golden flames burned in the Judge's hands, it then took the form of a giant hammer in each hand, a flame of judgment that consumed all things mortal.
The robed judge solemnly pronounced.
"Look to God for mercy now."
"I never asked for mercy in the first place."
The starlight sword burned more intensely, as if in sympathy with Osian's emotions.
At Osian's provocative glare, the Judge moved.
-Clang.
His arms swung it from side to side.
The distance between them was over thirty meters. But along the trajectory of the Judge's weapon, the golden flames spread out like a fan.
A giant flame raced across the golden field as Osian swung his starlight sword wildly toward it.
From top to bottom, the golden flames crackled to the left and right, forging a path.
Osian sprinted down the open path.
With a superhuman burst of momentum, he was within striking distance of the Judge in no time.
Could he attack from a distance? If so, he could close the distance.
Osian swung his starlight sword.
The Holy Light Sword was certainly a versatile technique. But in terms of power density and cutting power, the Starlight Sword was superior.
The Judge recognized this and parried Osian’s attack with two crossed weapons.
The golden hammer shook violently as the golden flames flared.
The Judge closed his eyes as he entered into the struggle.
Osian didn’t accuse him of insanity for closing his eyes in the midst of battle since it was the paladin's way of praying.
"I believe. Holy Father. Grant me the glory that is yours."
A short and simple prayer, but a faithful one nonetheless.
As it was recited, a golden sigil hovered over the Judge's back like a halo.
[Boundless Gold]
The most powerful buff available to the Paladin class.
'A hand-to-hand combat is not possible in this condition.’
If so, change the approach.
Osian immediately withdrew his sword. Naturally, the Judge's body was forced to turn toward him.
The Judge tried to regain his stance, but Osian seized the moment.
In that brief moment, as the Judge attempted to correct his stance, Osian's sword curved fluidly.
Two massive battle hammers followed the movement of the sword and a gaping hole appeared in the Judge's body.
Osian retracted his sword from its wild spin and plunged the Starlight Sword into the Judge's throat.
It was a blow that stabbed right through the gap created by his opponent's heavy buffs.
It was said that even if you cut off a limb, it would regenerate, but would he do so if you struck him in the neck?
However, Osian's expression quickly hardened.
The tip of the incandescent starlight sword was stuck right in front of the Judge's throat, and he didn't move.
"The Great Father favors me."
In the meantime, the Judge had used a new prayer.
‘This is crazy. He’s deploying [Bastion of Light] this quickly?’
The [Bastion of Light] was the highest level prayer in the Holy Rule of Divine Protection.
The effect was simple, three-second invulnerability.
For three seconds, the paladin would be immune to all physical and magical damage.
In the game, even max level Paladins required a minimum casting time of two seconds to use it.
Even then, he had to ramp up his Mentality stat to 99, reducing and reducing his casting speed as much as possible but this monster unfurled in less than a fraction of a second.
‘Oh no.’
He was so shaken up by the blocked attack that the gap on the other side was exposed.
The Judge held out his hand toward Osian.
"Purify."
Immediately, a golden torch radiated toward Osian, engulfing his body.
Osian reflexively covered his face with his arms but he didn't feel the heat of the flames against his skin.
To his dismay, neither did the Judge.
The golden fire that should have burned him had suddenly snuffed out.
Someone had interfered with the divine power.
"How dare you......."
The Judge's voice was angry and he glared at one side.
At the end of his gaze was the witch he wished to kill, Ena Grundt.
She stepped out of the jeep and stood with a match in her hand.
The head of the match she held blazed with golden fire.
"My, how dare you use fire in my presence?"
Ena's eyes were still filled with fear as she turned to face the Judge.
She spoke with bravado, but she couldn't hide the tremor in her voice.
"Did you think I'd let you get away with it!"
But Ena didn't run away.
For the same reason as the knight in front of her, Osian.