Chapter 289: Judgment (2) |
It was an angel.
You could tell at a glance.
But this wasn’t just any ordinary angel like the rest.
‘The surrounding darkness is receding?’
The angel’s body emitted light, dissolving the darkness like melting snow.
In a word—overwhelming.
Even Ryu Min, despite himself, was left speechless at the pressure.
‘Wait. That guy is…?’
Up close, the appearance was familiar.
‘It’s him. The one I saw for the first time in the 68th regression.’
The vague memory of that face and the angel standing before him now overlapped.
They matched exactly.
As did the overwhelming presence and strength he’d felt back then.
[So, you’re the Black Scythe.]
“You and I’ve met before, haven’t we?”
[Hm? Have I seen you before?]
“Huh? I guess not. Anyway, all you angel bastards look the same, who can tell who’s who? Tsk.”
[Do not compare me to other angels.]
“Then introduce yourself first before spouting that nonsense. I don’t even know who you are.”
At Ryu Min’s grumble, the angel smirked.
Not a smile of amusement—but one of scorn.
[My name is Artaros. Supreme ruler of the Celestial Realm, Grand Archangel, and an angel imbued with divinity.]
Artaros.
Even before he introduced himself, Ryu Min knew that name.
‘I heard about him from Michael. A different-class angel who is categorized as a god.’
The word “god” wasn’t a lie.
He could read Artaros’s thoughts with the Rune of Inner Thoughts and see through his essence with the Eye of Insight.
[Artaros]
└ Race: Divine
└ Alignment: Evil
└ Status: Grand Archangel
└ Special Note: Supreme ruler of the Celestial Realm, the sky above the skies. Once a high-ranking angel of the Celestials, but elevated to godhood. Though his appearance is angelic, he is officially classified as a god.
└ Weakness: …….
‘So the angel I met before was this bastard.’
The opponent seemed to think this was their first meeting, but Ryu Min remembered that face.
He just couldn’t recall exactly what they had talked about—it was like a foggy memory.
‘This is why I tested him on purpose. Asked if we’d met before.’
But the guy truly didn’t seem to know.
A useful insight: not even gods retained knowledge of previous regressions.
‘By the way, why can’t I read the weakness section?’
He didn’t know the reason, but one thing was certain—the guy didn’t have any good intentions toward him.
“Aha, so you’re a god? Just like Plunictos?”
[It’s offensive to compare me to a half-baked one like Plunictos. Unlike him, my divine power isn’t restricted by location.]
“Oh, so you’re saying it’s fine to use that great divine power to lock someone up in a dump like this?”
[This isn’t a dump. It’s the Void Space. A rift between dimensions—no one can reach this place.]
“So what? Why did you lock me in this dump anyway? A god of angels shows up out of nowhere and does this?”
Even as Ryu Min mocked him, Artaros’s expression didn’t change.
He tried reading his thoughts, but there was no reaction.
‘Definitely not like the usual second-rate enemies I’ve faced before.’
His looks, his presence—everything was like an emotionless statue.
[The reason is simple. I had to separate you from Plunictos.]
“You’re saying a Celestial protected a demon? If the angels find out, there’s going to be a riot.”
[The angels won’t know. They have no way of knowing what happened inside the Demon King’s Castle.]
“I’ll go out and tell everyone. That the Grand Archangel is secretly working with a demon duke. Then what do you think will happen? Maybe even a coup?”
He deliberately provoked him and sneered, but Artaros remained as stone-faced as ever.
[That won’t happen. You won’t be getting out of here.]
“We’ll see about that.”
[And for the record, I didn’t save the demon duke because I wanted to. I simply followed orders from above.]
“Don’t try to dodge the truth. Bottom line is—you’re a spy.”
[You’re not worth reasoning with.]
“Ohhh, so you came here to chat? The great and mighty Grand Archangel gracing a lowly human worm with conversation? What could we possibly have to talk about?”
At that moment, Ryu Min saw it.
Just for a flash, Artaros’s brow twitched.
[……I have no time to indulge in your word games. I’ll now state the charges and proceed with judgment.]
“Charges? Judgment?”
Ryu Min laughed, as if it was absurd, but Artaros ignored him and continued.
[Player ‘Black Scythe’ has committed the grave crime of murdering seven archangels, thus disrupting the order of the Celestial Realm. Furthermore, he has mercilessly slaughtered countless celestials and demons without just cause—an atrocious murderer.]
“That’s rich. And what about you guys? Who’s judging you for killing billions of humans? Compared to that, a few thousand is practically a mercy, don’t you think?”
[In addition, you have abused power far beyond your station, disrupting the balance and inciting the wrath of the gods. Such acts are high treason and cannot be tolerated.]
“Bullshit. You’re just mad I’m interfering with your divine gambling, so now you want to kill me?”
[Therefore, I, Artaros, Grand Archangel and ruler of the heavens, in accordance with the right of judgment, will execute the punishment—erasing the criminal ‘Black Scythe’ and removing him from the game.]
“So basically, I’m a nuisance, so you’re going to kill me? And you even gave Plunictos time to escape. Isn’t that right?”
Artaros gave no reply.
Instead, he conjured a sword that shimmered in rainbow hues within his palm.
[The criminal shall not resist and will submit quietly to judgment.]
As soon as he finished speaking, Artaros’s sword came thrusting in.
Tiiing—!
Ryu Min deflected the blade with his scythe, and Artaros blinked, surprised.
“If you think you can, come and try.”
I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!
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