Ch.474Tilted Scales

======[ Square in front of the Cathedral ]======

The light of judgment poured down with enough density to completely fill the area.

The justice of the scales that destroys sinners, Aishan-Gioro Haschal, engulfed by the ferocity of this miraculous symbol…

“What is this…?”

Surprisingly, she was standing perfectly fine.

As if she barely felt any pain, her face remained calm, showing only puzzlement.

The golden cascade poured down like a waterfall, drumming against her shoulders and left arm, creating splashes of light.

It was a scene far removed from the massive destruction everyone had expected.

“Impossible! She’s withstanding the light of judgment?!”

“How…?!”

The paladins surrounding Haschal couldn’t hide their shock.

If even half the rumors about her infamy were true, she should have been separated into bone and flesh like wheat in a thresher the moment the light of judgment poured down.

However, far from being reduced to fragments of meat, Haschal simply stood there, receiving the streaming light as if taking a bath.

As if she were a paladin of the Church of Astraea herself!

An incomprehensible sight. The morale of the paladins plummeted.

For those who fought with firm faith as their driving force, the scene before them…

It almost looked as if Astraea herself had acknowledged her.

—-

‘…We’ve lost.’

Wilhelm, watching from a distance, was certain of their defeat.

There was no shock. It had been a battle with slim chances of victory from the start.

Against a woman who had directly crushed the entire fighting force of the Church of Grimnir, there was almost no possibility of victory with just the forces of the Arad diocese.

Trapping her in the purification formation for ghost slaughter and pouring down the light of judgment was their only method, but even that proved to be a meaningless hope.

‘Judging by how her shoulders and arms are trembling, she’s not completely unharmed. But if that’s all the damage she’s taking, she could endure for hours. There’s no way to win.’

Truly the Empire’s First Sword. Even high-ranking paladins blessed by high priests had fallen as easily as children.

Veron and Perlman still remained, but even if they fought to the death, nothing would change.

‘…Astraea, is this your will?’

The scales of justice are always fair.

The fact that the light of judgment had descended in response to his prayer proved that Wilhelm’s own justice was not wrong.

The fact that Aishan-Gioro Haschal remained intact even after being engulfed by the light of judgment meant that her justice was not wrong either.

If both sides had justice, then the outcome depended on human will and ability.

His ability fell short of that young woman’s.

That was all there was to it.

‘So this is as far as we go… How shameful. The weight of a lifetime of faith is no match for the will of a woman not even twenty years old.’

Wilhelm sighed deeply inside.

He had only two choices left:

Either order a meaningless collective charge, sacrificing lives to the last person for his justice, or acknowledge his inadequacy and stop here.

“…Priest Banuel, bring ‘that.'”

Wilhelm made his decision.

To follow his justice until his final breath.

======[ Haschal ]======

I was simply dumbfounded.

I had been constantly running to avoid the light of judgment, even using Defying Fate to fight… but when I actually got hit by it, it was an attack I could tolerate.

My upper chest and the back of my neck stung as if being tattooed… but that was it.

The pain was less than taking a single sword strike.

What is this? It seems I put myself through needless hardship by being overly cautious.

If Frider had seen this, wouldn’t he have laughed until his sides hurt?

With my left arm covering only my head, I approached Perlman, who was still intact, and Veron, who was gripping his longsword with his one remaining arm.

Despite seeing me approach, they didn’t assume defensive positions but just stared at me with dumbfounded expressions.

“I can’t believe it…! To remain so calm within the light of judgment…!”

“What kind of trick are you using?!”

To the paladins who shouted hysterically, I responded with a triumphant smile.

“Who knows. Seeing how the light disappears as soon as it touches me… I guess your goddess has decided I don’t need judgment.”

I’m not sure why… but Astraea seems intent on showing me considerable leniency.

Rather than punishing a sinner, she’s treating me like a child being disciplined for misbehavior.

Perhaps because I didn’t take the lives of her followers?

I don’t know. How could I understand the thoughts of gods?

Anyway, with things unfolding this way, there was nothing more to fear.

All I needed to do was move forward and subdue them all.

I rested Durandal on my shoulder, gripping it with one hand, and smiled at Veron and Perlman.

A smile resembling that of a satiated carnivore. They gritted their teeth and pointed their dimming longswords at me.

I wouldn’t need to use Defying Fate. I’ll just rush in and cut off their arms and legs.

I lowered my stance and took a deep breath.

That’s when it happened.

“Perlman, Veron! Further combat is meaningless. Retreat!”

Wilhelm shouted at the top of his lungs.

Making an absurdly unexpected declaration of retreat.

Considering that hundreds of paladins still remained, it was hard to believe.

They probably couldn’t defeat me with those forces… but I thought someone as stubborn as him would fight until all his forces were destroyed, yet he calls for retreat.

“Archbishop, sir…?!”

“Retreat? Are you serious?”

The paladins forming the encirclement couldn’t hide their shock.

They would have been less surprised if the sky had fallen. They were so startled they nearly dropped their swords.

“Anything more would be meaningless loss. Gather the wounded and regroup with the main force! I will not accept any objections!”

When Wilhelm shouted once more, the paladins forming the circular formation hesitantly began to withdraw.

Perlman and Veron also retreated with them, carrying the high-ranking paladins whose legs had been cut off.

Regrouping with the main force…

Certainly, strategically, it was the right decision.

Rather than expending all forces against an enemy they couldn’t defeat and facing ruin, it was more rational to withdraw and wait for another opportunity.

I just hadn’t expected such a strategy from Astraea’s fanatics, a group far from rationality.

“Ha, now you decide to run? Do you think I’ll just stand by and watch?”

I pointed Durandal at Wilhelm, who had stepped forward through the priests.

To charge in enthusiastically and then retreat when losing seems likely… isn’t that a bit pathetic?

“Then what do you intend to do? Will you only be satisfied after slaughtering every paladin gathered here?”

“If necessary, I could do that.”

If they withdrew quietly, I would have nothing more to ask for, but that’s only if they completely abandoned their suppression efforts.

Saying they’ll regroup with the main force means they intend to come at me again someday.

Rather than facing hundreds of uninjured paladins again, wouldn’t it be better to reduce the enemy’s forces now?

Even just cutting off their limbs would keep them too busy recovering to participate in combat.

“Well… as long as I stand here, that will not be easy.”

Wilhelm shook his head and stepped forward.

In his right hand, which had been empty until the battle began, he now held an elaborately decorated long staff.

A staff with a golden scale attached to the head.

Judging by the faint holy light surrounding it, it’s probably some kind of sacred artifact… does he intend to fight me with that?

No. Given that he issued a retreat order but came forward himself, his goal must be to buy time.

Well, this works out perfectly. I was planning to kill him anyway, and now he’s stepped forward.

“Not easy? No one who has spouted such nonsense before me has lived longer than a day, you know?”

I bare my teeth at him, spitting out sarcasm filled with killing intent.

Even if the protest was caused by Volberg’s instigation, this man was the one who turned it into a civil war. So he must die.

Countless people have died because of you, shouldn’t you at least take responsibility with your own life?

“I’ll burn you to death specially. Since you seem to like burning people.”

“Burning. At least on that, our thoughts align.”

What a disgusting thing to say.

Let’s see if you can still talk like that with your body on fire.

“…You’ll burn me to death? That’s quite an ambitious goal. Try it if you can.”

I won’t burn in the first place.

“You’re wrong.”

Wilhelm shook his head and raised his staff high.

The scale at the end of the staff grew increasingly bright, illuminating the surroundings.

The paladins who had been retreating while watching our confrontation stopped in their tracks, shocked once again.

“That staff, could it be…!”

“Archbishop! Stop! That sacred artifact…!”

“Did you not hear the order to retreat! This is an order from your Archbishop! Escape from Arad with all your might!”

Only after Wilhelm commanded once more did the knights, who had stopped, grit their teeth and start running backward.

Instead of chasing them, I glared at the staff Wilhelm was holding.

That staff seems to be quite a dangerous item.

Seeing how they stopped their retreat and tried to dissuade Wilhelm.

…It might be troublesome if I leave this be.

I didn’t feel any particular sense of crisis, but that’s no reason to be careless.

Indeed, it would be better to cut him down before he does anything.

I stopped talking to him and charged forward, pushing strength into my legs and kicking off the ground.

– Kwang!

A charge like a predator pouncing on its prey.

The distance between us closes instantly. Massive power gathers in Durandal, extended behind me.

Yes, whatever it is, I’ll just cut him down before he can activate it!

“…The one who will burn is not you.”

At that moment, Wilhelm struck the staff into the ground.

Golden holy light covered the world.