Scott’s declaration echoed throughout the battlefield, his gaze lingering on the faceless judges dominating the skies and land. They numbered in the thousands—some flew on multiple wings, others crawled like millipedes, some hopped devoid of traditional legs, while others were grotesque fusions of multiple forms.

  What the hell is going on? Scott’s brows furrowed. Seconds passed, yet only the number of judges emerging from the portals increased. The familiar shifts accompanying his domain’s activation failed to manifest. No abyssal voids, no creeping darkness—nothing.

  Scott’s brows shot up. How come Ember and Orion could manifest their domains, yet I’m forbidden? He dismissed the gods’ messages—he had no interest in their reactions. Instead, he refocused on the rifts littering the battlefield, now golden with the ceaseless arrival of the Judges of Light.

  The Son of Light, the one who had summoned them, took a step forward. His staff ignited in purplish flames, mirroring the blaze atop his crown. He pointed one of his weapons at Scott, his mechanical voice resonating: “As on the day your ancestors were struck down, so it shall be today!”

  Scott’s features tensed briefly. I’ve heard those words before... He frowned, recalling the natural enemies of the Nihilithians. “You’re a Judge of Light? What’s your relationship with—”

  “Silence!” the Son of Light interjected powerfully. “I will not dignify filth with words!”

  Scott chuckled softly, a smile parting his lips. “Fine by me,” he said. “What’s the point of talking when I can just beat it out of you?” He hoisted his war hammer toward the towering champion. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  As soon as the notifications appeared, the judges manifested their staffs—those with multiple arms wielding as many weapons as their limbs allowed. Unlike the Son of Light, their weapons bore only crimson flames, though their golden forms radiated regal divinity.

  Scott’s grip tightened around his war hammer. Behind him, the chains rustled defiantly before launching toward the heavens.

  “Judges, purge the abomination that seeks to taint the light!” the Son of Light commanded.

  All hell broke loose.

  Thousands of judges surged toward Scott and his chains. His form blurred, moving faster than most could perceive. Like a specter, he materialized within their ranks, his hammer crashing down onto an unsuspecting judge’s skull. A deafening chime of steel against gold rang out, followed by a violent crack as the creature’s form exploded into tiny fragments.

  But Scott had no time to revel in the kill. More judges pounced—some vomited lava, others spat fire. A few hurled their ignited weapons like javelins, seeking to impale him. Meanwhile, the radiant divinity bathing the battlefield purged all traces of darkness.

  Scott caught a nearby judge by the head and squeezed. A sharp crack echoed as fractures webbed across the faceless being’s form. Ignoring the oncoming projectiles, he hurled the broken creature into their path.

  Above him, the Chains of the Abyss descended, spinning furiously as they conjured more Annihilation Zones. Some links coiled around the judges, reducing them to fine dust. The skies, once darkened by divine projectiles, soon cleared as they vanished upon nearing Scott’s position.

  Scott didn’t remain idle. He darted across the battlefield, charging through the seemingly endless swarm of judges. Each swing of his hammer erased an opponent from existence, and those unfortunate enough to be caught in his grasp were shattered with raw force.

  “Son of Light, you were supposed to be different. This can’t be all you’ve got!” Scott taunted, his laughter echoing through the battlefield. The divine glow surrounding the judges flickered and dimmed as their numbers fell.

  “Am I not the enemy of your ancestors? The nemesis of your Order?” His gaze fixed on the champion. “Is this all you’ve prepared for your eternal adversary? Pathetic!”

  With a cackle, Scott cracked another judge’s skull, flinging the fading corpse aside like a discarded ragdoll.

  The Son of Light ignored Scott’s provocations, yet the flames of his crown shifted, casting a regal silver luminescence over his towering form as he began shedding his golden luster.

  At that same moment, the relentless assault from the numerous judges ceased, and they too began to lose their golden radiance.

  “You think I’m going to just stand here and watch you power up?” Scott’s delirious laughter echoed as he and the chains blurred. Instantly, he appeared before the Son of Light, who had yet to fully transition.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Scott raised his war hammer as the chains rustled defiantly against the radiance. The Son of Light’s grip tightened around his weapons, unleashing a flurry of stabbing motions with two staves while the other two swung toward Scott’s skull.

  “How dare you stand before me!” the Son of Light declared as half of the flames shifted into an enraged crimson glow. Now, three distinct auras—silver, crimson, and gold—besieged his form, while his flaming crown split its radiance between crimson and silver.

  The Chains of the Abyss intercepted the descending weapons, coiling around them. The blackened flames clashed violently against the divine radiance, and ominous wails erupted from the bound weapons.

  At the same moment, Scott tilted his body aside and swung the War Hammer of the Mad God. The impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield, fracturing the earth and blasting nearby judges away.

  The Son of Light staggered several feet back, arms trembling. Cracks snaked across his staff, teetering on the verge of destruction.

  Another wail echoed through the battlefield as the blackened flames corroded the divine energy coating his remaining weapons. Instinctively, the Son of Light released them before the corruption reached him. This time, his aloof composure faltered.

  “What have you done?” His voice trembled ever so slightly. “How dare you—?”

  Scott and the Chains of the Abyss reappeared before the stunned champion in a flash. “I’m not a fan of needless talking in battle. Either shut up and fight, or stand there and let me send you on your fucking way!”

  Scott swung his weapon at the champion’s leg while the chains lunged toward his hands, their links rattling furiously.

  The Son of Light roared defiantly, vanishing in an instant. In the split second he disappeared, another judge took his place, and Scott’s war hammer crashed into its midsection. The impact obliterated the faceless being, scattering fragments across the battlefield.

  Scott scanned the sky, searching for the Son of Light amid the flying judges.

  There you are, he smirked upon spotting the champion several meters away.

  “For someone so arrogant, you sure ran like a little bitch,” he chuckled, adjusting his stance.

  A metallic clank filtered through the chaotic battlefield. Scott turned his gaze toward the champion’s discarded staves, now fully corroded by the blackened flames.

  Oh? This gives me an idea, he mused, a mischievous grin forming.

  Taking a step forward, he refocused on the airborne judges. “Aren’t you going to attack?” he teased. The mismatched radiance surrounding the champion’s body had begun to coalesce into a unified glow. “If you won’t come to me… then I guess I’ll come to you.”

  Scott suddenly halted. His shadow darkened unnaturally, and the nihilistic zone expanded at an alarming speed beneath him.

  “Not in my presence!” the Son of Light roared, his divine radiance flooding the battlefield and instantly banishing the darkness.

  Yet, in that split second, hundreds of chains had latched onto several Judges of Light. The blackened flames danced along their golden forms, extinguishing their divine radiance. The flames melted into their skin, twisting and reshaping into sigils of an all-seeing eye.

  “How dare you!” The Son of Light’s roar was different this time—raw, filled with rage. Blood seeped from his luminous eyes as his draconic tail ignited with divine fire. His golden form fully shed its radiance, replaced by a brilliant silver sheen.

  Scott’s twisted smile widened as the chains slackened around the blackened judges.

  “Why are you so mad?” Scott teased with a sly grin. “I’m supposed to be the one plagued with madness, but you don’t see me losing my temper.”

  Scott’s gaze remained locked onto the twisted features of the Son of Light. Never would he have expected that the very judges summoned to defeat him would be snatched away—worse yet, corrupted beyond recognition.

  Scott cackled as a flurry of notifications filled his vision. At the same moment, the sigil of the all-seeing eye expanded across the faceless visages of the Judges of Madness. Meanwhile, the Chains of the Abyss latched onto even more Judges of Light at breakneck speed, accelerating the spread of corruption.

  Recognizing the grave implications, the Son of Light raised his hands, his crown of fire unleashing a resplendent glow. “Return!” he commanded.

  Without hesitation, the portals from which the judges descended vanished. Meanwhile, the untainted judges solidified into statues, their golden radiance dimming until it disappeared completely.

  “Why did you have to do that?” Scott sighed, shaking his head. “I was just starting to have fun,” he grinned.

  The sigil spread across the expressionless faces of the newly corrupted judges, covering them entirely. Then—their eyes snapped open.