Evil Judgment

Joker woke up.

The wind from the riverbank slipped through the gaps in his mask, carrying away much of the damp heat on his face, yet sweat still poured from his pores, making his skin stick unpleasantly to the plastic.

It was not the heat of the night that made him sweat, but fear.

Ever since he had been cornered by enemies on his way home as a teenager, Joker had never felt fear like this. More often, he was the one inflicting fear on others.

Watching his victims tremble, cry, and beg for mercy filled him with immense pleasure, making him feel like the master of the world.

Yet when he experienced once more the immense terror of having his life controlled by someone else, he realized that he was still that Joker who had grovelled to survive, kneeling on the ground and eating dog shit!

He fought back the urge to vomit and lay motionless on the ground, slowly and cautiously opening his eyes.

He was terrified of drawing the attention and vigilance of that monstrous black figure who had filled him with such overwhelming fear!

By the dazzling neon lights on the opposite bank, Joker saw Zuo Yi standing only two steps away.

Zuo Yi was smoking. The wind scattered the smoke he exhaled, while the lights from across the river shone over his face, shifting and hazy.

Though he could see only his profile, Joker was certain that this was the target of tonight's operation!

His phone contained information on Zuo Yi, including several photos of Zuo Yi captured from surveillance footage.

A surge of hot blood rushed into Joker's head.

At that very moment, Zuo Yi clearly had not noticed that he had awakened and was still admiring the riverside scenery ahead.

This was the best opportunity for a desperate counterattack!

His extreme fear instantly transformed into extreme exhilaration. The adrenaline flooding his body dilated his pupils as he abruptly planted his right hand on the ground, exerted force through his waist and legs, and sprang up.

Before his body had even stabilized, Joker reached behind him with both hands and grabbed the hilts of his two bladed swords.

The feeling of gripping his weapons again filled him with excitement, and his fighting spirit surged to its peak!

Clang!

The next second, Joker drew both swords at once. The crossed blades carved out chilling flashes of cold light as they slashed toward the unprepared Zuo Yi with lightning speed!

Heavy Blade Cross Slash!

At the instant he swung his swords, he seemed to see Zuo Yi struck down and collapsing to the ground, and a savage grin appeared on his face.

However, Joker's triumph lasted only 0.1 seconds, because he immediately saw Zuo Yi turn around and raise a hand toward the crossing sword light.

"Suppress!"

A tremendous force as heavy as a mountain suddenly crashed down upon Joker, crushing him and the bladed swords in his hands against the hard ground. He was like a toad run over by a wheel, utterly unable to move.

Under the immense pressure, bright red blood continuously flowed from Joker's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, staining the mask on his face.

All his courage and fighting spirit were completely shattered by Zuo Yi's casual palm strike from afar. An even stronger fear seized both body and mind, stopping even his breathing.

At that moment, Joker hated the person who had hired him to deal with Zuo Yi to the extreme!

How was this a little fat sheep? Even a ferocious tiger was not this formidable!

If he could return alive this time, the first thing he would do was tear that person to pieces!

"Ahh~"

At that moment, Wild Boar, lying beside Joker, also woke up. His mind was still unclear, and he let out a confused, pained groan.

Zuo Yi walked over and kicked Wild Boar in the head, knocking him unconscious again.

Bending down, Zuo Yi picked up the two bladed swords Joker had dropped on the ground.

He casually swung them once and praised, "Good swords."

These two bladed swords were shorter than ordinary longswords, narrow and razor-sharp. They sliced through the air with lightness and speed, their blades resembling autumn water and gleaming with chilling radiance. Both their material and craftsmanship were first-rate.

By Zuo Yi's standards, compared with other extraordinary weapons, they could be considered fine pieces.

"Stop playing dead..."

After examining them for a moment, Zuo Yi said calmly, "If you want to live, kneel up and speak."

He had held back appropriately.

Joker, who was lying on the ground, immediately struggled to rise and knelt before Zuo Yi on both knees.

With difficulty, he removed the two scabbards hanging from his back and respectfully held them high with both hands. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Sir, what happened just now was purely a misunderstanding. Please accept this compensation and forgive me generously."

He was truly grovelling to the utmost degree.

But as long as he could live, he would have been more than willing even to lick Zuo Yi's shoe soles.

"A misunderstanding?"

Zuo Yi revealed a faintly amused expression. "Let me guess. Did Guan Zhishang hire you to deal with me?"

Other than Guan Zhishang, who wanted to buy Law Coins from him again, Zuo Yi could think of no other reason these two sneaky men had broken into his home.

Joker, kneeling before Zuo Yi, possessed at least fifth-rank professional swordsmanship!

Joker's entire body stiffened, and he lowered his head in tacit admission.

He was a smart man and knew that lying before a powerhouse like Zuo Yi would be incredibly foolish.

Besides, he bitterly hated Guan Zhishang for misleading him. How could he possibly be willing to cover for him?

As for professional ethics, they were simply not worth mentioning in the face of life and death.

"So it really was him."

Zuo Yi sighed and looked at Joker. "How about this? Since you two aren't the main culprits, I'll give you a chance. If you can pass my assessment, I can hand you over to the police."

An assessment? What assessment?

Joker raised his head in confusion, feeling somewhat fortunate to have survived a disaster.

What he feared most was that Zuo Yi would not give him any chance to struggle for survival and would simply kill him.

Then Joker saw Zuo Yi raise his hand toward him once more.

"Detect Evil!"

Joker could not understand the Kungu Language, but he instinctively felt immense terror. He threw down the scabbards in his hands and tried to flee.

Yet the next moment, he was completely unable to move.

Two pale golden pillars of light tore through the void and descended from the sky, enveloping him and Wild Boar respectively.

Black light immediately seeped from their bodies, while countless intertwined blood-red threads faintly appeared across their skin!

In Zuo Yi's vision, several twisted gray shadows also coiled around each of them. They let out silent wails and desperately tried to pounce on the two men, only to be blocked outside by the black glow.

Zuo Yi's gaze turned incomparably cold.

"Detect Evil" was an essential skill for all knights and wizards of the lawful good faction, used to distinguish factions, allies, and enemies.

Under the light of detection, those of the same faction emitted the same pale golden glow. Neutral factions emitted whitish or gray light, while evil factions emitted black light. The result was obvious at a glance.

Not only were Joker and Wild Boar evil, they had also murdered many innocent people.

The spirits of the unjustly dead were precisely what surrounded them!

Evildoers, enemies of the faction!

Without the slightest hesitation, Zuo Yi shouted, "Holy Judgment!"

As soon as his words fell, the pillars of light enveloping Joker and Wild Boar suddenly became incomparably bright, as though hundreds or thousands of beams of sunlight had been focused upon them at once. Blazing flames instantly erupted from their bodies.

Joker and Wild Boar did not even have time to scream before they and their clothes were reduced to ashes in an instant!

The light of judgment then dispersed.

The wronged spirits also dispersed, guided by the power of light back to the Endless Styx.

A massive amount of faith power surged into Zuo Yi's Knight's Heart.

Not only was all the faith power he had expended on "Detect Evil" and "Holy Judgment" restored, but there was even quite a surplus.

This was the reward granted to him by the Law of Order.

Order stood highest in Zuo Yi's faith. If Joker and Wild Boar had leaned toward neutrality, or if their crimes had not deserved death, then Zuo Yi would have handed them over to the police and the law according to the rules of the main world.

But the assessment showed that the two were evildoers and enemies of the faction. In that case, all laws and regulations had to yield to the laws of the faction, allowing Zuo Yi to punish and strike them down.

Of course, Zuo Yi could not casually cast "Detect Evil" on others, because the skill consumed a great deal of faith power. Moreover, using it too often on people from the same or neutral factions would also result in a major loss of faith power.

After dealing with the two jumping clowns, Zuo Yi picked up the two scabbards on the ground and sheathed the bladed swords.

The men were trash, but the swords were good. Destroying them would have been far too wasteful.

Before returning home, Zuo Yi did not forget to store the electric sports motorcycle outside in his Spatial Ring.

He would find an opportunity to dispose of it later.

The second update is here. Please vote, please vote.