Guardian of the Sky

Dvalin's once-majestic dragon head was now completely covered by a huge, pale mask.

The [Judgement Mask] had no facial features whatsoever.

In their place were three vertically aligned, terrifying hollows that glowed with an eerie purple light.

Huge bony crossbeams extended from either side of the mask, with weights of sin formed from congealed poisonous blood hanging from their ends.

The three pairs of wings on his back had completely rotted away.

Charred ancient wood and tattered bandages intertwined to form twisted wings.

Countless sharp guillotine blades jutted from their edges. When he spread his wings, hundreds upon thousands of emotionless bird eyes suddenly opened in the gaps between the bandages.

Those eyes looked down coldly at the living beings below.

Most despair-inducing of all was the enormous set of scales embedded deep in the flesh of his chest, formed from dark red poisonous blood and pale bones.

The end of his tail had transformed into a giant bony noose that swayed restlessly in midair.

"...They... forgot... me..."

Without opening his mouth, a distorted whisper laden with severe mental contamination burrowed straight into the minds of everyone present.

"...I, too... shall judge... them..."

The three purple hollows in the mask flared, and a visible ripple of erosion swept across the entire area.

"Agh!" Already drained of strength, Kaeya let out a scream.

He clutched his head as bright red blood seeped from his only remaining right eye. The resentment and madness that struck straight at his soul instantly broke through his defenses.

The cavalry captain did not even have time to grasp his sword before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed heavily onto the cold flagstones, unconscious.

"Kaeya!"

"...Your sins... are like that... poisonous blood... that can never be washed away..."

The whisper continued to echo.

The enormous scales on the Heavenly Demon's chest gave a grinding creak. With every breath and movement the group made, the left pan, representing "sin," slowly sank.

An invisible weight bore down on Wei Zhenzu's and Varka's shoulders.

Varka's eyes were bloodshot. He swallowed the blood rising in his throat and forced himself to charge against the crushing pressure on his soul.

Fierce winds howled as the Knight of Boreas swung both swords, unleashing every last ounce of his strength.

Two cyan sword beams, each more than ten meters long, slashed out in a cross toward the Heavenly Demon's mask.

Clang!

The sword beams struck one of the Heavenly Demon's twisted wings, sending dazzling sparks flying from the guillotine blades. The attack, powerful enough to split a mountain, left only a faint white mark on the charred ancient wood.

"...The scales... have never lied... they are only waiting... for your fall..."

The scales abruptly tipped all the way toward "sin."

The Heavenly Demon swept his six twisted, blade-like wings, and a storm of black poisonous blood surged into the sky. This was his Final Judgment Storm.

The storm instantly tore apart Varka's protective gale. Several sharp wind blades sliced through his heavy armor, leaving bloody gashes that exposed the bone on his chest and arms. The burly Grand Master was flung away like a kite with a snapped string and slammed into a broken wall in the distance.

"Varka!"

Wei Zhenzu bit the tip of his tongue, using the intense pain to maintain his sanity as the Oracle Terminal vibrated madly in his palm.

The liquid metal in his palm instantly solidified, forming a heavy, brutal one-handed chopping axe.

[Executioner's Verdict].

Riding the wind, Wei Zhenzu shot forward as an afterimage. He raised the battle axe high and chopped viciously at the bony noose hanging from the Heavenly Demon.

A tremendous impact shook him, splitting the skin between his thumb and forefinger. The axe blade actually chipped against the surface of the bone.

The vast disparity in their stats was despair-inducing.

"Sixth."

He swallowed the blood rising in his throat and coldly announced the liberation count as the command petals rapidly withered in the poisonous wind.

Instead of retreating, Wei Zhenzu pressed forward, the golden light on his chest burning at its brightest.

The liquid metal in his palm churned madly. The mercury-like fluid instantly lengthened into a metal whip covered in barbs and hooks.

[Mouth of Thorns]

"Slowly coil around the frozen blood."

Expressionless, Wei Zhenzu swung his right arm. The whip tore through the viscous air with a piercing crack.

The metal viper coiled tightly around the blade-covered joint of the Heavenly Demon's left wing.

He planted his feet in the ground, every muscle in his body drawn taut to its limit under the command's drive, trying to upset the giant's balance through sheer physical force.

The Heavenly Demon merely gave his left wing a slight shake. An irresistible force surged back along the whip, instantly splitting the skin between Wei Zhenzu's right thumb and forefinger.

Wei Zhenzu released the whip and used the recoil to propel himself into the air. The liquid in his palm rearranged itself in milliseconds, the mercury-like fluid flattening into a long, lusterless black scythe.

[Reaper's Sigh]

"Sever its form with a honed and sharpened secret art."

The scythe traced a beautiful, mournful black arc toward the frantically blinking Judgement Bird eyes on the Heavenly Demon's wing.

The blade mercilessly sliced through dozens of eyeballs. Corrosive dark purple blood sprayed toward him, burning countless holes in his suit.

The attack did not stop the Heavenly Demon. The bony execution noose at the end of his tail struck from below at an angle with thunderous force.

There was no dodging it. The optimal solution offered by the Oracle Terminal was to attack instead of defend.

The liquid metal erupted with unprecedented, boiling heat, and a greatsword formed with a roar in his palm.

[Jaws of Condemnation].

"Tear it to pieces."

Wei Zhenzu gripped the rough hilt with both hands. Using the terrifying momentum of his descent, he smashed the door-sized greatsword into the Heavenly Demon's sweeping appendage.

Boom.

Dazzling sparks scattered, and an overpowering blast of wind forced Wei Zhenzu and his sword back more than ten meters.

Wei Zhenzu swallowed the blood rising in his throat and slowly raised his head. His bloodshot eyes beneath the mask stared fixedly at the twisted Abnormality that blotted out the sky.

"Seven. Two left." His hoarse voice delivered the cold count.

By now, more than half of the Oracle Terminal's Ninefold Execution Protocol had been revealed.

"...I... am the guardian of the sky... and also... your... executioner..."

The Heavenly Demon lowered his head slightly, the three purple hollows in his mask locking onto him.

"...Sin... is too heavy... it must be repaid... with bone and flesh..."

An irresistible physical repulsive force erupted from the Heavenly Demon. Wei Zhenzu felt as though a sledgehammer had struck his internal organs.

His suit burst apart, and he spat out a great mouthful of blood. He and his whip were smashed into a deep crater in the ground.

The horizon was dyed a despairing dark purple as the poisonous blood storm raged above the ruins.

Crushed beneath absolute power, every struggle seemed so laughable.