"So you're Justice?" Akito asked, standing against the barren horizon of the desert.
In response—only silence.
The next instant, the stranger in the white cloak streaked with red burst forward, rushing straight at Akito. Every step made the sand tremble, as if some beast lurked beneath the earth. His strikes came one after another—crushing, fast, relentless.
Akito blocked two, but on the third he rolled back, slamming into a dune. "He hits harder than Targus…" flickered through his mind.
Seizing a moment, Akito lunged and kicked at the man's side with all his strength. The stranger didn't even try to defend. No step back. No reaction. The blow felt like striking armor.
"Is that all your power?" he finally spoke. His voice was cold, like a verdict. "This is the Creator's favorite? That's unjust."
A strange glow erupted around him—soft, emerald green and yet terrifying. The sand at his feet shifted as though sensing his presence.
"I am the embodiment of law. And now you will be punished."
Suddenly one of Karmas's eyes flared, a small arrow within rising upward.
"Remarkable, Akito Kurosawa…" he said with faint surprise. "You've performed more good deeds than evil. You're lucky. Otherwise, your stats would have been reduced by thirty-five percent."
He stepped forward.
"Now we can fight as equals. I am Karmas, Guardian of Justice. Commander of all Guardians."
"And why would I need that information?" Akito answered coolly.
"Out of respect. You've earned it."
"Enough talk… He's dangerous. Extremely dangerous." Akito thought. In the next instant he activated [Will of the One]. Time stopped. Everything froze, locked in a single moment. He had exactly five seconds.
He darted forward, the Blades of Chaos aimed at Karmas's heart.
"Now…" he whispered.
But as he neared, Karmas's body began… cracking. His silhouette splintered like ceramic, breaking into hundreds of shards before vanishing entirely.
"What?" Akito breathed, spinning around.
Karmas's voice rolled across the desert:
"You tried to cheat again… but my ability is [Absolute Justice]. Anything that violates balance is nullified. You cannot use your skills. Nor can I."
A first—unnervingly calm—smile appeared on Karmas's face.
He lunged forward. A series of blows struck Akito's stomach, then a knee to the head. Akito reeled, blood spilling from his lips, but at the last moment he grabbed the edge of Karmas's cloak and rammed one Blade of Chaos into his opponent's thigh.
"Filthy violator…" Karmas hissed. He raised his hand for another strike, but Akito had already leapt back. In the same moment a burst of sand, thrown up by the Blades' energy, smashed into Karmas's face.
"His skill is busted, but it has to have a range," Akito thought, scanning the space. He looked up, but caught a blur at the edge of his vision—a fist hurtling toward him. The impact was so strong something cracked in his arm—a bone snapped. His body flew like a rag doll.
He crashed into the sand, carving a furrow and raising a massive cloud of dust. Groaning, he bent over in pain—every muscle, every nerve screaming.
Before he could catch his breath, Karmas was already there, grabbing him by the leg and hurling him aside with monstrous force.
"Damn… all my skills are nullified…" raced through Akito's mind mid-flight. "I can't beat him…"
He hit the sand again, then tried to stand. His body trembled. Propping himself on an elbow, he pushed forward with his shoulder—his left leg wouldn't move. Another try—sharp pain flared. Broken. His chest tightened with every breath. He felt blood pulsing in his bruises.
Through the veil of dust a silhouette appeared—Karmas, approaching slowly, step by step, like a judge ready to deliver the final sentence.
"You resist even though you know you've lost. Foolish. But honest," Karmas said coldly, looking down. His eyes glowed—gray with a downward arrow, green with an upward one. He was the embodiment of order, unyielding as law itself.
Akito gritted his teeth. He lay on the ground with a broken leg; Karmas was nearly upon him…
The Guardian raised his hand, his shadow falling over Akito.
"This is the end… I'm nothing without my abilities…" flashed through Akito's mind as he shut his eyes, bracing for the final blow.
And then—blood splashed.
Droplets fell across Akito's face. He snapped his eyes open… and saw an arm protruding from Karmas's chest—long, sharp fingers trembling with effort. Its owner stood behind Karmas, grinning.
"M-Mirton… you… betrayed me…" Karmas hissed, barely turning his head.
"Heh… Only now you realize?" Mirton whispered into his ear. "You were in my way. I'll be the best. I'm Trickery, Karmas… and you're caught."
He closed his eyes, smirking faintly, and ripped the heart free.
A spasm.
A gush of blood.
The heart burst in his hand, scattering into crimson droplets. Karmas's body collapsed onto the sand, twisting unnaturally.
"Kid… finish him," Mirton tossed Akito a Chaos Blade. "He's still alive. Seven seconds. No more."
Without hesitation, Akito gripped the hilt and hurled the blade into the dying Karmas's chest.
[Enemy Eliminated.]
[Level Up: 304 → 378]
[Reward: 200,000 en | Bonus Points: 150]
Silence.
"Why did you help me?" Akito exhaled, bracing on the ground.
Mirton was already walking away, not looking back:
"I didn't help you. I killed the one above us all to take his place. Karmas was the strongest of us. If he'd fought you seriously—with full power, skills, and resolve—you'd have died in the first two seconds."
He paused, then added with a grin:
"But thanks for the assist. And yeah, your 'Will of the One'—cool trick. I managed to hide inside your blade at the moment time stopped. Clever, huh?"
He winked and vanished, dissolving into the air.
[Noxveil]
Hey there, reader!
If you've made it this far, thank you so much. I'm writing this story in Russian and translating it into English — so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Even one small comment gives me huge motivation 💬💙
Let me know who your favorite character is so far!