Chapter 32 – Golden Path

===================

Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

The fiercely heated star was not swung indiscriminately.

It was only warm to the people I intended to protect. Conversely, to those I intended to strike down, it was hotter than a lump of charcoal.

The moment the blazing Atonement Star got close to the water’s surface, the simmering river finally began to evaporate.

Only then did the monsters coming up against the river also notice the sudden change in water temperature.

It was also at this time that Blood-Soaked Mud urgently shouted.

[Star Creation, these ones are still alive!]

But I had no thought of compromising with the likes of a demon.

From the start, it was a bastard that had fully prepared to launch a pincer attack on me. Since an opportunity to reduce its strength came, it was right to reduce it as much as possible.

And above all.

“The ones you are talking about are monsters.”

The remnants of the souls eaten by the Human-Faced Leeches, the spiritualities were constantly wailing. They were those who could not go to the promised paradise because the god they believed in died or went into hiding.

The soul of the dead was bound to the one who killed them. It was time to torment a demon with the rule created to bind gods.

To save them, I dropped the blazing star into the river.

[It is a cycle of life eating life! O arrogant god, how can you deny providence and forcefully make it vomit out the prey that entered its stomach, calling it pitiful!?]

Sizzle-!!!!

The water’s surface that came into contact with the star turned into steam in the blink of an eye.

Naturally, the touched part could not handle all the heat. The river was literally surging up.

The water currents surging in to fill the evaporated surroundings also turned into water mist the moment they touched the heat.

Eventually, as the speed at which the water heated up became much faster than the speed at which it evaporated.

An explosion occurred.

BOOM!!!!!

The surrounding ground slightly collapsed with a loud noise.

A few houses that couldn’t handle the shock heavily collapsed. However, no one could look at the collapsed houses.

Kwa, gwa, gwa, gwa…

The aftermath of the explosion was overturning the entire river.

Centered around the Atonement Star situated at the bottom of the river, the boiling underneath water violently lifted the above water that hadn’t evaporated yet, that was.

The one that trembled more than anyone in front of this overwhelming power was precisely the demon.

One of the demons moving following the order of Blood-Soaked Mud realized the approaching death and let out a scream.

=Master, we cannot handle this!=

I could grasp its identity in a single breath.

It was a guy famous for its horrific appearance and loyalty towards its master. Swimming Faces. It was the boss demon leading the Human-Faced Leeches.

Looks like Blood-Soaked Mud sent it while even feeding it an Elysium in its own way but… this was a chain explosion caused by the Atonement Star.

The likes of leeches couldn’t even be torn apart.

It was a power and heat so strong that they would evaporate together with the water they rode on.

“The ones I am thinking of are not your monsters.”

[Is your benevolence directed only at humans?]

“If you devoured what you were told not to eat, you must have your belly sliced open.”

Kkuweeeek.

Among the exploding river water, the only one that could shout even a death throes was the Swimming Faces.

It let out such a moan because it was somewhat tough, but the rest were entirely ground away, failing to leave even a trace.

If it weren’t for the faintly hovering pitch-black dust, I wouldn’t have even known there was a demon.

It was a pity, but those who were reduced to the faces of the Human-Faced Leeches were, regretfully, those who complied with a deal.

[However, they presented themselves by their own will, not by anyone’s intent.]

“What nonsense are you saying after they all got blown away in a single hit. I’m going to slice your belly open sooner or later. Get lost.”

[Death finally visits the one captivated by death.]

Blood-Soaked Mud quickly finished weighing the options.

It judged that adding its strength here would only drastically shave off its own power.

From the perspective of the demon who intended to launch a pincer attack in cooperation with the monsters that came up the river, it had to be maddening.

Even more so for those guys who eagerly came in seeing my attention directed towards the river.

The demons, having watched the river water and their allies get swept away in a single breath, were stealthily slowing down their footsteps.

=Orbit the surroundings.=

=Until the god who makes stars’ attention is disrupted.=

Although it was packaged to look somewhat tactical and strategic, I felt the emotion laid underneath.

A stench wafted from a sewer.

It was fear.

One of the few emotions possessed by the demons who cannot feel most emotions was resonating.

However, I had no thought of letting my guard down just because the Atonement Star hadn’t returned to my side.

Because an arguably excessive amount of power had already accumulated within me.

It was time to use the authority of Exceptionless Judgment, which was undervalued due to its tricky conditions.

“If you won’t come, I will go to you.”

-Exercise of rights, Judgment

The authority of Exceptionless Judgment had many penalties.

It constantly required fairness in accordance to one’s conscience and standard, which was extremely annoying. If you didn’t keep it, the authority’s power plummeted, so you had no choice but to keep it with gritted teeth.

Because of that, it was an authority most players only used during extremely evil aligned playthroughs. Conversely, it was an authority shunned by good aligned players.

However, the most difficult path.

The story was different if it was an extreme good aligned playthrough that refused even the sacrifices carried out under the excuse of necessity.

-Reading alignment…

The scale inside my head was ceaselessly creaking and tilting alternately.

Presently, the moment a clack sound was heard.

[Bronze cannot shine for long, and Steel harbors the stench of blood.]

Within my flesh containing the universe, the stars inside my flesh became comets and drew long tails.

The place the comets gathered was none other than my fingertips.

The more stars gathered, the more light gathered, it was dyed pure white and brightly illuminated the surroundings.

[Silver cannot move everyone’s heart.]

I felt certain as I looked at the back of my hand, where a faint golden light began to hover.

My conscience told me the path I walked was right.

[Only unchanging gold can become a sun.]

This was the reason Exceptionless Judgment was called of little value.

To use it properly, one had to overcome the dilemma of sacrifice that good aligned players inevitably faced.

There were two methods.

Give up on the authority of Judgment, or become stronger without the need to sacrifice.

-Judgment Authority, Golden Path

Jiiiiiiing!

Following my stretched-out fingertips, a tremendous pillar of light burst out.

An immense amount of light that didn’t even permit looking at the surroundings. It was a light so vivid that even the people laid prostrate and tightly closed their eyes.

However, it was not a simple light.

It was a power that entirely burned up and evaporated everything within the shot trajectory.

Cheujeujeujeujeu…

Only the smart guys who noticed the unusual omen and ran away survived. Those who reacted late or let their guard down degraded into pitch-black lumps of charcoal.

Where the light swallowed, there was no grand explosion whatsoever. They just scorched, burned up, and disappeared entirely.

Finally, when the light subsided.

The ones who realized its identity and were astonished were not the people, but the demons.

=Aaak, aaaak!!!=

=Those touched by the light… are still burning. To even feel pain.=

=Don’t tell me?=

A familiar gaze was felt.

The Black Sun laid beneath the horizon finished preparations to rise into the world. Feeling anxious unlike a moment ago, that was.

The reason was one.

The demons began to hurriedly step back as soon as they realized what the light I handled was.

=It’s sunlight!=

=N, no. Not sunlight.=

The authority possessed by Exceptionless Judgment, evaluated as an instant-kill skill, was none other than this.

Golden Path.

Literally, it was an authority that shot sunlight to dispose of mobs in a single strike.

To the extent that even Great Demons are terrified and don’t want to get hit.

…Although the downside was that you could not fire it carelessly because you had to balance the broken scale again after using it once.

[I ordered you to fight against it. Do not run away, fight against it… I said that.]

=M, mother.=

[Fight against it. …Was your resolve merely at that level?]

=A, aaaah! U… Uwaaa!!!=

=Serve… mother. Serve, mother.=

Even though the Holy Mother of Stillborns, who had stealthily stuck out up to the tip of her upper body, yelled at them, they still hesitated.

Eventually, some examples appeared among the demons and monsters exiting Santiom like an ebb tide as soon as they realized it was sunlight.

Crackle-.

The Holy Mother of Stillborns stretched out her intact hand, snatched the wailing demons, and crushed them as they were.

[Fight. It is the words your mother speaks. Listen to your parent… I’m telling you to listen!!!]

=Euheuu, euheu, heuu…=

=Mother! Not sunlight, anything but sunlight!=

[Stupid fools! That guy cannot use sunlight anymore! I’m telling you he is not the Sun God!!!]

That was how much demons feared the sun and sunlight.

An existence that knew there was a limit to handling this much power might have been able to stay calm.

However, to the demons who freely strode around beneath the Black Sun, the fact that sunlight appeared was enough to cause panic.

And there was one more thing the Holy Mother of Stillborns couldn’t consider.

“Who said I can’t use it?”

I said I couldn’t fire it carelessly, I didn’t say I could only use it once.

A platinum halo of light formed by the accumulated comets was still situated in my hand.

I had to smash them completely while they were out of their minds in panic to save even one more person.

I moved the comets to my left hand while rapidly orbiting the stars inside my flesh.

-Punishing miracle, Sound of a Thousand Thunders

-Exercise of rights, Judgment

I aimed for the demons and monsters with the snake of lightning flowing down my right arm.

And… the other side, my left hand holding sunlight, aimed for the Holy Mother of Stillborns who revealed her upper body.

The sunlight formed by the agglomeration of comets gathered at my fingertips filled the surroundings of Santiom, even if very briefly.

A warm, gentle, and blue sky was instantaneously recreated.

Everyone was overwhelmed by the scenery of the past they thought they would never see again and lost their words.

Except for one person.

[…Stop it.]

Except for one demon who couldn’t avoid it because she was tearing through the skin of the world.

[Stop it, my children! Stooooop iiiiit!!!!!]

The Holy Mother of Stillborns desperately shouts, but it’s useless.

Just as humans could not abandon their yearning for the sky and stars, and craved sunlight and the blue sky even more in dark places.

Demons could never abandon their fear towards sunlight.

Rather, they were more vulnerable than humans.

Unlike humans who possessed the altruism to die for their community as an instinct of their species.

Especially the Corpse Demon-type demons originated from humans. Demons were those who struggled solely to avoid their own deaths, and it was their end.

=Dodge it!=

=I, I don’t want to burn up!=

Death, the fear towards complete annihilation was equally harbored by the demons.

Rather, because nothing remained after death, fear easily overcame obedience.

Still, for the guys who attacked fearing the aftermath, I already had an alternative prepared in my right hand.

The thousand branches of lightning did not permit any demon or Corpse Demon to rush towards the people and my side.

[Star Creation, you bastard, for sure!]

The moment the Holy Mother of Stillborns, unable to hold back, tried to say something, I burst into laughter.

“I don’t wait for things like transformations.”

-Judgment Authority, Golden Path

Jiiiiiing!!!!

The gathered sunlight once again cleaved the dim night sky.

I accurately aimed for the chest area where the heart was. If hit directly, even a Great Demon like the Holy Mother of Stillborns would half-die.

I intentionally drew her in to aim for this opportunity, and used the authority of Judgment as late as possible.

However, even if she’s rotten, she’s still a Great Demon and wouldn’t just take it sitting down.

The Holy Mother of Stillborns made a rational judgment instead of trembling in fear in front of the approaching sunlight.

Cheujeujeujeujeu….

Like meat placed on a grill overcooking and burning.

The smell and sound of rotten flesh burning permeated the entire world.

And not long after, a horrifying scream shook the heaven and earth.

[Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!]

…The shot sunlight gradually faded away.

I intended to induce carelessness with the first shot and catch her with the second, but it resulted in a regrettable outcome.

Both the sunlight and the scream disappeared, and what remained was a dark cloud of smoke.

“Tough bastard.”

Beyond that, a bluntly gouged-out shoulder was revealed.

Instead of giving up her glabella, the Holy Mother of Stillborns stuck out her right arm to block the sunlight.

[…How, how, how.]

I could not use Golden Path anymore. The scale had completely tilted.

To use it again, I had to balance the scale by mediating and judging among people again.

Naturally, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

The Great Demon, holding her disappeared arm and gouged-out shoulder while wailing, suddenly glared this way.

Deeply gouged-out eye sockets, burning the deep blue ghost fires situated in place of pupils, she viciously scratched her throat.

[Price, price… Price! You shall pay the price!]

I also knew on what basis she was acting like this.

The stars that were strenuously protecting the sky gradually fell to the horizon.

A massive celestial body rising from the opposite side was pushing them away according to its rightful authority.

Because it was rising while properly observing the penalty this time, it couldn’t be stopped.

The dark purple halo announced the time like a trumpeter signaling an advance, like a standard-bearer waving a military standard.

[The sun is on our side. No matter how much you try, no matter how strong you become, it is a sunless world! Those you intend to protect will not be able to survive!!!!]

I orbited the stars inside my flesh and faced the fiercely growling Great Demon. It was just as the Holy Mother of Stillborns said.

The Black Sun was rising.

Receiving the help of the sun, the Holy Mother of Stillborns tore all the skin of the world.

As soon as the main body of the Great Demon manifested, the lights I had painstakingly scattered twinkled faintly and disappeared.

But if the light disappeared, I just had to scatter it again.

-Star Protection miracle, Comet Tail

“Which is why I said I will make a new sun.”

My Divine Name is Star Creation. Since my mission was to make a new sun.

No matter how dark the world was, it could not give me any sense of intimidation.