Chapter 105: The Eye in the Sky and the World's Most Expensive Lightning Bolt
The giant golden eye in the sky didn't just look at the Capital; it judged it. The pressure was so immense that the glass shards on the floor of the High Council Chamber began to levitate, then disintegrate into fine powder. Even the air felt like it was made of lead.
"Von," Rena gasped, her knees shaking as she gripped her staff for support. "That's not a projection. That's the 'All-Seeing Eye of Solara.' If it blinks, this entire palace becomes a crater."
Von (Volt) stood calmly in the center of the destruction, his new black armor pulsing with a violet rhythm. "Let it blink, Rena. It's been staring at the world for a thousand years. It's about time someone gave it a reason to close."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Divine Boss Encounter: The Eye of Solara. Difficulty: SSS-Rank. Warning: Your current level (42) is mathematically insufficient for survival. Suggestion: Run. Alternative: Die heroically for the plot.]
Von ignored the system's pessimistic math. He looked at the third fragment in his hand, which was now vibrating so hard it was humming. "Mathematical insufficiency is just another way of saying 'not enough spite.' And I have plenty of that."
The Chaos Below (Meanwhile, in the Streets)
Aki was currently hiding inside a decorative stone fountain, peeking out as the giant eye stared down from the clouds. Around him, his five hundred skeletons were also trying to hide, though skeletons aren't exactly known for their stealth. One of them was trying to blend in with a statue by posing as a gargoyle.
"Okay, change of plans!" Aki whispered into his communication gem. "Von! The sky is judging us! I repeat, the sky has an eye and it looks like it's about to fire a laser beam of pure holiness at my silk scarf! Tell me you have a plan that doesn't involve us becoming holy ash!"
A bolt of golden lightning struck a nearby tower, vaporizing the stone instantly.
"Correction!" Aki screamed, ducking back into the fountain. "The sky is already firing! Bonesy! Get your calcium-filled butt over here and use your shield to cover me! If I die, who's going to make sure your armor stays shiny?"
The skeleton—now nicknamed 'Bonesy'—leaped over the fountain, holding up a rusted shield just as another bolt hit. The impact sent a shower of sparks everywhere.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Aki's Fear Level: 99%. New Title Unlocked: 'Professional Fountain Dweller'.]
"Professional? I'll show you professional!" Aki grumbled, reaching out to trip a passing Paladin who was too busy looking at the sky to notice the thief in the water. "If the world is ending, I'm at least going home with some extra gold teeth!"
The Descent of the First Judge
Back in the Throne Room, the giant eye began to glow with a blinding intensity. From the pupil of the eye, a figure descended, riding a beam of solidified light. He was ten feet tall, with four wings made of golden feathers and a face hidden behind a mask of white porcelain.
"Volt," the Judge spoke, his voice sounding like the collision of two planets. "I am Raziel, the Judge of the First Heaven. You have stolen three fragments of the Night. You have corrupted the Academy. You have turned a thief into a... whatever that is below us."
"I prefer the term 'Strategic Asset'," Aki's voice crackled through Von's gem.
Von ignored the interruption. He raised his scythe, the Void Reaper, which was now dripping with a mixture of black fire and the celestial energy he had just absorbed. "Raziel. I remember you. You were the one who stabbed me in the back while I was sealing the Void Gates. Tell me, does your back still itch from the cowardice you showed that day?"
Raziel didn't respond to the insult. He simply raised a hand, and the air around Von began to turn into solid gold. "The earth is too good for you. You shall be encased in divine metal and kept as a trophy in the High Heavens."
"Rena, now!" Von shouted.
Rena slammed her staff into the floor, activating the final security override she had been preparing. "By the laws of the Academy's founders, I activate the 'Anti-Divine Nullification Field'!"
The floor of the throne room erupted with blue runes. This was a secret defense mechanism built into the palace a thousand years ago—not by the Academy, but by Von himself in his previous life, hidden beneath layers of history.
The gold encasing Von's feet shattered. Raziel's wings flickered, their light dimming as the nullification field began to drain his celestial mana.
"What is this?" Raziel hissed, his porcelain mask cracking. "No mortal magic can dampen the grace of the Heavens!"
"This isn't mortal magic," Von said, stepping forward with his scythe. "This is the architecture of your nightmare."
Von lunged. The battle that followed was so violent that the top three floors of the palace were simply erased from existence. Raziel fought with a sword of pure sun, while Von countered with the weight of the abyss. Every time their blades met, a shockwave of violet and gold energy rippled across the city, knocking over buildings and sending the Paladins below into a panic.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: 'Sun-Eater Passive'. 20% of Raziel's attacks converted into Health. Current HP: 65% and Rising.]
"You're eating my divinity?!" Raziel screamed, his voice losing its mechanical calm.
"It's a bit salty," Von remarked, spinning his scythe and cutting through one of the Judge's golden wings. "But it'll do for a snack."
As Raziel fell back, his porcelain mask shattered, revealing a face of pure, angry light. "You think this victory means anything? There are six more of us! The sky will never stop watching you!"
"Then I'll just have to poke all your eyes out, won't I?" Von replied.
With a final, desperate roar, Raziel tried to self-destruct his remaining mana to take out the entire city. But Von was faster. He used the third fragment to open a localized void, sucking the explosion into a different dimension before it could expand.
Raziel's physical form dissolved into golden dust, leaving only his porcelain mask behind.
Von stood in the ruins of the palace, the sun finally beginning to set—a real sunset this time, not a magical one. He looked down at the city. The Paladins were retreating, the citizens were in hiding, and Aki was currently arguing with a skeleton about who got to keep a golden candlestick they'd found.
[QUEST COMPLETE: The First Judge Defeated. Experience Gained: +100,000. Level Up: 42 -> 50. New Item: 'Porcelain Shard of the First Heaven'.]
Rena walked up to Von, her face covered in soot but her eyes bright. "We did it. We actually killed a Judge."
Von looked at the sky, where the giant golden eye was slowly fading, its light dimming as it retreated into the higher realms. "We killed a puppet, Rena. The real masters are still up there. And now, they know exactly what I'm capable of."
Aki's voice came through the gem one last time. "Hey, Von? Great job with the god-killing and all, but... can we find a hotel that hasn't been hit by a meteor? My socks are still damp."
Von smiled. The journey was far from over, but for the first time in a thousand years, the King felt like he was exactly where he belonged.