The Judgment of Arion

The battlefield was a nightmare of chaos—bodies clashed, magic explosions rocked the land, and the sky was a swirling storm of destruction. The Demon Lords, once feared as the pinnacle of power, were battered, bruised, and exhausted. Even Veldora, with all his might, could only land minor blows on Ivarage. My lovers—Veldora and Diablo—had done everything they could, yet even they had failed.

Ivarage, the monster who had been forged in the depths of war, stood among them, toying with them like a god among mortals. He was laughing. The Demon Lords, the strongest beings of the Cardinal World, lay before him like broken chess pieces.

But then—it happened.

A presence.

At first, it was subtle—like a whisper in the void. But then, the air thickened. The wind stopped. The battlefield froze. Every warrior, every Demon Lord, every creature on that forsaken land felt it. A force unlike anything before. Time itself seemed to fracture. The sky twisted, showing all four seasons at once—scorching summer, a bitter winter storm, autumn leaves falling from nowhere, and spring flowers blooming amidst the ruins. The ground trembled, not from power—but from fear.

Diablo and Veldora knew instantly.

"He's coming," Veldora murmured, his usually confident face now in awe.

Diablo, eyes gleaming with rare excitement, smirked. "Finally… My Lord has decided to act."

Because they knew.

No one could know about me.

I was the Shadow.

The Abyss.

The Invisible Guardian of the Cardinal World.

The Judge.

The Prosecutor.

The Executioner.

Even Ivarage, for the first time, faltered. His laugh died in his throat as he turned his gaze toward the sky. The others—Guy, Rimuru, Leon, Luminous, Draguel—all stopped fighting, their exhausted bodies standing still, eyes searching.

Then, I arrived.

A rift in space opened above them, a vortex of absolute darkness. From it, I stepped forward—slowly, effortlessly. My form was cloaked in a flowing black aura, my presence bending reality itself. Lightning crackled around me, yet I was silent. No grand display. No unnecessary theatrics. Just absolute, unchallenged authority.

The world knew.

They all knew.

I descended. The battlefield, once filled with war cries and clashing steel, was silent. Even the wounded forgot their pain. Even the sky stopped crying.

Guy Crimson narrowed his eyes. "Who…?" His voice, the voice of the strongest Demon Lord, wavered for the first time.

Rimuru, always one to analyze situations, whispered, "This…this power… it's beyond anything we've ever seen."

Leon took a step back. Luminous clutched her chest. Draguel's hand tightened into a fist. None of them could comprehend what stood before them.

And then—Feldway spoke. His voice shook.

"This… this is impossible."

Ivarage, the mighty warlord who had crushed gods and kings, clenched his fists, his breath uneven. "No… I am the strongest… I am the strongest… I AM THE STRONGEST!"

Desperation fueled his next move.

In the blink of an eye, he attacked.

His speed was faster than light, a force that had overwhelmed even Veldora. His fist shot forward, a killing blow designed to annihilate me instantly.

But to me—it was nothing.

I shifted, an effortless motion that no eye could track. His attack missed. And in that instant—

I struck.

My fist slammed into his gut.

A shockwave tore through the battlefield. The sky itself cracked. Mountains in the far distance shattered. The ground beneath us collapsed. The impact was so fast, so brutal, that no one even saw the punch—only the aftershock.

Ivarage's eyes bulged. His entire body trembled. He gasped, clutching his stomach, blood spilling from his mouth. He fell to his knees, shaking. For the first time in his existence—he felt pain.

"No…" His voice was barely a whisper. "This can't… be happening…"

I walked toward him. My steps were steady, each one resonating like a death knell. The air grew heavier with each movement. Ivarage, the destroyer of worlds, crawled back. He had never known fear—until now.

"Who… are you?" he choked. "GET AWAY FROM ME! I AM IVARAGE! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED!"

I raised a single finger.

"Begone."

A beam of pure, unfiltered energy erupted from my fingertip. It was not an attack. It was judgment. It erased Ivarage. His body began to disintegrate, breaking apart at the atomic level. He screamed, he begged, but there was no mercy.

He was gone.

The battlefield remained frozen in shock. The Demon Lords, the warriors, the gods—they all stood speechless.

Then—Feldway tried to flee.

"No… I won't end here!" He raised his hands to teleport, but—he couldn't.

His eyes widened in horror.

"W-why can't I teleport?" He struggled, his form flickering, his magic useless.

I was already in front of him. He never even saw me move.

I reached into his chest—literally—piercing through his ribcage with ease. His heart pulsed in my grip. His power—his essence—was mine.

"You won't die," I said, my voice calm, emotionless. "But you will serve."

I twisted my hand, and a black sigil burned onto his forehead. His body collapsed, shuddering as he fell under my control.

Then—Zelanus.

He turned to run.

I appeared behind him.

Before he could react, my blade sliced through his neck. His head fell. His body followed. Zelanus was no more.

Finally—Fenn.

He thought he was hidden, watching from afar. He thought he had escaped my sight.

He was wrong.

I snapped my fingers.

He appeared before me, yanked from his hiding place, trembling.

"No… NO! PLEASE—"

I placed my hand on his head. Another seal. Another prison. He vanished—sealed away once more.

I turned to Draguel. "He is back where he belongs. Watch over him."

Draguel, still in shock, nodded.

Then, I turned to my lovers—Veldora, Diablo. They had watched in silence, admiration in their eyes. They stepped beside me.

With a final glance at the battlefield—at the stunned, speechless Demon Lords—I snapped my fingers.

We vanished.

And just like that—the war ended.

The battlefield was left in stunned silence. The Demon Lords stood, shaken, trying to process what had happened.

Guy spoke first, his voice hoarse.

"…Who… was that?"

No one had the answer.

Rimuru clenched his fists. "I don't know… But I will find out."

The war was over.

But the mystery of Arion, the Invisible Guardian, had only just begun.