Nova already knew it was just a death sentence. There was to defeat a Sentinel whose power was on par with hundreds of gods, but he didn't hesitate. He walked through the battlefield, slashing and cutting his enemies, covered in blood like there was no tomorrow left to see.
"All of this really sucks… can't I even have a decent meal?" he said as he continued walking in the middle of the battlefield, heading to face their leader—the Sentinel. He already knew there was no hope left for him, but he didn't care. He never cared about his life.
"That bitch! I really can't take it anymore," he said as he had already reached the limit of how much one could hate someone. Even though they both joined the clan at the same time, he never got what he deserved just because he never had a class and was the son of the previous clan head. But that bitch—she really became the second commander just because she was the granddaughter of the big shots and slept with bunch of old duch bags.
He finally reached the destination where his death was set for the final stage, facing a foe he knew he could never defeat—a Sentinel, a creature enormous in size.It was like an angel with six wing ; their wings represented how strong they were, and it had six, which was a clear red flag for him.
, except instead of beauty, it was a terrifying creature. Its form was humanoid, almost divine at first glance—but the longer one looked, the more wrong it felt. The wings were vast and layered, stretching unnaturally, each feather trembling as if it were alive, breathing along with the creature itself. Its body was slender, almost elegant, yet that elegance felt twisted—too perfect, too unnatural to belong to anything living.
And then there was the face… if it could even be called that. Its mouth stretched far too wide for a human shape, splitting across its face in a grotesque curve, filled with rows of sharp, uneven fangs that overlapped like a predator that had never known restraint. Its teeth weren't just meant to bite—they looked like they could tear, grind, and devour without stopping. Long, claw-like fingers hung at its sides, each one thin yet deadly, as if a single touch could rip flesh apart. Though it stood in a human-like form, every feature about it screamed something else entirely—something ancient, something wrong, something that should have never existed.
"Six… not bad. My last time wielding the sword," Nova said as he had already accepted his death long ago, looking at his old rusty sword. He didn't have any fear, any anger, or anything—just a regret that he couldn't enjoy three meals a day tomorrow.
But—
A voice he heard.
As he turned, it was that bitch, looking at him with excitement as to see him dying, waiting for him to suffer a miserable, painful death.
"That bitch really wants me dead, huh…" he said as he changed his plan.
"A puny human dares to stand in front of me," the Sentinel said, amused by his bravery—or perhaps his stupidity.
"I commend your bravery, human… but you will die today," it said, gazing at him with its multiple eyes, ready to crush him at any second.
"I really don't mind dying… but not today," Nova said as he found a reason not to die today—or rather, not in front of someone who wanted him dead. Just to make his one last wish come true—the wish to not give that bitch whats she wanted. He decided to take some extreme measures.
"Just cut the crap and settle this matter," he said pointing his old rusty sword at him, ready to fight even though he never stood a chance.
"If you're really that eager to die, puny creature… then die," the Sentinel said as a dual-sided axe—a giant white weapon—materialized from its skin. Just looking at it was enough to make one's skin crawl, but the nova had seen things far worse than that, so it meant nothing to him.
It swung the massive dual-sided axe at him. The attack was lethal at a glance—anyone could tell it would shred his body to pieces. He didn't stand a chance with his weak body. Even though he looked somewhat healthy, it was only due to the training he forced himself through, using techniques just to keep his condition from getting worse. Otherwise, with his malnutrition, he would have been nothing more than a skinny man barely able to walk. But even if he had a strong body… there was no way he could dodge it.
***
At first, there was nothing—no exorcists, no demigods, no evil spirits, nothing. It was a normal world until—
The first Judgment appeared a few decades ago. At that time, humanity was still recovering from wars worldwide. Judgment—when people started vanishing into thin air in masses. Complaints of missing people began to rise, but at first, it was no big deal. Everyone thought it was some secret group or something. The government didn't take any serious action, and by the time they did, it was already too late—not like they could have done anything even if they knew earlier.
Soon after, cracks started appearing all around the world in all kinds of places. And from those cracks, creatures began crawling out—terrifying monsters known as evil spirits and demigods. No one knew where these creatures came from or what those cracks were. They knew nothing.
Soon, humankind was on the brink of extinction, wars breaking out everywhere as people tried to fight those creatures.
In the end, it was the exorcists—those who returned after going missing from those same cracks—who put a stop to the rampage. Armed with unique abilities, magic, and inhuman physical strength, they brought back a sense of peace to the world and became the new symbol of it.
Of course, it was not only the first time Judgment happened. Even now, Judgment still occurs.
But as far as Nova was concerned, none of it mattered. It had nothing to do with him now. He had already completed his Judgment when he was merely a child.
It was living hell for him.
He was transported to the Night World, a place filled with terrifying creatures, blood, and slaughter of his kind everywhere. Somehow, he managed to survive that nightmare. In that process, he robbed, killed, ran—did everything he could just to stay alive in that hell.
The chances of a person being chosen by Judgment were random. Anyone could be selected at any time, and surviving it was less than one in a thousand. But one thing was certain—everyone received a class.
Everyone except Nova.
People started teaching their kids various techniques—martial arts, swordsmanship, and more. Even schools introduced different programs focused on increasing survival chances. Wealthy families began hiring professionals, because now only those with money and power had a real chance to survive in this world.
Those from exorcist clans had it even better. They had access to powerful magical items, techniques, and could wield spirit essence from their very first visit to the Night World.
***
A heavy impact echoed through the battlefield—but it was not the sound of flesh being torn apart, but something else.
"Is that all you've got?" Nova said with a faint smile on his face. He had stopped the weapon with his sword—that old rusty sword, now covered in layers of blood. His hand, too, had transformed into something demonic, with sharp red claws like a demon, and one of his eyes glowed a bloody red.
The second commander was shocked by what she had just witnessed. The vice head's eyes widened. "No… that's Asura Art," she said, her voice shaking for the first . "That power went missing centuries ago… so how does trash like him have it?" Her voice carried both fear and disbelief.
The Sentinel flinched as it looked at Nova. He no longer looked like a mere human—he was something else now. "How can an ordinary human possess the divine powers of Asura!. You shouldn't be able to use it?" it said, all its eyes unable to believe what they were seeing.
Nova coughed up blood as he spoke, "Don't bother… you won't live to see the next day, so don't waste your time asking questions." Saying that, he cut its weapon clean.
"That's all the more reason to not leave you alive," the Sentinel said as it made a gesture with its hand. Its feathers shot into the air, transforming into massive spears that covered the entire battlefield.
"Now let's see what you will do," it said, as the battle had already been decided.