Damn, I recarneted As A Judge in Fantasy World Chapter 203 In the Shadow of the Growler

Abel placed Peltron and Shugly on his shoulders and dashed outside. Left alone, Cordell McNeil and Jaren Burgess exchanged glances.

"What on earth is going on?" Jaren asked.

From the outside, it couldn't help but look strange since Peltron was only sending telepathic ssages to Abel. To anyone else, it probably appeared as though he was holding a white bat and talking to himself, as if he were crazy.

Unlike Jaren, who looked puzzled, Cordell was remarkably calm. "Because he's soone who's hard to keep track of. I'm used to it."

But wasn't this situation a bit odd? After all, Abel was the one who heard their conversation while outside.

The reason was simple. When Cordell didn't co out, Abel had returned. "Mr. McNeil, if you want to see her at the beauty salon again, you'd better keep quiet and move quickly."

"Tta-tta!"

With his private life on the line, Cordell ca running out, making strange noises.

"He's not just any kid," Abel thought. "I can't take my eyes off him for even a second."

* * *

The pursuit, led by Peltron, went smoothly. He guided them to a place that looked promising: an area filled with abandoned warehouses and piles of trash. It was the perfect hiding spot for assassins.

"Beep beep. I detect it. Beep beep," Peltron buzzed as he flew around.

"Can't you just be quiet and dignified?" Abel sighed.

"No, that won't work. This is the only way to focus," Peltron replied, though it didn't sound very credible. But given the situation, Abel had no choice but to endure his annoyance.

"Why am I putting up with this?" he muttered. "Shut up and focus."

"I do not speak with my mouth. I convey my will through telepathy..."

"You can't do it. Show so professionalism here."

Typically, soone high in the hierarchy wouldn't directly address soone far below them. They'd let the chain of command enforce order on its own.

But Peltron wasn't quite grasping this.

"Go to sleep now!" Shugly chid in, quickly silencing Peltron.

Abel watched with a pleased expression as Shugly playfully disciplined Peltron. "Technically, this is called downward grinding."

Feeling satisfaction but knowing he couldn't let the scene continue, Abel stopped Shugly and nudged Peltron forward.

"Are you awake?"

"Ugh! Beep, beep..." Peltron stamred, sowhat subdued, though he still made a few odd noises here and there. He quickly scanned the area, raising his hands after a mont.

"And!"

"What is it? Did you find it?" Abel asked, hopeful.

"No? I really don't know."

As a subordinate, Peltron should have followed orders more obediently, but his responses were infuriating. Abel's patience was wearing thin.

He felt the need to educate Peltron properly, but just then, Peltron's face changed, tinged with fear.

"Oh, oh! It's here!"

"This ti, are you serious? Or are you really dead?"

"It's around here! Let's hurry."

Peltron dashed forward on all fours, surprising Abel. But he soon rembered, "Oh, it's not a real bat anyway."

He followed Peltron down an alley, past abandoned warehouses and piles of garbage, until they reached the castle wall. Peltron scrambled up and began gliding outside the city.

"This is easy," Abel thought, activating his beast's heart to power up. He scaled the smooth wall effortlessly, a feat that would make any modern climber feel inadequate.

As they crossed the wall, Abel spotted Peltron with sothing large, faintly blue.

"Huh? What's that?" Cordell, who had been following, asked in surprise, recognizing the strange figure.

"What if you ask that? I'm a Growler!"

"Oh?"

If he had encountered monsters more often, he might have recognized it sooner. Now, however, Abel realized the blue form resembled a carriage.

'It's fortunate we found the Growler. But where's Sordin's interdiate priest?' Abel wondered.

The eerie feeling returned. They had co to find the thief who stole the sacred water. But a Growler was here?

Was it about to deliver the sacred water?

Ominous feelings seldom proved wrong.

Just then, a man erged from the forest and dashed toward the Growler, holding a glowing stick.

"Oh, shit!" Abel cursed as he launched himself forward.

****

How could events be so coincidental? If it weren't for Peltron's life-control abilities, they would have died without even realizing it. They wouldn't have witnessed the Growler handing over the sacred water.

'Is this supposed to be luck?' Abel mused. If they had caught the bomber earlier, they wouldn't be in this predicant.

Now wasn't the ti to complain. It was truly a life-or-death situation.

"Eww!"

The bomber ran towards the Growler, yelling. As the sacred water ca closer, strange phenona began to occur.

Kkiyaaaaaaaah!

A green fog burst out, wailing like a ghost as it enveloped the city. Monts later, a trendous vibration shook the ground, as if a massive earthquake was about to hit.

"What's going on?"

Crunch! Crunch!

Voices rose with the sound of windows opening. Astonished residents peered out, looking on in shock.

'We can't delay any longer,' Abel thought.

『Extre Choice Activation』

Woohoo!

A selection of options appeared with a soft vibration, but Abel already knew his answer. He pressed one choice rapidly.

"Select 'Attack Power.'"

"It becos a 'glass body' state."

His opponent, the priest, couldn't use divine power, making him practically no different from a regular person. Having relied on Peltron's power for so long, the priest had lost his ability to communicate with the gods.

This choice would suffice for now, but Abel didn't stop there.

『Activation of Destructive Retribution』

Suhua!

A bright flash from Abel's gavel filled the surroundings, its intense energy waves creating a radiant effect. Abel held his trembling arms steady and gritted his teeth against the strain.

"Ugh!"

Tohung!

A powerful beam shot through the forest, obliterating everything in its path. It was a potent synergy between extre choice and destructive retribution. If Abel had his greatsword, he could have wielded even greater power. For now, his gavel would have to do. It was enough to annihilate his target.

But he wasn't aiming for the thief. What if the sacred water were caught up in the destruction? The water's properties were unknown, but the chances of it surviving unscathed were slim. Besides, hitting a running person was difficult.

Instead, he targeted the Growler standing defiantly.

'Dealing with that creature should prevent a massive explosion, right?'

The beam struck the Growler directly, hurling it backward.

"Goooooooooo!"

The impact seed significant, and the Growler's scream echoed as it thrashed around. The intense telepathic feedback must have overwheld its mind.

"Eww!"

Cordell collapsed, writhing in pain. Although strong, this was his first encounter with such an intense ntal attack. Abel, however, remained unfazed. To him, the noise was barely as botherso as a buzzing mosquito, likely because the power of destructive retribution had shielded him from telepathic interference.

Gradually, the beam's intensity waned, the skill's effect finally ending. Abel gazed at the scorched forest around him. The Growler, though a rare and formidable ghost monster, hadn't survived the catastrophic punishnt.

'Naturally. This could even lt a Grand Master.'

What chance did a re undead creature have?

anwhile, the criminal who had attempted to throw the water was still alive. Abel had carefully directed the destruction away from him.

Thud! Thud!

Abel walked across the charred ground, the eerie flas flickering around him like a scene from hell.

Finally, he reached the criminal and slowly extended his hand.

Swoosh—!

Even though Abel took the holy water away, his opponent didn't react at all.

Well, what could he do now?

Since the Growler was completely destroyed, the terrorist plan was also over.

"I think it's ti to have a real conversation. Why did you do this?" Abel looked at the culprit with emotionless eyes as he spoke.

The man growled, his face reddening with anger.

"Because of you! Because of you, all my plans went awry. It was the perfect opportunity to get revenge on those Sordin guys..."

It seed that he held a deep grudge against the church. He must have gone this far while disguising himself as a mid-level priest.

However, questions still lingered in Abel's mind.

"But Northern Ark has nothing to do with it," he pointed out.

"I was supposed to die as a priest of Sordin!" the man replied.

Abel could roughly understand what the man had been thinking when he concocted this plan. He probably wanted to make the Sordin Church appear as the one responsible for destroying Northern Ark.

A religion responsible for such a massacre would certainly not survive.

"But how on earth did you infiltrate them?" Abel asked. "They don't seem to trust Sordin at all, so how did they use divine powers?"

But the opponent remained silent, clearly unwilling to divulge more information.

Of course, Abel wasn't too curious about the details either. If investigated properly, everything would eventually co to light.

"Lord McNeill," he called.

"Oh! Yes, yes?" ca the imdiate response.

"Arrest the suspect. We must hand him over to the Capital Prosecutors' Office."

"I am neither a police officer nor a prosecutor," McNeill grumbled. Continue your saga on empire

Did that guy always have to complain? Abel shook his head and raised the gavel.

Then, as if finally willing to cooperate, McNeill gave a more positive response.

"Of course, I have no intention of disobeying His Highness's orders."

Seriously, what was Abel to do with this man's constant nagging? Even if he inford His Majesty the Emperor, Cordell's persistence would likely continue.

'Maybe it's ti for more frequent lessons, not just occasional reminders,' he thought.

With the crazed bomber now arrested, it was ti to head ho.

Abel spent his last night at Jaren Burgess's mansion, where his host bid him farewell.

"You can stop by whenever you co to the North. Think of it as your ho and co whenever you want."