Cosmic Ruler

The Fourth Gate Keeper—Ragnar, The Judging Warden

Standing at nearly twenty feet tall, the entity that stepped out was unlike anything Aiden had faced so far.

Massive. Towering. Absolute.

His black armor pulsed with an intimidating aura, and in his right hand, he held a greatsword larger than Aiden himself.

But the most terrifying part—

His face was obscured by a helmet, with no visible eyes.

Yet Aiden could feel its gaze on him.

The Warden raised his blade.

"The Trial of Judgment begins now."

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Aiden barely had time to react.

The Warden moved like a storm, despite his massive size. His sword descended, cutting through the very fabric of space itself—

Aiden dodged, twisting mid-air as the blade tore through the ground, leaving behind a massive crater.

"Tch. Big guy's fast."

Aiden landed, rolling his shoulders.

He could tell—this fight wasn't going to be like the others.

This Warden wasn't just testing his strength.

He was testing something else.

Judgment… what does that mean?

The Warden charged again.

Aiden's golden eyes narrowed.

"Fine. Let's do this."

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—!

Aiden met the attack head-on.

Aiden blocked the first strike, his arms trembling as Ragnar's massive greatsword slammed down with enough force to crack the ground beneath him. The sheer weight behind the blow sent a shockwave rippling across the battlefield, tearing apart the air itself.

Aiden gritted his teeth.

"Damn… you hit harder than you look."

The Warden didn't respond.

He simply lifted his blade again—and this time, his aura flared.

"You who seek divinity… will you withstand judgment?"

Aiden narrowed his eyes.

The atmosphere changed.

Suddenly—his body felt heavy.

His breath became labored.

What the hell?

A notification flashed in his mind.

[Trial of Judgment: Activated]

[All attacks and movements are weighted by the weight of your sins.]

[The heavier your burden, the slower you become.]

Aiden's eyes widened.

This trial isn't about power.

It's about the weight of my past.

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—!

Ragnar swung again, his sword moving at impossible speed.

Aiden tried to dodge—but he was slower than before.

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

The blade slammed into his side, sending him flying across the battlefield.

He crashed into the Divine Ladder's stone floor, coughing up blood.

"Tch… this trial's a pain in the ass."

Ragnar strode forward, his blade gleaming with divine power.

"A soul unworthy of godhood will break under its own weight."

Aiden forced himself to stand.

"Yeah? Then let's see if I break or not."

His golden eyes flared.

If this trial was about the weight of his past… then he had only one choice.

He had to face it.

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Aiden charged forward.

Ragnar met him head-on.

The clash of judgment began.

Aiden met Ragnar's attack head-on, his blade clashing against the Warden's colossal greatsword. The impact rippled through the battlefield, sending shockwaves through the Divine Ladder.

But Aiden was slower.

His movements felt unnaturally heavy. Each step, each swing of his sword—it felt like dragging chains made of his own regrets.

So that's how this works.

This trial wasn't about raw strength.

It wasn't about skill or intelligence.

It was about the weight of his past.

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—!

Ragnar swung again, his blade carving through the air like a falling meteor.

Aiden tried to dodge—

But his body was too slow.

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

The greatsword slammed into his shoulder, sending him skidding backward. Stone shattered beneath his feet.

Aiden grimaced, blood dripping from his mouth.

"Tch…"

Above him, Ragnar didn't slow.

The Warden lifted his blade again, stepping forward.

"A soul bound by its past… cannot ascend."

Aiden exhaled, forcing himself to his feet.

So this trial is testing whether I can overcome my own burdens?

He glanced at his own hands— they were trembling slightly.

Not from pain.

But from something else.

Doubt.

Do I… still carry this much weight?

The moment the thought crossed his mind—

His body felt heavier.

[Judgment Effect Increased—Burden Multiplied]

[Weight of Regret: Your sins weigh upon your soul.]

Aiden's golden eyes flickered.

He could feel it now.

The shadows of his past creeping up.

Memories.

The people he had failed.

The battles he should have won.

The choices he wished he could take back.

For the first time in a long time—Aiden felt the full weight of everything he had done.

And for a second—he hesitated.

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

Ragnar saw the hesitation.

The Warden attacked again, his sword descending like divine judgment.

"You are not yet worthy."

The blade rushed down.

And Aiden—stood still.

Breaking the Chains—The Moment of Realization

Time seemed to slow.

Aiden felt everything.

The weight of the lives he couldn't save.

The guilt of the choices he had made.

The pain of the battles he had lost.

But then—

He thought of something else.

The people he was fighting for now.

The battles he still had left to win.

The path that he refused to abandon.

Aiden clenched his fists.

I'm not the same person I was back then.

I've fallen. I've failed.

But I kept going anyway.

He exhaled.

And then—the weight vanished.

—𝘊𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘒—!

The invisible chains binding him shattered.

Aiden's golden aura surged, brighter than before.

Ragnar's blade came crashing down.

But this time—

Aiden moved.

—𝘍𝘞𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘚𝘏—!

He sidestepped effortlessly, the massive sword barely grazing past him.

Ragnar froze.

Aiden grinned.

"I get it now."

He looked up at the Warden, eyes burning with clarity.

"I don't need to carry my past. I just need to accept it."

Ragnar stared at him for a long moment.

Then—his blade lowered.

"…Judgment has been passed."

—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!

The Fourth Gate shattered.

Trial of Judgment—Completed.

Aiden stood victorious.

The path to the next trial was open.

He turned, looking up toward the Divine Ladder's next stage.

The Fifth Trial awaited.

And Aiden was ready.

Aiden exhaled, shaking off the remnants of the Fourth Trial. His body still felt the phantom weight of his past burdens, but now… it no longer slowed him.

He had accepted it.

I move forward. Always forward.

Ragnar, the Warden of Judgment, had stepped aside, his role complete. Behind him, the Fifth Gate stood tall, gleaming with an ethereal, almost unnatural light.

Aiden squinted.

This gate felt different.

The others had tested his strength, mind, and soul.

But this one…

Something is off.