I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

64 – 12# The Strongest Guardian (4)

Heroes.

If you were born in the right era, anyone could become the main character. Among them, there were exceptional strong individuals. Crencia was one of them.

It wasn’t just a 1-man guild, but a large guild that belonged to Gerior. Yet, Crencia was annihilated by a single sword. Even with incredible regenerative powers!

The man’s body began to tremble with fear, overwhelmed by an unstoppable force, like gazing at a master. It was a monstrous existence, far beyond the hero category.

Isaac’s gaze turned to the man, and the moment their eyes met, the man lost his presence and collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

“What’s going on? Why is this happening?”

Isaac was internally flustered by the unexpected reaction. What’s going on? I didn’t do anything, so why is he suddenly like this? I just asked where the master was…

In reality, Isaac had no intention of directly attacking Hades, the guild leader, due to her authority. That was a power that could bring about death itself.

If she were to unleash her power, even the Iron Shield and Crete or Amazon would surely suffer casualties. So, Isaac wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible.

But.

The situation had changed now.

Hades’ guild had touched Isaac’s family. Although the details were unclear, it was unacceptable to curse and stab them in the back. And Hades couldn’t be unaware of this.

“Water has already been spilled.”

Once family is involved, there’s no going back. Compromise is impossible. Then, the only option is to take decisive action. Before Hades unleashes her power, Isaac will crush her.

Isaac had a clear objective in mind at that moment.

Asterios’ Crete was clashing swords with Justice’s Utitus. Justice, once a guild that protected the law and maintained order in Gideon…

Now, it had fallen to become Hades’ loyal dog. Asterios gazed at her without a word. It was strange, but he didn’t feel any emotions, unlike what he expected.

Utitus opened his mouth, tilting his head in surprise.

“I didn’t expect this. You’re not angry?”

“I think it’s unexpected too.”

“But nothing changes. You’re just a mad bull.”

A mad bull. Asterios smiled wistfully. He didn’t get angry at the insult. Instead, he felt curious. Asterios asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Why did you betray us?”

If it were another guild, it would be understandable. But Justice was one of the guilds Asterios trusted. They had protected the weak and stood against the strong…

The fact that Justice had betrayed them, siding with Crencia of Skull Land, was still shocking to this day. Why? Was there a reason for this? Utitus clicked his tongue and spoke.

“Do you still not understand her intentions?”

“Are you talking about the guild’s purge?”

“Yes, that’s right. I sincerely surrendered.”

Utitus had also initially thought that protecting the weak was justice. So, he wanted to fight against Hades’ tyranny. But after meeting her, his thoughts changed.

“Let me ask you instead. If an unavoidable apocalypse is approaching, and you need the power to fight against it… Can you still remain calm like this?”

An unavoidable apocalypse. The world would end due to a massive war. Having witnessed it all, Utitus changed his mind. Yes, he was convinced by her words.

“Ordinary people might not know. But if you’re going to call yourself a hero, isn’t this the least you should do?”

Yes.

It’s not like I’m someone else.

I’m a hero, at least in the category of heroes. I weed out the trash with my strong sense of justice, leaving only the genuine ones. That’s the right thing to do.

Utitus, active as a large guild union, Gereon, had already confirmed this thought. She had seen countless people who called themselves heroes but were nothing but trash.

She was ashamed of her past self, who had doubted her. She realized that she had a sacred mission, and it must have been painful and lonely.

Utitus smiled.

“Asterios, you’re not too late.”

“…….”

“You can still stop your evil deeds and uphold justice.”

Justice.

It’s a complicated story. Asterios also roughly knew about the prophecy of the end. A great war that would destroy the world. The end of myths and heroes. Some people thought it was just a rumor, while others believed it to be true.

Asterios didn’t think it was a lie. In some form, it would appear before them.

Objectively, if the prophecy were true, could she confidently say that Hades was completely wrong?

“If the end is real, then there might be a way to do it.”

“I see. You’ve really changed a lot.”

“But I’ve decided to think simply.”

She had thought about it many times. Maybe she was the one who was wrong. Maybe she was a sinner, and God was punishing her. It was a miserable life.

So she wore a mask that didn’t fit. If she admitted her mistake, she couldn’t reveal her true self. Because she didn’t have confidence in herself.

“Let’s not think about it complicatedly. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong.”

For the sake of justice. To prevent the end. But no matter how you looked at it, the act of killing people based on one’s own standards was evil.

“Pitiful. I thought we could have been allies.”

Utitus spoke with genuine regret. If Crete’s power joined Hades, they could have practiced justice more surely. She stretched out her hand and said,

“In the end, I have no choice but to kill you with my own hands.”

“……!! Asterios!!”

“Western Lord!!”

Utitus’s action was the signal. Behind her, a massive scale appeared. The silver scale, made of pure silver, looked divine. Asterios clicked her tongue.

Justia Libra

Utitus, the Scale of Justice

“A scale that’s always annoying.”

It was a disgusting scale. In the past, when Utitus was still practicing justice. Asterios was consumed by hatred and anger, rampaging in Gideon, and announcing her existence.

Every time, Utitus appeared and suppressed Asterios. Thanks to Utitus, Asterios could control her anger. If not, she would have been constantly defeated by Utitus.

Her scale moved, and simultaneously, a silver chain emerged from thin air, binding Asterios’s body.

“The scale of justice binds and punishes evil. Just like now.”

Utitus’s scale of justice. Her power bound and restricted what the user recognized as evil. If recognized as evil, there were no limits, whether it was a living being or not.

It might seem like a simple power, but its true value lay in its binding ability. Even Asterios, consumed by anger and hatred, couldn’t break free.

Thanks to Utitus, when Asterios was bound by the chain, she confirmed her victory. And that decided the outcome. It was Utitus’s defeat, the owner of the scale.

Kwa-zik! Kwa-aaang!!!

What’s happening?

Utitus stared blankly, confirming what had happened to her. To ensure her victory, she took a step forward. But four women blocked her way.

It wasn’t a particularly big problem.

However, something burst forth, pushing aside the four women who were like shields blocking the way. It was instinctive self-defense, proof that Yutis was also a strong person.

But even Yutis couldn’t withstand Asterios’ fist head-on. If it were in the past, it could have been a good match. However, it wasn’t possible now.

“How is this possible?”

As Yustitia was bound to the celestial throne, it was impossible for her to move so quickly, even if she was called “that person.” But how did that man do it?

“I’ve met a ridiculous fool.”

With an air of nonchalance, he was a man who would sacrifice his body for his family and even defy the world. He didn’t turn a blind eye to others’ misfortunes and instead offered a helping hand. Compared to him…

This was nothing.