Return of the Paladin vol 1 Battle for Erib

Legends speak of a human so powerful, even the gods feared him. He showed no remorse to anyone who worshipped or followed the gods, and even brought great cities to ruin. He became such a threat, that the only way to stop his revenge filled rampage, was to lock him away in eternity. In a mighty confrontation known as "The Great Victory", the gods fought against this human with his own allies in a battle that would become a tale for the ages but would later be spoken of as myth.

After the hard-won fight, the gods put him on trial for his crimes against them and their world. In a giant, gold-cladded building, when the human wakes up, he finds himself tied up in the centre of a big chamber that is shaped like an arena, with figures looking down on him in disgust and rage. At the head of this arena is a god whose face is hidden sitting on a beautifully carved throne, with a judge's mace in his hand which he brings down with a loud Wack.

"Silence in the judgment plain!"

All the gods fall silent as he starts to speak in a deep, elders voice.

"We will now proceed with the trial of Benjamine Bloodgrave, also known as the god killer paladin. Do you have anything to say, paladin?"

Benjamine looks towards the god, rage distorts his face, and he begins to grit his teeth before speaking in a calm but cold voice.

"I'm sorry I couldn't kill all of you. This world would be a lot better if your kind was extinct."

Benjamine is hit by a powerful gust of wind that cuts his face, causing him to bleed.

"A heretic who has lost, has no right to speak of killing all the gods. He should be executed in the most gruesome way possible."

Benjamine smirks at re remark before responding.

"But you know very well I can't be executed. If you were to execute me, you would have a rebellion so massive, the heavens themselves would tremble."

"Silence! You dare speak to our ruler in such a manner? Filth like you doesn't deserve to live."

The court erupts in shouts of hatred and belittlement towards Benjamine. The chief god raises his hand to silence them before speaking.

"I have been thinking about how we can deal with someone as strong as yourself. The only way for this to end peacefully is for you to be sentenced to an eternity of imprisonment. That way, we can prevent your followers from starting an uprising and proceed with our plans for this world. We might even begin an extermination of those most loyal to you as a fun way to pass the time. Ha-."

The chief god catches his words as he gazes upon a shaking and angered Benjamine. Dark mist begins to surround him, causing the other gods to tremble in fear at the unrelenting bloodlust it emits. Benjamine speaks again, but his voice is one without feelings or emotions.

"My vengeance runs deeper than an abyss, if you dare hunt down those most dear to me, I will crawl back from the darkest of places to bring an end to your reign over the humans. You have been warned, gods of the pantheon."

The mist disappears and Benjamine drops his head. Without hesitation, the chief god passes his judgement on Benjamine.

"Benjamine Bloodgrave, for the crimes of revolting against the gods and killing our fellow brethren, you shall be sentenced to an eternity of solitude, devoid of light. May you contemplate your actions and repent in your eternal solitude. That is my final judgement that will bring an end to this war."

Benjamine is snared by thick vines and gets pulled down, disappearing into the floor. The entire pantheon breathes a sigh of relief when he vanishes and proceeds to return to their chambers. The chief god remains behind in deep thought.

"Is there something bothering you, chief deity?"

He opens his eyes before responding.

"I wonder if I've done the right thing, imprisoning him for eternity. Would it not have been better to keep him in the divine realm where we could monitor him constantly?"

"Fear not, chief deity. No one has ever escaped from the eternal void, not even gods. A mere human has no chance of even moving."

"I hear you Balrack, but it would be a mistake to think of him as a mere human. Look at how many of our kind he killed, where has a human ever been capable of that?"

"He only had that power because he was given the title of paladin, but in the eternity realm, there is no chance of him using his paladin powers to escape. We won't be seeing him ever again."

The chief god sits there and thinks to himself.

"You're still too naive if you didn't sense the darkness emanating from him, He has a power which remained hidden, even during that deadly battle. A power I have only felt on one other occasion in my long life. Let's hope he never returns to the human realm."

The chief god rises out of his throne and enters his chambers, closing the doors with a loud bang.

Back in the human realm, stories of the great battle spread far and wide. There is even talk of the paladin who fought valiantly against the gods and almost defeated them. His name is never mentioned, but his legend lived on. The legendary paladin who used any means to exact his revenge on the gods, even killing the humans who worshipped them. All in the name of vengeance.

This is how the paladin became a legend for the ages. But would soon become a tale of myth as time moved on, and the gods went about fulfilling their original plans.

In the eternal realm, Benjamine floats in complete darkness. He can hear nothing, his own thoughts playing repeatedly. Through this unending wave of thoughts, a voice begins talking to him.

"Is there any particular reason you never called for my powers during that final battle?"

A tall, athletic man appears in front of Benjamine, his eyes are like daggers that can see into the very soul, long black hair and surrounded by a black and green aura that defines his pale skin and cut build. Benjamine smiles before replying.

"If I had done that, do you think I would've been lucky enough to be sent to the eternal realm?"

"Hmm. I guess not. So, what do you intend to do for eternity? Sit and think of ways that would have brought you victory?"

"Shut up, Shadow. You know very well I won't be doing that. I was thinking of putting myself into a dormant state and traveling into the depths of my own soul. I still have much to learn about this power I was blessed with all those years ago. So, you want to join me or stay out of it?"

Shadow begins laughing like a mad man.

"HAHAHAHAHA. Do you really think a primordial would pass up the chance of training their vessel to become stronger? I look forward to seeing how much more you grow during your training."

Benjamine closes his eyes and slows his heart rate down to two beats per minute before traveling to the depths of his soul. When he opens his eye's, Shadow appears before him. The two of them face each other and smile.

"Please don't hold back on my account, Shadow. Teach me everything I need to become stronger."

"If that is what you desire, I won't hold back."

They power up their magic attacks and charge towards each other at full speed,