Esdeath pushed open the giant golden gate of judgement. Even though it was large enough for elephants to walk through freely, she still managed to pull it open with both hands.
The moment she stepped inside, everything around her changed. It felt as if she had suddenly fallen into a quiet void. The ground disappeared beneath her feet, and colors began to twist and blend around her—silver, gold, white, and deep blue—bending and twisting like reality itself was folding. Then, all at once, her surroundings settled, and she found herself standing in the middle of a grand courtroom.
On both sides, there were rows of seats where many low-ranking angels sat silently, their calm gazes fixed on her. In the corners, lesser angels with round bodies, one large eye in front, and two small wings floated gently, their glowing forms illuminating the space as they guarded the place.
At the front stood a high-ranking angel. Her beauty was beyond words, her skin glowing softly as two small wings grew from her forehead, and six magnificent wings spread gracefully behind her back. She wore a white saintess-like outfit with golden linings, giving her a divine and youthful look.
Esdeath looked down and almost jumped back instinctively. She was standing inside the dock—the defendant's area. But that was not the scary part. The middle section of the courtroom had no floor at all. The audience, the judge's area, and Esdeath's dock each had their own platform floating in the air, with nothing but endless clouds below.
"Do they not have enough cement and bricks here?" Esdeath thought nervously as she glanced down, trying not to lose her balance.
She looked around but found no one beside her. There was no lawyer or anyone representing her side. It wasn't the kind of court she had imagined.
Although she carried Fable's memories, even Fable never had any first-hand experience inside the Judgement Gate. In the Free Life Fantasy world, Ethan never entered it either.
"Look, I'm Raguel, I'm the judge of this case no. 1162778944, so please answer my question truthfully to make it easier for me," the high-ranking angel said calmly, her voice light and steady, as if she were talking about the weather.
"Esdeath Crimson, daughter of Charlotte, born in Crimson Moon eighteen years ago, expected to die at age seventeen but luckily survived. Am I right?" she continued.
"Yes," Esdeath replied softly.
The judge then took out a small board. It looked ordinary at first glance, but it was made from many information path essence stones, combined and refined with complex magic patterns that allowed it to function properly. It was called the Crime Board, an ancient device used to display the wrongdoings and sins of a person throughout their life.
"You are charged with self-harm, attempt to suicide, killing a child, becoming the reason for another kid to die, killing a widow, a virgin girl, and many more killings, as well as threatful lies, betrayal, and—sigh, how much evil did you do in your tiny lifetime?" she sighed softly.
"No, I didn't do such things, that was—" Esdeath stopped midway. She almost said Fable's name but immediately bit her tongue.
Even though she had done questionable things for Lortell, Esdeath wasn't foolish. If she dragged Fable into this mess, things would only become more dangerous and complicated.
She shook her head firmly. "I deny this statement! Other than harming myself and trying to die, I didn't do anything else!"
"Lies!" Raguel chuckled softly, folding her arms. "Well, everyone says that at first. But in the end, they always confess everything anyway." Her smile was calm, yet her words carried weight.
"Besides," she added, her tone turning cold, "we're not here to hear your excuses. The only thing that matters is how you'll atone for your sins. By the end of this judgement, we'll decide your level of punishment." Raguel's golden eyes locked directly onto Esdeath's, her voice steady but sharp.
Then she smirked slightly. "And you should be grateful that I'm your judge. I'm not that harsh with people who have black hair."
That mocking tone made Esdeath's temper flare. She slammed her fist down in front of her, her voice echoing through the hall. "I said I didn't do such things!" she shouted with anger and pride.
The angels seated on the audience side sighed quietly, shaking their heads. Even Raguel sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Did you not understand what I said?" she spoke in an irritated voice. "We're only here to discuss your punishment."
"Yes, otherwise with the amount of crimes you committed, you would've already been thrown into hell by now," one of the angels from the audience remarked coldly.
Esdeath turned her head and glared at him, her eyes sharp and unyielding. "What about you all?" she said in a low voice, her tone full of challenge. "You just sit here deciding how to torture people or send their souls to hell to make them suffer more. Aren't you doing a crime as well?"
"Killing a criminal is still killing," Esdeath continued, her lips curving into a small smirk. "I wonder how many crimes you all have committed up until now?"
A sudden silence filled the courtroom. The air grew thick, and even the faint sound of the floating lights humming above seemed to vanish. Every angel in the room looked taken aback by her words.
Because deep down, there was truth in them. Their work was to punish the guilty, but in doing so, they judged and destroyed countless souls. Many among them had grown biased over time—some enjoyed giving harsh punishments, while others passed lazy, careless judgments just to finish quickly.
The Judgement Gate had existed since the beginning of time, its work endless. Souls with complicated histories—those who could belong to neither heaven nor hell—were sent here.
"You—!" Raguel almost rose from her seat, anger flashing across her divine face. But then her eyes fell on the Crime Board floating beside her.
The glowing letters had changed. Now, they displayed Raguel's own name—and the list of her crimes, along with everyone else in the room.
For a brief moment, the color drained from her face. If she had a mortal body, she would have been drenched in sweat.
Esdeath tilted her head slightly, her expression calm but her voice sharp. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" she said quietly, mocking her. "If you want to punish me, then bring someone who's never sinned before."
Raguel clenched her jaw and sighed deeply in her mind. "Someone, please shut this girl up."
In the end, she had no choice but to take out another device. It looked like a round crystal bulb.
"It is called truth seeker" she said with a controlled voice. "If you tell the truth, it will turn green. If you lie, it will turn red and make a sound."
She showed the orb in front of Esdeath. "So," she said, her tone formal again, "as I stated earlier, did you or did you not commit those crimes?"
"No!" Esdeath said firmly.
Everyone's eyes turned toward the orb—known as the Truth Seeker. The light inside it flickered softly, then stayed still. A few seconds passed. It didn't turn green. It didn't turn red. No sound came out at all.
It's like truth seeker refused give an answer.
Raguel rubbed her forehead in frustration. "What is happening? I only took this case because it looked simple. Why is it getting so complicated? I still have other cases waiting!" she muttered under her breath.
At that moment, one of the angels from the audience stood up. She was a young-looking female angel with gentle silver eyes. "I think we should make her drink water from the River of Salvation," she said softly. "And reduce her punishment. That should be enough."
Another angel, Bertedith stood,"Yes, We can't forget that she died in the battlefield as a Worrior, You know what lord zeus said?",
"A man should either die on the battlefield as a warrior, or in the thighs of a beautiful maiden!", He added with a chuckle.
"Who are you to—" Esdeath began to say, but before she could finish, Raguel waved her hand. A light wrapped around Esdeath's mouth, sealing her voice.
"That's a good suggestion," Raguel said with relief. "Once she drinks from it, she'll feel deep regret for her wrongdoings." She said ignoring Bertedith's words.
This was how river of salvation worker. Those who drank from it were filled with guilt and sorrow over their past actions. The regret would burn within their hearts, and over time, the desire for redemption would grow stronger. Slowly, they would begin to accept punishment on their own and eventually turn over a new leaf, becoming someone better.
"So they're more like advisers than an audience," Esdeath thought to herself, looking at the angels quietly whispering among each other. But before she could think any further, glowing golden chains suddenly wrapped tightly around her body.
Her eyes widened in surprise. The next second, the ground beneath her feet vanished completely, and she began to fall—straight down through the clouds.
Wind rushed against her face as she spun and twisted helplessly in the air. Raguel and the other angels calmly descended beside her, their white wings spreading gracefully, glowing faintly with golden light as they glided through the sky.
Below them, a thick layer of fog covered the ground, and through it,another thing was in sight—the River of Salvation. . The moment she saw it, she realized she was falling right toward it.
Wooshhh!...
Her body stopped just inches before hitting the surface. The golden chains pulled her back and gently placed her onto the fog-covered ground near the riverbank.
Raguel waved her hand, and the light that had sealed Esdeath's voice faded away. "Go," Raguel ordered, her tone cold. "Make her drink."
Two angels stepped forward immediately, their expressions strict. They grabbed Esdeath by her arms and began dragging her toward the river's edge.
"Ahhh! Let go of me! I will not drink it!" Esdeath shouted, struggling with all her strength, but the golden chains around her wrists tightened even more, glowing brighter.
It wasn't fear that filled her chest—it was something deeper. She wasn't afraid of feeling regret or guilt. What terrified her was the thought of losing love. She knew that anyone who drank from the River of Salvation would slowly lose all feelings of attachment, affection, and passion. Love itself would fade away as if it had never existed.
"Damn… she's surprisingly strong," one of the angels said between strained breaths, trying to push her forward.
After a few moments of struggle, they finally managed to force Esdeath's head down. The surface of the glowing river rippled as her face was pushed into it. Cold, clear water slipped into her mouth, merging with her spirit body.
The angels released her and stepped back, watching closely. Esdeath sat still, motionless, her eyes half open and blank. Her expression was empty—like all emotion had drained from her.
Raguel folded her arms. "So," she said, her tone calm but curious, "ready to confess now?"
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then, Esdeath suddenly began to laugh. Her laughter echoed through the misty valley, sharp and unrestrained.
"Hahaha…" she turned her head, her blue eyes glimmering strangely. "I still love Lortell! No— I love Lortell even more now! Even this river isn't enough to wash away my love!"
Her voice trembled between madness and devotion, as if she had completely lost control.
Raguel frowned. She thought Esdeath must have some kind of resistance and was about to order her to drink more—but then something unexpected caught her eye.
The river itself had started to change.
The clear water began to darken. Slowly, streaks of red and black spread through it like veins of poison.
"S-she actually polluted the River of Salvation?" one angel gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Raguel's eyes widened. Only one name came to her mind. "Jeanne?" she whispered under her breath.
"Lady Raguel! What is this? It's spreading! Stop it!" voices cried out all around. Angels began flying in panic as the corruption spread across the river's surface, the sacred water turning darker with every passing second.
Raguel clenched her jaw and shouted, "Take her to the Level 2 Prison! I'll contact the other judges to move her to Level 3 later. We'll decide the punishment afterward!"
"Level 3?" gasped one of the angels. "That's the highest level! She doesn't look that dangerous!"
But it was an order from Raguel, and none of them dared to argue.
Raguel didn't waste another moment. She spread her six wings and rose into the air. A glowing saber of divine light formed in her hand. She closed her eyes, placed the blade against her forehead, and whispered, "Purify."
With a sharp motion, she swung the blade.
Slash!
A brilliant arc of light split through the air, cutting across the surface of the corrupted river. The polluted water vanished instantly, turned into nothingness. But the impact created powerful waves that shook the entire area, and a large amount of the river's sacred water spilled away into the fog.
Still, she had managed to stop the corruption from spreading any further.
Raguel hovered above the river, breathing deeply, her expression stern. "What are you all waiting for? Go!" she said in a commanding tone.
"Y-yes!" the angels responded quickly. Two of them stepped forward, grabbed Esdeath by the arms once again, and lifted her from the ground to take her toward the prison.