**Chapter 90: Pale Justice**
*2015-10-14*
*Author: Zhuseng Futu*
Pale Justice.
This is one of the most powerful weapons in the material plane, and from its appearance, it is incredibly ordinary, almost indistinguishable from a newbie longsword bought on the street. There are no lavish decorations and no embedded gem runes. This artifact looks so plain, yet it is precisely this ordinariness that makes it extraordinary, to the extent that Soren can instantly and unequivocally identify it as the legendary—‘Pale Justice’!
This is a legendary divine sword.
But the purpose of forging this sword was singular—destroying evil!
Although it is such a powerful weapon, Pale Justice has a rather common origin.
This unassuming sword was crafted by a man named Reynor, a devout believer of the God of Justice. Reynor spent thirty years refining his metalworking skills to perfection, enabling him to create a blade without flaws. After completing this simple weapon, he immediately dedicated it to the Templar Church. The priest who received the sword placed it on the altar of the monastery, asking the brethren of the church to pray with him to the God of Justice, requesting that the deity bestow holy power upon this sword. However, they never touched the sword, nor did they speak of it.
Ten years later, when the other priests had given up hope of endowing this sword with divine power, the priest Idan quietly continued to pray. Another twenty years passed, and the God of Justice still showed no miracles. The visiting guardian priests mocked those who blindly believed in this sword, but at that moment, Idan suddenly stood up and walked toward the altar, gently lifting the long-dusted sword from its place.
The guardian priest asked Idan if he had finally regained his senses. Idan replied that he had always been clear-headed. However, in the past, he had sought the wrong things from the God of Justice.
He stated that the God of Justice had accomplished this matter long ago.
The guardian priest laughed loudly at Idan’s declaration and commanded his aide to draw the sword. The aide held a magnificent weapon, adorned with pearls on the hilt, runes carved deeply into the blade, and embedded with numerous small rubies. The priest of Heim laughed, saying, “Your weapon is like a common soldier’s kn*fe; it pales in comparison to ours.”
Idan calmly grasped the hilt of the sword and swung it towards the guardian’s weapon. The laughter from the priest of Heim quickly faded, as he could only stare in disbelief at the broken weapon in the guardian’s hand. When Idan lowered the sword, the priest of Heim stood there speechless. Idan said: “Justice is indeed inferior and pale compared to vanity and superficial power. However, I expect Tiel to manifest its miracles on this sword with lightning or flames. I should have remembered how this sword came to be in my hands… purely out of love and humility. Justice applies to everyone, regardless of wealth or status, knowledge or ignorance. Whether in a farmer’s field or on the battlefield. Justice is everywhere.”
In the end, Idan took the sword to a local weapon shop and ordered a wooden, leather-wrapped hilt. Then he handed the sword to a newly appointed paladin and taught him to always remember the potential for love and goodness in the hearts of humanity.
………………
Perhaps it was the favor of fate that bestowed upon the paladin.
Or perhaps it was because the paladin easily attracted powerful enemies, among which were several of the most powerful artifacts in the material plane. Two of them could only be wielded by paladins.
They are terrifying weapons against evil!
Whether it is the Holy Avenger or the Pale Justice, either weapon held by a paladin possesses the potential to slay gods.
The battle on the altar was evenly matched.
With the strength of the God of the Hunt—Mara himself, he should have little to fear from these legendary professionists. However, if he added a ‘Pale Justice’ into the mix, the outcome would be completely different.
No deity among any evil faction could withstand this artifact with mere flesh and bl**d!
Let alone him. Even the Strong Divine Power of the Spider Queen and the Lady of the Night would not be able to withstand it, because in terms of lethality, Pale Justice is even more astonishing than the Holy Avenger!
………………
“Item Type: Pale Justice [+4]
Item Level: [Tier 4 Artifact]
Item Description: Pale Justice is the ultimate weapon for destroying evil. It unleashes terrifying power against any evil enemy. This weapon is blessed by the God of Justice, retaining powerful divine power, thus it can only be wielded by a paladin. Its birth is tied to a profoundly memorable story, which is why it’s called Pale Justice.
Equipment Requirement: Above 14 points of Strength, for paladin use only.
Equipment Effects: Artifact properties, immune to any control spells, severing properties, against evil, against chaos, +12 sharpness, +10 penetration, +12 durability, +10 armor piercing, +10 holy damage.
Artifact Effect: [Immune to any control spells], while wielding this artifact, one becomes immune to any control spells, including but not limited to mind control, charm spells, fear spells, intimidation spells, etc. The wielder’s mind and will are protected by the power of justice, and no one can control them.
Weapon Effect: [Severing Property], this weapon will sever any non-artifact level weapon upon hitting, with a certain chance to directly damage legendary-grade armors.
Weapon Property: [Against Evil], this weapon, when facing any evil faction enemy, is empowered by the power of justice, being treated as a 7-tier artifact. +15 sharpness, +13 penetration, +15 durability, +13 armor piercing, +15 holy damage.
Weapon Property: [Against Chaos], this weapon, when combating any chaos faction enemy, will be enhanced by the power of order, adding an extra 10 points of order power to all damage dealt.
………………
The God of the Hunt—Mara is an evil faction deity.
He is not only in the evil faction but also is the direct opposite of paladins—[Chaotic Evil]!
How strong is the Pale Justice?
To be honest, Soren is not entirely sure of its practical fighting power, but he knows this artifact once drove the Spider Queen into a corner, even thwarting part of her schemes during the Saint’s Cataclysm.
Of course.
At that time, the paladin wielding this divine sword was not the one before him, but another remarkable figure.
Whether it is the Holy Avenger or the Pale Justice, both of these artifacts are invaluable to the paladins. For a long time, these two artifacts have only belonged in terms of usage, never ownership; they will never solely belong to any one paladin. Only those chosen by these artifacts can become their wielders.
This system has lasted a long time, and the wielders of the artifacts have changed continuously, sometimes even falling into the hands of enemies during the fight against evil.
Yet the paladins always find a way to retrieve them at any cost.
At any cost!
Indeed, at any cost, the most reckless time was when a paladin launched a full attack on an evil god’s stronghold to reclaim ‘Pale Justice’.
………………
Pale Justice.
For some reason, Soren always feels that the name of this artifact is full of poetic resonance; it is one of his two favorite artifacts, the other being the Black Magic Sword. That sword seems to be no longer in the material plane, rumored to have fallen into the hands of some powerful devil in the Hell of Bartok.
The battle in the center of the altar is at a standstill.
Perhaps a fortunate point is that the God of the Hunt—Mara does not possess wizard levels; if Soren remembers correctly, this deity has an astonishing biological level, belonging to the kind that enters the legendary domain by nature, and then advanced some warrior abilities; no one has figured it out in detail yet, only that the God of the Hunt also masters the field of [Strength].
Generally, those who master this field are undoubtedly melee-type specialists.
Deities are also not omnipotent!
As a melee deity, the God of the Hunt—Mara can only rely on divine abilities equivalent to the spellcasting enhancement of a 20th level priest; as for wizard spells, he can hardly think of them.
From this point of view, he might be easier to deal with than the Vampire Son!
Because the God of the Hunt—Mara should not be able to stop time, unless his divine power can sustain an eruption of the divine power [Change Time], but Soren does not believe he possesses such power, considering that Soren himself has yet to master the divine power of [Change Time].
——“Gale Strike!”
The Shatterer Monk, who has been skirting the edge of the battlefield, seizes an opportunity, and his figure suddenly transforms into a flash of light, executing a move that Soren had never seen before.
If he hadn’t seen it, it must have been a technique from the Eastern Kingdom.
——“Sunshine Style!”
Accompanied by a deafening explosion, the legendary monk immediately unleashed a series of combo attacks. Their unarmed attacks were fast, and many abilities flowed like a torrential wind, continuous and unceasing.
On the surface.
It seems that the God of the Hunt is at a disadvantage, as he has not launched any effective counterattacks; he has essentially been avoiding the attacks from ‘Pale Justice’ the entire time, even being hit multiple times by other professionists taking advantage of various opportunities.
He is afraid of the Pale Justice.
This point is without question; Soren cannot bear a few strikes from this divine sword either, hence the God of the Hunt would rather be attacked multiple times by others than risk being hit by the Pale Justice.
However!
A true deity cannot be completely overwhelmed by a group of legendary professionists, even if they wield a legendary divine sword.
Even Soren can find a way to break the situation; let alone a more seasoned God of the Hunt.
So far.
The God of the Hunt—Mara has not activated any divine domains!
He is waiting for an opportunity.
……………… (To Be Continued ~^~)
