“What the fuck? That’s not fair,” a champion growled, his eyes fixed on the ascending stairs leading up to the moon.

“This is bullshit. How come they get to climb up like that?” another champion spat, fury twisting his features.

“There’s no way this is fair. They’re even being escorted by the judges,” another champion complained, clearly displeased.

Like a wildfire, the flames of indignation spread through the dark forest. Yet neither the hound extermination crew nor the judges paid any attention to the grumbling champions, further fueling their ire. The fact that none of the champions could hear each other only heightened their frustration. Some attempted to launch themselves toward the golden stairs, but they were swiftly and brutally repelled by the judges of light. Whether they came individually or collectively, they all met the same fate—beaten, bruised, and sent spiraling downward. Soon, the champions' anger gave way to frustration, and then to grudging acceptance.

“Something’s been bothering me since we got here,” Orion suddenly announced over the party channel.

“What is it, buddy?” Slim asked, turning toward the mage. Like the skeleton, the other members of the group glanced at Orion, silently awaiting his answer.

Orion didn’t keep them waiting. “It’s been a couple of minutes since our return, yet we haven’t received any notifications about our life seed or anything related to divine healing, recovery, perfect recovery, or embers of life. Isn’t that strange?” the mage mentally voiced his concern, his brows furrowed. “There has to be a reason why, right?”

No one spoke; no one had the answer Orion was seeking. They realized that if he hadn’t brought it up, they might not have noticed until they killed someone and watched them revive in front of them.

“Maybe it’s not so bad after all,” Ember broke the silence. “While those blessings allowed us to fight without the fear of death, they also acted as a shackle—encouraging recklessness and complacency. Now, with our lives literally on the line, we won’t be as prone to making careless mistakes.”

“That’s an interesting perspective,” Orion grinned, slowly caressing his chin. “I like your theory. I like it a lot,” he nodded, his thoughts drifting. “I also wonder if those vampires were granted clemency too. It would be funny if they weren’t,” the mage giggled, continuing to stroke his chin.

The group averted their gazes from the mage, refocusing on the moon as they ascended. Only about a hundred steps remained until they reached their destination, and the number of champions in the region had dwindled considerably.

“So, you’re saying you people are responsible for all the damage caused here?” Plume muttered mentally, still in disbelief.

Ember smiled, placing a hand on the trisos. “It’s not like we meant to. The situation just got out of hand,” she explained.

Scott, Orion, Zara, and Slim chuckled in unison, and even the faceless judges of light seemed to stare at the dragonkin. There’s no way that’s true, Plume thought to herself. She didn’t know the group well enough to profile them, but one thing was clear: the hound extermination crew was nothing but trouble.

As Plume and Ember continued chatting—Ember being the only one the trisos felt increasingly comfortable with—the now-expanded hound extermination crew arrived at the golden pathway.

A slew of stern faces and bloodthirsty gazes greeted them. Several champions had been watching the crew’s ascent, clearly displeased by the favoritism they received from the judges.

The one-eyed judge gestured toward the swirling portals at the far end of the road. “Please, go ahead,” it urged.

The hound extermination crew exchanged glances, saying nothing as they marched forward. However, after taking ten steps, a group of champions of varying races blocked their path. A lizardman clad in blackened, slightly rusted but durable armor stepped forward, his slit eyes shifting between members of the strange group. His hand rested on the dagger strapped to his waist, but he showed no overt bloodlust—only animosity and curiosity that were evident to all.

“All of us had to go through hell to get here,” he began, taking measured steps forward. “It isn’t fair that you guys just cruised your way up here, don’t you think?” He paused, stopping a couple of feet from Zara, who led the group.

Orion chuckled. “What can we say? Life’s a real bitch, isn’t she?” The mage grinned harder, pointing toward the one-eyed judge. “If y’all are that displeased, I can talk to my buddy over there and see if he’ll let you climb the stairs free of charge.”

The lizardman smiled, snickering as he narrowed his gaze. “We’d all prefer it if you went down instead and came back up the same way we did,” he stressed.

Orion prepared to retort, but Zara stepped forward, her ominous eyes locking onto the lizardman’s. She stopped barely a foot away from him, exuding a suffocating amount of bloodlust. “If you have a problem with how we got here, take it up with the judges. Now, you have ten seconds to get the fuck out of the way before I make you.”

The lizardman’s expression twisted, and he quickly averted his gaze. He wanted to respond, but the confidence to do so eluded him. Something told him that a miserable fate awaited him if he didn’t follow the feline’s instructions.

He prepared to move, but a laugh echoed from behind. Several ogres stepped forward; their cynical eyes locked onto the shorter feline. “Look at this tiny bitch making threats. I really want to see how you’re going to make us move,” an ogre declared, placing a hand on the lizardman’s shoulder in a show of solidarity.

The lizardman panicked, trepidation swelling within his heart. Are these idiots insane? Can’t they sense her bloodlust? The lizardman locked eyes with Zara once more, his expression growing even more hideous. He felt as if he stood in front of a raging volcano on the verge of erupting in a violent display of dominance.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“We’ll move,” the lizardman hurriedly whispered. “There’s no need to get violent.”

He quickly dragged his stunned companions away before they could escalate the situation. Contrary to the expectations of the onlookers, none of them returned. Instead, the crowd watched as the lizardman’s party engaged in hushed discussions, their expressions gradually morphing as the lizardman spoke. Soon, every member of the party, especially the ogres, wore horrified expressions as they stared at the hound extermination crew marching ahead.

“Were you really going to beat them if they didn’t move?” Orion suddenly asked, his gaze lingering on the feline.

“I guess we’ll never know,” Zara replied without turning. Orion chuckled again, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. The champions approached the portals in silence, their gazes lingering on the smaller portal that had banished them to Godsfall Island. They had hoped to return, but none of them expected it would happen so quickly.

“For the love of everything sacred, I sincerely hope whatever awaits us in there is normal,” Slim prayed, his hopes drawing laughs and giggles from his companions. The hound extermination crew joined the extensive line leading to the portal, their thoughts occupied with what lay ahead.

Time passed slowly, and soon, the hound extermination crew was next in line to enter the portal. The multi-armed judges remained stationary, disregarding the group’s presence—a feeling the group hadn’t experienced in a long time. Zara, leading the group, turned to her companions. “See you guys on the other side.”

The feline stepped in first, followed by Plume and Ember. Slim whispered another silent prayer as he entered next. Orion and Scott followed simultaneously. Scott’s vision blurred for a fraction of a second, then an expansive space teeming with a massive population came into view.

Three majestic suns peeked through a blanket of the purest clouds he had ever seen. In the distance, architectural masterpieces seemingly made of solid gold stretched into the clouds above. A city so pure, so magnificent, and majestic that many would consider it sacred or holy.

What is this place? Scott pondered, his gaze alternating between the array of champions neatly standing in snaking lines and the multitude of judges in the area. He recognized some familiar judges from the judgment road and dark forest, but there were many more diverse and majestic beings he didn’t even know existed. His gaze lingered on a one-eyed, toga-wearing judge who stood over forty feet tall, with a body seemingly sculpted from gold. Massive flaming wings lined the judge’s back, while melodious bells were strapped to the being’s wrist.

Scott shifted his gaze away from the giant, focusing on several golden creatures streaking through the skies. They were as massive as dragons, but faceless like most of the judges. They soared through the air, casting immense shadows over the champions beneath them.

Welcome to the Temple of Light!

The system message appeared in front of Scott, his companions, and several other new arrivals in the expansive space. Unlike her companions, Ember wore a frown as soon as the message appeared—an expression that didn’t escape Orion’s curious eyes.

“Do you have history with this place?” the mage quizzed mentally.

Ember nodded without glancing at the mage. “I don’t have the best relationship with the Order of Light, especially from my time with my previous sponsor. I have no idea if they’ll hold a grudge,” she explained.

“It seems all you people have been doing is making enemies,” Plume interjected. She could understand if Zara and Scott had made countless enemies due to their personalities; Orion and Slim, she couldn’t figure out yet, but Ember carried herself with a dignified poise and grace. Plume wondered why such a refined creature would even linger around with people like Scott and his companions.

Orion glanced at the trisos, wearing a broad smile. “Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment,” she retorted, taken aback by the mage’s response.

“It is to me,” Orion said with a wink.

“Leave the poor thing alone,” Ember said, turning to Plume. “We’re not troublemakers, I promise… but trouble, for some reason, always seems to find us.”

Slim, Zara, and Orion chuckled softly, while Scott continued observing the area. The massive lines were divided into four, each seemingly leading to different parts of the city ahead. I wonder if the scenery will change as we move forward, he pondered, recalling his previous experience in a sanctuary.

“Orion, what sort of reading is this place giving you?” Scott suddenly asked via the party channel.

The mage diverted his gaze toward the voidweaver but remained strangely silent, his features akin to someone deep in thought. “It’s complicated, but it seems some sort of separation—or should I say sorting—is taking place.”

Scott and the rest of the group frowned; their attention now focused on the mage. “There’s no point racking our brains over the unknown. We might as well join a line. We’ll find out what’s happening eventually,” Orion giggled.

“You’re right about that,” Slim said. “So far, nothing has tried to murder us on sight, so this place doesn’t seem so bad.”

“Any ideas which line we should choose?” Zara muttered softly, her gaze shifting between the different lines. Various groups lingered on the periphery, debating which line to join. Some joined randomly, figuring it made no difference which line they chose.

“It doesn’t matter,” Orion said. “There’s no pattern. The fact that the judges aren’t restricting anyone from joining a particular line tells me it’s a non-factor,” he explained, randomly pointing to a line. “Let’s join that one. I saw something interesting— a redscaling, I think. I want to observe it further.”

The mage moved before anyone could respond.

“Is that really enough reason for us to just blindly follow?” Plume questioned.

“You’ll tire yourself out trying to figure out how his mind works. It’s best to just go with the flow,” Zara muttered before stepping forward, with Slim and Scott quickly joining her.

“She’s right. That human’s mind isn’t something ordinary beings can comprehend. There might be a reason he picked that line. Let’s follow him,” Ember urged the trisos.

Plume said nothing more, resigned to follow her companions. The six-person party approached the second line, with Orion leading them. Barely a hundred feet from their intended line, a golden ray shone down from above, and two figures accompanied by eight towering judges stepped out from the light, halting the hound extermination crew’s advance. Instantly, the attention of the surrounding champions shifted to the new arrivals, especially the two leading the judges. They shimmered in golden luminescence, clad in pristine white robes. Unlike the multi-armed, faceless judges behind them, the duo both had humanoid faces—one resembling a female, the other a male.

The female figure stepped forward; her golden irises fixed on the hound extermination crew. “I apologize for keeping you waiting. The Temple of Light does not disrespect challengers and their companions,” she announced. The male figure then stepped forward, his blackened irises locking onto the group. “Please, allow us to escort you to the city,” he said, pausing briefly before his companion continued, “It’s a rare sight for the temple to welcome several unaffiliated challengers.”

Before the hound extermination crew could respond, the golden radiance enveloped them, whisking them away from the sight of the surrounding champions. The male and female figures, along with the judges, retreated into the light as well, vanishing from the scene.