novelraw Chapter 187 187: The Ash Judge — This Is a Battle That Belongs to Ron!
Chapter 187 187: The Ash Judge — This Is a Battle That Belongs to Ron!
The fog gate connected to something akin to a "secret realm."
Under the influence of the magic teleportation array, Ron only felt a slight dizziness. But once the darkness faded, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
It wasn't a stifling, dim cave passage.
More precisely—
This place felt like a region completely independent from the Dungeon itself. The sky overhead, twisted and warped, looked as though the First Flame was on the verge of dying out.
Gradually distorting.
He looked around. The withered trees had long lost all signs of life. In this rule-warped world, they took on grotesque forms.
It was still shaped like a circular arena.
But the countless gravestones standing on both sides created an overwhelming sense of déjà vu—so much so that he almost thought he had stepped into a map from Dark Souls III.
"…Seriously."
"So, in the world of DanMachi, clearing Dark Souls III—what kind of nonsense is that?"
Ron shook his head lightly.
What he truly couldn't ignore, however, was the massive humanoid figure at the center of the arena.
Clad in a full set of heavy knight armor.
At this moment, the figure was kneeling on one knee, motionless, as if all life had already left it.
Not only that—
A coiled greatsword had pierced straight through its heart.
And behind that figure, writhing in strange, tentacle-like shapes, was a mass of dark substance—something Ron could recognize with his eyes closed.
Pus of Man.
"…That's a familiar feeling."
The "Ash Judge."
Iudex Gundyr.
The one who judges whether Ashen Ones are worthy to link the fire—the harshest teacher for new Souls players.
If one were to compare difficulty, then against Elden Ring's Tree Sentinel, the latter could be cheesed, while the former could only be defeated through pure skill.
At this stage—
As a Level 3 adventurer.
Relying on the experience he had gained from exploring Soulslike dungeons in the past, could he defeat the Ash Judge before him?
He would definitely win.
To truly begin his trial as an "Ashen One," he had to pull out the coiled greatsword lodged in the judge's chest.
Ron did not act rashly.
Behind him, the fog gate flickered continuously. Soon after, Tiona and Lefiya also stepped into this independent realm beyond the world of DanMachi.
The moment they arrived—
The bizarre surroundings made both girls frown.
The earlier Dungeon exploration could only be considered an appetizer. But now, the situation was completely different. The atmosphere was difficult to describe.
Desolation…
A sense of impending extinction loomed over them.
"So weird!"
"Even the sky looks like it's overlapping and glitching?"
As an elf who had once left the "mystic lands," Lefiya couldn't help but feel this way as she observed the environment.
Scanning the surroundings quickly—
What made her pupils contract sharply was the giant armored figure kneeling in the center of the arena.
A fallen adventurer?
No—
When she noticed the Pus of Man behind the Ash Judge, Lefiya felt an instinctive disgust rising from deep within her body.
"Explaining the details…"
"…is difficult."
Even Ron himself wasn't entirely sure.
After thinking it through, he finally said, "Just think of this place as a world on the verge of collapse. That'll make it easier to accept."
"…A world on the verge of collapse?"
Why did Ron know that so clearly?
She had thought that once they truly began exploring the Dungeon, she might come to understand some of the secrets he carried.
But now that she had arrived here—
Lefiya only felt that the veil surrounding him had grown even thicker.
She wasn't tactless enough to press further. Fixing her gaze on the Ash Judge at the center of the arena, she asked: "What we need to do…"
"…is defeat that adventurer?"
"Not what we need to do."
"It's what I need to do."
That coiled greatsword embedded in the Ash Judge's chest—
No matter what, he had to take it.
From another perspective—
Wasn't this the new Ashen One seeking recognition from an old veteran?
Ron shook his head lightly.
If Lefiya and Tiona assisted him, the process would indeed become much easier.
But this trial—
Belonged to him alone.
Facing their puzzled gazes, he smiled brightly, yet his tone was firm: "This is my trial. Unless I truly can't handle it, the fight against the Ash Judge—leave it to me."
"…The Ash Judge?"
Tiona couldn't understand that strange title.
But seeing Ron's resolute attitude, the battle spirit that had just begun to rise within her deflated like a punctured balloon.
No matter what, she had to respect his choice.
Looking at the lifeless giant figure, she frowned and asked: "But… this thing looks dead."
"…That's because the 'judgment' hasn't been triggered yet."
After briefly explaining the situation to Tiona and Lefiya, Ron decisively walked toward the Ash Judge.
Planting the greatsword into the ground—
He reached out with both hands.
And pulled the coiled greatsword from Gundyr's chest.
This wasn't the same coiled sword from Dark Souls. Compared to that one, this greatsword was clearly larger, yet surprisingly light.
If he had to describe its design—
It was closer to Elden Ring's Godslayer's Greatsword.
Good stuff.
Ron figured no one was going to claim it anyway, so he might as well take it. He reminded them: "It'll revive. You two should keep a safe distance."
"…!"
As the coiled greatsword was pulled from Gundyr's chest—
The sound of heavy armor moving echoed across the silent arena.
At a visible speed, the Ash Judge stood up.
Grasping the halberd beside him—
He didn't even glance at Lefiya and Tiona watching from behind. His crimson eyes locked onto Ron in the distance.
"Is it starting?"
What came next—
Was the Ash Judge.
Gundyr.
Ron didn't intend to use the Godslayer's Greatsword he had just acquired.
Looking at the boss who had once tormented him as a beginner Souls player—
Now standing before him in real form—
It would be a lie to say he wasn't excited.
As for not bringing a brass shield—
Deflecting with Sekiro-style parries would serve just as well.
He pulled his greatsword, "Great Fortune," from the ground.
Watching the Ash Judge, fully reawakened, steadily approaching him—
"…!"
No words were needed.
Ron quickly adjusted his stance.
Instead of waiting passively for the Ash Judge to attack—
He chose to seize the initiative.
Stepping forward decisively—
The power gathered in his legs erupted in an instant.
His figure, wielding the greatsword, surged forward like an unstoppable force toward the floor boss before him.
If he were using a dagger—
"Bullet-like launch" would be the perfect description.
But with the greatsword Great Fortune in hand—
It was more like a hundred-ton battering ram.
Facing the Ash Judge's raised halberd—
Ron swung his arm, bringing down Great Fortune head-on.
So—
Let's see whether the Ash Judge Gundyr can judge a Lord of Cinder fused with a Tarnished character save.
No problem with that, right?
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