The air pressure in the Soul Trial Chamber was so low that it felt as if it would crush you.
In the center of the judgment array was a mid-level spirit teetering on the brink of losing control due to previous events.
Li took a deep breath; his palms were sweaty.
Today, he had to conduct his first real "judgment."
As everyone awaited the verdict, Li saw the spirit's memories before its death. It hadn't acted maliciously; it had been twisted into a monster by some outside force.
"It's not a sinner." Raising his head, Li's voice trembled slightly as he said, "It deserves to be forgiven."
The entire room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
White Raven's pupils contracted.
Jinguji Hai looked up directly, his eyes asking, "Are you sure?"
Mio opened her mouth to stop him but swallowed her words.
Li reached out, the mark of sin on his wrist glowing.
The rune of "forgiveness" dissolved from his palm.
The next second, the spirit screamed in pain and its body contorted wildly!
The once tranquil spirit seemed ignited, unleashing a surge of spiritual pressure.
BOOM!
The body of the soul exploded, cracking and transforming into a frenzied torrent of spiritual energy that surged in all directions.
The entire trial court instantly spiraled out of control. Walls shattered as if swept by a hurricane.
"It wasn't purified; it was pushed to its limit!" White Raven flew to block Rei's path.
"Rei! Stop! Your pardon is pushing it deeper into sin!" Jinguji's voice was laced with ruthlessness.
Mio grabbed Rei's sleeve; her eyes were filled with panic. "Rei, you did the right thing, but the method is wrong!"
But the torrent had already swept across the entire courtyard.
Several students with weaker abilities were blasted away by the spiritual pressure and instantly collapsed unconscious.
The trial array shattered completely, and souls surged and escaped like a black mist.
Within an hour, the whole school knew.
"Kazama Rei's pardon caused the spirits to go berserk."
"A pardon can cause a soul to explode. What exactly is Rei's ability?"
The school's anonymous forum instantly flooded with messages.
Conspiracy theories, fears, and doubts spread like wildfire.
"Can he see sin? Can he see human sin?"
"Can a witness make a wrong judgment?"
Is a pardon more terrifying than execution?"
Rei walked through the campus, feeling as if all eyes were on him.
Night.
Li sat on the steps of the ruined courtroom. The Mark of Sin was slightly warm.
It was the first time he had felt—
This power wasn't a tool; it was something that would consume a person.
"Did I do something wrong?" Li asked softly.
Bai Ya sat beside him, her tone unusually gentle.
"It's not that you're wrong; it's that someone wanted you to be wrong."
Li looked up. "You mean—someone tampered with that soul?"
Bai Ya's eyes darkened.
"I bet this is a setup against 'Judgment.'"
"And you just happened to be pushed to the forefront."
Li felt as if ice water had been poured into his heart.
He felt confusion, fear, and an indescribable excitement as he got closer to the truth.
Twelve hours had passed since the courtroom rampage.
The entire academy was shrouded in a heavy, damp atmosphere.
The spiritual pressure was unstable, the shadows had deepened, and an unseen groan hung in the air as if the soul of the campus itself were gasping for breath.
But Li was the most abnormal.
When Li awoke, her vision was blurred as if shrouded in a spiritual mist.
The mark of sin on her wrist was no longer just hot.
It was now like a living snake, writhing beneath her skin.
Each throb felt like a sharp fang biting into her flesh.
Mio was on the verge of tears. "Li, this mark is all wrong! It—it's devouring your spiritual power!"
Jinguji Hui said in a deep voice, "This is 'Absolution Backlash.' It usually only appears on judges whose abilities are unbalanced."
Li frowned. "So, my absolution isn't lacking in power, but—"
"Someone is interfering with your judgment rules." Hui's answer was as cold as a knife, utterly merciless.
The moment Li closed his eyes, the dream exploded.
He stood in a pitch-black classroom.
Faceless students sat at each desk.
They all looked up and murmured,
"Witness, can you forgive us?"
The next second, those "students" shifted like corpses.
A gash opened in their chests and laughed at him.
"Forgive us...forgive us...aren't you the most merciful judge? Li Kazama Rei?"
Li awoke with a start, his heart pounding as if it would burst.
But the mark of sin on his hand seemed to be chuckling.
As Bai Ya collected the remaining spiritual traces from the shattered Tribunal core, he brought back an echo that only Li could hear.
Bai Ya frowned. "That sentence shouldn't be what that spirit would say."
The echo was so faint that it seemed to come from the other side of the rift.
"The Judge should not grant pardons."
"You have broken the rules.
Therefore, you will also be judged."
Li felt a chill run down his spine.
"Are you threatening me?" Li managed to suppress a tremor in his voice.
Bai Ya shook his head. "It's not that. Someone is using its mouth to speak to you."
After news of the incident spread, the campus atmosphere began to change.
Some people instinctively avoided Li in the hallways.
New anonymous posts appeared on discussion boards:
"Can the witness see our crimes?"
"Will he sentence us one day?"
"If he pardons us, will we die?"
Some people even secretly posted handwritten flyers around campus:
"Stay away from the judge."
For the first time, Li felt more than just being "targeted."
but isolated by the entire school.
It was late at night.
Li stared at his reflection in the mirror, trying to assess his state.
As he approached, his reflection in the mirror moved a beat too late.
When he took a step back, the reflection didn't follow.
The figure raised his head, a slow smile playing on his lips.
His second eye was half-open.
The mark of sin extended upward from his wrist as if trying to reach his heart.
His reflection spoke to him in a voice like a weeping ghost buried deep in the earth:
"You can't save anyone.
Because the next one to be judged is you."
Li felt a chill run through him. He knew the aftereffects of the pardon had only just begun.