Chapter 60: The Evil Detector

In the instant the great sword descended, the vast heavens suddenly blazed with light. This radiance outshone the sun, burned hotter than any flame, gathering far above the clouds into a dazzling pillar of brilliance. Born from the celestial vault, it shone down like the scepter of a god.

Justice, light, glory…

Within this sword of light falling from the heavens, countless stirring forces of good were contained. Smoker, Tashigi, the naval soldiers, villagers, even the fishmen—all were awed by such power. Smoker was so stunned he forgot to smoke his cigar; upon witnessing this divine light, he began to believe Garen’s earlier claims—that his strength was born of justice.

Tashigi gazed raptly at the sword’s brilliance, wholly entranced by this unparalleled technique. When the sword of light that pierced the boundless sky finally faded, tranquility returned to the world; only the clouds, scattered by the sword’s radiance, faithfully recorded the splendor of that moment.

As for the fishman who was Garen’s target—the one sentenced by Demacia’s justice—he was already dead. Burned from the outside in as if by intense heat, he had become a blackened statue of charcoal. Yet the light of justice harmed nothing else, not even the grass beneath the fishman was scorched.

“About eighty percent,” Garen silently noted a number. As the wielder of the skill, he could clearly feel the force of that celestial light. The descriptions of Garen’s skills never directly stated damage values; his attacks always had only a threshold, a maximum limit. Below that limit, Garen could freely control the strength of each blow.

For example, with his “Decisive Strike,” he could either cripple a foe with a single mighty swing, or merely graze their body with a gentle touch. But his skill’s output could never exceed the upper limit, which was determined by his own physical strength. Without improving his body, Garen would always strike with the same force, each blow identical.

This was why Tashigi regarded Garen as a one-track swordsman. Yet that last strike—Demacia Justice—had actually exceeded his usual maximum output by about eighty percent. Garen’s ultimate was formidable to begin with; with an eighty percent increase in power, he utterly obliterated the lowly fishman in a single blow.

The scene was silent; everyone was still enthralled by the gorgeous spectacle they had just witnessed.

“Um…” Garen turned to the remaining fishmen. “Would you like to help me test the sword as well?”

“Huh?” The fishmen snapped out of their shock, exchanging nervous glances.

“Well…” The fishman lackeys broke out in cold sweat, their pale faces forced into ingratiating smiles. “Perhaps it’s not necessary?”

…

In the end, Garen did use them to test his great sword. But he spared their lives this time.

Because Garen could precisely control the skill’s damage, he was able to summon a beam of justice from the heavens that hit his target, yet only gave them a sunbath. The skill’s damage boost was calculated based on the actual damage Garen dealt. He could easily test the mechanism by inflicting only minor wounds.

Thus, before the eyes of the marines and villagers, Garen summoned justice from the sky several times in succession.

The first time witnessing the great sword, everyone looked as if they were about to meet their maker. After a few more demonstrations, they grew accustomed to it.

“Skill refined into the Dao, the Dao reaches the divine!” Even after several light shows, Tashigi remained mesmerized. Clutching the hilt at her waist, she murmured, “He has fused the conviction of justice into his swordsmanship. Just how far has Garen advanced on the path of the sword?”

Garen, meanwhile, was still carefully studying the mechanism behind the sword’s damage boost. With Nami’s guidance—undercover in the Arlong crime syndicate—he learned the full extent of the remaining fishmen’s misdeeds over the years.

Based on their crimes, Garen roughly deduced the relationship between the degree of evil and the damage increase: For those who had actively killed for malicious purposes, the boost was at least sixty percent. Someone like Octopus Hachi, who didn’t want to harm humans but still followed Arlong’s murderous orders, provided nearly fifty percent. Among the fishmen, Hachi contributed the lowest increase.

“Not enough samples…” Garen muttered to himself. Turning to Nami, his eyes lit up. “Nami? Would you like to try?”

“No problem!” Nami’s interest was piqued. Garen had already explained to her that he could summon the power of justice to judge a target’s evil. Since the sword’s light wouldn’t harm her, she eagerly stood before Garen, curious about this extraordinary examination.

Another pillar of light descended, striking Nami on the head. Garen used the lightest force, so Nami felt only a faint warmth, like candlelight.

When the radiance faded, Nami hurried over. “What’s my ‘evil degree’?”

“Uh…” Garen sensed carefully. “Fifteen percent.”

“Fifteen percent?” Nami asked, perplexed. “How much does a good person get?”

“Well…” Garen pondered and finally shared his view: “A completely pure, flawless person… should be zero percent.”

“What?!” Nami exclaimed, surprised. “I’m a kind girl, and I still have fifteen percent evil?”

“You…” Garen gave Nami a peculiar look. “Are you really a kind girl? First time we met, you dragged me into a dine-and-dash, and almost stole my sword.”

“Hmph…” Nami blushed, turning away in embarrassment.

“Smoker!” Garen called to the spectator, Smoker. “Would you like to try as well?”

“Alright.” Smoker agreed simply, stepping forward with interest.

A pillar of light fell. Garen announced the boost he sensed: “Your evil degree is… ten percent.”

“Hm?” Smoker frowned, somewhat dissatisfied. “I’m a navy officer upholding justice—how could my evil be so high?”

“Tch…” Miss Nami, with her fifteen percent evil, was quick to expose Smoker’s past. “Those colleagues you’ve beaten up in the navy probably wouldn’t agree.”

Smoker fell silent, his face dark as he continued smoking.

“Garen!” Tashigi approached eagerly, bowing slightly. “Please let me experience your sword technique as well!”

“No problem.” Garen gladly accepted the willing subject. Tashigi stood at attention, tidied her tousled hair, and prepared herself as if for a solemn ceremony. Her gaze was full of anticipation, tinged with nervousness.

“No need to worry,” Garen smiled gently. “Your evil degree won’t be high.”

“Mm.” Tashigi nodded unconcerned, not caring about her score.

Garen slowly raised his sword, reflecting, “Everyone in this world has a hidden darkness… I suppose that a truly pure, flawless person with zero evil doesn’t exist.”

As he spoke, Garen felt a twinge of guilt—he was just an ordinary man who performed heroic deeds to grow stronger, always playing the part of a shining knight before others. For this hypocrisy alone, he’d probably earn a fair boost from the great sword.

“Garen?” Tashigi was growing impatient, eager to feel the secret of Garen’s swordsmanship for herself.

“Here it comes!” Garen swung his sword, the light falling from the heavens. Tashigi felt the aura of justice within the sword’s radiance, immersing herself once more in the contemplation of swordsmanship.

“How much? How much?” Nami couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

Smoker, quietly smoking nearby, listened intently.

Garen gripped his sword, stunned, and said, “Percent… zero.”