Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely - Chapter 229

Chapter 229: Verdict: Maximum Sentence, The Judgment Arena
[Verdict: Death.]

Sam didn’t even flinch at the words.

By now, the judges’ proclamations meant little to him.

Whether they declared him guilty or demanded his death, it no longer carried weight.

Their verdict didn’t matter. His path was already chosen.

The final portal appeared at the center of the chamber, swirling with ominous energy.

Sam stepped into it without hesitation.

Fwish!

The sensation of teleportation rushed through him once more before vanishing.

He emerged from the third tower’s gate, the cold air of the outside world brushing against his face.

Above, the massive dark eyeballs that loomed over each tower, the ones with yellow vortexes swirling inside, were closed now.

Sam tilted his head upward.

All three eyeballs had finally shut.

And then, with a resounding crack, the last chain—once stretched taut from the gate to the third tower—snapped apart.

Fwish! Ding!

[You have completed all the “Judgment Towers.”]

“…”

[The ‘Gate of Judgment’ is now open. Step forward to face your final verdict.]

“Oh boy, I wonder what it’s gonna be.”

Sam rolled his eyes, his voice thick with sarcasm.

The ground beneath him trembled faintly.

The towers themselves seemed to shiver as if aware of what was about to unfold.

Sam’s eyes glinted with a sharp, predatory light.

‘Don’t worry,’ he thought, ‘Once I’m finished with your judges, or whatever waits at the end, I’ll come back and tear you apart.’

He didn’t know if it was possible, but he suspected the towers possessed some degree of awareness.

They had eyes. They reacted to him. They shifted their trials based on who entered.

If that meant they were alive in some form, then Sam saw no reason not to kill them.

“=)”

The primordial clone appeared at his side, smiling with unnerving delight.

Sam gave it a sidelong glance but continued walking toward the gate.

Fwish! Creakkk!

The great black gate rumbled as the last chain fell away.

It groaned open slowly, revealing the void beyond.

Above it, the scale symbol that had hovered through every trial blazed brighter than ever, its golden light spilling down like judgment incarnate.

Beyond the gate stretched only thick, swirling yellow fog.

The sight reminded Sam of the beginning of the [Land of Judgment].

He understood immediately.

To reach the end, he would have to walk through it.

‘Fine.’

He stepped forward without hesitation.

The mist enveloped him in an instant, swallowing his figure whole.

BAM!

The sound of the gate slamming shut echoed behind him, reverberating through the fog.

Sam turned, only to find that the way back had vanished.

There was no gate anymore. Nothing except the choking yellow haze.

His only choice was forward.

‘My [Primordial Barrier] should recharge by the time I reach whatever’s waiting,’ Sam thought.

‘And…’

Aura Radar!

A pulse of energy swept outward from him, scanning the fog.

Within one hundred meters, nothing stirred. He was safe, at least for now.

The fog remained thick and blinding, so dense he could barely see past his outstretched hand.

But one presence remained clear.

The primordial clone behind him radiated so much raw power that its existence cut through the fog like a blazing sun.

That was all Sam needed.

He pressed forward, step after step, his pace steady and unhurried.

Minutes passed in silence.

The mist curled around him endlessly, with no sign of change.

Then—

Ding!

[Your final verdict has been decided.]

Sam raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

[Verdict: Maximum Sentence.]

[You will now face the wrath of the “Judges.”]

“Finally.”

He rolled his eyes again, his tone dripping with annoyance.

From what he knew, the highest punishment other challengers could receive was simply [Guilty].

That meant they faced the judges’ “pet” in combat.

But Sam was different.

He was primordial.

They despised him more than anyone.

So, naturally, they had reserved the absolute worst punishment for him.

He would have to endure both the pet and the monarch itself.

Fifteen minutes slipped by with nothing but the sound of his footsteps pressing into the fog.

Sam remained calm, unbothered, walking with a casual ease that didn’t match the tension.

Eventually, faint whispers began to cut through the mist.

[Come on, then.]

[The end is near.]

[Determination this, determination that, only judgment will prevail.]

Glowing panels flickered into existence before him, each displaying the words of the judges.

Sam drew his primordial sword and slashed without hesitation.

The panels shattered apart, scattering into dust that faded into the fog.

And then—

[Welcome to the “Judgment Arena: Maximum Sentence Form.”]

The fog thinned.

Sam stepped through, emerging into a vast arena.

He immediately took his stance, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the battlefield.

His Aura Radar had been active the entire time.

Nothing had approached, but he refused to lower his guard now.

The arena was massive, far larger than anything he had seen within the towers.

Based on the name, Sam guessed it could take several forms.

[Innocent], [Guilty].

And now… [Maximum Sentence].

The worst of them all.

The ground beneath his feet was black and broken, the surface fractured into jagged platforms.

Deep holes tore through the floor, leading down into an endless abyss.

One misstep here could mean falling forever.

Above, the sky glowed a sickly yellow, oppressive and unnatural.

And far overhead floated a colossal scale, its golden plates suspended in the air like the eye of judgment itself.

Sam glanced back, but the mist was gone.

In its place stood a solid wall, sealing the arena shut.

There was no going back.

Only forward.

And then, he saw them.

[Hello.]

[It is time.]

[After all this time, we finally face another one. The result will not be any different.]

Three figures stood across from him, exactly as he remembered them from the [Fifth Zone].

The judges.

The [First Judge] stared with a mouthless face, its hollow eyes leaking trails of thick, black liquid that carved into its flesh.

It carried the same round bell in its skeletal hands.

The [Second Judge] loomed taller, horns curling from its head, one hand gripping a massive scale that swayed unnaturally as though measuring the very air.

And the [Third Judge] twirled its rope, spinning it lazily like a lasso, its empty gaze never leaving Sam.

The three of them radiated silent menace, their forms steeped in authority and inevitability.

Sam’s grip on his sword tightened.

The true battle was about to begin.

But before he could move—

ROOOOOOARRRR!

A deafening roar shook the arena, reverberating in his bones.

The ground trembled violently.

BOOM!

The floor beneath him cracked wide open, entire slabs of stone collapsing as something massive forced its way out.

Debris exploded outward.

Cracks tore across the arena floor, spreading until more holes opened into the abyss below.

A monstrous figure emerged, its presence suffocating.

[Calm down, Orryx.]

[It’s going to be his toughest battle, but we’ll be fine.]

[He is ready to judge that fool.]

The beast towered above them all.

A wolf.

A massive yellow wolf, easily ten meters tall, with fangs like curved blades and eyes burning with golden aura.

Yellow mist poured from its mouth with every breath, curling like smoke to envelop its colossal body.

The aura leaking from it scorched the very ground.

Its name appeared before Sam.

[Orryx, The Pet Judge.]

The beast let out another thunderous growl, claws digging into the broken earth.

Its gaze locked onto Sam with primal hunger, as though eager to tear him apart.

But Sam’s expression never changed.

The primordial clone beside him, however, grinned even wider, its joy unmistakable at the sight of a battle like this.

The stage was set. The judges had revealed themselves.

Their pet had risen from the depths.

It was time for [Judgment].