Banished to the Abyss After Defying the Author-Chapter 20: The Sword That Judges

The blade never fell.

Noah had already taken a step forward, divine steel loose in his grip, when something flashed through the air-And his right hand dropped to the ground.

For a heartbeat, even he did not react.

The severed hand lay in the dust beside the divine sword.

Blood did not spray wildly. The cut was too clean.

Pain arrived a second later.

Sharp.

Precise.

Noah turned.

A man stood a few paces behind him.

Golden hair. Long. Unbound.

Both eyes covered by a dark cloth.

A katana rested loosely at his side as though nothing extraordinary had just occurred.

The men in the alley scattered instantly.

Quin stumbled backward, pale, and fled without looking back.

Nyx trembled behind Noah.

The newcomer spoke calmly.

"You were about to release far more power than this alley could endure."

Noah tilted his head slightly.

"So this is how Kurugshetra welcomes travelers?"

The man lowered his blade.

"I intervened to protect the kingdom. That swing wasn’t meant only for thieves."

Noah’s lips curved faintly.

"You can tell intent without sight."

A pause.

"And your sword... that wasn’t ordinary sword."

Before the golden haired man could respond, another figure rushed in a broad shouldered youth with crimson hair and a massive sword strapped to his back.

"Captain Nakula! We’ve been searching everywhere..."

He stopped mid sentence, eyes darting between Noah’s severed hand and the quiet tension in the alley.

"Did something happen, Captain?"

Nakula gave Noah a sharp, unreadable look.

"Nothing serious, Ashoka."

Ashoka swallowed but nodded.

Noah walked over and picked up his severed hand.

The cut was surgical. Even the blood vessels were sliced evenly.

He examined it with interest.

Nakula stepped closer.

But nyx came between noah and he suddenly dropped to one knee.

Nyx stiffened.

"I mean no harm," Nakula said softly not to Noah, but toward Nyx. "Calm yourself. I have no intention of harming your master."

Noah noticed.

He’s speaking through emotion.

Nyx’s panic subsided almost instantly.

Nakula rose again.

"I request that you come to the palace. There are questions to answer."

Noah lifted his severed hand slightly.

"And this?"

Nakula exhaled.

"Place it back."

Noah pressed the hand against the stump.

A soft green glow radiated from Nakula’s body. It wrapped around the wound like living silk.

Flesh reknit. Bone aligned. Blood sealed.

The hand flexed again.

No scar.

"Healing magic," Noah murmured. "Efficient."

Nakula sheathed his katana.

"Walk with me."

They moved through Kurugshetra’s streets.

Gold lined balconies. Diamond pillars. Ornate archways reflecting the sun like fractured stars.

Yet beneath the glitter..

Something was off.

No laughter.

No warmth.

Only restraint.

Noah’s eyes drifted over the city.

"Why are the people here so greedy?" he asked casually.

Nakula did not slow.

"Because nothing you see can be sold."

Noah glanced at him.

"Explain."

"The gold is fused into the kingdom’s structure. The gems cannot be removed. Everything is bound by law and enchantment."

A faint bitterness lingered in his tone.

"They are surrounded by wealth they can never possess."

Noah hummed.

"And this ’Great God’ I keep hearing about?"

Nakula’s steps faltered slightly.

"It is an old prophecy," he said after a moment. "When greed overwhelms Kurugshetra, the Great God will descend and end suffering."

Noah’s smile was subtle.

A convenient legend.

Dragonforce’s scent lingered faintly in the narrative threads.

They entered the palace.

Massive diamond gates opened soundlessly.

Inside, the ceilings were carved from single slabs of crystalline gold. Light fractured endlessly through prismatic walls.

Nakula stopped in a vast chamber.

A floating sword descended between them.

It hovered upright.

Its aura was stronger than the alley weapons cleaner.

"This is the Sword of Justice," Nakula said. "Excalibur. It reacts to falsehood. Lie, and it will kill you."

Noah studied it.

Yes.

Divinity.

But controlled.

"Who are you?" Nakula asked.

"Noah. A traveler."

Excalibur remained still.

"Why did you attempt to destroy the kingdom?"

"I intended to kill the thieves. Not the kingdom."

No reaction.

Nakula’s brow tightened slightly.

"Where do you come from?"

Noah’s smile returned.

"From a place beyond your all imaginations"

Excalibur did not move.

Nakula inhaled slowly.

"You speak truth in ways that avoid definition."

Noah chuckled softly.

"And yet you continue."

Nakula hesitated.

Then:

"I need help."

Noah’s eyes sharpened.

Ah. So that’s the thread.

Dragonforce’s influence coiled faintly around this moment—nudging events toward entanglement.

Noah laughed under his breath.

Nakula stiffened slightly.

"My name," he said firmly, "is Nakula Madri. Fourth Prince of Kurugshetra. Captain of its army." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He straightened fully now not as a soldier, but as royalty.

"I will not insult you with lies. I know you are not ordinary. Your presence alone unsettles Excalibur."

Noah crossed his arms.

"And in return for my help?"

"Anything from our treasury."

Noah’s gaze flicked to the floating sword again.

"Gold does not interest me."

Nakula studied him carefully.

"Then what do you want?"

Noah’s gaze lingered on the blade floating between them.

"What is that sword truly, that you used against me?" he asked, voice quieter now.

Nakula’s hand moved to the katana still sheathed at his side.

His fingers rested lightly against the flat of the steel, almost reverent.

"This sword is called ASI," he said. "The Follower of the Right Path."

The name hung in the chamber.

Noah’s eyes narrowed slightly not in doubt, but in recognition.

"Fire elemental core," he murmured. "And it draws from a constellation alignment. A guiding star matrix."

Nakula’s head turned sharply toward him despite the cloth over his eyes.

"How did you—"

He stopped himself.

A slow exhale.

"You truly are... unusual."

Noah stepped closer, studying the faint red glow hidden along the edge. It wasn’t ordinary flame. It pulsed like a distant star contained, disciplined.

"So," Noah said casually, "does your treasury hold weapons of similar nature?"

Nakula did not answer immediately.

Then he nodded once.

"It does."

A faint smile curved across Noah’s face.

"Good."

He stepped back.

"I will help you."

Nakula straightened slightly.

"But do not forget our agreement," Noah added, tone light yet unmistakably firm.

Nakula placed his palm over his chest.

"My word is not something I trade lightly," he said. "Once given, it flies like an arrow. It does not return."

Noah waved a hand dismissively.

"Yes, yes. Then tell me what you want. I do not intend to stay here long."

For a moment, the prince’s composure shifted—just slightly.

"There is someone," Nakula said. "A person who appeared recently. Claims to be from beyond this world."

Silence settled between them.

"And?" Noah prompted.

"He vanishes and reappears. Knows things he should not. Walks through places guarded by enchantments without triggering them."

Nakula’s voice hardened.

"He unsettles the balance of Kurugshetra."

Noah’s thoughts sharpened instantly.

Another anomaly?

Victoria’s fragment?

Or something tied to my sealed authority?

A faint smile returned to his face.

"And you believe I am suited to find such a person."

"You described yourself as beyond imagination," Nakula replied evenly. "So yes."

Noah gave a small nod.

"Very well. I will help you."

Outside, thunder rolled faintly in the distance.

Clouds gathered over the golden spires of Kurugshetra, dimming their brilliance.

Noah glanced upward toward the darkening sky.

Another piece moves.