The holy site centered in Auterica, Rosellia Temple.
“Holy Power.”
The Saint Heinrich, who was slowly strolling through the garden filled with various plants and trees, gently closed his eyes.
He had come out for a walk to clear his head, but instead, he found himself face-to-face with a more complicated problem that had left his mind in a mess.
‘That must be the Holy Power of the Head of the Buncheon Society.’
Even with his expertise in this field, there was no doubt about it.
The problem was that this holy power did not originate from the Ganghwan Realm.
In other words, it meant energy that had flowed in from outside…
‘But to think a Heavenly Demon is using that power.’
Moreover, it wasn’t some trick like Hugo’s use of “Avatar Cloud” and the mana signature as a medium.
Much like a priest channeling the holy power of the deity he follows, he had personally manifested and wielded this anomaly.
This implied that there was a connection between the Head of the Buncheon Society and the Heavenly Demon that exceeded his expectations.
‘Nevertheless, holy power from another dimension is essentially foreign matter in that world. Thus, even Hugo had to endure considerable energy loss to use holy power indirectly.’
Heinrich quietly looked down at his hands.
Following his will, a platinum glow rose like a haze, swirling chaotically and showcasing its presence.
There were more gods existing than the number of dimensions, and their natures varied accordingly.
Holy power derived from them followed the same trend.
‘In that sense, our Holy God in Auterica can be deemed a benevolent god.’
Of course, that foundation was not based on the compassion and mercy typically spoken of.
If viewed from a human perspective—
It could be likened to cherishing a handcrafted item, storing it in a box, and occasionally dusting it with care… that kind of feeling.
Conversely, if one were a type that finds joy in destroying a sandcastle they made, stacking towers with the intent to topple them from the start would be known as evil gods to their creations.
‘Well, how could I, merely a human, gauge the will of the gods?’
No matter how much he was called a saint and received various privileges, that was beyond his capability.
To think it was possible would be arrogance… no, it would be sacrilege.
“Anyway, I can’t just sit idly by now that traces of that guy have emerged.”
Although he originally planned to intervene actively, this situation made his resolve even firmer.
To the extent that he wanted to directly cross over to the Ganghwan Realm right now and join the fray against the Heavenly Demon.
Of course, Heinrich had to be cautious about both Auterica and Earth, so that was impossible at the moment.
“Saint, do you have a moment?”
At that moment, a small-framed woman approached Heinrich, who was still in the garden.
It was Isea, the great mage from Earth, a comrade who had fought alongside him in numerous battles.
“Oh, Isea. Of course, I have time. I happened to be idle, passing the time.”
“Ahem, thank you. Um… I apologize for making this request…”
After a brief pause, she carefully handed him a thick letter.
Of course, it wasn’t a love letter filled with romantic feelings.
“Oh, so you’ve made your decision.”
“…Yes, it seems this is a good opportunity for me. I feel a bit embarrassed, but I’ve decided to accept the favor. Thank you, Saint.”
It was a letter to her family back on Earth.
Heinrich, who could now travel between Earth and Auterica, was being asked to deliver the letter.
It was rather awkward to make such a personal request to someone of his stature, but it stemmed from his initiative to strengthen their cooperative relationship.
“Don’t worry. I’ll deliver it discreetly to prevent any unnecessary gossip. I’ve become accustomed to the environment on Earth now.”
“Phew, thank you. I’m glad to be able to send news at least, thanks to you, Saint. They must have been very worried all this time.”
As her high school-aged daughter had suddenly been dragged into another world with no news for nearly a year, it was only natural for her family to feel as if their blood were drying day by day.
Since they couldn’t return immediately for various reasons, being able to convey a message would relieve worries on both sides.
Moreover, as it was not just a simple letter but a type of magical equipment containing her image, proving it wouldn’t be difficult either.
After placing the received letter into a spatial dimension, Heinrich parted ways with Isea after a brief chat and headed back to his office.
With the final offensive to the north approaching, he couldn’t afford to dawdle in idle thought.
Of course, if an urgent problem arose that truly required him, he’d throw all this mundane work away at any moment.
‘For now, it’s alright. I just need to tackle what I can step by step. First, I need to further solidify my understanding of the situation on the Ganghwan Realm…’
As he walked toward his office, his steps suddenly paused.
His gaze caught sight of the remnants of a battle not too far away, still fresh.
The traces left from the alien invaders they had fought off together not long ago.
‘What you’re planning, reaching out to other dimensions—I have no clue.’
Heinrich closed his eyes and put his hands together, mourning the victims of that day.
In a solemn atmosphere, the brilliant platinum light that flowed from his body began to spread outwards.
‘I’ll thoroughly crush you. All of your plans.’
For that purpose, he would utilize everything at his disposal.
And that included matters on Earth as well.
‘It might be time to contact the Pantheon. They can’t all have turned to the Buncheon Society. After getting in touch with them…’
Of course, the work to expose the Buncheon Society as a global villain and bring it into the light was progressing smoothly.
*
Boom—
The footsteps of the overlord suppressed everyone within their reach.
With each heavy step crushing the world beneath, the oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on the surroundings.
“Khaah! It’s heavy…!”
“Step back! If you dawdle, you’ll get caught up in this!”
Rumble!
Just from the indirect impact, those fighting nearby hurriedly retreated, and several buildings that had accumulated shock from the fierce battle collapsed under the pressure.
The intimidating force that enforced submission was more than enough to engrave the difference in power into resisting foes…
“Kaha! This lukewarm approach is useless!”
However, for the main target of that pressure, it had little effect.
The opponent was a monster that could tear apart all constraints impeding their movement merely with their physical specifications.
A mad beast charged at the sky’s demon, who was trampling the ground.
Crash—!
Immediately after, a massive explosion erupted from above, and the shockwave swept across the area, shaking all things on the ground.
“…What a thunderous fight.”
And below it all.
Standing apart from the clash in the celestial realm, the former Great Demon Mok Ing-gwang chuckled softly, shaking his head.
‘I knew he was something outstanding.’
But to think he would run into the infamous Demon Cult’s Heavenly Demon and directly confront it.
Looking back now, he truly realized how reckless it had been to seek that fight.
‘That has been the way I’ve lived so far, though.’
He smacked his lips, shaking off his thoughts.
In conclusion, the outcome wasn’t too bad.
Thanks to this, he had caught a glimpse of the breakthrough in overcoming the madness that had dominated him for a lifetime and completed the Tyrant of Madness.
…Though he did suffer the humiliation of losing his alias.
Suppressing those painful memories, Mok Ing-gwang rationalized himself and turned his gaze elsewhere.
Below, fierce warfare among humans was unfolding.
“Huh— should I finally join in?”
Watching the battlefield full of screams and blood, he could feel his blood begin to stir.
Though he had subdued the madness with several treatments from Harley on the way here, it wouldn’t be easy to change a life spent doing things a certain way, would it?
‘Honestly, I’m not keen on helping the Correct Faction.’
But he felt much more aversion to the minions of the Demon Cult, so he was not significantly opposed.
Plus, the lunatic who had become his master now somehow seemed to favor supporting the Correct Faction.
“Truly, the Demon Cult. The scales have completely tipped.”
Whatever scheme had played out, it was critical that the Correct Faction’s warriors were not able to showcase their full strength.
If this continued, it would likely lead to the extermination of everyone inside the Shaolin Temple.
‘Of course, if I had not been here.’
A razor-sharp smile appeared on Mok Ing-gwang’s face.
While not on the same level as those transcendents who had reached other realms, he was still strong enough to consider himself unrivaled among those who had risen to that stage.
No matter what trick the Demon Cult was pulling, his intervention would definitely create a significant shift in the tide of battle.
‘Then now… huh?’
Just as he felt a surge of excitement rising within him.
Unconsciously glancing at the conflict in the celestial realm, he suddenly stiffened.
“Wait a minute. What’s that?”
It felt as if cold water had been splashed over him, clearing his head.
And he could only mumble without being able to continue his words.
And it was only natural.
“…That bastard?”
Until just a moment ago, Harley had been displaying movements focused on instinct and wildness, but now he was moving in a more systematic and refined manner.
Using what seemed to be eerily familiar techniques.
…Yes, the foundation was certainly based on the Tyrant of Madness, rooted in his unique martial arts.
‘No wonder he kept insisting on practicing sparring all the way here!’
Back then, he was skeptical, thinking Harley wanted to vent his frustrations by beating him up under the pretense of taming the madness…
To think that was all part of a grand scheme to steal his martial arts! Who could have imagined?
“What the hell— how far do you plan to steal from me—?!”
Fury welled up deep within Mok Ing-gwang as he let out a roar.
Filled with rage over the unbearable reality of losing his alias as a Great Demon along with his martial arts.
*
‘My ears are itching.’
For a fleeting moment, that thought crossed Harley’s mind, but it quickly vanished.
He was in no position to think about anything else right now.
Swish—!
Following his instincts, he ducked just in time as a blade of black light streaked over his head.
Simultaneously, tearing through space, it created a long gash.
Even he, who usually absorbed attacks head-on, could not easily disregard this assault.
“You dodge well for a barbarian.”
“Kah! This is thrilling! Put in more effort, will ya!”
He reflexively tried to taunt back, but the current situation wasn’t particularly favorable for Harley.
The Heavenly Demon, who had unveiled hidden holy power, was showcasing a level of strength unlike before.
Not merely enhancing himself with additional energy, it felt as if his whole realm had ascended to a higher plane.
Naturally, every aspect had improved over before, which meant Harley’s allowance for incoming attacks was inevitably increasing as well.
“…You can even recover from that? How absurd. What kind of body are you made of?”
If he hadn’t consumed the wings of the Head of the Buncheon Society during previous battles and built resistance to it, he would have faced real danger.
The sheer ferocity of the holy energy coursing through his body could slice through both space and Harley’s very concept of resistance.
Crack—
Harley shook his nearly severed arm, checking its state of being joined.
Not just that particular area, but other injured body parts were in a similar state.
At this point, he could no longer hide his abilities.
The engravings on his body began to glow in unison, as refined energy whirled inside him, activating latent powers.
Among them was a physical mutation he had generally avoided showing.
“Right, I knew it. You’re not human after all.”
The Heavenly Demon nodded slowly, as if anticipated after seeing the deep crimson scales densely covering Harley’s arms from fingertips to elbows in response to the attack.
As if he had already guessed something.
His reaction was surprisingly nonchalant, as if he had expected it.
‘It seems he knows something.’
Using the techniques learned from the former Great Demon Mok Ing-gwang had raised suspicions.
It was just that the style of the Tyrant of Madness matched with Harley strangely well.
To be honest, if it was purely compatibility with martial arts, Harley was far better suited than Mok Ing-gwang, who had only learned it a few days ago.
The mere presence of a martial art in this world fine-tuned for “ultimate evolved beings” was astounding.
As he quickly adapted to the martial arts, he naturally came to a realization.
‘This martial art.’
It was not originally designed for humans to use.
The Tyrant of Madness, from its inception, was intended to be wielded by such monsters… or rather, non-humans.
Yes, for instance, those beings of a different race that have remained hidden in the Ganghwan Realm… like monsters.
