A familiar human figure wrapped in the glow of twilight light.
It was indeed an old nemesis that he had faced several times before, each time resulting in a fierce battle.
‘The Head of the Buncheon Society.’
As the sense of crisis surged, Harris’s mind rang alarm bells.
He had certainly expected this figure to not move easily, yet they appeared so suddenly.
Moreover, this sudden appearance was without any signs detectable by the formation technique set up around.
“Tsk.”
Paaak—
With a single kick, he retreated a distance, gripping his bow tightly to raise his tension.
The summoned spirits had also gathered around him, entering a solid defensive posture.
As an archer-type spirit user, Harris specialized in distant sniping, actively utilizing evasion.
Facing such a strong opponent at this close range…
‘Wait, is that…?’
As various thoughts rushed through his mind without a moment’s pause, Harris narrowed his eyes, contemplating whether to retreat or summon reinforcements for a proper fight.
The starlight in his helmet obscured eyes sparkled as he meticulously analyzed clues he had initially missed in the sudden situation.
“Ah.”
It took only a few seconds after stepping back from the blocked attack to assess the situation.
Finally realizing the nature of the unease, Harris quietly complained.
“…You really surprised me.”
Before the secretary, the figure of the Head of the Buncheon Society, still wrapped in light, stood.
But upon closer inspection, he could clearly tell.
That wasn’t the real deal but merely a shadow, an projection of thoughts.
‘I overreacted. Is this some kind of holy law utilizing holy power?’
Perhaps the actual Head of the Buncheon Society might really make an appearance, and considering that possibility, he clearly tightened up more than expected.
Though, that didn’t mean the current situation was optimistic.
Still, merely appearing had effortlessly blocked his attack filled with his full power.
[Adeline.]
“Ah—! My lord! This lowly servant stands before you!”
[It seems a bothersome one is involved.]
“I-I apologize! It’s due to my shortcomings…!”
A rumbling voice spread, and a heavy presence suppressed the surroundings.
The secretary already knelt before that presence, bowing his head repeatedly, not showing any interest in Harris.
Without a doubt, it was only a fragment projected from the Head of the Buncheon Society itself.
[I’m sorry, but the timing is not right. The damage to the holy power has caused Earth’s interference to be stronger than ever.]
“My apologies, my lord. This too is a trial bestowed upon me. I shall overcome it boldly and prove my worth!”
[Hmm…]
The human figure made of holy power, the thought projection of the Head of the Buncheon Society, turned its head to look at Harris.
Surrounded by numerous spirits, standing tall, was a suspiciously dressed outsider.
‘…Has it recognized me?’
Harris, cautiously observing the situation, swallowed hard.
Since he had played a part in the previous battle in Auterica, it wouldn’t be strange for the Head of the Buncheon Society to recognize him.
No matter how much he faced them with long-range sniping without direct confrontation, for a being like that, identifying the opponent by energy alone wouldn’t be difficult.
[It seems the limit of sustaining the projection is approaching. There isn’t much time left.]
However, contrary to his expectations, the being showed no particular reaction.
Whether it was merely not showing its feelings or something hindering it, he couldn’t tell.
The being solemnly spoke, looking down at the secretary who was still bowing and worshiping him.
[Adeline, my apostle. I grant you the spirit form. Deal with those who obstruct the way of revelation and offer their flesh and spirit as a sacrifice.]
“Ah! Thank you for your grace, my lord!”
Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, its body disintegrated into light and began to absorb into the kneeling figure before it.
With his saint-like knowledge about holy power, Harris could instantly recognize what that meant.
‘Divine Descent?’
The secretary, a priest serving the Head of the Buncheon Society, received power bestowed directly from him.
The ritual that only a select few among high priests could perform caused her holy power to surge dramatically.
“Ah! I feel my lord’s presence with me! It is glorious and holy!”
A powerful wave spread around as the holy energy she wore ignited like molten lava.
Seeing that noticeably changed momentum, Harris frowned slightly.
‘It doesn’t seem like this will end easily. Is this the second phase?’
Under the influence of the ceremony, both the quantity and quality of the holy power she possessed began to explosively grow beyond several times the original.
Considering just the holy power alone, it was to that extent, so the overall combat ability including other abilities must be far more.
Now entering the state of divine descent, the secretary was becoming a formidable opponent that even Harris couldn’t guarantee victory over.
However—there was one critical difference between games and reality…
‘Now!’
It was that he wasn’t up against a kind enemy who would wait for his transformation to end.
Woosh—
Harris’s star-shaped pupils shone as the “Milky Way Observer” seized the opening during the divine descent ceremony.
Of course, given that it was explicitly showcased, there were strict security measures in place around the ceremony, but that much wasn’t enough to deceive Harris’s trained eyes regarding holy power.
Goooo…
“Descendant of the World Tree,” “Nature Affinity,” “Nature’s Call,” “Nature’s Resonance,” “Fairy Justice,” “Harmony Melody,” and even “Soft Eight Trigrams Secret Skill (Revised)” all combined.
All the powers he possessed burst forth in a simultaneous explosion, having stealthily accumulated strength since the appearance of the Head of the Buncheon Society.
———!
Towards the still unprepared secretary.
*
“Hekhtar!”
Rumble—!
With Harris’s shout, a massive stone wall erupted from the ground.
It wasn’t just any rock; it was a boulder packed with the energy of nature, so solid that it wouldn’t yield easily.
In an instant, it grew larger, blocking the path of a figure.
Kaboom!
But almost immediately, hit by a massive hammer’s assault coming from above, it shattered into pieces.
He could only momentarily hinder the opponent as expected.
‘It’s more troublesome than I thought. The formation limits my mobility.’
Harris clicked his tongue, frowning.
He continued retreating while aiming his bowstring, keeping the opponent in check.
A female warrior charging forward like a tank, wrapped in reddish light, was heading towards the secretary.
Whoosh—! Smash!
Boom! Kaboom!
The lightning that fell from the sky collided with the shield while blazes engulfing the surroundings were pushed back by the hammer’s shockwave.
Even the sharp blade winds merely grazed the surface of the sturdy armor.
Wrapped in the twilight light, and advancing resolutely through all barriers, she looked like the very embodiment of a heavenly deity.
Tsk. Still, it seems manageable compared to my initial expectations…
All thanks to the element of surprise contributed by the full effort exerted during the divine descent ceremony.
As anticipated, the ceremony was protected by great holy power, yet it could hardly be unaffected by the initial deadly assault he hammered down.
Ending there would have been ideal, but was asking for that too much?
“Dare! Dare! I shall kill you, heretic!”
However, the opponent didn’t seem to think so.
Having abandoned the respectful attitude until recently, the secretary’s face was all red and veins bulging as she spat out fierce words, causing Harris to shake his head.
“Why not calm down a bit? That wouldn’t be good for your health…”
“Interrupting a glorious ceremony? I will undoubtedly burn you alive and offer you as a sacrifice!”
“No, I thought you were so bold that you could confidently proceed with your work while I’m clearly in front of you. If it’s that important, you should’ve found a safe place and focused more on securing it instead…”
“Shut up! I shall be sure to rip your tongue out!”
Although he pointed out the facts and expressed the unfairness of the treatment, the secretary, with a face like a vicious demon, seemed unwilling to listen to reason.
Well, it was true that the primary intention behind mentioning it was more about provoking her.
‘Still, this is troublesome. It’s taking longer than expected. There must be a time limit on how long she can be enhanced through divine descent…’
The concern was that the timeout for this operation would arrive before her divine descent was complete.
Objectively speaking, he was merely a terrorist attacking the upper echelons of the Pantheon, wasn’t he?
In fact, the time he had already delayed was a significant burden.
‘I did my best to hide the traces with the formation using nature affinity, but…’
Of course, that couldn’t last forever.
Due to accumulated shocks internally, the formation would eventually collapse, or it would get exposed via external search, and soon this situation would surely plunge into ruin.
Right now, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if Guardian forces from America stormed in at any moment.
‘…I can’t allow that. I can’t afford to miss this golden opportunity.’
The circumstances were different for the Yul Ryeong-ja who operated in the shadows or the Duke and Doctor he had willingly lured into a trap.
The secretary was clearly active in the open, as a figure leading the Pantheon religious circle.
If she decided to put on the facade of being in the light, ready to act against this incident, he wouldn’t be able to act recklessly.
The public opinion could shift negatively, and needless divisions might arise among those who should be joining forces.
“I pray, my lord! Grant me the strength to judge this heretic who obstructs the way of revelation!”
At that moment, breaking through all obstructions, the secretary approached Harris, swinging a massive hammer toward him.
Although the restrictions on spirits caused by “Dimension Barrier Mitigation” had somewhat eased, it was still not enough to suppress the opponent’s heightened momentum.
Originally, holy power was also a greater energy.
Whoosh!
“Uh! What…!”
But the massive battle hammer that sliced through the air didn’t hit its target.
Before it could unleash its destructive power after being swung in a huge arc, the peculiar touch of Harris twisted that trajectory naturally.
Boom!
Ultimately, the hammer struck the empty ground.
He recoiled, avoiding the fiercely burning twilight holy power emerging from the cracked and overturned ground while grimacing.
With one hand, he rubbed his wrist where the attack had slipped past.
‘…It’s heavy. Even though I deflected it with utmost finesse, it’s still this much.’
He had mainly been assisting with nature power and spirits until now, but the “Soft Eight Trigrams Secret Skill (Revised)” he mastered was undeniably a branch of martial arts.
Moreover, it was a supreme martial art boasting a composite rank of S-class; it was not an exaggeration to call it one of the best in a dimension.
Having tasted the martial way through Hugo’s “Gravity Reversal,” applying it was no challenge for him.
‘Though it’s less efficient now.’
More than that, the situation cemented his resolve even more.
This was an opponent showing such power even constrained.
If he let them go, they would undoubtedly return as a hundred percent a future problem.
“You’re running away quite well. But how long can you keep that up?”
At that moment, the heated secretary, now recovering somewhat from the previous attack, calmly opened her mouth while shedding her rampaging tone.
The rough expressions were replaced with the faux politeness she had initially shown.
“Is this barrier a formation technique? I’ve heard it originated from the Martial Arts World; how intriguing to see a spirit user utilizing it. It’s quite rare for those two mysteries to blend…”
After pondering for a moment while frowning, she soon shook her head and broke into a smirk.
Now it seemed she didn’t care at all.
“Nonetheless, it’s over. No matter how much effort is put into barrier magic, there is always a limit. It took a little longer than I expected to reinforce it, but…”
Harris’s expression hardened at her self-assured demeanor.
As she had stated, due to the cumulative impacts, the formation had finally begun to tremble, resulting in considerable cracks.
He immediately exerted full power to restore it after realizing it, but security lost its worth the moment it got breached, no matter how well it was done before that.
“Maybe at most ten minutes. By then, the elite Pantheon and Guardian forces will completely surround this area and come crashing in. It’s unfortunate that I can’t personally crush you, but… merely a matter of time, right?”
With a cheerful smile, the secretary concluded.
Bearing a daunting face covered in red holy power, her eerie and calm statement appeared more like that of a devil’s minion than an apostle of a deity.
“Ten minutes, huh…?
Of course, Harris felt no fear and wasn’t bothered by such threats.
After examining his surroundings and nodding lightly, he calmly continued.
“It’s a bit tight but… that should be enough.”
“…Huh?”
The secretary grimaced at his calm reaction.
Then, realizing it was merely bravado, she quickly regained her composure, wearing a scornful smile.
Her lips twisted in mockery as arrogant eyes gleamed coldly.
But sadly for her…
Such a sight was neither mere bravado nor overconfidence.
Indeed, there was something he truly believed in.
“Entity Convergence!”
“Ka-ha-ha! It’s been a while! I’d love to take it slow, but sadly, there’s no time!”
“…We should probably wrap it up in under five minutes.”
He had something indeed to rely upon.
