#89
Trial of the Holy Sword (2)
The place with the holy emblem and altar of the Holy Church Order resembled the chapel of the shrine.
‘Looks like the time dilation varies with each trial.’
Unlike before, the time dilation in this place was approximately three times that of the outside.
As he calmly surveyed the surroundings, a will resonated in his mind once more.
[Pray to the Holy God.]
Shimmer—
At the same time, a soft light began to seep from the large symbol engraved on the wall near the podium.
It was the holy emblem of the Holy Church Order, symbolizing light radiating outward in all directions.
‘Ah, I think I know what this is.’
It was a type that had appeared quite frequently in the records of previous challengers.
Heinrich confidently strode toward the podium, kneeled naturally before it, and clasped his hands together.
‘Trial of Faith.’
This trial, being a common reoccurring question, had a very simple process.
All he had to do was prove his faith.
As he began to pray, the light pouring from the church’s emblem grew ever more intense.
Whoosh—
And that light began to shine down on Heinrich like sunlight streaming through a window.
Along with it, an overwhelming amount of holy power flowed into his body.
‘Withstand and accept a level of holy power above a certain threshold.’
That was how one proved their faith in this trial.
He already had a rough idea of the level required in the trial of the holy sword.
It seemed the difficulty was determined by evaluating various conditions like potential and capability, resulting in slight variations for each trial participant…
On average, being on par with a bishop or archbishop class would satisfy that standard.
Considering he already possessed bishop-level holy power, and could expand that limit whenever he wanted, it was a straightforward challenge for Heinrich.
‘So I thought this trial would be passed smoothly…’
However, something felt off.
Holy power was endlessly flooding in.
Moreover, even though he had already reached a considerable level, that momentum showed no signs of abating.
Feeling slightly flustered, the incoming holy power was about to surpass the limits Heinrich was typically used to.
‘Uhh… this is dangerous?’
In a hurry, he drew upon the mental resources of other avatars, utilizing the “Mind Hub” and “Persona” to transform that into faith.
Hans, who had been collecting information while growing the information organization by gathering black magicians.
Heinz II, who was completely focused on expanding his faction after taking control of the entire clan.
Harley, who stayed at the Steel Fortress to hunt monsters in the Northern Mountain Range.
Hubert, who was setting a stable foundation in Tarak’s realm and gradually expanding in scale.
Harris, who had gained considerable attention from several elves in the Elven Kingdom after the festival.
But.
‘No, how much longer is this going to keep increasing?’
Even after pulling in the mental energies of all avatars, the infusion of holy power showed no signs of stopping.
The volume of holy power already inside him was comparable to that of an archbishop.
‘I’m only temporarily holding it in, so I can’t keep it for long… Aah, this is bad.’
He had no more time to think about anything else.
Seong-hyun Han, who was monitoring the situation on Earth, also hurriedly closed his eyes and focused his mind.
And he poured all the abilities and mental power he had gained over his growth solely into Heinrich.
In such an urgent situation, devoid of any moment of respite, an amount of holy power several times greater than what he usually handled wriggled within him.
How long had it passed?
The amount of light emanating from the holy emblem gradually began to diminish.
However, he was too busy holding onto the holy power that was about to burst forth from his body to notice any changes outside.
Hssss—
The once shining emblem’s light finally extinguished completely, and the chapel fell into silence as if nothing had happened.
Only Heinrich, who was now radiating holy power from his entire body, was different from before.
Then, at one moment.
A different nature of holy power began to swirl around his body.
《The entity has achieved the conditions and gained enlightenment. Acquired special skill “Blessing: Weight Increase.”》
A glimmer of light arrived amidst extreme circumstances.
The holy power, which had been threatening to burst from his body, gradually calmed and started to adhere to his control.
And not long after…
[Second trial complete. Move on to the next stage through the gateway.]
Along with a will resonating in his mind, his deeply absorbed consciousness began to slowly awaken.
‘Aah… that was pretty close.’
It felt like he had just barely escaped reaching his limit.
Once he began to regain some composure, the mental energies of the avatars that had been focused on Heinrich started to find their way back to their respective places.
And he soon realized his change.
‘I can hold more holy power now.’
Thanks to the new skill acquired through this event.
“Blessing: Weight Increase” was an ability that increased the maximum amount of holy power that could be contained in his body, mainly obtained by priest-class clergymen.
Though it didn’t elevate him further, at least he could now somewhat compete in terms of volume with the archbishop level.
‘No, maybe not yet to that extent.’
Even now, holy power that he hadn’t fully managed was leaking out and brightly illuminating the surroundings.
Not only was he still getting used to the new ability, but controlling the holy power during the trial had only been a temporary success through the help of other avatars.
‘Since the trial is already over, it doesn’t matter.’
Thanks to “Blessing: Weight Increase,” the amount he could handle alone had more than doubled, which was quite satisfactory overall.
‘But the difficulty seems too high.’
I had understood that from the beginning, stronger individuals would face a more difficult trial, while those who were still lacking but had potential would receive relatively easier trials…
It was clear he had passed the trial through a scheme using avatars, but the holy power poured into him in the end had been at a level that would overwhelm any archbishop.
On average, paladins who generally had less holy power than him would most likely fall off here.
The first trial of perseverance would have been quite difficult without his various attributes.
Wouldn’t you need to be at paladin level to pass?
‘Heinrich is only on his first attempt, and he’s not that strong—aren’t the standards too strict?’
He wasn’t at paladin level in strength, nor archbishop level in holy power.
Yet, the trials he had gone through thus far seemed to demand both of these two attributes, which naturally led to dissatisfaction.
‘No, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I don’t know what the next trial will be like. Maybe for the sake of overall balance, the next one will be an easier challenge.’
Trying to maintain a positive mindset, Heinrich looked around for the next gateway.
Then he discovered a brown wooden door that had not been there before, appearing at the exit of the chapel.
‘But how many more do I have to do?’
Each individual’s number of trials was different, so he could not ascertain how many he would face.
According to the record, only two individuals had reached the front of the holy sword.
They had each gone through three and four trials to stand before it.
‘Of course, they had failed to pull the holy sword and gain its recognition.’
Hoping this would be his final trial as well, he opened the door and stepped inside.
“Aah.”
And when the light vanished and his vision returned, the first scene he witnessed was…
A desolated ruin.
A land of rotting death, devoid of even a shred of life.
‘This is bad.’
Intuitively, he could sense that unusual atmosphere.
There was nothing easy about this trial at all, and he surmised that a very challenging task would indeed be presented again.
[Defeat the enemy.]
Simultaneously, a will echoed in his head.
He quickly discerned who the term ‘enemy’ referred to.
Someone floating in the distance was glaring at him with a sinister aura emanating from all around.
‘Why does this feel so familiar…?’
That aura felt all too familiar to him.
Tattered black robes, a black wooden staff entwined with numerous skulls at its tip.
And the deathly energy flickering from him, accompanied by a skull that scattered fiery red glare.
‘…It’s similar to Hans.’
Of course, that presence could not even begin to compare to the Undead King himself.
‘Then, is it a Lich?’
At that moment, the master of undead, Undead King Hans, analyzed all aspects of the creature’s aura and more.
The conclusion was straightforward.
“Archlich…”
The undead he had been before becoming the Undead King.
Furthermore, a perfected archlich was a being even paladins would hesitate to confront one-on-one.
[Is it the church’s hunting dog? How did it get here?]
Even from a considerable distance, the sound of metal scraping reached him.
[No, now it doesn’t matter.]
The archlich, who had briefly seemed to consider speaking, quickly abandoned the thought and began to gather dark magic.
Then, he swung the staff filled with dark energy through the air.
‘No, why is he in such a hurry!’
However, Heinrich’s thoughts were irrelevant as the magic energy began to spread like mist…
Thud thud thud—
[Keheeeek!]
Clank—! Clatter—!
[Kiiik—!]
Undead of all kinds began to rise endlessly from the ground.
From hundreds to thousands… or maybe even more.
‘Whoa… is the trial really going this far? It’s worse in reality.’
Despite knowing through prior information that all of this was a virtual space created for qualification, the ominous energy and the imposing aura of each undead felt all too real.
‘But fighting one-on-one with the archlich plus fighting off these undead?’
Isn’t this just too much?
However, he had no room to lose himself in thoughts anymore.
[Die, dog of the church!]
In that moment, the thousands of undead and the archlich leading them focused entirely on killing him.
*
“It’s about to start soon.”
“…Ah, is it?”
In a hidden lair of the Oath of Reversal in southern Ion Continent.
The large figure draped in a robe initiated the conversation, but the old man, as always gloomy and filled with madness, was unusually flat in response today.
‘Could it be he’s scared now?’
If he were to abandon this plan, it would make the very start impossible.
From the perspective of the large figure, who had invested more than ten years for the great undertaking, it was something absolutely intolerable.
He directed a furrowed brow toward the old man and examined his condition again.
But contrary to his expectations, there was no sign of fear.
The old man seemed to be lost in thought, staring blankly at the inside of his rocket pendant as he opened its lid.
Inside was a portrait of a family drawn using combustion magic.
“There shouldn’t be any problem carrying out the plan, right?”
Despite such sentimental behavior, the large figure had no intention of understanding it and directly questioned the old man.
From the beginning, he hadn’t even understood such feelings.
“Don’t tell me, you’re not going to pull back now…”
“Ah— what nonsense is that.”
Yet before his words could finish, the old man closed the lid of the rocket and began to chuckle in his usual voice.
“Keheh, I have been preparing for this grand endeavor for a whopping 30 years. Do you think I would give this up at this very moment? Khuhuhaha…”
Unlike when he was looking at the portrait, his eyes had once again become tinted with madness.
“My resolve has grown even firmer. Indeed, this continent should not remain so peaceful. Absolutely, without a doubt.”
As the old man began to mutter to himself with conviction, the large figure nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed there shouldn’t be any issue in moving forward.
“We have no time to waste! I need to confirm everything one last time. This is the fruit borne of thirty years. There can be no failure.”
With that, the old man rose from his seat and set about checking the preparations for the grand law once again.
Hmmm… Then I ought to go about my own business as well.
As things would get busier from here on, he needed to make some arrangements in advance.
Though the preparations would be needed for everyone on the continent…
He had no concern about how many were actually ready.
