Meanwhile, when Wood, Rudeus, and the others fought their way through the magical beasts and arrived at the Millis Church, they found it completely unrecognizable.
The once bright and warm Millis Church, with its radiant statue of the Millis Goddess, was now a chaotic mess.
The church was filled with smoke and filth, the goddess statue shattered into two pieces, and the so-called "Human God" followers had turned the place into a den of debauchery.
Food scraps were scattered everywhere, turning the sacred church into a dirty, chaotic mess. Worse, Wood and the others discovered many young women imprisoned here.
These girls were originally devout followers of Millis, and some were even former church clergy.
When Wood found them, they were all in a pitiful state. Some were barely alive, while others had been driven to madness by the torture they endured.
Seeing this scene, Cliff and Rudeus were trembling with rage.
Cliff had grown up in the church, and his grandfather had been the Pope, so he had a deep emotional connection to the church.
As for Rudeus, while he was a pervert, he was a principled one. He was furious at the scum who had inflicted such suffering on these innocent girls.
"Wood, you're better at healing magic. Can you heal these people?"
As Zenith's son, Rudeus also knew healing magic, but his skill was only at an intermediate level, so he asked Wood to step in.
"Even if you hadn't asked, I would have done it."
**Imperial-Level Healing Magic: Fountain of Life!**
**Saint-Level Light Magic: Holy Light Purification!**
Cliff, as Rudeus's close friend, had heard a lot about Wood during their time at the Ranoa Magic University.
He also knew that Rudeus had become an adventurer and had been researching various strange magics with Seven Star Shizuka, all in an effort to save his brother, Wood.
So, Cliff had always been curious about Rudeus's twin brother, Wood.
Elinalise was in a similar situation. She had heard Paul and Roxy praise the Greyrat twins for their genius.
They had seen Rudeus's strength and talent, but this was their first time meeting Wood.
When they first saw Wood, they noticed he carried a blue longsword. They had assumed that Rudeus had inherited his mother Zenith's magical talent, while Wood had inherited Paul's swordsmanship skills.
But what they didn't expect was that Rudeus's casual remark and Wood's subsequent actions would leave everyone who was unfamiliar with Wood utterly stunned.
Wood planted his blue longsword into the ground, and two massive magic circles—one green and one gold—overlapped beneath his feet, rapidly expanding to cover the entire area.
The green healing magic circle summoned a fountain of life-giving water. In an instant, the injuries and wounds inflicted on the imprisoned girls healed at an astonishing rate.
As the green magic circle worked its healing magic, the golden magic circle erupted with a brilliant holy light.
It not only purified the filth from the girls' bodies but also cleansed the souls of those who had died and restored the sanity of those who had been driven mad.
"This is dual composite magic! And it's cast without incantations!"
"Not just that, he just casually used Imperial-Level healing magic and Saint-Level light magic! His mana and magical talent are monstrous!"
Cliff, who had attended the same magic university as Rudeus, and Elinalise, who had stayed at the academy, had always thought Rudeus was a complete monster. At just thirteen or fourteen, he had mastered Imperial-Level magic. But now, it seemed his younger brother, Wood Greyrat, was also a complete monster.
Imperial-Level and Saint-Level composite magic, used so casually, and with such ease that it seemed like it didn't even drain him much.
"So, your brother, like your mother Zenith, specializes in support magic?
If that's the case, our chances are even better. I don't know how powerful this 'Human God' is, but with your brother providing support, Rudeus handling the magic offense, and me, an elf swordsman, taking care of close combat, there aren't many opponents on the continent we can't handle."
Powerful mages were already rare, and those skilled in support magic like healing and blessings were even rarer.
Seeing Wood casually use Imperial-Level and Saint-Level composite support magic, Elinalise felt much more at ease.
Having a top-tier support in the team would significantly boost their survival and combat capabilities.
"It's true that Wood is better at healing magic than me, but he's not like our mother, who only specializes in healing and water magic.
Besides healing magic, he's also mastered water, fire, wind, and holy magic. Like how I developed lightning magic, he developed ice magic.
To be honest, it's a bit embarrassing. The only thing I can compare to him in is mana capacity. In terms of magical skill and technique, I'm inferior to him.
And that sword he carries isn't just for show. Besides being a master of magic, Wood is also a 'Sword King'-level swordsman."
Hearing Rudeus say this with a completely calm expression, Elinalise and Cliff's jaws dropped so wide they could have fit an entire egg.
When they saw Wood's magic earlier, they had thought that having magical talent on par with Rudeus already made Wood a complete monster.
But now, after Rudeus's explanation, Elinalise and Cliff felt that, compared to Wood, Rudeus seemed almost normal.
As for his younger brother Wood... this guy wasn't even human!
"Shocking, right? But that's the truth. Not only is he incredibly strong, but his intelligence and talent are also off the charts. From a very young age, he mastered multiple languages and possessed knowledge that most people in this world don't even know.
In terms of personality, he's humble, polite, and extremely gentle. In short, he's the embodiment of perfection. Even the most picky person would struggle to find any flaws in him."
As Rudeus spoke, he glanced at Wood, who was now comforting the imprisoned girls.
Despite having the same face, Rudeus had often envied Wood's perfection and had even idolized his younger brother.
"So, if Wood is so powerful, how did he die two years ago?"
Elinalise was puzzled. With his immense mana, incantationless magic, ability to casually use Imperial-Level magic across multiple elements, and Sword King-level swordsmanship, it was no wonder the people of the Holy Kingdom of Millis had called Wood the "Divine Emissary."
In all her years, Elinalise had never even heard of a human teenager reaching such heights of power, let alone seen one.
"Because two years ago, our opponent was the Dragon God Orsted. At the time, we were manipulated by the Human God, which led to a misunderstanding and a battle with Orsted.
Obviously, even though we were stronger than most people on the continent at the time, we were no match for Orsted.
Wood stayed behind to cover our escape and ultimately died at Orsted's hands."
The Dragon God Orsted, ranked second among the Seven Great Powers, was another legendary figure Cliff and Elinalise had only heard of.
Orsted's power was undeniable, but the fact that Wood had been able to challenge him and buy time for the others already placed him firmly in the realm of monsters, far beyond the capabilities of a normal human.
"Rudeus, they told me that since being captured here, they've never seen the so-called 'Human God.'
The person in charge here, the one who killed the Old Pope, is someone named Lartal. He's the leader of the rebel faction and claims to be the most devout follower of the Human God.
We've come up empty this time. The rebels go out hunting every few days, partly to recruit new followers and partly to capture new girls to bring here."
The previously imprisoned girls, now like frightened lambs, huddled closely behind Wood despite being comforted.
To them, Wood was the only one they could trust. He had not only saved them but also exuded a comforting, holy aura that made them feel safe.
"So, the Human God isn't here?"
Before coming here, Rudeus had mentally prepared himself to face the Human God. He had even convinced Wood to bring him along. But now, it seemed that only the Human God's followers were here?
"It's hard to say for sure. That guy doesn't have a physical form. For now, let's deal with this self-proclaimed follower of the Human God. Maybe we can get some useful information from him."
The absence of the Human God at the Millis Church was disappointing but not entirely unexpected.
If the Human God were easy to find, Orsted wouldn't have spent over two hundred lifetimes chasing him without success.
Even if the Human God wasn't here, they couldn't just ignore the situation at the Millis Church. Whatever the Human God's plans were, they needed to disrupt them.
It didn't take long for the so-called "rebel faction" to return.
There were about forty or fifty of them. They had gone out hunting magical beasts for food, captured some former "Pope faction" members, and brought back more innocent girls.
When they saw Wood and the others, Lartal, the self-proclaimed follower of the Human God, and the other rebels were surprised.
But that was all. They didn't feel the slightest bit of fear or unease.
After all, there were only four intruders, and three of them—Wood, Rudeus, and Cliff—looked like mere teenagers.
As for Elinalise, the elf swordsman, they were more interested in her beauty and allure than intimidated by her.
"There are forty-seven of them, fewer than I expected. I'll take care of seventeen, including their leader, Lartal. Can you handle the rest?" Wood asked after sizing up the enemy.
"So, each of us has to deal with ten? I can handle that. What about you, Elinalise and Cliff?"
Many of the rebel faction members were former church personnel, including some former Holy Knights.
Not all Holy Knights were as strong as Therese. Most were only intermediate-level swordsmen, which Rudeus could handle with ease. He was just worried about his friends, Cliff and Elinalise.
"I want to try... They're the ones who killed my grandfather. I can't just stand by and do nothing."
"Ten people? If it were in bed, I'd have no problem, but in a fight, it's a bit challenging.
Wood, since you're so strong, can't you take on a few more for me?"
Facing the large group of rebels, Wood's team showed no fear. Instead, they calmly discussed how to divide their opponents. This arrogant behavior naturally angered the rebels.
"These brats are pretty cocky. Trying to play the hero? You probably don't know that even the old church and the Pope were taken down by us."
"Just kill the brats, but keep the elf alive. I've never had a chance to have fun with such a beautiful elf before."
"Why kill the brats? They look so delicate. Don't you men get to have all the fun? I like tender young ones too."
Listening to the rebels' vulgar remarks, it was hard to believe that these people had once been members of the church and not just a bunch of thugs.
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