From a fracture in space itself, a figure descended—wings of radiant white unfurled behind him. The moment his voice thundered, the skies above central Pelion Forest trembled with divine resonance.
"No one escapes from here. "—
"Oh yeah?" came a furious roar in return. "Then you'll have to step over my corpse before you dare speak like that, you damned bastard from the Celestial Church!"
Clutching the three research tomes left to him by Leonard, demian ran without stopping—his feet pounding against scorched soil, breath ragged, heart hammering.
Behind him, the clash echoed across the sky.
Each time a tremor shook the earth, each time light burst from the heavens like falling stars, it was because the old man Leonard—was still holding them back.
Shielding him.
Buying him time.
Every strike that should have reached Demian was intercepted, deflected, consumed by flames and willpower. Leonard, the blazing knight, stood tall against the fury of a Cardinal, sacrificing more of his soul with each passing second.
Leonard, clad in the blazing armor of the Fourth Phase Sunfire Knight, activated a forbidden ritual. Raising his arms toward the heavens, he bellowed,
"Deus Magnus Helios, da mihi maiorem virtutem mutuo, pretio animae huius servi!"
(Great God Helios, grant me greater power on loan, at the price of this servant's soul!)
Flames erupted from Leonard's body as his flesh burned away, transforming him into a living fire skeleton. His power surged to match the Sixth Phase—this was the hallmark of the forbidden mystic art of the Church of the Blazing Sun: a sacrifice of the soul for overwhelming power. Yet, once the soul was completely consumed, the user would vanish from existence—no reincarnation, no afterlife.
"Hand of Helios—!"
In an instant, flames consumed the heart of Pelion Forest. Trees ignited. Life withered. The very essence of the forest was drained into a fiery inferno.
This was the Domain of a Sixth Phase evolution—a personal realm shaped by divine blessing. For followers of Helios, it was called the 'Hand of Helios', a burning dominion that siphoned all life in its reach to fuel limitless mystic power.
"Hah! Foolish Blazing Sun Church…"
A cold, mocking voice pierced the inferno.
"You think borrowed power makes you my equal? I am a true Sixth Phase evolution—you're just a fool playing with death."
From the rift in the sky emerged a man clad in silver-white ceremonial armor. He hovered, eyes aglow with divine authority.
"Allow me to introduce myself—
I am Cardinal Theodore Lucian Gray of the Celestial Church. I have come to purge this world of sinners.
Samuel Leonard, you are one such heretic. My god has ordered your annihilation."
"Voice of the Cosmos—!"
Theodore released his own Domain. Celestial echoes sang from the heavens. The sky shifted; the elements bent to his will. The 'Voice of the Cosmos'—a Domain unique to the Celestial Church—clashed violently against the Hand of Helios, pressing down with divine judgment.
Far away, Demian had fled the battlefield, but even at that distance, he felt the shockwaves of their confrontation. The land quaked. The sky boiled. Beasts of the forest scattered in terror.
Demian's breath came in ragged gasps, panic surging through him—alongside unbearable guilt. He had left his teacher behind.
Then a voice rose—faint, echoing from the fire behind him.
"Run, boy… Run as far as you can. Protect the three books… Study them. That is all your teacher can do for you now. This may be farewell… Guard them well. And keep everything secret…"
"No… No! Master! You were going to see me fulfill your research! Why are you leaving me behind!"
As Demian screamed, a massive explosion erupted at the heart of Pelion Forest. The shockwave blasted through the trees, flinging him backward into the trunk of an old oak. His vision blurred.
"M-Ma… Master…" he muttered.
Then everything went black.
---
Back in Western Rosenthal—Bentley Estate
The explosion echoed even here.
A man in his forties, muscular and broad-shouldered like a warrior, stood at the window, watching the distant plume of smoke rise from the forest.
Richard Bentley, head of the Bentley family and a Fourth Phase Evolutionary of the Church of the God of War, narrowed his eyes.
"That explosion… Pelion Forest."
His voice rumbled like a stormcloud—firm, commanding, laced with dread.
---
The Next Morning – Deep in Pelion Forest
Demian awoke. Agony pulsed through every limb. His wounds—burns old and new—throbbed with raw pain.
Groaning, he forced himself upright and staggered toward the scattered remnants of the books Leonard had entrusted him.
He examined each one.
"Good… they're intact."
The first book detailed the mysteries of his own mystic core.
The second was a compilation of research on the nine major Churchesand their divine mystic characteristics.
The third documented a visionary project—the fusion of mystic power and technology.
Demian flipped open the second book...
---
—Page I—
The Nine Churches of the World Mystic Evolution and Divine Characteristics
There are nine great Churches in this world. Each is led by a High Pontiff, and each Church follows a different god. Those who receive divine blessings become known as Evolutionaries, progressing through "nine Phases".
Phases 1 to 3—"100.000-399.000 Mystic Energy"
The evolutionary begins to harmonize with mystic energy. They gain access to basic spells, spiritual techniques, and faint reflections of their god's aspect. Both body and soul undergo early strengthening.
Phase 4—"400.000-499.000 Mystic Energy"
The evolutionary receives a full-body mystic armor. Its elemental nature reflects the aspect of the god they serve.
Phase 5—"500.000-599.000 Mystic Energy"
The evolutionary can hear, interpret, and sometimes speak the god's will. Mystic power doubles.
Phase 6—"600.000-699.999 Mystic Energy"
The user manifests a personal "Domain" a territory where divine laws override worldly ones, molded by their god's essence.
Phase 7—"700.000-799.999 Mystic Energy"
The physical body is refined—transfigured to resemble their deity more purely.
Phase 8—"800.000-899.999 Mystic Energy"
They can borrow fragments of Ninth Phase power, tapping into the Half-God Incarnation.
Phase 9—"900.000-999.999 Mystic Energy"
The evolutionary becomes a being between mortal and divine. Their existence begins to warp reality itself. They transcend time and age—preparing to ascend to a higher plane, serving their god as generals or angels.
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