"Boom…"
As they beheld the vast, collapsed plain, the entire world seemed to fall into silence. Only when thunder rumbled once more did people finally awaken from their stupor.
"What… what kind of power is this?"
"Magic… can magic even do that?"
On the Sacred Plain, the massive fingerprint had landed with unimaginable precision, skimming the very edge of the place where the wizards were gathered.
Had it shifted even slightly, the thousands of chained wizards there would have been annihilated as well.
It was only after the tremors in the earth subsided that the wizards near the edge of the imprint regained their senses.
Trembling, staring at the sight before them in disbelief, they thought: even the most powerful forbidden curses could never cause such devastation.
Not to mention…
What had been killed was nothing less than one of the greatest forces in the world.
"No… that wasn't magic at all. There was no mana reaction…" Standing in the swaying cold rain, Gray stared dazedly at the distant, cloaked figure hovering in the sky, speaking with grave certainty.
Around him, many sharp-eyed wizards shared the same thought.
Though tormented along the way, they could still sense the existence of mana. Normally, the stronger the spell, the more violent the surge of magical energy it caused.
But the strike unleashed by that mysterious figure was utterly strange.
It was pure, absolute power.
In the face of such power, all magic seemed like nothing more than fancy tricks.
Far to the north, in the Holy City.
Countless white-robed priests and nuns stared into the distance. From their vantage point, they could faintly see the outline of that colossal fingerprint. Their shock only deepened.
"Can mortals truly wield such power?" In that moment, the same thought surfaced in countless priests' minds.
Confronted with this indescribable might, even their ability to think seemed to falter.
Only when thunder roared again were they jolted back. Including Archbishop Xisai, all suddenly realized a terrifying truth:
The Templar Knights guarding the Holy City had been wiped out.
What would happen next?
If even legion-level spells could not withstand a single strike from that terrifying "wizard," then what of the entire Holy City?
Even if every high-ranking bishop gathered, even if the old Pope himself took action… it seemed impossible to withstand such inhuman power.
As his thoughts churned, a chill crept into Xisai's heart, the shadow of death enveloping them all.
"No!!!"
But just as fear threatened to consume them, before Lin Tuo in the distant heavens could act again—
A voice, at once furious and terrified, rang in everyone's ears.
Xisai spun around. On the great cathedral at the very heart of the Holy City, the Pope had appeared without warning.
At this moment, the man who was always so dignified and solemn—the continent's foremost figure of power—was utterly undone. Like a madman, he screamed in anguish, as if unable to accept what was happening.
"Your Holiness…" Some priests near the cathedral instinctively tried to speak.
But in the next second, their faces froze.
For as the Pope's voice fell, an even harsher, more frenzied cry erupted throughout the city:
"Damn you! I'll kill you!!"
The voice was faintly unreal, tainted with an indescribable psychic corruption, shrill and piercing.
Like claws screeching across slate, it made all who heard it instinctively clutch their ears in pain.
At that moment, black mist surged violently from a prayer chamber in the central cathedral.
The fog was vast and dense, engulfing the building in an instant.
And the frenzied Pope seemed utterly unsurprised.
Within a single breath, the black mist devoured the central district, swallowing all within, before rapidly swelling outward to blanket the city.
"Ahh!!"
"What is that?!"
"Defensive spells don't work!"
"Run! Run!!"
The horrifying sight made countless white-robed priests forget even Lin Tuo on the plain, fleeing in terror.
But the mist spread too quickly.
Before Lin Tuo could react, it had swallowed the entire Holy City.
"No!"
At the city's edge, when Archbishop Xisai sensed the corruption hidden within the blackness, he immediately invoked the Light of Purification.
In an instant, he shone like a sun.
Beams of holy radiance tore into the darkness.
Yet even with all his strength, the Archbishop lasted only a few breaths before screaming.
Corrupted, the mana in his body poured out wildly, like water draining from a sponge.
Within moments, he was dead, reduced to a lifeless husk.
And what of the tens of thousands of lesser priests in the city?
As the mist expanded, every living being in the Holy City perished in an instant.
Their Ether was stripped away and consumed, while the high clergy, already tainted, willingly unleashed their own power into it.
"What… is this?"
Hovering above the Sacred Plain, Lin Tuo shifted his awareness back to his avatar, eyes narrowing.
Now he finally understood the deadly premonition he had sensed before.
The force corrupting the entire Church had indeed been lurking within the city—and now it had exploded forth.
On the ground, the wizards panicked at the city's transformation.
Lin Tuo's gaze locked on the depths of the fog.
In the next moment, his eyes widened.
The Pope.
As the city's populace was drained of life, a colossal "Pope" emerged from the blackness.
Yes—a giant Pope.
A towering figure a hundred meters tall!
And still growing.
At first only several dozen meters, his body swelled as streams of black energy poured in. Within moments, he loomed higher than the cathedral spires.
He stood over the Holy City like a monstrous doll placed in a model town.
Not only his body—his ornate robes, crown, and scepter had all expanded as well.
But his eye sockets were pits of pure darkness, and from the pores of his skin spilled thick, writhing black threads. Just to look upon him was dizzying, nauseating, terrifying.
Lin Tuo felt both instinctive revulsion and grim solemnity.
Without even fighting, he could sense how dangerous this giant was.
Far more dangerous than the Templar Knights had ever been.
Through his true body, aided by the sandbox, he could clearly see the Ether gathering around the monstrous Pope.
"Die!"
The giant spoke.
The warped voice alone made many wizards collapse to the ground.
"Boom!"
And as he spoke, the hundred-meter giant strode forward toward Lin Tuo.
Each step shook the earth, collapsing churches and palaces alike.
Within moments, the Holy City was nothing but ruins.
"Run! Run!"
"It's coming!!"
On the plain, the wizards screamed, trying to flee—but the chains binding them, and their frail bodies, slowed them down.
"Daddy…"
Among them, Gray's face went pale as he clutched his daughter, trying to hide her in a collapsed pit. But the chains dragged him back, and he fell. All he could do was shield Annie with his body.
Then he looked desperately skyward.
But to his horror, the cloaked figure had vanished.
"He… he left us…"
The thought spread through the wizards' hearts.
Sorrowful, but not unexpected.
Yes, even the one who had annihilated the Templars must flee from this terror.
In the end… no one escapes death.
Resigned, many wizards sat down, staring blankly at the towering figure striding toward them, waiting for the end.
Meanwhile, the giant Pope halted mid-step, the black fog surging in his hollow eyes as he searched for his missing prey.
"Gone… he's gone… Impossible…"
He muttered, growing ever more agitated.
The black threads lashed violently in the air, reflecting his rage.
"How?! Why can't I sense you?!"
Roaring, the Pope raised his scepter, unleashing a wave of rippling force that swept across hundreds of kilometers.
Yet no trace appeared.
That irresistible "feast" had vanished before his eyes!
Enraged, his fractured mind grew even wilder. Fixating on the helpless wizards, he strode toward them, intending to vent his fury.
At Lishan Dojo, in his study.
Lin Tuo watched the Pope's madness with an impassive face.
He had already retrieved his avatar.
Leaving it in the sandbox before such a bizarre abomination would be nothing but reckless.
This enormous target would be best dealt with using his true body—through a dimensional strike.
"Fool. Making yourself this big… just makes it easier to lock onto you," Lin Tuo sneered, though he did not prepare his fists.
Some instinct told him that crushing it with his body would be dangerous, even if successful.
Like a sane man would never crush a venomous insect barehanded.
"Fine then. A good chance to test the weapon I prepared."
He opened a drawer and drew out a slender, unremarkable piece of metal.
It was small enough to fit in his palm.
In truth—it looked like nothing more than a laser pointer.
But not the harmless toys sold online.
This was one that far exceeded safety limits—a laser cannon, in all but name.
He remembered receiving it as a graduation gift from his military-enthusiast roommate, who had sternly warned him never to shine it at a living body.
Indeed, it was close to a controlled weapon.
Lin Tuo had once tested it: paper, cloth, wood—instantly ignited.
Recognizing its danger, he had stored it away for years.
Until yesterday, when preparing for possible threats, he had dug it out again.
"Did you really think I couldn't deal with you?"
Murmuring, Lin Tuo positioned the "laser cannon" over the sandbox's target and pressed the switch.
A thin green beam shot forth, piercing the clouds, lancing straight toward the "oversized ant" below.
"He's coming…"
On the Sacred Plain, the giant Pope had finally stepped beyond the city's ruined walls, advancing toward the despairing wizards.
At that moment, hidden beneath Gray, Annie peeked with one eye skyward—and gasped.
"Daddy… look… what's that?"
What… was that?
The hopeless wizards raised their eyes.
Suddenly, the gloomy heavens changed.
The entire sky seemed stained with green.
The rain clouds turned to dark jade, suffused with a searing, destructive power.
"Boom…"
A final thunderclap.
And then the rain vanished.
At the city's edge, the giant Pope froze, sensing something, and raised his head.
Because of his size, his face was close to the green clouds.
And there, in his vision, in the far-off cosmos—a green sun blazed into life.
"BOOM!!!"
A dazzling, terrifying beam split the sky, illuminating the continent—and engulfed the colossal Pope.
In an instant, steam exploded from the ground.
The Pope screamed in agony, his magnificent robes turned to ash.
The infernal heat burned through wrinkled skin, ignited his blood and flesh.
Under the relentless beam, the mountain-sized body began to crumble and collapse, his howls echoing across half the continent.
The sight was so shocking that even distant cities across the Drey Kingdom saw the emerald beam and heard the dreadful wail.
"The Holy City! What happened at the Holy City?!"
In the capital, citizens froze in the streets, staring toward the beam before averting their eyes.
In the palace, griffin riders were dispatched at once to investigate.
Yet even as the flying beasts rose into the sky, the beam vanished.
And with it, the screams—and the giant Pope.
On the Sacred Plain.
The rain had stopped.
The beam had not only slain the Pope, but also burned away the clouds.
Once more, sunlight shone upon the world.
Thousands of wizards, who had looked away as the beam fell, now turned back.
The monstrous figure was gone.
Only the ruined city remained—and, by its walls, a small mountain of black ash.
And above it—
The familiar, yet alien, cloaked figure hovered once more.
A brief silence.
Then, as sunlight poured across the spring evening after rain, thousands of wizards broke into a cheer.
They had survived.