This was the first time Heinrich had seen the Pantheon headquarters since he came here to assassinate the Scribe.
Located on the outskirts of San Francisco, the place was built on what was once a large forest.
This was unavoidable since it was a gathering place for priests who served gods of various dimensions and dispositions. The conditions required for each of them were extremely different.
Wasn't it impossible for an environment that worshiped a god of fire to coexist with one that worshiped a god of water, which were polar opposites?
They also couldn't afford the land they requested in the middle of a city where land was expensive.
However, the fact that it was built on a former forest and that less than 20 years had passed since the Pantheon's establishment did not mean that it lacked infrastructure. On the contrary, the surrounding area was so prosperous that it was hard to believe it was built so recently.
'In fact, you could call it a small city. Not only the believers of each denomination but also those who wanted to receive the benefits of a god's power flocked here, and residential and commercial areas were created around it.'
It was a fresh feeling to encounter that unique sight again. But there was another thing that concerned him most right now...
"The security is... very strict, isn't it?"
The level of security was so high that it made him wonder if this was really a place where priests gathered.
'It wasn't like this when I came here last time, was it?'
Heinrich, who had been looking out the car window, swept his gaze around. The number of security barriers he had passed by so far already exceeded ten. It was at a level so high that even a transcendent being couldn't easily enter.
'And we haven't even entered the main building yet.'
The outer branches were open to outsiders. Wasn't that why he had attempted the assassination on a target that had completely left the area in the first place?
"Well, Brother Heinrich, who came from another world, may not know this, but... in fact, there was a major change at the main office recently. Since you were staying in Korea, it's your first time seeing it in person."
Priest Jason let out a deep sigh and slowly opened his mouth. The story he brought up was the sad news that one of the twelve committee members who were the representatives of the Pantheon's operations was attacked and went missing by a certain "heinous criminal organization."
"...Since then, I heard that all the alert levels have been greatly raised. Well It's like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, but doing so can still prevent further damages."
"Ah, I think I heard about that while I was in Korea, too."
"Since it was such a noisy incident. Since that incident, not only our Pantheon but also other organizations have strengthened their security even more."
Priest Jason sighed, saying that he had maintained a close relationship with the missing priest and that it was painful even to talk about him. Heinrich offered a prayer to mourn the victims with a look of regret.
'Ah! It was because of me?'
Even amid such shameless behavior, he was glad that his true feelings weren't revealed, thanks to Persona.
"Priest Jason? It's been a while. And the person you're riding with is..."
"Ah! I've been contacted in advance. Please come in quickly."
Heinrich's car went through several checks and headed straight for the central area where only priests were allowed to enter. In the process, he was able to meet many Awakened people with various abilities besides priests. The one unusual thing was that most of them were wearing unique costumes.
"The United States is the land of freedom. Unlike Korea, more vigilante heroic activities are tolerated. Of course, that also comes with a little responsibility."
Heinrich slowly turned his head and looked at the things that were moving away beyond the checkpoint. Starting with a giant wearing a green full-body spandex suit showing off his muscular physique, to a female warrior in bikini armor that seemed to have an extremely high defense if it were a game.
'The land of freedom....'
Certainly, the degree of freedom for the Awakened was higher than in Korea. The influence of the Awakened was much stronger, having a great influence not only on the Pantheon but also on the World Returnee Association headquarters located in the United States.
'The problem is that it naturally became an environment where criminals with special abilities could easily thrive.'
The people who appeared there were the so-called 'heroes.' As a country that allowed gun privatization, they had actively adopted a plan to maintain public order by issuing licenses for vigilante activities that went beyond just protecting themselves by using supernatural abilities.
'Did they say that excessive suppression, including murder, was a factor that deducted points in license issuance and renewal?'
Although the name was 'hero' and they were rewarded based on their performance, they were no different from bounty hunters, but such a gimmick was well-received by American citizens who had a passion for heroes. It was not uncommon for people to release character products or even debut in the entertainment industry directly after they became famous. In fact, it was almost a combination with the entertainment industry.
"We have arrived. This is the operational committee that decides every big and small matters of the Pantheon as a religious union of different worlds."
As if to break Heinrich's thoughts, the car that had been moving smoothly stopped. He then followed Priest Jason out of the car and looked at the building in front of him with a look of surprise. Unlike the temples with unique appearances that he had seen as he passed by so far, this building had an extremely ordinary appearance.
"This is like a neutral territory."
Just hearing that already made him feel tired. Well, it wouldn't be easy to unite so many religions into one. As a priest who also followed a god, he knew this well. Just by using divine abilities, you would be so drenched in the god's disposition that you would become self-righteous and it would be difficult to tolerate other methods.
"What? It's Jason? I haven't seen you in a while, so I thought you were finally dead since you're alive."
As if to prove that fact immediately. As they were about to enter the operational committee, a strange voice stopped them. It was a tongue-clicking sound filled with annoyance that wasn't very favorable to the listener.
"...Walter."
Priest Jason turned back to him with a hardened face. Unlike his neatly cut appearance, his clothes were baggy and his hair was unkempt, and there was even a faint smell of alcohol. A person who would have been regarded as a debauchee if not for the extremely trained physique and the brilliant eyes that could be seen through his clothes was approaching with large strides.
'Is that guy also from a holy warrior? Now that I think about it, Jason was a holy warrior, too.'
Heinrich watched with a look of excitement as Jason engaged in a tense war of nerves with the man who had just approached him, named Walter. The two's skills, which he had estimated, were close. Moreover, the gods they served seemed to have opposing dispositions, so it wasn't surprising that they had such a spiteful relationship.
'This kind of friction is not something, an outsider such as I, should get involved in.'
He was clearly a person who had come here by invitation. Taking sides just because of friendship would only make things worse. They had to solve it between themselves.
"Pah! So... you're the one who calls himself a saint?"
—He was thinking that.
An arrow suddenly flew at him.
"You're certainly great. I'm not sure if you needed to cause such a fuss and get brought in. Well, it was a mission that suited you well. Running errands to a small country I've never heard of."
"...He is a guest who represents the entire Pantheon, Walter. Act politely."
"The entire? Who's going to represent? At least I... haven't acknowledged your Quilladian[1] Church, have I?"
"Walter."
A man who was making blatant jokes as if he was determined to start a fight from the beginning. He had known from the start. Not all priests had a good personality. Not only were the gods themselves sometimes violent, but even if they served the same god, not everyone had the same personality. It was common for a human to show a duality of being cruel to others but gentle to their children, but how could it be worse for a god who was at a much higher level than that?
"You're good at that volunteering thing, aren't you? It seems you've trained yourself quite a bit. Did you want to imitate a holy warrior? Now that I think about it, I heard your nickname is White Knight."
"This is my last warning, Walter."
Since his first official visit, he had come in the robes of a major monastic order, and because of that, it seems he had been mistaken for being from a pure priesthood. Even so, he didn't expect them to start a fight so openly. And that was even against a person who clearly possessed a divine power stronger than his.
'No matter how deep their faith is, aren't they followers of a different god?'
It was such a different experience that he wasn't even angry. It meant that he could be seen as a superior officer belonging to a completely different unit. No, in some ways, he could be said to be even worse than that. This was a case of a different 'dimension' in addition to simply belonging to a different country.
"You seemed to have a pretty good body in the video. Tsk, was it all a armor-trick?'
...But his composed attitude only went so far. Perhaps because he was annoyed by his lack of reaction to the accusations, he eventually crossed the line.
"I said this is my last warning. It's a duel, Walter. Today is the day I'll definitely change your habits...."
"...Hold on, Priest Jason. Please hold on for a moment."
"Brother...?"
He stopped Jason, who was stepping forward with a hardened face, and took a slow breath. He couldn't just ignore the words he had just heard and let them pass.
Heinrich looked down at his arms. Next, he looked at his chest, abdomen, and legs. And wherever he looked, he once again noticed that his volume had greatly decreased compared to before, and he quietly closed his eyes.
'I never imagined that becoming an angel would cause this kind of side effect.'
An angel. A messenger who conveys God's will. The change that came to him now was a kind of racial characteristic. It had been progressing slowly but steadily ever since he became an angel. Of course, only the size was reduced, but his physical abilities did not decrease. The power he could exert per unit area had increased due to extreme pressure, and the shape of his muscles also changed to an ideal shape, so it could be seen as an evolution.
But this was never what he wanted.
'Muscle loss! Muscle loss! My wonderful muscles that I worked so hard to build and maintain!'
In some ways, Heinrich's attachment to his muscles was a natural thing. Unlike Halley, who could control his body as he pleased and shape it as he wanted, wasn't Heinrich's muscles the result of his own creation from beginning to end?
'How long did it take!'
—It didn't take that long thanks to divine power doping.
'The result of all that effort!'
—It wasn't painful or boring thanks to Mind Hub.
'It's a shame to lose something like this...is it a joke?'
—That is absolutely the truth!
How hard did he have to work to bulk up again after that? However, this cursed racial characteristic did not allow his body to return to its previous state. But what this person named Walter said just now was denying all the efforts he had made so far...
"You said it was a duel. Can I do it myself?"
"...Of course you can."
"Is there any procedure needed?"
"Even after all this, we are all people who serve God. There is no other procedure needed than to pledge to compete fairly in the name of God and accept the results."
"That's good."
It was truly refreshing and he liked it. Perhaps this was the secret to the Pantheon's ability to maintain its reputation for a long time. Of course, to do that, it was necessary to make the opponent accept it obediently.
"Heh! A duel. Do you think I'd accept that? Why would I, when I'll lose no matter if I win or lose?"
Even if the opponent's divine power was higher than his, it was a great humiliation in itself for a holy warrior who had a combat job to have a duel with a healing priest who had a non-combat job. To the holy warriors of Quilladia, a priest was something to be protected, not fought and defeated.
And Heinrich, as a holy warrior, knew how to properly provoke his opponent in a time like this.
"Hmm, it seems you're scared. I see. You'll have to understand. But the Quilladian Church seems to have a very broad doctrine?"
"Heh?"
Provoking in the name of the one who represents religious authority should never be tolerated. Walter, who frowned without thinking that he had started the argument, burst into laughter.
And then—.
Whoosh—!
He reached out his hand like lightning toward Heinrich's face. Of course, he didn't really intend to hit him. He just wanted to show this fearless, self-proclaimed saint the true power of a holy warrior and the fear of a warrior who had reached the end of his mastery.
And so...
Thud—!
He couldn't help but harden his face as he felt a shock at his fingertips.
'What?'
For the first time since he came here, he was flustered. He had only intended to stop just in front of his face this time, too, but he didn't really intend to get hit.
'Did I fail to adjust the distance?'
No, there was no way. As always, his senses were perfect. Then the opponent is deceiving his senses... no? His mind was suddenly a mess from the sudden situation.
'Damn it, this wasn't in my calculations.'
This was a completely different level from the argument they had been having so far. Hadn't he suddenly gotten saved in front of a guest who had come to the Pantheon even though the duel hadn't even started properly? Looking at the repulsion he felt in his hand, it didn't seem like he had been greatly harmed by divine power, but what was important now was that he had used his hand first.
'...I'll leave this place for now. I need to make a new plan. Damn it, it seems to have been broken too much.'
The Pantheon was a collection of countless religious denominations. Naturally, there were various factions made up of people with similar dispositions and doctrines, and the people on the 12th committee were no exception. A little time had passed since Adeline Schneider, who was a member of the 12th committee, disappeared, so the election of the next member was scheduled to be held soon. If he wanted to fill that seat with someone from his faction, he had to lay the groundwork now...
So he was too embarrassed to think deeply. What kind of trick did the opponent use to shake his sense of distance?
And it wasn't long before he didn't even have time to think.
Kwaang—!
"Whoa!"
It was because a sudden physical impact shook his head. He was momentarily dazed by the unrecognizable blow.
"You hit me first. This is self-defense, right?"
Beyond his thoughts that were slowly starting to return, a voice was vaguely heard.
'How?'
A single question came to mind.
He soon found out the reason.
"So you said you wondered why I wore armor?"
It wasn't that his hair was stiff and he couldn't move well.
"From now on, I will engrave the reason for you, clearly and distinctly, one step at a time."
Through the body's conversation, which was still full of liveliness.
[1] Main God Church maybe