"He is a god, or more precisely, a higher level of existence far beyond the understanding of ordinary people." Karl emphasized this word, his gaze sweeping over each face.
"His power can be considered divine art, but it is fundamentally different from the magical spells you know. Magic-blocking gold is useless against him."
This explanation made many sorcerers in the crowd frown. Is magic-blocking gold ineffective?
This means that one of their most effective methods of countering magic is completely useless.
"As for the characteristics of his power... leaning towards curses, corruption, and defilement."
"His power destroys the minds and bodies of those who encounter him, but the most difficult part is on the spiritual level."
He raised a finger and gently tapped his temple: "Its mental effects are continuous, accompanied by strong 'cognitive distortion.'"
"This distortion is not just an illusion or hallucination, but the forced implantation of some... 'knowledge' that does not belong to ordinary understanding."
"A 'concept' or 'form of being' is directly embedded in your consciousness."
"You can imagine forcibly stuffing a book written in ancient languages, filled with countless knowledge, into an ant's head."
"Whether that ant understands or accepts it,"
"its brain collapses because it cannot carry, understand, and process the vast amount of information."
"Any being that looks directly at Him or is exposed to His power for a long time will gradually go mad, and their bodies will undergo uncontrollable mutations."
"It may grow extra, non-species-appropriate limbs, organs may dislocate or multiply, flesh melts into some indescribable form..."
As Karl described, the atmosphere on the training ground became increasingly tense.
Triss instinctively clenched her fists, Yennefer pressed her lips together, and even the usually calm Geralt frowned even more.
Mousesack's face was even grimmer. Druids are closely connected to nature and feel an instinctive revulsion to this "corruption" and "distortion."
Hen listened quietly, frowning, unconsciously twisting the hem of his robe.
After Karl finished speaking, he looked up and asked deeply: "Judging by your description, his power... is almost like a plague."
"But the ways of communication are more diverse, direct, and less controllable?"
"And not through bodily fluids or air, but through 'perception' and 'cognition' itself?"
Karl snapped his fingers, smiled in agreement, and said: "Correct, Teacher. You can understand it that way."
"Looking directly at Him, sensing His presence, or even touching areas or objects infected by His power can become paths of 'infection.'"
"This is conceptual contamination, and traditional isolation has limited effectiveness."
Hen nodded, but his expression did not relax; instead, it became even more serious.
Then he asked one of the most important questions: "So, what exactly is his 'mental intensity'?"
"More precisely, what is the approximate level of his mental contamination?"
"We need to judge based on this – whether it depends on one's own willpower and protective spells to resist directly,"
"or to prepare powerful mental protection artifacts in advance... and avoid direct contact."
This question hits the nail on the head; different coping strategies require completely different preparations and resource investments.
Karl's gaze swept over everyone present: Geralt, Triss, Yennefer, Keira, Mousesack...
His gaze finally returned to Hen, and he slowly shook his head.
"His spiritual level far surpasses that of ordinary people."
Karl's voice was calm, but what he said made everyone feel even more pressure.
"Even projections or avatars have a 'height' to their spiritual essence that surpasses you among all present..."
He paused, his gaze lingering on Hen and Tissaia: "Only you, Teacher, and Miss Tissaia, combined with mental protection artifacts,"
"could possibly remain under his direct influence for a longer period."
"This could take tens of minutes, or it could be less, depending on the intensity of his 'output' and the distance he reaches."
Then Karl's gaze shifted to Margarita and Mousesack.
"Margarita, Mousesack, your mental strength is second only to Hen and Miss Tissaia."
"But when you face Him, you might be able to resist for only a few minutes, unless He deliberately targets you."
"And the rest... the gap is too great, and if you encounter Him without protection,"
"it is very likely that after a single encounter, the cognitive contamination will instantly cause them to collapse and turn into mad mutants."
Karl's words were extremely blunt, even somewhat harsh, dividing everyone's "tolerance level" and openly pointing out the disparity in power.
And also including Geralt, Triss, Yennefer, and others praised as "too far apart" and "falling after one encounter."
There was no trace of contemptuous anger or doubt on their faces; their expressions only became more serious and grave.
Because all of them, to some extent, had witnessed Karl's inhuman power.
Duels with golden dragons, taming the fierce Spitfire Demon, even speed and flying opponents, teleportation...
They understood Karl's power much more clearly than others.
Karl would never exaggerate or deliberately demean them in matters of life and death.
His assessment is inevitably based on a calm evaluation of the strengths of both sides.
Hen exchanged a glance with Tissaia beside him. Hen's expression became somewhat serious as he processed and weighed the information Karl had given him.
Tissaia remained calm and composed.
But her inner self was far less calm than her appearance.
"Hen, your student... what he says is too often... not real?" Tissaia's voice echoed in Hen's mind – a common telepathy among sorcerers.
"He seemed confident that he would fight the 'Evil God' alone. Could this confidence be a little... too much?"
There was a barely perceptible doubt in her voice: "Moreover, 'deity'... the very concept is questionable."
"Historically, many have called themselves deities or been considered gods, but most were elven sages, monsters, or nature spirits like nymphs."
"Is he sure that what he saw with his own eyes was a 'god,' and not an illusion carefully woven by the nymph to achieve some purpose?"
Hen did not answer Tissaia immediately. He just cast a sideways glance at his old friend, his gaze deep and intense, indicating that she should not worry.
At that moment, Margarita, who always wore a light smile and looked lazy, seemed to "inadvertently" take a step forward.
At this moment, the distance between her and Karl had shrunk to less than half a meter.