God of Soul Judgment
And [Sunlight Scripture] is an expert in this area.
But don't be fooled into thinking this organization is huge; in fact, the total number of people is no more than a hundred, because those who can join must be the elite among humans and wholeheartedly advocate the ideals of the Slane Theocracy!
—If this happened on Earth, it would be considered extreme racism. Even the Third Reich wouldn't allow people with wavering beliefs to join the Gestapo, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to withstand so many dark events.
Regardless of their stance, this group is quite powerful, with almost all of its members being third-tier True Magic —officially known in this world as "Magic Caster."
Interestingly, the True Magic system in this world, like that of a certain video game, has an extremely strict ranking system, divided by "rank".
(This is probably due to the influence of time travelers like the "Six Gods".)
Among Magic Caster, the vast majority can only use first-tier True Magic.
Those who can use the second rank are highly sought-after members of the Adventurer's Guild, with various teams vying to invite them.
The third rank is considered to be "the highest level for ordinary True Magic," and breaking through this stage makes one a true genius!
Historically, some individuals have achieved mastery of seventh-tier True Magic through various means, including intermarriage with other races, ancient Demonic Path, and forbidden spells—the price they paid is unimaginable. Even so, some question this, believing the legends are exaggerated and that it's at most sixth-tier.
This shows that those Magic Caster are definitely the backbone of humanity, and there are nearly three digits of such people in the [Sunlight Scripture]!
The entire [Six-Colored Scripture] contains hundreds of such scriptures, and its profound depth far exceeds the imagination of outsiders!
If that were the case, the Slane Theocracy would have been fully capable of launching a legitimate war of annexation, but it might have been hampered by internal factions or by its "human supremacy" ideology.
Now, this formidable force stands before the Warrior Captain of the "Kingdom of Riester" —Gazef Stronoff.
"I don't want to do this either, but it's a necessary sacrifice to fulfill a great mission. Die gloriously, Gazef Warrior Captain!"
"It's Slane Theocracy, not an empire... Is that so? You want to undermine the Re-Estize Kingdom's situation, create an opportunity for the empire, and then reap the benefits?"
Gazef assumed a ready stance for martial arts, his eyes firm and fearless.
Compared to Magic Caster, martial artists in this world don't have as many skills to learn, but some of them can elevate their years of honed martial arts to a divine Bleach, forming profound mysteries that are as As One Pleases as innate skills, which are known to the world as "martial arts techniques".
And Gazef is a combat master who created martial arts techniques!
"Bring it on!"
"What a pity... Die!"
The battle dragged on for a long time. Gazef's bravery was unexpected, even surprising the elites of the Sunlight Scripture. They never imagined that someone could use such seemingly simple moves to repeatedly break through True Magic attacks and dodge them like a prophet...
However, the difference in strength was ultimately too great. After the [Sunlight Scripture] had killed all the accompanying knights, the Warrior Captain, covered in blood, could barely stand on the ground, leaning on his longsword. His once sturdy and durable armor had become tattered and torn.
"Hmm!"
With blurred vision, Gazef looked around in a daze, his subordinates' corpses coming into view one by one. Their vibrant lives had been so easily trampled on!
At that moment, he suddenly felt regret:
If he had died in a fair fight on the battlefield, that would have been one thing. But these people clearly died for him, and the guilt over it suffocated him!
He underestimated the danger of the situation... If he had known that the other side was the madmen of the [Sunlight Scripture], he should have been tougher and kept all his men in the village!
"You've used your martial arts skills too many times. As far as I know, even those abilities put a tremendous strain on the body. In the past, you could use the equipment bestowed by the king to increase your limits, but now you only have ordinary armor... It's over. Just accept your fate!"
"Hateful!"
At that Flash Step, Nigun, whose body was pulsating with subtle magical energy, suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the distant forest, where two figures were appearing.
"Who are you people? What a terrifying aura you exudes!"
Nigun gritted his teeth, a sight that made all the Magic Caster in the squad tense.
Nigun's eyes widened, and he even used a special tool that could detect the other party's Magic Power, determined to see what these two strangers really were.
Iori didn't look at anything, but simply followed the other person's gaze and glanced back. Their eyes met for Flash Step fleeting moment:
"Vomit!!!"
Nigun, the commander of the [Sunlight Scripture] and Magic Caster himself, suddenly lost control and knelt on the ground, vomiting violently...
"Team, Captain?!"
The people from [Sunlight Scripture] panicked and quickly pulled Nigun up.
Gazef turned to look at Iori and Sebas with a forced smile, a bitter expression on his face.
Although it looks like he's dead, he's the only survivor in the entire unit... Sigh!
"Captain! Was that an attack? What could have made you like this?"
"How is this possible... how is this possible!!!"
Nigun managed to control himself, but his muscles were trembling all over, and he could no longer care about his companions' problems.
He possessed exceptional perception and detection True Magic... but how he wished he were blind, so he wouldn't be able to see such a desperate scene!
Magic... magic that's exaggerated to the extreme!
Nigun didn't see anything particularly "magnificent." In fact, Iori emitted almost no magical energy, not even as much as Sebas.
—What Nigun saw was "distortion".
That person was like a walking celestial body, whose magic power was compressed to the extreme, and had already possessed actual "mass". As a result, any free magic power in the atmosphere that came near Iori would suddenly "freeze" as if it were affected by something.
Human? No, this is definitely something disguised as a human!
"Monster! Don't come any closer... don't come any closer—don't come near me!!!"
Chapter 345 The God of Soul Judgment.
"That's strange. We were just passing by; we're not your enemies. At most, we've only met a few people once. Why are you reacting like this?"
Iori looked at Sebas: "Do I look scary?"
"..."
Sebas paused, unsure of what to say for a moment.
"Lord Aizen is undoubtedly a handsome man."
"I feel so embarrassed~"
Iori laughed lightly.
They were talking amongst themselves, and the leader of the [Sunlight Scripture] was on the verge of a breakdown!
His strength is not weak, but precisely because of this, he sees more than ordinary people. From the perspective of a Magic Caster, Iori is an existence that cannot be described in words.
Since his birth, Captain Nigun has seen countless great figures, the strongest of whom even broke through the limits of mortals and possessed the power that could be called "demigod"—but he was still far inferior to the monster before him!
When Iori turned her gaze towards him, she gave him a brief, indifferent glance—
"Damn it!!!"
In an instant, Nigun felt his hands and feet turn icy cold, his heart was gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and every cell in his body was screaming wildly to leave.
Nigun's intuition told him that if things continued like this, he would definitely end up in a miserable state!
But as God's most faithful believers, we must not back down here. It is time to show our resolve in order to complete the great blueprint of the Slane Theocracy!
"All hands! Unleash your full magic power, activate the spell—Summon Angel!"
Without any hesitation, Nigun shouted.
Almost as soon as the words were spoken, all the members of [Sunlight Scripture] stretched out their hands, and a dazzling light shone from their palms.
"Buzz—!"
With a tremor, True Magic circles spun out from in front of the priests and landed on the ground like branding marks.
It was like a gateway to another dimension; within the pure white ring, white figures slowly emerged—
It was a familiar that was fully equipped with pure white armor, perfectly combining metal and humanoid form, just like a construct armor in a science fiction work.
Their genders are indistinguishable, but they all have shimmering wings on their backs and hold longswords that appear to be made of flames.
That figure could indeed be called an "angel," but unlike the traditional "messengers of God," it clearly incorporated some "popular elements," weakening the sense of holiness.
Bang!
Sebas landed three meters in front of Iori, expressionless, and assumed the fighting stance of a martial monk. Although he was only wearing a suit, his aura was as unshakeable as a castle forged of steel.
"Attack!"
Nigun hysterically uttered words filled with murderous intent.
In response, everyone in the [Sunlight Scripture] shouted in unison, "Attack!"
Buzz!
The dense, whistling sound was like a buzzing of bees amplified a thousand times. Those beings that Nigun called angels broke the sound barrier with a flap of their wings and took to the air, holding Flame Longsword in their hands.
Gazef's eyes widened. "There are still so many..."
"Wow, this scene is like something out of a myth; it's quite spectacular."
Unlike the Warrior Captain, Iori was not alarmed. Instead, she commented with great interest.
A fiery arrow of light pierced the sky and struck!
"Drink!"
Without Sebas making any move, a slight tremor in his body sent out a tangible shockwave that dispersed the Heavenly Fire sky.
The butler, who looked like an old man, possessed immense strength that belied his appearance. After deflecting the first wave of attacks, he took a half-step forward and threw a punch as casually as if it were part of his daily training.
Bang!
An angel exploded in mid-air!
"What?! What kind of martial art is this?!"
"Impossible! That's an 'angel,' and she's so far away... I don't believe it! There's no such martial art in this world!"
Although "Angel Summoning" is only a third-tier True Magic, the combat power of the Steel Angel far exceeds that of a single True Magic. Theoretically, it can be used as a Magic Caster, and a heavily armored one at that.
To blow such a familiar apart in mid-air? And with martial arts techniques?
Are you kidding me!
If warriors' martial arts skills reach this level, then what's the point of True Magic!
"Everyone be careful not to be fooled. That old man must be a seasoned Magic Caster. He deliberately made those casting gestures to intimidate us and keep us from getting close—melee combat is to our advantage!"
At Nigun's command, the angels in the sky all assumed the posture of swooping down like poisonous bees, and their glowing Flame Longsword were like poisonous stings that could pierce through rocks!
Sebas remained fearless. As a "monk," he needed no weapons; he could deal with any enemy with just his fists and superb agility.
Distance and armor are not a problem at all!
However, this method was somewhat slow, which made someone impatient.
"Fall!"
With a wave of his hand, Iori "scooped up" sparkling gems from the void. As soon as these beautiful little things touched his palm, they were as if they had been crushed by a hydraulic press, instantly turning into fine sand and scattering in the air.
The view looked as if Iori had scattered a galaxy of stars...
In an instant, all the angels that had been rushing toward Iori lost their sense of direction, bumping into each other like headless flies, and then falling to the ground!
Like dying Insects, they twitched a few times, supporting the steel joints, but ultimately shattered like glass, dissipating into Magic Particles...
"..."
[Sunlight Scripture] Everyone was stunned.
If Sebas's previous punch could be explained as some kind of True Magic, then Iori's casual wave of the hand, which dealt with the Angel Group—a group capable of easily wiping out an entire city—is completely incomprehensible.
To achieve this, you would need fifth-tier... no, sixth-tier, or even seventh-tier True Magic, right?
That's Bleach that Mortal Race can't reach!
How could you possibly run into such a ruthless person just by chance in this godforsaken place?!
Even if we take a step back and say that such a powerful person would help Gazef, why would they help him? All Magic Caster above the sixth rank are transcendent beings. If they wish, they can become the teachers of kings and be respected by a nation. If they dislike them, they can simply wave their hands and leave. No one in the world can stop them.
"You..."
Nigun stared intently at Iori and spoke in a low voice.
"Who exactly are you? And what was that True Magic just now...?"