The Sunlight Scripture was one of the Slane Theocracy's six secret forces. Joining it required passing an extremely rigorous selection process. First came magic: every member of this secret force was a divine-magic caster.
Only those capable of using third-tier divine magic qualified to join. Incidentally, third tier was the limit for ordinary magic casters, which showed just how difficult it was to enter this force.
Members also needed exceptional physical fitness and strong minds. Since the entire force consisted of magic casters, they were expected to have the physiques of warriors as well.
In short, the Sunlight Scripture was the elite of the elite. But a force like that would not be assigned to assassinate someone like Gazef Stronoff.
That sort of task should have gone to the Black Scripture, whose members were all "hero"-rank. Unfortunately, the Black Scripture was currently undertaking an extremely classified mission, so the Sunlight Scripture squad—which usually focused solely on clearing demihuman tribes—had been left to handle this one.
Although this assignment was unlike their usual missions, Nigun, the squad's commander, understood that Gazef Stronoff was an important part of the Theocracy's plans for the future.
The Slane Theocracy had never regarded other human nations as its enemies. Its enemies were only demihumans and heteromorphic races. In this land, humanity was weak, its living space squeezed into the continent's northwestern corner.
That corner also faced plenty of threats from demihumans, but there were safe places too. The Re-Estize Kingdom, for example, lay in the heart of human territory, with few demihuman threats nearby. The Theocracy had once hoped the kingdom could serve as a cradle for human champions and develop a sizable military force to oppose the demihuman threat.
But because its surroundings were simply too safe, the kingdom began to rot from within. The Theocracy believed it could no longer let the kingdom occupy such a fine location and continue to decay, so it planned to weaken the kingdom and have the Baharuth Empire annex it.
But no one had expected that the already-decaying kingdom would produce someone like Gazef Stronoff. His arrival had not only stabilized the kingdom's internal political struggles, but had also made the Baharuth Empire afraid to act rashly.
That was because he possessed nearly "hero"-rank strength. Someone at that level could influence the course of a war. A "hero"-rank warrior could kill ten thousand ordinary soldiers on the battlefield; if he disregarded his own safety, he could probably kill thirty thousand.
If Gazef Stronoff was not eliminated, the kingdom's political struggles would remain suppressed. Even if the Baharuth Empire could annex the kingdom, it would pay a heavy price.
That was something the Theocracy did not want to see. They had given up on the kingdom and wanted the Baharuth Empire to become a nation that cultivated human champions to resist the demihumans.
Gazef Stronoff had therefore become the greatest obstacle. This warrior, so utterly loyal to the kingdom, could not save his country. His presence would only hinder humanity's overall progress in fighting the demihumans.
In Nigun's view, although the Slane Theocracy had factions, its members almost always cooperated when taking action. They did not concern themselves with the minor gains and losses of their own factions.
One reason was that they all respected one another's faith in their respective gods. Another was that they all knew this world was home to many nonhuman races and monsters; without unity and cooperation, humanity risked annihilation.
It was because of this lofty ideal that, despite possessing the greatest strength among the human nations, the Slane Theocracy did not turn its blade against other humans unless absolutely necessary.
The Slane Theocracy had tried to make contact with Gazef Stronoff, but his stubborn loyalty to the king and his country could no longer be changed. His existence had become an obstacle to the development of the human race.
Otherwise, they would not have resorted to this.
"...That's why we need everyone to follow the correct doctrine and walk the same path. Humanity shouldn't fight among itself; we should join hands and forge a great path together."
Nigun shouted at Gazef Stronoff, who was fighting desperately, drenched in blood.
Gazef Stronoff was covered in wounds and panting heavily. He had no idea how many angelic monsters he had killed, but every time he brought one down, the enemy summoned another. As the numbers swung back and forth, his strength began to fail him.
These angels were far weaker than he was, but their special abilities were beyond his reach. Take their ability to fly, for example. If they had been on the ground, he wouldn't have feared them even if there had been twice as many.
Then there was the fact that their bodies took far less damage unless they were struck by weapons made of a specific material. Even Gazef Stronoff's powerful blows could not kill them. He could bring them down with martial arts, but doing so drained him faster.
So the right thing to do was to kill the enemy commander. Even if the others probably wouldn't retreat, it was the only option.
After counting the enemy, Gazef Stronoff had confirmed that these were all the forces surrounding the village. That meant the encirclement had been broken.
He was overjoyed that he could save the surviving villagers. Glaring at the bombastic Nigun, he shouted, "I don't understand what you mean by this 'great path,' but if your so-called 'great path' means slaughtering innocent villagers at will, then I cannot accept it!"
"This is all because of you. If you weren't so stubborn, these people wouldn't have died. In other words, people will always have to make sacrifices on the road to the great path, and they were the ones who had to be sacrificed. As for you, you're an obstacle in its way."
Nigun spoke to Gazef Stronoff mockingly. The Theocracy had already given him a chance, but he hadn't taken it.
"Utter nonsense! You dress up your schemes as justice, despite your despicable conduct. Did the nobles in the kingdom give you some kind of reward?"
After dodging an angel's attack, Gazef Stronoff wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His muscles trembled uncontrollably. The angels' unusual bodies had forced him to keep using martial arts to fight them, but that had accelerated his exhaustion.
"Heh heh heh. A reward?" Nigun sneered, his face full of contempt. "You think far too little of the Theocracy. The Theocracy's cause is for all of humanity. Those parasites are tumors we'll have to cut out sooner or later.
"Now, accept your fate obediently. Your death won't be in vain. We'll remember your contribution to the development of the human race."
Nigun's words sounded deeply ironic to Gazef Stronoff, but he had no desire to argue now. He was at the limit of his endurance. He was just a little short of reaching Nigun and killing him—he only had to kill the last angel in front of him.
But things did not go as he wished. Nigun gave him a look of pity and waved to his subordinates. "The priest who lost his angel, summon another one! Everyone, unleash your magic on Stronoff with all your might!"