Grant

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Grant Riser 662
Alias(es)	Pope; His Holiness 663
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	The Church
Occupation/Role	Pope of The Church; divine-arts caster 663
Status	Severely wounded and defeated in his last documented battle 940 941
First Appearance	Chapter 12 12

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Divine-arts prodigy (formal rank unstated)	27, 31	Uses Holy Light Bomb during a simulated war game. His divine-arts fluctuations are analyzed as fundamentally identical to magic’s elemental mobilization, but several hundred times stronger than Benjamin’s Water Ball Spell.
Unspecified higher realm	614	Reportedly shattered Silent Academy’s barrier with a single finger, using a method beyond ordinary mages’ or priests’ standards.
Rune-linked Holy Light casting	668, 729	Commands light elements seemingly by thought, without ordinary preparation; later manifests a golden rune to concentrate his Holy Light.
Pope’s Holy Light state	767, 778	Survives a dagger through the chest by transforming into Holy Light and reappearing elsewhere; injuries can heal instantly.
Heaven’s Gate / divine avatar manifestation	887, 939	Forms a massive gate amid falling golden characters and later summons an archangel-like, six-winged humanoid through it.

Background / History

Grant is a member of the Riser Family and Benjamin’s younger brother. The two resemble each other closely enough that, with minor grooming, they could be mistaken for twins. Grant was regarded in the Royal Capital as a heaven-favored genius and a likely successor to the Pope, while studying divine arts at The Church every weekday. 45 46 664

As a child, Grant received military education alongside other young nobles and retained a serious, tactical approach to simulated war games. He also possessed considerably greater physical prowess than Benjamin at the time. 26 28

Grant’s resemblance to Benjamin became politically consequential when Benjamin was mistaken for him and arrested by The Church. The operation was enabled by accusations concerning Grant’s private life, while Grant himself was hidden away and unable to clarify the confusion. 112

During an apparent execution, Grant initially appeared lifeless and despondent before abruptly becoming alert and staring skyward, hinting at an abnormal condition beneath his outward behavior. 115

Grant eventually seized the papacy through slaughter, threats, and promises of profit, forcing formerly hostile bishops into obedience. His coronation concluded with the burning of eleven mages at Grace Square. Despite achieving the position he had sought, he felt burdened rather than vindicated by the office and its methods. 663

His relationship with his father, Claude Riser, remained strained. Grant resented Benjamin’s public declaration as a mage and the consequences it brought upon their family, while Claude insisted that Benjamin had gone to the stake in Grant’s place. Reports later stated that the Riser Family had been stripped of its nobility and Claude hanged amid Grant’s consolidation of power. 662 664

Appearance

Grant closely resembles Benjamin, to the point that observers could mistake the brothers for twins after minor changes in hairstyle and presentation. As Pope, he wears elaborate Church robes marked with glowing patterns and appears with a holy crown during his coronation. 45 663

• Blue eyes that can erupt with dazzling white light while casting divine arts. 939
• Pope’s robes whose patterns illuminate during major spells. 887 895
• Can manifest six wings of Holy Light in battle. 777
• Often surrounds himself with radiating arcs of Holy Light arranged like a protective formation. 861

Personality

Grant was initially focused, cautious, and intensely competitive, treating even childhood war games as serious tactical exercises. 26 27 As Pope, he became emotionally detached from the believers who revered him and saw the obedience of bishops as a reminder of the violence used to secure his authority. 663

He carries deep resentment toward Benjamin, believing Benjamin’s escape and public exposure as a mage left the Riser Family to bear the consequences. His argument with Claude shows that he rejects the idea that Benjamin’s sacrifice placed him under a debt of gratitude. 664

In battle, Grant is usually calm, dismissive, and difficult to intimidate, even when surrounded by coordinated mage attacks. However, prolonged battles reveal anxiety and unwillingness when his control over Holy Light is threatened. 778 781 895

Abilities & Skills

Divine Arts and Holy Light Manipulation

Grant commands light elements with extraordinary speed and scale, often without chants or visible preparation.

• Casts offensive techniques including Holy Light Bomb, Ultimate Light Thread, and concentrated beams of Holy Light. 27 861 895
• Creates barriers, nets of Holy Light, and defensive formations capable of resisting large-scale elemental attacks. 730 779
• Uses Holy Light to destroy frost constructs and a gigantic water dragon. 730
• Can produce golden flames capable of interfering with or destabilizing an elemental storm. 781
• His casting method resembles rune magic but differs from ordinary rune-based techniques. 668

Rune Manifestation

Grant can form runes from Holy Light and use them as the basis for major divine techniques.

• Manifested a golden rune to channel concentrated sunlight and Holy Light. 729
• Formed multiple light runes around himself before initiating an ultimate move. 895
• His charged attack was disrupted when Miles drew Benjamin’s “Passing” rune on him using blood hostile to elements. 779

Heaven’s Gate and Divine Avatars

Grant can summon immense divine manifestations through a gate formed in the sky.

• Creates a massive gate accompanied by falling golden characters and a sacred aura. 887
• Summoned an archangel-like, six-winged figure to counter Ice Prison Art. 939
• Manifested a second greatsword-wielding humanoid from Heaven’s Gate against the Triangle Glyph. 940
• The manifestations can be frozen and converted into water elements by sufficiently powerful forbidden magic. 939 940

Regeneration, Transformation, and Escape

Grant possesses several methods of surviving otherwise lethal attacks.

• A dagger through the chest failed to kill him; he transformed into Holy Light and reappeared in the Hori Kingdom’s camp. 767
• His wounds can heal instantly during combat. 778
• Can crush a cross to teleport a short distance in battle. 780
• Escaped from his armor through a ruby ring, leaving the armor behind. 897
• Uses a special necklace to conceal his aura, allowing him to approach Benjamin undetected. 861

Combat Resilience

Grant has repeatedly broken through layered attempts at magical suppression.

• Endured Hurricane Descent, Shadow Gate, a water fist, Quicksand Hell, and combined freezing attacks. 778 779
• Escaped a sand sphere designed to crush him under advanced earth magic. 779
• Withstood Joanna’s Phoenix spell, though it forced him to devote substantial Holy Light to defense and disrupted his aim. 780
• Was ultimately vulnerable when Ice Prison Art sealed his connection to Holy Light and left him too injured to continue casting divine arts. 940

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Holy Light Armor — Protective armor used against Miles’s attacks; endured repeated strikes from his unusual dagger. 734 735
• Crosses — Can be crushed to trigger short-range teleportation. 780
• Ruby ring — Used to abandon his armor and teleport away during battle. 897
• Aura-concealing necklace — Hides his presence even from Benjamin’s detection. 861
• Papal robes and holy crown — Symbols of his office; the robe patterns activate during major divine arts. 663 887

Relationships

• Benjamin — Older brother and principal rival. Grant resents the consequences Benjamin’s escape and exposure brought upon the Riser Family. 664
• Claude Riser — Father. Grant sought validation from Claude after becoming Pope, but their relationship deteriorated into open conflict over Benjamin and the family’s fate. 663 664
• Abel — A presence connected to Grant’s soul. Grant entered the Magic Beast Mountains in an attempt to remove Abel from himself. 938
• Miles — Persistent adversary whose dagger attacks repeatedly pressured Grant; Miles’s blood and a rune interrupted one of Grant’s charged techniques. 767 779
• Gu Bei — Final documented opponent. Gu Bei defeated Grant using enhanced forbidden spells after discovering that Grant had also resisted Cain and Abel’s influence. 938 940

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rise within The Church

Grant’s early status as a divine-arts genius placed him near the center of Church expectations. After internal conflict and coercive purges, he became Pope and publicly solidified his authority through the execution of eleven mages. 45 663

Conflict with Benjamin and the Magic Academy

Grant emerged as one of The Church’s greatest combatants against Benjamin’s forces. Reports of his destruction of Silent Academy demonstrated that he had reached a level beyond ordinary spellcasters. 614

He later fought Benjamin directly, countering enormous water-element attacks, frost constructs, and an elemental storm with Holy Light defenses and rune-based techniques. Neither combatant could decisively overcome the other during their first major clash. 729 730

Siege by the Light Slayers

Grant faced coordinated attacks from Miles, Benjamin, Joanna, and multiple elder mages. He broke free from tornadoes, shadow spells, sand prisons, ice, and Phoenix Reborn from Flames, demonstrating why conventional suppression could not contain him. 778 779 780

Fall at Carl Village

Grant was discovered in a confession room while apparently comatose and protected by hidden barriers. After awakening, he fought Gu Bei and countered Ice Prison Art with Heaven’s Gate and divine avatars. 937 939

Gu Bei ultimately trapped Grant within an enhanced Ice Prison, sealed his access to Holy Light, and inflicted severe injuries with an overwhelming snowflake assault. Grant was left unable to cast further divine arts and pleaded for his life. 940 941

Notable Quotes

“I'd rather have been tied to the stake and burned to death than live like this, with everyone acting as if I owed him.” 664

“You will destroy this world.” 897

“Don't... don't kill me.” 941