Chapter 81: The Miracle, the True God, and the Future of the Holy Empire Part 2

I cannot comprehend the situation unfolding before me.

Riyan, the newly appointed professor at the Imperial Academy.

He is the greatest threat to the fulfillment of my mission.

I’ve studied the bizarre path he has walked.

Therefore, I thought I fully understood the danger he posed.

Or so I believed…

***

<Connection extended. Forced synchronization. Analyzing components.>

The man before me, usually calm during surveillance, now wore an entirely different expression.

Riyan’s face was unmistakably twisted in anger as he muttered softly.

But what truly unsettled Agares wasn’t just the fact that the professor, who had never shown genuine rage before, was now seething with fury.

That alone was surprising, but not the real issue.

What unnerved him was what Riyan was currently accomplishing.

‘I don’t understand…’

Agares, second in rank.

As the second creation of the One Above, he was born to stand above all others.

Pride held no place in his philosophy; caution was his virtue.

His abilities were of the highest tier.

Having lived for near eternity, he had absorbed countless amounts of knowledge.

Even with the help of his Eye of Insight, he couldn’t analyze the technique Riyan was deploying.

It wasn’t merely incomprehensible—it was beyond comprehension itself.

‘I only tried to understand a fraction of it.’

Pain wracked him, and blood, tinted red like tears, trickled down from his eyes.

The Eye of Insight screamed in agony.

The meaning of that fact was all too clear.

A mere human.

A new professor who had lived for no more than twenty years.

This man’s talent had overpowered the Eye of Insight.

Cold sweat dripped down Agares’s back.

Of course, just because his opponent was powerful didn’t mean Agares himself was weak.

Thus, he tried alternative methods.

If he couldn’t analyze the technique, he could focus on other aspects instead.

This strategy yielded valuable information.

The professor’s current connection involved a small spirit.

Riyan wasn’t using his own mana directly.

Such inefficiency proved his mana reserves were likely limited—a critical weakness for the professor.

Whether it was due to the aftereffects of some injury or his body’s condition, Riyan clearly had a finite capacity.

Using borrowed mana always came at a cost.

No matter how strong the spirit, this inefficiency was undeniable.

Ten minutes at most, and his mana would be depleted.

If Agares could endure, victory would surely be his.

This was, undoubtedly, good news.

Yet…

‘I cannot smile.’

Agares’s expression hardened further.

Dismissing Riyan’s talent just because his mana was insufficient? Reassuring himself that there was no danger?

Such folly knew no bounds.

A comparison emerged in his mind: a sprinter, naturally gifted with physical prowess, versus someone missing a leg and barely able to run—yet who had mastered spatial folding to cover impossible distances.

Which one was more dangerous was painfully obvious.

***

<Forced synchronization initiated.>

Bad premonitions never fail.

And, of course, Agares’s suspicion was proven right almost immediately.

Riyan raised his hand.

A golden thread connected him to the sky.

The power of a divine being was drawn from the heavens to the earth.

Brilliant wings unfolded.

This was no hollow halo—it was a true one.

The radiant light of an enormous nimbus blinded him.

[…Ah. No wonder my kin succumbed to this.]

Cold sweat dripped from Agares’s forehead as he lamented.

He still couldn’t comprehend Riyan’s technique.

But from his words and actions, Agares could infer enough.

This frail mortal had overwhelmed even the divine.

An entity without physical form, a mere construct of information.

A god’s components manipulated and toyed with at will.

Until even the god’s own will was bent to Riyan’s whim.

By deluding the divine into believing he was their equal, Riyan had achieved momentary synchronization.

At this very moment, in this place…

Riyan had become nothing short of a god.

Agares quickly steadied himself.

He gathered his dark energy, forcing it to its peak.

The situation was undoubtedly dire, but…

‘The odds of victory haven’t completely vanished.’

Riyan was, after all, still human.

No matter how exceptional his talent, one fact remained immutable.

‘Synchronizing himself with a god’s power? Drawing upon that strength?’

It was an extraordinary feat, but ultimately, his mortal body would have to bear the burden.

And for all his brilliance, his physical body was frail—even among mortals.

A glass cannon, fragile despite its devastating power.

The path forward was clear.

Agares inhaled deeply.

He concentrated his energy into his legs.

Compressing the space around him, he lunged toward his target.

He delivered a full-force punch toward Riyan.

[Dammit.]

The blow didn’t land.

Despite his body being on the verge of collapse, Riyan showed no sign of injury.

There could only be one reason for this.

***

[End message from Agares: Riyan’s capabilities have shattered every convention and expectation. Victory is uncertain, but retreat is no option. I will see this through to the end.]

Riyan was wielding divine power.

There should have been no connection to the Holy See.

Yet with sheer, overwhelming talent, he mastered the control of divine energy and used it for defense.

The precision with which he protected only the attacked areas, wasting not a single ounce of power, was awe-inspiring.

Golden eyes gazed down at Agares.

An immeasurable chasm separated them.

With an observing, contemplative expression, Riyan muttered softly.

“My children, do not be afraid.”

A divine proclamation, recreating mythical scriptures.

Agares anticipated what was coming next.

He tried to retreat, putting distance between them.

Chains of light bound his ankles.

The movement and strength of the chains surpassed even the works of celestial beings.

Bound and immobilized, Agares could only watch as Riyan approached slowly.

Step by step, the professor drew near, speaking as he did so.

“I am your light and your salvation. What is there for you to fear?”

His breathing grew labored.

Just meeting Riyan’s gaze suffocated him.

That gaze conveyed the overwhelming disparity between them.

A predator and its prey.

An unbridgeable difference.

Agares trembled involuntarily.

For the first time in his life, he felt genuine fear. Abandoning all pride, he begged desperately for mercy.

But a god feels no emotions.

Riyan looked down at him, devoid of any warmth, and raised his hand.

“I shall restore order to this land.”

Divine punishment.

Thousands upon thousands of spears of light manifested in the air.

They descended in breathtaking trajectories.

Pure white light engulfed the world entirely.

I thought to myself: perhaps this was where the problem lay.

I’ve always had a tendency to act first and think later.

It might very well be why I’ve never been dismissed from my position—or rather, at this point, it’s practically confirmed.

I must admit the truth.

That day on the battlefield, I acted impulsively.

Seeing that child… no, seeing those ignorant little ones used as mere meat shields infuriated me, clouding my judgment.

‘Not even a speck of dust remains… a miracle if there’s anything left.’

There wasn’t even a need to ensure the kill.

The land surrounding me was utterly scorched, reduced to nothingness.

The demon was completely obliterated, leaving no trace behind.

By any measure, this was excessive force.

Even if one argued that eliminating a demon was for future safety, this level of destruction was indefensible.

My body still ached, throbbing with pain.

It was a miracle I was alive at all.

Most of the burden had been transferred to the celestial being, yet here I was, in this state.

I had acted recklessly, prioritizing action over my own physical limits.

‘This time, I got lucky.’

The idea of hacking through the connection, reversing it, constructing a runic formula to deceive reality into synchronizing myself with the celestial—it was all conceived on the spot.

The chances of failure had been extremely high.

Even if I had succeeded in borrowing the power, there was no guarantee I could control it.

In hindsight, staying out of it would have been the right choice.

For all my efforts to avoid the original storyline, I had created a new scenario and nearly died because of it.

This incident reminded me, yet again, that I am not a cautious person.

‘But in the end, it all turned out well, didn’t it?’

I eliminated a major threat and even performed some good deeds along the way.

My decision-making may have been flawed, but the outcome was perfect.

Acknowledging my mistakes, I resolved to be more careful moving forward.

For once, fortune smiled upon me.

I turned away with a satisfied smile…

And froze mid-step.

What I saw were hundreds of eyes staring at me.

In other words, the citizens of the Holy Kingdom who had gathered around.

Drawn by the commotion, they stood there, watching me.

Watching everything I had done.

Looking up at me with reverence.

“H-Heavenly God! Forgive us for not recognizing you sooner!”

The citizens of the Holy Kingdom sobbed and wailed, apologizing for mistaking me for a fraud due to the absence of any perceivable divine energy.

…And that’s when my mind gave out entirely.