Balud pursued strength. For him, power was the qualification to stand taller than anything else in the world.
Those without power are trampled. Those without power are only used. Only with power can one stand tall.
Authority. Wealth. Force. Behind all these names ultimately lies power. Even money and honor fall within the category of power.
Therefore, Balud sought to seize it. His efforts were not in vain, and he was able to elevate the organization called North Blinders to a high position.
Balud did not neglect to hone his strength as a Northerner either. He was a blessed great warrior. While other warriors could only handle one of the origin powers, he could handle them all.
With that talent, he taught his subordinates in the North Blinders organization, and the organization's power and scale only grew larger.
So perhaps there was some complacency deep down that this much was enough.
"I was wrong. I was still a frog in a well."
"Did you eat something bad?"
"I realized through today's fight. That I am still lacking. That wasn't the limit of an individual's martial power."
No matter how strong an individual is, they cannot win against an army. That was Balud's thinking. But the moment he saw Osian's appearance, he had to admit his thinking was wrong.
The reason an individual cannot win against an army is because their power is insufficient. A truly strong person has overwhelming superiority regardless of numbers.
Transcendent power that renders all strategies and tactics meaningless. Power that reaches the sky. No, power that puts the sky beneath one's feet.
Balud was captivated by that power Osian had shown.
"That power you used. What exactly was it? It appears to be a new power I've never seen before."
"It's not a new power. I simply utilized what was there."
At the words about utilizing what was there, Balud and Martinez's gazes changed. Osian saw the fervor dwelling in both their eyes. Yes. They can't help but be curious. I've shown them the key to advancing to the next stage so openly.
Rather, if they had just passed it off, he might have been disappointed.
"Knights handle a total of three powers. Each symbolizing stars, moon, and sun - Starlight, Moon Scar, and Sun Ring. These powers each have different properties, and most cannot master even one of them. If you become an ordinary knight, you can only use one of the three."
But occasionally, very rarely, someone appears who can use all three powers simultaneously. Osian was such a person, Balud was such a person, and Martinez was such a person.
"You must know that you are special. How impossible it is to covet powers that others cannot handle and master all those fields completely."
Balud and Martinez nodded. Both had the qualifications for ascension. And they were slowly breaking out of their shells, though they had not completely hatched yet.
Originally, Osian hoped they would break out of their shells on their own. Only then could they fully embody it as their own teaching. If someone else breaks the shell for them, that enlightenment would inevitably be easily lost. But now the situation was not favorable. Starting with what that clown had done, no one knew when the Star Devourer would reach the world.
So he had no choice but to help even through some expedient methods.
"The power I used is the result of harmoniously using the three powers that knights handle. Naturally, you have powers that suit you. That's not something I can advise you on. I don't know how to use runes, and I don't know how to make sacred alchemy. But still, I can at least point you in the right direction. First, learn to use two powers simultaneously."
By fusing and harmoniously using two of the three powers, they would gradually come to understand the direction and usage.
"But don't be too impatient. If you use all three powers simultaneously, no matter how capable you are, your bodies won't be able to withstand it. This isn't just a simple warning."
Osian spoke with power in his gaze. If there had been even the slightest error in the balance of the three powers forming the Sun-Moon-Star Divine, his body would have shattered into powder.
Because it was such a powerful force, the backlash when used incorrectly was also great.
"I cannot walk the path in your stead. And the path you must take is different from mine. So what remains ahead depends entirely on the choices you two make."
It was vague advice without any proper explanation. But the two people with the greatest talent in history seemed to have figured out what they needed to do just from that.
Even without Osian saying so, both were already clearly gazing at the path they needed to take.
"Is that answer sufficient?"
"Yes. It's not satisfying, but hearing this story makes it clear that I can't just rest idly."
Balud immediately turned around.
"I'll be going. I don't know when we'll meet again, but when that time comes... it will be very different from now."
"I look forward to it."
After Balud left, Martinez, who remained, also spoke up.
"Brother. I'll be going too. I also have a place I must go."
"Will you return to the Papal Court?"
"Two other members of the 13 Holy Orders interfered in this matter. But that's not what's important. My power is ultimately faith and belief directed toward the Father in heaven. To correct that as well, I must meet His Holiness the Pope again."
Osian nodded.
"You'll be able to do well."
"Thank you."
"The children will miss you."
"The younger ones will understand too. They'll be sad for now, but it's not an eternal farewell."
If Martinez doesn't achieve enlightenment, he might never return for life. But Martinez believed. That someday the day would come when he would return to the church and meet his younger siblings again.
That was not a hope held in vain, but confidence he could speak because he had firm conviction in his path.
"You've become manly."
Osian said with a smile to Martinez.
"I'll be going."
"Yes."
"Next time too, we'll surely meet with smiling faces, right?"
"We will. Certainly."
Gaining courage to leave from that answer, Martinez soon turned around like Balud and left the place.
After seeing off both, Osian gazed in one direction. There were his Violet Fox colleagues who were resting after fierce battles in recent days.
For him, there was only one place to return to.
District 44, where reconstruction and restoration work was in full swing. Lukai succeeded in officially receiving support through negotiations with people sent from the city government.
Lukai was no longer a liberation fighter. He established a human rights committee to protect workers' human rights and defend their rights, standing tall as the head of that organization.
This was a project the city government had been preparing to reduce corporate influence. It wasn't easy work due to corporate lobbying, but they could push it through using the pretext that specific corporations had conspired to cause the recent baptism of fire incident.
So under the city government's support, work by people carrying heavy equipment was in full swing in District 44.
But not everyone had gathered solely for reconstruction purposes.
Among the workers, there were many hiding their identities while surveying District 44.
The cyborg from "White House," B-35, was one such person.
Besides B-35, numerous other cyborgs were positioned here. Disguised under various identities, they moved throughout District 44, concentrating on finding something.
[If you see anything, report it immediately.]
[Understood.]
The cyborgs communicated among themselves. Receiving instructions from an A-series cyborg of higher rank than them, B-35 headed deeper into District 44.
When other workers nearby asked where he was going, he replied with a sheepish laugh, lying that he was going to help a team where he had an acquaintance.
Crossing over collapsed and half-destroyed buildings, B-35 could see the sight of massive ruins that could never be touched even amid the restoration work.
'This is remarkable.'
According to reports, the baptism of fire failed, but it wasn't a complete failure. Precisely, at least partially, bombardment was carried out by the Ultima aerial battleship.
The massive crater visible before his eyes was probably the aftermath of that. While other places were full of collapsed debris, only that area was flat as if it had become a wasteland.
And there was another place that caught his attention, a location slightly distant from the crater. How should he describe that place?
'It's as if it turned into smooth glass.'
While the wasteland created by Ultima only brought about desolate destruction, the other location looked as if the ground itself had melted and then hardened to become like smooth glass.
That place was exactly where Osian had fought.
Nearby, lines prohibiting entry were set up. Since foreign divine power was also observed centering on where Osian had battled, this was to prevent possible erosion.
But B-35 didn't care and secretly crossed the line. He used his ability of stealth. His skin and the clothes wrapped around his body became transparent as if dissolving into the air.
While searching the battle site like this, B-35 discovered something and stopped in place.
A single strand of jet-black hair lying on the ground. B-35 carefully took out tweezers, picked up the hair, and placed it in a glass bottle in his pocket. B-35 could instinctively realize that he had found what he was looking for.
He immediately sent a message.
"Sample secured successfully. I'll survey the surroundings a bit more before returning."
"It seems there's another commotion in Tirna."
In Hansel and Gretel's moving candy castle, the egg-man Humpty Dumpty muttered in a slightly excited voice while reading an unfolded newspaper. Beside him, newspapers and magazines already published in Tirna were piled high.
"What a shame. It was an opportunity for revenge from last time."
From within shadows where light barely entered, [Wolf] muttered boldly. He seemed regretful that he couldn't join in the rare show that unfolded in District 44.
The other familiars felt the same way. Following their mother's will, they had the goal of destroying the city called Tirna. Therefore, they felt considerable regret at missing such an important opportunity.
"Hey, egghead. You said it yourself. That we should observe for now. Do you really think that judgment was correct?"
Hearing Wolf's reproach, Humpty Dumpty frowned.
"Stupid. Do you think I'm just sitting still for no reason?"
"Well. Weren't you hiding because you got scared from the counterattack last time? This is why I'm disappointed. I should have stepped forward then instead!"
"Foolish guy. Because you thoughtlessly want to stuff anything in your mouth, you know one thing but not two."
"What?"
"Listen well. Both District 17 and District 44. What happened this time was ultimately a disaster caused by outer gods that infiltrated from outside. And that's something Mother repeatedly mentioned."
"So what's the point of that?"
"The frequency is increasing compared to before. That means the time is really not far away now."
The clock was turning. The ticking of clock hands that had been turning from before was gradually getting faster.
"At the same time, this is also an opportunity. Tirna faced an unprecedented crisis. Other neighboring countries that saw Tirna's weakness also began to covet it. Seeds of conflict and war have been planted among humans. And that will grow abundantly by feeding on this chaos."
"So?"
"The optimal opportunity for us to step forward is coming. Crisis is opportunity, and Mother's grand plan that she desires will be executed."
Humpty Dumpty smiled grimly.
"We'll bring back the ancient era that has now disappeared."