*Shing—*
As Riezel put Gazef's dragon-claw-shaped ring on his finger, a radiant light burst from the mysterious jewel on the ring, and he felt his power rise.
It wasn't power flowing in from outside but from within.
Because the effect of this ring wasn't to grant power to the wearer but rather to enhance the wearer's own power, it allowed the wearer to break through their limits.
For this reason, Gazef, who could only step one foot in the Realm of Heroes, was able to fully step into it, even increasing the number of Martial Arts he could use.
It was a clear advancement in level, a full-scale enhancement that directly targeted the wearer's own strength.
Shortly after feeling the surge of power, Riezel made a clear assessment.
'STR, END, DEX, and AGI—all went up by one or two ranks, but MAG stayed exactly the same...'
'My development abilities—whether it's Lightweight, Swordsman, Battle Adept, or Fast Attack—they all increased by roughly one rank too, except for Mage, which doesn't change at all...'
Indeed, the boost that the ring had given him was truly incredible.
However, one thing was sure—it clearly only affected someone with a warrior-oriented job classes.
Since only warrior-oriented job classes could benefit, his MAG and Mage didn't receive the boost, but all abilities related to warrior received the boost, whether they were basic or development abilities.
While the improvement wasn't huge, only one or two ranks at most, having all his close-combat abilities increased made for a pretty significant enhancement overall.
Especially when its wearer had already reached the limits of their current level, this could help push them into a whole new realm of possibilities.
In other words, someone like Albert Borley, who was just a step away from the realm of Sword Saint, could potentially cross that boundary with the aid of this ring's power.
If it were in Danmachi terms, when someone maxed out all basic abilities at the highest S-rank for their level, this ring might help them leap to the next rank, giving them the chance for a rank breakthrough. At the very least, it could push someone who was maxed at S-rank to SS-rank or even SSS-rank.
Such was the true power of this ring—at any level or any rank, it had the effect of helping someone push their limits and breakthrough.
Understanding this, Riezel's evaluation of the ring, which was fairly notable in the original work, had increased significantly.
'No idea how these people just hand something this precious around like it's nothing.'
Riezel thought in wonder while glancing at Gazef, who stood nearby.
From what he remembered, Gazef had gotten the ring simply because someone had gifted it to him.
In the later parts of the original work, Gazef even gave the ring away to someone else, not caring if his own strength might drop because of it.
Even though it was a precious treasure, they just passed it around like it was cheap or something.
Knowing this, he might as well keep it himself, right?
With this thought, Riezel deactivated the ring's power, letting its glow gradually fade.
Next, it was time to complete Gazef's commission.
===
As the sunset gradually dyed the sky red, a gentle glow covered Carne Village and the vast forest nearby, casting an ethereal and almost dreamlike beauty over the scene.
Under this serene dusk, however, a large group of shadows suddenly appeared on the plains before Carne Village.
"All units, prepare yourselves."
A calm, steady voice echoed across the plains.
"Since the prey has entered the cage, it's time to act."
With eyes cold and lifeless like artificial glass that gave away no emotion, the one who spoke was a tall man with an ordinary face marked by a scar, wearing a black and white robe akin to cleric attire.
He was Nigun Grid Luin, the captain of the Sunlight Scripture, one of the Six Scriptures of the Slane Theocracy.
Nigun was an elite among elites, able to wield 4th-Tier Magic and nearing the Realm of Heroes, where one could cast 5th-Tier Magic, making him the strongest in the Sunlight Scripture.
Around him stood dozens of similarly dressed individuals, each radiating an extraordinary aura.
They were the members of the Sunlight Scripture, human elites capable of using 3rd-Tier Magic. In terms of adventurer ranks, they would easily be at Platinum—a rank marking high-rank adventurers without a doubt.
Such a formidable group had gathered under Nigun's command, all gazing at the village ahead.
At this moment, they noticed many warhorses stationed within the village, distinct from the ones ridden by the disguised knights of the Slane Theocracy. All of these were clearly splendid horses, proof that their 'prey' had been drawn into the 'trap' they had set.
"Offer your faith unto our God."
Nigun declared in a solemn tone, making everyone begin to pray in silent devotion.
It was a simplified prayer, a ritual of reverence for their god.
As a deeply religious human country, the Slane Theocracy occupied an area about twice the size of the Re-Estize Kingdom, with a population of approximately 15 million. It was the strongest of the human countries on the continent, excelling in both manpower and talent.
It was said that about six hundred years ago, six gods known as the 'Six Great Gods' descended from the heavens and founded this country in an era when humans were oppressed by other races.
Thanks to the Six Great Gods, the Slane Theocracy continued to repel the non-human races, establishing itself as a powerful nation representing the entire human race.
With their faith rooted in the Six Great Gods, the Slane Theocracy had built a rigid religious system, promoting human supremacy while rejecting other races.
In this country, the highest authority was not a king or emperor but the Six Cardinals—the leaders of six religious sects, headed by the Pontifex Maximus, who governed the entire country.
In this hierarchy, the forces directly under the Cardinals were as authoritative as those directly under a ruler of a country, and the Sunlight Scripture was precisely one of these forces.
Every member of the Sunlight Scripture had a devotion that ran deeper than that of ordinary citizens, where even on missions in foreign lands, they took time to pray, reaffirming their commitment to their country and their god.
Once their prayers ended, these members would carry out their brutal orders without hesitation.
Such unyielding resolve came from their belief that every action they took was for their country, for their god, and, above all, for the human race itself.
As a result, they saw their deeds not as sins but as necessary steps to usher in a new dawn.
"Begin."
Nigun gave the command in an emotionless voice.
"Surround Carne Village and completely eliminate Gazef Stronoff, along with that village."
With that, all the members of the Sunlight Scripture stretched out their hands and began to chant magic.
""Summon Angel 3rd.""
Angel.
It was a type of creature from another realm.
To many, especially those in the Slane Theocracy, these beings were considered the envoys of god, existing only for those with unshakeable faith to command.
Summon Angel 3rd, as the name suggested, was a 3rd-Tier Magic that called forth an angel known as Archangel Flame to vanquish the enemies of god, or so those in the Slane Theocracy believed.
As the members of the Sunlight Scripture cast this magic, magic circles appeared in front of each of them, and from these magic circles, angels with radiant, gleaming wings and bodies like polished stone were summoned.
All of these angels held swords of flame, their bodies pure white, and it was fair to call them divine-looking, as they certainly seemed holy.
Once his subordinates had finished summoning their angels, Nigun summoned his own.
"Summon Angel 4th."
As Nigun summoned his angel, the one that appeared was different from the others.
Not only did this angel have a colossal body, but it also held a mace and a round shield instead of a sword of flame. It was clearly larger than the others, radiating an aura of holiness distinct from theirs, making it clear that this angel was on a completely different level.
Summoned by 4th-Tier Magic, this angel, known as Principality Observation, was a higher-tier, stronger being than Archangel Flame.
If Archangel Flame's power was roughly equal to that of a Platinum or Mithril Adventurer, then Principality Observation's power could rival that of an Orichalcum or even an Adamantite Adventurer.
With such an array of powerful angels, even a hero of legend would be hard-pressed to escape.
Needless to say, this was the power the Slane Theocracy had prepared to crush the Warrior Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, and it was clearly on an entirely different level from the Baharuth Empire's knights they had previously impersonated.
With all the preparations complete, Nigun led his subordinates, accompanied by their summoned angels, toward Carne Village.
However—
"Why is it so quiet?"
As Nigun got closer to Carne Village, he began to sense that something was off.
At this range, his prey should have already realized he was surrounded and started fighting back, shouldn't it?
"Is he planning to hide in the village and hold his ground?"
Nigun muttered to himself before sneering.
"No, that won't do, Stronoff... As the so-called strongest warrior, you should face your death in a blaze of glory! Hiding like this doesn't suit someone of your status for a final stand!"
As soon as Nigun finished his words, he waved his hand.
"Use fire attribute magic to burn the entire village to the ground!"
If the prey refused to come out, then he would simply force him out.
Such was Nigun's plan.
Unfortunately—
"No, that won't do."
As soon as these words echoed from midair, control over the battlefield shifted instantly.