A training ground in the Grand Temple of Rosellia.
"Haap!"
Clang!
Now retired, the former Paladin Luthus marveled inwardly at the young man swinging his sword in front of him.
'His growth speed has increased.'
He had already been paying attention to him as a talent with potential enough to receive special treatment from the order, but his growth had accelerated even more recently.
To an extent that his limits were unpredictable.
'Heinrich Landguard...'
Although Luthus didn't show it outwardly, he was inwardly displeased with the situation of the church's upper echelon and even the saintess personally supporting Heinrich.
He acknowledged his potential and possibilities, but thought it was too much of a burden for a fledgling who had just become a paladin.
'A paladin is not all about divine power.'
Of course, the proof of faith is highly respected, and the more, the better, but...
Separately, for a paladin who must stand at the forefront, not protected from behind like a priest, personal martial prowess was even more crucial.
'I thought so, but...'
From the beginning, Heinrich's martial prowess was not lacking.
He was not quite a commander, but he was at the level of a superior paladin.
"Ss!"
His sword twisted in an excessive direction and stabbed towards Luthus's solar plexus.
It was a method that put tremendous strain on the wrist, but Heinrich didn't care.
Clang!
The defense that followed effortlessly deflected the sword, using the recoil to immediately slash at the legs in a semicircle.
Luthus easily blocked even that attack, but...
'It feels light?'
He did not feel the weight in the attack.
The moment he felt it, he stepped back.
Whoosh!
A metallic mass swept fiercely through the spot where his ankle had been, like a club.
It was Heinrich's leg, encased in armor.
Though Luthus's eyes sparkled at the attack, Heinrich merely clicked his tongue in disappointment.
'I tried using what I had suffered from, but it didn't work. Is the opponent not good enough?'
It was likely due to the weight of being heavily armored.
The technique first used by Brokolak's Prisia was fast and light in every movement, so it was natural for there to be a difference in their fighting style.
However, Luthus, who was in charge of Heinrich's swordsmanship training, nodded at his excellent sense, which was better than expected.
'Definitely not ordinary. He could match a veteran knight right now. At this rate, he might reach senior Paladin in a few years.'
He inwardly acknowledged Heinrich while keeping a stern expression outwardly, not to inflate the ego of a talent who was doing well.
"Let's end today's training here."
"Thank you! Instructor!"
After several hours of training, Luthus left the training ground with a pleased expression.
'After all, physical strength is the source of all power. Indeed, his potential is extraordinary from the start.'
Being able to fill the training time fully and intensively with Heinrich's overwhelming physical strength, for Luthus, who took pleasure in nurturing juniors, it was nothing but satisfying.
Left alone after Luthus had departed, Heinrich slowly stretched and tidied up the training ground.
It had been a few days since he heard about the holy sword from the saintess, but all he had done during that time was just train.
All kinds of combat techniques, sacred law training, and personal conditioning.
'It's nice to be able to focus solely on getting stronger comfortably.'
Thanks to the enhanced growth speed from strengthening his unique skills, he could now see his daily progress, and the immediate results naturally made training enjoyable.
One day, about a fortnight after he had been diligently training in this satisfying environment, Saint Liesta called for Heinrich.
Knock knock
"Lady Saintess, it's Heinrich. You called for me."
"Yes! Please come in!"
The Saintess's office was simple, filled with bookshelves of books and decorative items carved with the symbols of the order, but nothing else special.
The moment he glanced around the modest office...
<The Adventures of the Hero and the Saintess ~ The Dragon Hunting Chapter>
<The Adventures of the Hero and the Saintess ~ The Fairy
Kingdom Chapter>
<The Foolish Prince and the Cursed Princess>
<......>
'Hmm.'
He noticed the books tucked away in a corner of the bookshelf, but naturally turned his gaze away, pretending not to see.
After all, it was proper to respect a girl's privacy.
Unaware of Heinrich's consideration, the Saintess, who had been sitting at her office desk, stood up eagerly to greet him, disregarding the documents she had been groaning over until he entered.
Most tasks were handled by the executors as decided by the Cardinals, but some work came to her like homework to help her gain experience.
What she had been looking at until a moment ago was one of those troublesome documents, which she had hastily abandoned upon Heinrich's arrival.
Of course, leaving it aside wouldn't solve the problem; it was merely postponing it...
The Saintess was satisfied to be able to escape from the headache-inducing issue for the moment.
Future problems could be left to her future self!
"Good day, Lady Saintess."
"Hello, Sir Heinrich! We have a lot to discuss, so please take a seat."
Heinrich sat across from the Saintess, with a reception table between them.
"I've heard about it. Even the most demanding instructors have nothing but praise for Sir Heinrich."
"It's all thanks to the excellent teachings I've received."
After exchanging pleasantries and modesty for a while, they got down to the main topic.
"Considering what others have said, it seems you might be ready to attempt the trial of the holy sword."
"The holy sword... That's sooner than I expected."
It had been less than a month since Heinrich had heard about the holy sword from her and began focused training.
Despite his rapid improvement, he had thought more training would be necessary...
"Actually, I would have preferred to prepare more calmly over time, but I have a bad feeling."
"A feeling?"
"I have a premonition that something big is about to happen. I'm not sure, but it seems like the Immortal King might be planning something soon."
"Oh... Is that so?"
The Saintess's premonitions were said to be almost prophetic, but it seemed misplaced this time.
Hans was still dedicated to volunteering on Earth, after all.
"So, the order is currently raising its alert level and preparing for any situation. Warnings will soon be sent to other forces too. Something seems to be brewing, so we're advising everyone to be fully prepared."
But seeing the Saintess so full of conviction, it seemed she had felt something.
It might not be because of Hans, but she must have sensed something to act this way.
"Shall we return to the topic of the holy sword? We've received a message that you can begin the trial at any time at the Grand Temple of Pikaol in the western part of the continent."
About 300 years ago, the second Immortal King emerged in the western part of the continent, bringing down the then-mighty Sarb Empire.
And after the corps defeated the Immortal King, what took its place was a kingdom alliance composed of four nations claiming to be descendants of the Sarb Empire: Talia, Sharoti, Tulk, and Lesc Kingdoms.
After years of effort, they finally succeeded in erasing the scars of the Immortal King War.
Of course, each nation was not particularly strong due to the aftermath, but they managed to develop by forming an alliance and supporting each other.
Among those alliances, the Grand temple built in the southern Kingdom of Lesc was precisely...
The Pikaol Grand Temple.
It was the most recently constructed Grand Temple during the post-war restoration process 300 years ago, where the holy sword was sealed and...
It was where the previous generation's hero and the corps defeated the second Immortal King.
However, although they succeeded in subduing the Immortal King, they couldnt properly seal his heart.
And perhaps because of that aftermath, or simply because he had done something before dying, the place where the Immortal King fell began to be stained by the abyss.
To purify it, the previous generation's hero and the Holy Church drove the holy sword into the ground to seal it and then built the Grand Temple right over it.
That was the Pikaol Grand Temple overseeing the west.
The need arose precisely when the existing Grand Temple in the west fell with the Sarb Empire.
Then, pulling out the holy sword would break the seal, wouldnt it? Is it alright for me to extract it?
It has already been 300 years. Although it was the only solution at the time, it has now been sufficiently purified, so it wouldnt be a problem even without the holy sword.
Hence, there have been attempts to retrieve the holy sword from the previous generations because its too valuable a weapon to leave unattended.
Of course, the result was predictable.
They all failed. It seems its not so simple.
The Saintess sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
To become the owner of the holy sword, one must pass through various difficult trials, and if the same person attempts multiple times, each attempt requires a higher level of challenge.
Therefore, the best method was to gain the recognition of the holy sword on the first try.
But how can you be sure that I will succeed immediately?
Sir Heinrich is the destined adversary to defeat the Immortal King!
There wasnt a hint of doubt in the Saintess's words as she answered with sparkling eyes.
Feeling a twinge of conscience from her unwavering faith, Heinrich averted his gaze slightly.
Understood. Then, when should I head over there?
Right now!
Pardon?
Ive already informed the gate! If you go now, you can immediately move to the Pikaol Grand Temple.
The Saintess answered without a moment's hesitation, her expression proud as she shrugged her shoulders.
It was a gesture that seemed quite pleased with her quick handling of the matter.
As he looked at her with a bemused expression, she tilted her head innocently and blinked.
Well, I dont really have anything to prepare, so its not a problem to go right away.
Heinrich chuckled and stood up from his seat.
Of course, he didnt forget to leave a word for the Saintess as he did so.
Then, I will head out right now. I hope you can finish up the rest of your work well, Lady Saintess.
Oh! Ah...
The Saintesss expression wilted as if she suddenly remembered the task she had forgotten.
Seeing her react so dramatically, it must have been a particularly troublesome issue.
Thus, having left the Saintess's office, Heinrich immediately headed to the gate room.
To move to the Pikaol Grand Temple in the western part of the continent.
To obtain the holy sword that would slay the Immortal King!
***
Whirring
[Hmm... it seems everything is more or less sorted out now.]
Atop a high-rise building in the middle of the night.
A being surrounded by darkness, overlooking the city below, existed.
Korea's dark hero, the criminal hunter, the unofficial strongest.
And also the disaster of the other world, Outerica, death that came from the abyss.
It was the Immortal King, Hans.
'Certainly, with the organization's power added, things are much easier. There's a limit to what Hans can do alone.'
There are times when a reasonably competent many can be more helpful than one absolute powerhouse.
With the blood alliance, including Heterosis, working together, the efficiency of their operations greatly increased.
'First of all, the difference starts with the ability to gather
information.'
Hans was limited to targeting only those criminals caught in his detection network.
It was possible for extremely wicked criminals to luckily escape his grasp.
But now, the situation was different.
Through the blood alliance, which was expanding nationwide, they gathered information, and Heterosis, now much stronger thanks to the "Refined Blood Essence," hunted them down.
And those who were too much for them to handle were taken care of by Hans.
It was a perfect division of labor.
[Now, it seems there aren't any big fish left to worry about.]
Hans checked for incoming information while operating Heinz II's work burner phone.
But having been busy these past few days, there appeared to be no cases requiring his direct intervention.
[Hmm... really none? ...Then, should I head back now? Kukukuk.]
He wasn't talking about going home.
If anything, it was closer to going back to his homeland.
'Especially since the Saintess's words were bothering me. Maybe I should look into that too.'
Thus, the terror of the continent, the Immortal King, headed back to Outerica.