The place with the holy emblem and altar of the Divine Faith Church was similar to a cathedral's chapel.
"It seems each trial has a different time scale."
Unlike before, the time scale here was about three times that of the outside world.
As he calmly surveyed his surroundings, a will echoed in his head again.
<Pray to the Divine.>
In an instant—
A soft light leaked from a large emblem engraved on the wall near the podium.
It was the emblem of the Divine Faith Church, resembling light spreading out in all directions.
'Ah, I think I know what this is.'
It was a type frequently mentioned in the records of previous challengers.
Heinrich confidently walked up to the podium and knelt in a natural posture, clasping his hands together.
'The Trial of Faith.'
As a regular question on the test, the process of this trial was very simple.
All one had to do was prove their faith.
As he began to pray, the light emanating from the Church's emblem grew stronger.
Whoooosh—
And then, the light began to shine on Heinrich like the sun
shining through a window.
Along with it, an enormous divine power started to seep into his body.
'Enduring and accepting a certain level of divine power.'
That was the method of proving one's faith in this trial.
I roughly knew the level of divine power required in the Trial of the holy Sword.
Although there seemed to be slight variations among participants based on potential, possibility, and other factors...
Generally, being between the level of a bishop and an archbishop was enough to meet the criteria.
For Heinrich, who already possessed the divine power of a bishop and could extend that limit whenever he wanted, it was a simple matter.
'So, I thought I could pass this trial easily...'
But something was off.
The divine power kept pouring in endlessly.
Moreover, despite having reached a significant level, the intensity showed no signs of waning.
I was slightly panicked as the divine power began to exceed the limits I normally used.
'Uh, this is dangerous?'
I hurriedly drew on the mental resources of my other avatars, using "Mind Hub" and "Persona" to convert it into faith.
Hans, who was involved in gathering information by collecting dark wizards around.
Heinz II, who had taken control of the entire clan and was focused on expanding his power.
Halli, who stayed in the Steel Fortress to hunt monsters in the northern mountains.
Hubert, who was slowly expanding his scale after establishing a stable base in the higher realms of Tarak.
And Harris, who had received the attention of many elves in the Elven Kingdom after the festival.
However.
'No, when will this increase stop?'
Even after drawing on the mental strength of all my avatars, the infusion of divine power did not end.
The amount of divine power that had filled him was now comparable to that of an archbishop.
'It's only temporarily held by force, so it won't last long... Ah, this won't do.'
I no longer had the luxury to think about anything else.
I, who was watching the situation from Earth, also hurriedly closed my eyes and concentrated.
I poured all the abilities and mental strength I had acquired through my growth into Heinrich alone.
In the urgent situation, without a moment to spare, my body, which was usually filled with several times the amount of divine power Heinrich handled, writhed.
How much time had passed?
The brightness of the holy emblem shining on him began to slowly diminish.
However, he was so focused on barely containing the divine power about to burst out from his body that he had no chance to notice the change outside.
Ssshhh—
The light from the emblem, growing weaker, finally went out completely, and the chapel fell into silence as if nothing had happened.
Only Heinrich, emitting divine power from his entire body, was different from before.
At that moment,
A different kind of divine power swirled around his body.
[The individual has met the conditions and gained enlightenment. You have acquired the special skill "Blessing: Amplification".]
A glimmer of hope in the extreme situation.
The divine power, on the verge of bursting out from his body, gradually calmed down and began to follow his control.
And soon after...
<The second trial has ended. Proceed through the gate to the next stage.>
Along with the will echoing in his head, his deeply immersed mind slowly awakened.
"Ah... That was really close."
It felt like he had reached the very edge of his limit before barely making it out.
As he gradually found some leeway, the mental focus of the avatars concentrated on Heinrich began to return to their places one by one.
And soon, he could realize the change in himself.
"The capacity to hold divine power has increased."
It was thanks to the new skill he had acquired through this ordeal.
"Blessing: Amplification" is an ability that increases the maximum amount of divine power one can hold within their body, a blessing usually obtained by clergy of the priestly order.
Although he hadn't ascended in rank, at least in terms of quantity, he was now somewhat comparable to an archbishop.
"No, perhaps not to that extent yet."
Even now, the divine power he couldn't fully control was leaking out, illuminating the surroundings.
He was not yet accustomed to his new ability, and controlling the divine power during the trial was only a temporary achievement made possible with the help of other avatars.
"The trial is over, so it shouldn't matter."
Thanks to "Blessing: Amplification," the amount of divine power Heinrich could control on his own had increased more than twofold, which was very satisfying in many ways.
"But, the difficulty seems a bit too high."
He knew that harder trials were given to the strong, and relatively easier ones to those lacking but with potential...
Though he had passed the trial with a trick using avatars, the divine power poured into him was of a level that even a decent archbishop would find overwhelming.
Most paladins, typically having less divine power, would likely fall at this stage.
The first trial of endurance would have been quite difficult if not for his various traits.
Perhaps only those at the paladin level could pass.
'Isn't the standard too strict for Heinrich, who is facing his first challenge and isn't that strong?'
He was neither a paladin in terms of might nor an archbishop in terms of divine power.
Yet, the trials he had faced so far seemed to demand both, inevitably leading to dissatisfaction.
'No, it's too early to conclude. The next trial might be easier, for the sake of overall balance.'
Trying to remain positive, Heinrich looked around for the next gate.
Then, he noticed a brown wooden door at the exit of the chapel, which hadn't been there before.
"But how many more times do I have to do this?"
Since the number of trials given varied from person to person, he couldn't know how many he would face.
According to records, only two people had reached the Holy Sword.
They had each faced 3 and 4 trials before standing before it.
"Of course, they failed to pull out the sword and receive its acknowledgment."
Hoping this would be the last trial, he opened the door and stepped inside.
"Ah."
The first sight that met his eyes as the light disappeared and his vision returned was...
A desolate ruin.
A land of death, rotting away in blackness, without a hint of life.
"I'm in trouble."
He could instinctively sense from the ominous atmosphere that there would be no easy trial here, but rather a very challenging task.
"Defeat the enemy."
The will echoing in his head at the same time.
It was soon clear who the 'enemy' was, as someone floating in the distance was openly emitting a menacing aura, looking in his direction.
'Something about their appearance feels very familiar...'
It was an atmosphere very familiar to me.
A tattered black robe, a black wooden staff entwined with several skulls at the end, and the aura of death flickering around the entire body like flames, down to the skull scattering red glows.
"...It's similar to Hans."
Of course, the overwhelming presence couldn't dare compare to that of the Immortal King.
"Then, is it a Lich?"
At that moment, Hans, the sovereign of the undead and a Lich King, analyzed everything about it, including its aura.
The conclusion was immediate.
"An Archlich..."
It was the undead that Hans had been just before becoming the Lich King.
And a mature Archlich was an entity even paladins hesitated to face one-on-one.
[Are you a hound of the Church? How did you make it here?]
Despite the considerable distance, a voice like scraping metal reached him.
[Well, it doesn't matter now.]
The Archlich, seeming to initiate a conversation, soon gave up on talking and gathered dark magic.
Then, it swirled the black energy around its skeletal staff and swept through the air.
"Why are they so impatient!"
But Heinrich's concern was ignored, and the energy spreading out like fog immediately seeped into the ground...
Crackling—
[Keheheek!]
Clattering—!
Crunching—!
[Squeak— Squeak!]
Endless types of undead sprang from the ground.
Hundreds, thousands, maybe even more.
"Wow... The trial goes this far in implementation? It's even more intense seeing it for real."
He knew from prior information that all this was a virtual space created for qualification, but the aura and the intensity
each undead emitted felt so real.
"But facing the Archlich one-on-one is tricky enough, now I have to deal with these undead too?"
Wasn't this a bit too much?
However, there wasn't the luxury to be lost in thought forever.
"Die, hound of the Church!"
With thousands of undead and the Archlich commanding them all aiming to kill him alone.
***
"It's about to start soon."
"...Ah, is that so?"
In the southern part of the Ion continent, at the secret hideout of the Oath of the Reversal.
A bulky figure in a robe initiated the conversation, but the response from the old man, always gloomy and filled with madness, was particularly flat today.
'He couldn't possibly be getting cold feet now, could he?'
If he were to back out, it would be impossible to even start.
For the bulky figure, who had invested more than ten years into this grand plan, this was absolutely unacceptable.
He scowled at the old man, examining his condition more closely.
However, contrary to his expectations, there were no signs of fear.
The old man was simply staring blankly, opening the lid of his locket pendant to look inside.
Inside was a portrait of a family, drawn through enchantment magic.
"Will there be any problem in proceeding with the plan?"
Uninterested in such sentimental sights, the bulky figure bluntly asked the old man.
He had never understood such emotions from the start.
"If you say you're backing out now..."
"Ah, what nonsense."
Before he could finish, the old man closed the locket and chuckled in his usual voice.
"Keke, I've been preparing for this grand undertaking for 30 years. Me, give up at this moment? Kuhuhu..."
Unlike when he was looking at the portrait, his eyes were once again filled with madness.
"Rather, my resolve has strengthened. Indeed, this continent cannot remain so peaceful. Yes, exactly."
Listening to the old man mutter confidently to himself, the bulky figure nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed there would be no issue in proceeding with their plan.
"We can't just sit around! Let's check everything one last time. It's the fruition of 30 years. We cannot fail."
With that, the old man rose from his seat to check the preparations for the grand magic once more.
"Hmm... Then I should go and attend to my own tasks as well."
With busier times ahead, it was necessary to be well-prepared in advance.
Though this preparation would be needed by everyone on the continent...
How many were actually ready was not for him to know.