In this world-scale war, Sharkai Bai and Kami Miraishi headed straight to Orkoreth Peak, home of the Winged Deity Punishment Church.

Racing toward the summit, Bai destroyed scattered churches of the Winged Deity Punishment Church while carefully searching for Cecilia and her brother.

Ever since breaking Girosha’s illusion and losing his arm to her, his memories jumped straight to waking in the academy infirmary. He recalled nothing from his unconsciousness. Still, he could use Berserk Mode again—and its power felt slightly stronger than before.

“Ahhh!! Not here again! I wonder how Snowlotus and Ozbel are doing now!”

After crushing another small church, he regretted finding no trace of Cecilia and her brother.

Just as Bai sat down to rest, hurried footsteps echoed ahead.

“Huh?”

Bai looked up to see someone fleeing toward him on the path.

A girl with tattered clothes.

She looked familiar. Sharkai Bai strained to recall her face.

The girl drew closer.

“Qian... Nami Shizuru?”

Finally remembering, Bai grabbed her arm from behind as she passed.

“Let go! Are you a church follower?!”

Qian Nami Shizuru, fleeing for her life, snapped back with anger and exhaustion in her voice. How dare someone grab her at such a life-or-death moment? Those Winged Deity Punishment Church bastards had ordered her and her companions eliminated right after she handed over the hostage.

But when she turned, she froze for a few seconds.

“You’re... Bai?”

After her surprise, Qian Nami Shizuru felt she’d found someone trustworthy. Her willpower gave out, and she collapsed into Bai’s arms.

“Boy! Hand over that woman!”

Before Bai could ask what happened, a huge muscular man stepped out behind Qian Nami Shizuru. Sharkai Bai glanced at the man’s arm compared to his own thigh and silently marveled.

“Impressive... His arm’s thicker than my thigh.”

The giant wore a light blue priest robe. Round glasses perched on his nose, and slender silver steel blades glinted between his fingers. A small glowing cross pendant hung on his chest.

Bai propped Qian Nami Shizuru against a tree, draped his jacket over her, and turned to face the giant.

“An intruder? Heh heh, what a pleasant surprise!!!”

The giant priest glared, hurling a steel blade at Sharkai Bai.

Bai punched the incoming blade away.

“Oh? Not a mage, boy?”

Playing with a blade, the giant priest fixed his gaze on Bai. That straightforward punch didn’t look like magic at all.

Bai didn’t respond. Once his weakness faded, his pupils turned purple. Sharkai Bai launched a counterattack.

As Bai suddenly appeared before him, the giant priest let another blade drop from his sleeve and raised it to block.

Boom!

Sharkai Bai leaped, sweeping a whip-like kick across the giant’s face. The snapped blade flew with him as the priest crashed backward.

“Tch, what a hassle...”

Bai scooped up the unconscious Qian Nami Shizuru and sprinted down the mountain.

Minutes later, the giant priest emerged unscathed from a rock crack. He dusted his robe, touched his bruised face, and stared down Bai’s path.

“...The white-haired kid.”

Inside the grand hall at Cloud Peak, the Winged Deity Punishment Church leader sat on his throne, face grim.

When had this majestic hall seen so many rude intruders? Bad luck, perhaps. First a mad sorcerer left; now a traitor arrived.

“Long time no see, Church Leader.”

Standing center hall, Kami Miraishi gave a formal bow.

“Even without the Twelve-Winged Angels, you think you can do as you please here?”

The leader glared down at Kami Miraishi—the traitor he longed to slice into pieces.

“Heh heh, still as confident as ever.”

Kami Miraishi raised his right hand, palm open toward the throne.

“Azure Flame Dragon.”

A roar echoed as a giant fire dragon coiled around him, flooding the hall with heat.

Green streams of light rose from the hall’s six corners, converging above the leader. A massive green magic circle enveloped him.

Within it, the leader stared expressionlessly at Kami Miraishi. Yet flames seemed to burn in his eyes.

“Everyone knows about the Divine Grace I took from your church, right?”

He uttered “Divine Grace” slowly, each word deliberate.

The Winged Deity Punishment Church had two divine artifacts. The first was the Holy Nail, wielded by the church’s left hand, Migast. The second was the Divine Grace, wielded by its right hand—Kami Miraishi.

But when Kami Miraishi betrayed the church, he stole the Divine Grace.

Just hearing “Divine Grace” from a traitor’s lips made veins pop on the leader’s forehead.

“You traitor and thief!!!!”

Losing the Divine Grace had crippled the church’s strength.

“Hahaha! If you’ve got the guts, take it back from me!”

His mocking laugh delighted in the leader’s face, turning green with rage.

“Thanks to your divine artifact, I’m now... invincible across the entire continent~”

The Divine Grace automatically amplified power against stronger foes. Relying on it, Kami Miraishi founded the New Wing Divine Church, swiftly dominating the Western Sea. He’d never lost a duel.

No one had ended his undefeated legend.

“You...!”

Watching that smug face, the leader gritted his teeth.

In the Northern Kingdom’s sky, the battered Situ Sheng glared at the Fourth-Winged Angel. His fiery wings dimmed behind him.

“If we spare a genius like you in this war, you’ll become the church’s greatest threat.”

The Fourth-Winged Angel wiped dust and blood from his mouth. Even after toying with Situ Sheng, he’d underestimated him. Situ Sheng’s strength exceeded expectations—though everything remained under control.

“Cough... cough...”

The flame-formed longsword in Situ Sheng’s hand dissipated. His gaze had lost all luster.

Compared to the angel, his injuries were far worse. An unbridgeable gap in strength.

This time, Situ Sheng had accepted death.