"I'm only interested in your strength and your genes. As for your personality? I don't really care. Even if you're a pervert, it doesn't matter to me."
"…Wow, thanks for that, I guess. But I'm seriously not a pervert! I was just trying to take the item she was wearing, alright?!"
While Zesshi declared she didn't care in the slightest, the rest of the Black Scripture looked at Ren Kuroda with undisguised disdain.
Especially the other woman among them—Thousand-Mile Astrologer. She had already been terrified of Ren Kuroda's overwhelming power, but now she hugged herself tightly, her legs trembling uncontrollably as if trying to shrink away from him.
"The space is sealed… which means high-tier teleportation shouldn't be usable for either side. And yet… we couldn't even perceive his movement just now. That speed… was that really just his raw physical ability?"
The Black Scripture's leader—a handsome young man in his early twenties with jet-black hair—spoke in a low voice, his expression grave.
His title was, quite literally, Black Scripture.
The implication was simple: I alone am the Black Scripture.
In the past, he had been absurdly arrogant. But after being thoroughly beaten down by Zesshi once, he had mellowed considerably. From that point on, he had come to believe that no one in this world could possibly defeat her.
And yet—
Just moments ago, that belief had been completely shattered.
Ren Kuroda had captured Sacred Hymn right in front of them without any of them noticing.
Even Zesshi's intervention hadn't been enough to stop him.
"He's not an opponent you can handle. If you rush in, you'll only get in the way," Zesshi said coldly. "Those of you who can use magic—focus on supporting me from a distance. The rest of you, stay put."
For the elite Black Scripture—each member individually far surpassing the Kingdom's strongest warrior—to be told they would only be a hindrance…
It was humiliating.
But the one saying it was Zesshi.
And right now, none of them could argue.
Zesshi was a half-elf. Though she had always harbored some resentment toward her own heritage, there was no denying the advantages it granted her.
Elves were natural-born magic casters, with far greater mana reserves than humans. Their heightened senses also made them exceptionally perceptive.
On top of that, Zesshi had awakened the bloodline of the Six Gods—making her a genuine Godkin. Despite her slender frame, her physical resilience was on par with that of a dragon.
Her cross-shaped scythe tore through the air—
—and in the instant it clashed with the divine blade in Ren Kuroda's hand, a shower of sparks erupted.
Under the influence of multiple enhancement spells, Zesshi was barely able to keep up with his speed. Her scythe whirled relentlessly, engaging him in a close-quarters battle so fast that it was completely invisible to the naked eye.
"Sixth-Tier Magic—Maximize Magic: Holy Spear Judgment!"
The moment Ren Kuroda and Zesshi clashed, the Black Scripture—and even the so-called One-Man Army—realized something.
Even if Zesshi hadn't warned them not to interfere…
They couldn't have intervened anyway.
This battle existed on an entirely different plane.
Their movements were too fast to follow.
Even the shockwaves from their attacks were enough to kill them instantly.
Still, the Black Scripture's leader acted.
Not only was he skilled with a spear, he was also capable of casting sixth-tier magic—the upper limit of what humanity could normally achieve.
Seizing the moment when Ren Kuroda landed, he cast a holy spell at its maximum output.
A magic circle formed beneath Ren Kuroda's feet—
—and in the next instant, a massive spear of radiant holy energy erupted from the ground, thrusting straight toward his abdomen.
The Black Scripture's leader smiled in anticipation, believing he had finally landed a hit.
But—
The moment the holy spear struck—
It didn't pierce him.
Instead, it shattered like glass on impact.
"…Pathetic."
Albedo's mocking laughter rang out from the side.
"A mere sixth-tier spell, and you think it could harm Lord Ren Kuroda?"
Her voice dripped with contempt.
"Lord Ren Kuroda possesses a racial trait that grants complete immunity to all magic below the eighth tier. Even Shalltear's tenth-tier holy spells barely affect him."
She crossed her arms, her gaze filled with disdain.
"With magic at your level, you couldn't even scratch his HP—let alone hinder him."
The Black Scripture members felt their expressions stiffen.
"Immunity to all magic below the eighth tier…? What kind of monster even is he?!"
"Stop using offensive magic!" Zesshi's voice cut through the chaos, snapping them back to reality. "Switch to binding spells. Just restrict his movement—that's enough!"
In truth, Zesshi would have preferred to defeat Ren Kuroda on her own.
But reality was merciless.
She couldn't do it.
Even after all these years, she had never imagined that someone like this could exist.
With her awakened divine bloodline and elven power, her mana and physical abilities were already on par with—if not slightly superior to—Ren Kuroda's current state.
But—
That wasn't all he had.
His martial skill was just as monstrous.
It was almost impossible to believe that someone with such overwhelming combat prowess had, just moments ago, incapacitated over two hundred thousand soldiers with a single magical display.
"Eighth-Tier Magic—Double Maximize Magic: Divine Seal Lock!"
The situation was too critical.
The Black Scripture's leader stopped holding back, fully activating the power of his divine bloodline and unleashing the strongest spell he could use—eighth-tier magic.
Though inferior to Zesshi, he was still one of the three Godkin within the Theocracy.
With the power of that bloodline, he could temporarily access magic beyond normal human limits—and with even greater potency.
Suddenly—
Two enormous golden arms emerged from the air on either side of Ren Kuroda, as if reaching out from another dimension.
They closed in simultaneously—
Clasping together in a crushing grip, trapping him in their grasp.
This time, they had followed Zesshi's advice.
They abandoned attack magic—
…and used restraint magic instead.
And the result proved it was the correct choice.
Ren Kuroda could nullify magic damage—
…but he couldn't ignore binding effects.
For the first time, Zesshi gained a brief opening.
She tightened her grip on her scythe, pouring an immense amount of mana into it—
Then swung down through the air with everything she had.
"Martial Art—Annihilation Black Scythe!"