SRS 145

“Explain the concept of Descent as you understand it.”

He wondered if the professor truly planned to conduct the lesson here, despite having called it an outdoor class. Yohan was momentarily stunned, but he quickly regained his composure. At any other time, he might have glanced around at his friends to seek help or find a way out, but he couldn’t do that this time.

According to the professor’s words, whether or not they could save the divine beast of the Mirror Temple depended entirely on him.

He felt that even a moment’s delay was a waste of time.

“If advent is when a god sends power directly into the world, I understand Descent to be when a god dwells within me to use that power.”

“You know it more accurately than I expected.”

He was a high priest; it wouldn’t do for him to be ignorant of such basics.

The angel professor nodded, confirming it was the correct answer, and changed the question.

“Then, have you ever attempted Descent?”

“…No, I haven’t.”

The risk of Descent, which brought a god into one’s own body, was far greater than that of advent, which summoned a god. He couldn’t help but know how dangerous and rare it was, as unauthorized copy only a handful of high priests in history had ever successfully used it.

When Yohan shook his head, the angel professor stood up and gestured for him to come closer. Once Yohan stepped right in front of him, the professor turned Yohan’s body around and seized his shoulders. Then, he lowered his upper body to stare straight ahead and whispered.

“I don’t know which god you serve, but your bond with him is remarkably strong, and the influence he exerts here is significant. I’ve judged it worth an attempt and intend to guide you, but side effects are unavoidable. If you’re afraid, refuse.”

It was a polite and textbook expression of concern, so much so that Yohan wondered if this was the same professor who had ruthlessly turned students into frogs. Thanks to that, he realized the danger of Descent anew. Yohan’s lips went dry. The prediction was terrifying, but Yohan was determined.

“…Please guide me.”

“Have you considered this carefully?”

“Yes.”

“Rouse your divine power. Then, move exactly as I instruct. As for the rest of you… it would be best if you stepped away for a moment.”

The angel professor spoke solemnly as he advised Arun and the other students. Sensing the atmosphere, they didn’t act stubborn and obediently withdrew and left the kitchen. Mikael, who moved the slowest among them, looked back at Yohan until the very last moment.

“Don’t overdo it.”

Yohan smiled and nodded at him. Mikael gave a weak smile. He recognized that Yohan’s expression was meant to reassure him, and backed away. Veins stood out on the back of Mikael’s tightly clenched fist.

The angel professor waited until every student except Yohan had left before instructing again.

“Rouse your divine power.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Yohan follow the professor’s first lesson and draw out his divine power. When he pulled out half of the energy he felt near his stomach and heart, he heard the angel professor laugh.

“What do you intend to do with such a small amount? Bring out more.”

“…….”

“More.”

“…….”

“Bring it all out.”

When Yohan raised his divine power to 60%, 80%, then 90%, the professor frowned and signaled for him to release all of it. Yohan looked at the professor in surprise.

“Do you mean I should unleash every bit of divine power I possess?”

“Yes.”

“…I’ve never used this much in such a short time. It’ll cause a disturbance.”

Yohan wasn’t just a simple first-year who knew nothing anymore. Through various events at Fantasiademia, he had learned how to unleash divine power more easily even here in this different dimension, and he had learned how to use it. Since there was little difference between the divine power he held in his original dimension and his power here, Yohan could now unleash the entirety of his power, unlike in the past.

However, that was the limit.

Since he was still inexperienced, the divine power would definitely run wild and ignore Yohan’s control.

He expressed his concern because he had never exhausted all his strength at once like this, but the angel professor tilted his head as if he didn’t see the problem.

“I am here.”

“…….”

It was a dignified and arrogant statement. However, his arrogance had a foundation.

“…I understand.”

Yohan finished his deliberations, made his decision, and removed the limit on his total output. Immediately, a significant amount of divine power swirled out, accompanied by a pain that felt like his heart was swelling to the point of bursting before shrinking like a deflated balloon.

“Wh-What is this?”

“Yohan! Are you alright?”

“…Yohan.”

The amount was so great that even those outside could feel it.

Blood flowed along Yohan’s lips. It felt as if his entire body was breaking. As the surging divine power raged, unable to distinguish friend from foe and threatening to harm even its own master, the angel professor grabbed Yohan’s head with one hand and unleashed his own power.

Then, as if magnetic objects were drawn to a magnet, all the divine power was sucked into Joel’s grip, or more accurately, toward Yohan’s head.

“Remember the sensation of receiving a revelation. Open the passage in your head to create a heavenly path.”

The angel professor instructed him. Yohan clenched both hands and struggled not to lose his reason as he followed the command. Fortunately, thanks to the revelation class he had taken before, it didn’t take very long to create the heavenly path.

His vision blinked in and out. Feeling his consciousness might fly away at any moment, Yohan chose to keep his eyes closed. Once he completed the heavenly path, the angel professor sent up the divine power.

“Argh…!”

The resistance of the power trying to escape his control was fierce. It was violent enough that Yohan vomited blood and his body slumped over, but the angel professor caught the student’s shoulder and moved his lips.

An incomprehensible language flowed from [unauthorized copy]his mouth. It sounded like the language of the Divine Realm.

Soon, Yohan’s divine power swirled in a spiral shape and soared, mimicking a dragon’s ascension. The infinitely extending divine power touched the boundary of the dimension. The heavens fluctuated as they felt the desperate energy sent by their follower.

“I’ll help you, so expand the path. Make it so the divinity can dwell within you.”

“Ugh….”

Yohan’s internal organs already felt twisted from the exhaustion, yet the angel professor’s instructions fell unabated. Yohan bit down on the inside of his mouth and expanded the heavenly path with the professor’s assistance. The narrow path gradually increased in width.

“More.”

“Haa….”

“Expand it to the maximum.”

“…….”

“It must be wider than it is now.”

From a certain point, Yohan lost even the energy to groan.

The continuous demands made his whole body tremble. [stolen content]Around the time his eyes began to roll back behind his closed eyelids, the angel professor recited an incantation in the divine tongue once more.

Yohan’s heavenly path grew wider and wider until it reached its limit, becoming so vast it was no longer just a path.

The moment the realm of heaven and Yohan’s realm met, a pure white light struck down like a bolt of lightning and pierced into Yohan.

A light so bright it felt like it could return everything in the world to nothingness, rather than just purifying it, filled the entire shop. Some time passed after even the angel professor closed his eyes.

“It has been three thousand years since the last Descent.”

A voice that was benevolent, grand, and powerful echoed in the space.

Everyone was unconscious when he spoke. That included the angel professor who had been helping Yohan and Arun, who had been waiting anxiously outside. It included Kylus, who felt responsible because his friend was working so hard on a problem in his own dimension, and Suhyeok, who had been patting Kylus’s back as if to comfort him.

Even the divine beast of Fantasiademia and the griffin Pinpin had lost consciousness, yet one being had not fainted; he crawled on the floor, barely clinging to consciousness. The white-haired student trembled while clutching his back, as if he were in pain. The one who felt that presence slowly walked out of the kitchen.

Though he was walking, his footsteps made no noise. It was as if something without weight were moving.

Eventually, the figure who confirmed Mikael’s presence lowered himself. Mikael’s pupils shook as he faced Yohan, whose hair and eyes had turned white.

The one who saw him maintained a indifferent expression and only moved his lips.

“It has been a long time.”

“…….”

“However, I cannot stay long.”

There was a limit to how long a fragile and weak human body could withstand divine status. Since Yohan’s body was already a mess, the being couldn’t afford to linger and turned away without regret. Upon discovering the fainted, corrupted divine beast, he removed the golden cage and reached out his hand.

Flash!

A beautiful light bloomed like a flower and enveloped the corrupted divine beast. A few seconds later, the divine beast returned to human form. His pitch-black hair turned into a shimmering purple that looked like it was studded with jewels, and the energy of the demon’s fragment that was in his heart disappeared.

Skreeeeeek!

A black mass screamed as it came out of the divine beast l to flee. The being grabbed that form, destroyed it instantly with a single breath, and tilted his head back.

“It is time.”

The being rolled his eyes to look at the trembling Mikael and smiled.

“I’ll see you next time.”

Following those words, the divinity enveloping the area vanished, [stolen content]and Yohan’s body tilted to the side.

At the same time his body fell to the floor, every threat inside the restaurant erased its trace.