With the notification from the system, Apollo concluded that he was indeed right. Perhaps when his skill, Oppressor, activated during his intense battle against the two colossal monsters, the holder of the other artifact—the one which the system had been tirelessly trying to locate—amplified the power of the Third Gospel.


    This unknown individual likely copied the current power influencing the battle. That power, as it turned out, was the skill Oppressor itself.


    "To think even skills can be copied by that spell," Apollo mused, paying close attention to thest notification that had shed before him.


    [Notification Alert!


    The system has detected a group reaching this clearing, and they aren''t the professors!]


    "Now I can feel them as well," he thought, a surge of rity washing over him. With the stone artifact hidden safely away inside his inventory, he was no longer burdened the same way as before. His senses expanded widely once again, just as Alicia''s did, feeling the approaching presence of the unknown group.


    "It seems that they are going to reveal themselves now," he noted, a mix of anticipation and caution coursing through him.


    "Finally! I was already getting bored burning nothing," Alicia replied, her tone deceptively casual. Yet, there was an underlying menace in her voice—like a hungry predator craving prey. Apollo noticed her cold expression shift, veering towards something more murderous.


    Removing the effects of Oppressor must have allowed Alicia to feel what was happening, and her irritation boiled over at being influenced by something that dulled one''s senses. All her anger was funneled into the torrent of raging mes surrounding her.


    The burning sensation intensified as her will infuse more power into the fire, and Apollo, watching everything unfold, silently prayed he wouldn''t end up angering her in the future.


    The mes encircling them danced ording to Alicia''s will, erupting violently through the forest. Suddenly, ten silhouettes broke through the wall of heat, stepping into the clearing.


    However, before the silhouettes could make any significant moves, three figures emerged first, weapons drawn. With a loud bang, a rain of bullets flew through the air. Apollo recognized them instantly—these were the same cloaked figures they had encountered during the time he was sensing the pull from the depths of the forest.


    Apollo couldn''tprehend why they suddenly opted for firearms when their bodies were built for a fighter. This seemed incredibly out of ce for individuals who had shown such prowess before.


    [Creator, my scanners have picked up multiple damaged ki circuits. It seems Miss Alicia broke them during the earlier encounter.]


    Apollo went pale upon hearing Jeremiah''s report. "Alicia damaged a ki circuit?" He was left feeling baffled and terrified at the caliber of skill his ssmates possessed.


    A ki circuit is the pathway ki takes while circting through the body. Once damaged, it could cause immense pain, effectively crippling any fighter or weapon user. For one to damage or destroy someone''s ki circuit requires an extraordinary degree of precision and skill to locate the veins.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Alicia''s ability made Apollo wonder if she could only damage a mage''s mana vein, or if she could reach even further.


    [Notification Alert! The system has detected that the bullets contain anti-magic properties and damage immunity. Miss Alicia''s mes won''t be able to stop them.]


    Breaking free from the shock, Apollo gathered himself and made his move. "Gravity!" hemanded, this time without specifying how many folds it would increase. He simplymanded gravity to pull all his enemies towards the ground.


    The ground shook violently as several bodies hit the earth, the entire ind falling under the influence of hismand. Even the group from the Monastery, who had been hiding away, could feel the weight of his authority bearing down on them.


    [Creator, beware! I sense the devouring weapons.]


    One of the weapons crafted from Nirvana''s own flesh and blood was called the Devourer. This weapon not only contained his flesh but also incorporated his skill. The Devourer consumed any attacks directed at its holder and could even recycle them for their own use.


    This skill was so powerful that even a god''s authority wasn''t spared; while it couldn''t be recycled, it was still deadly and very much feared inbat.


    Before his enemies could harness this formidable weapon, Apollo issued anothermand. The entire sky was illuminated with an otherworldly light as the power of his authority intertwined seamlessly with a spell.


    "Clock tower''s hand," he whispered, and upon his will, the bodies of his enemies began to wither rapidly. Hemanded their time to be taken away, and at a shocking rate, their bodies underwent rapid aging, causing their mana and ki to deplete drastically. Their lives were mere sparks now, and a mere gust of wind could extinguish thempletely.


    "This will be thest one," the boy dered resolutely as he prepared to cast another spell. This one was a curse—a dark form of ck magic—and the surrounding mana responded to the impact of his will, making them obey him without question.


    A ck magic circle erupted, covering both thend and sky, and from the disheveled remains of the ind, a new nightmare emerged. Charred hands, ckened and grotesque, suddenly spawned from the tainted ground, grabbing hold of the bodies of the now-aged and withered enemies.


    "Manus maledicta," he whispered, and the power of his spell began to consume those trapped within its grasp.


    Alicia merely watched, ustomed to Apollo''s swift transitions from one spell to another.


    "Are you done?" she asked, her voice calm yetced with an edge of impatience.


    "Yes, we should return now," he replied, releasing a breath he didn''t realize he had been holding.


    Alicia then retracted her mes, which had effectively protected them from the enemies'' anticipated ambush.


    After that intense encounter, Apollo raised his hand, and several souls began dancing around him. "Veritas!"


    Another darkness-element spell was conjured, and dark, tainted smoke enveloped the ground, reaching for the souls of Apollo''s deceased opponents. An eerie cry of grief echoed through the clearing, but the two children remained unflinching, their cold res aimed at the souls as if all emotions had been drained from thempletely.


    After a few minutes, Apollo finally finished sorting through all their memories.


    "Hoo…" he exhaled, feeling slightly dizzy from reviewing the dozens of thoughts and emotions contained within multiple souls.


    "How was it?" Alicia inquired, her gaze sharp and focused.


    "Some memories are blurry, while others are painfully clear. However, I can tell that the one behind this organized attack was very careful not to leave a trace behind, because most of the intact memories seem to be falsely created to deceive me," he exined, frustrationcing his voice.


    Alicia fell silent, her expression deep in thought. Noticing her intense focus, Apollo immediately asked, "Something wrong?"


    "I think we need to return to the camp now!" Her expression shifted abruptly from cold determination to one of panic, prompting Apollo to teleport with her instantly.


    "What''s going on? I didn''t even sense anything!" He screamed in his mind, then remembered Jeremiah''s existence. "Anything you''ve got in there?"


    [Creator, the wielder of the other artifact has gone missing. I''ve been attempting to locate that person ever since you started attacking. However, after you used gravity, I could no longer pinpoint their location.]


    "And you''re just telling me this now!" Apollo eximed, his frustration boiling over.


    [I''ve already marked all the lower-ss students, and I can assure you they are safe since I attached the skill Light of Aegis to them. However, I''m not entirely certain about the other students, as I didn''t monitor them closely. I only followed your previous instruction to prioritize your friends above the others.]


    "Right, I did order that." Apollo suddenly felt foolish for not considering the implications of his ownmands. He had instructed Jeremiah to prioritize his friends over the other students, so it made sense that he didn''t feelpelled to notify him while Apollo was engaged in battling their enemies.


    "Where did youst spot the wielder of the artifact?" he asked, forcing himself to focus.


    [That person was with the group of priests from the Monastery. I''ve recorded his mana signature, so if I sense him again, I can locate him.]


    "Alright. Let''s hurry!"


    Then they arrived at the camp, but everything appeared deceptively normal.


    "Alicia, nothing seems strange," he said, scanning the area for any signs of disturbance.


    "Some of the students is missing," she replied, rushing towards the professors, her urgency palpable.


    "Jeremiah?" he called out, hoping for answers.


    [Calcting… Creator, there are three missing students from the High ss.]


    "What? Those high aristocratic bastards!" Apollo eximed, bewildered and infuriated by their reckless behavior.


    "They already knew our situation, and they dared to walk away from the camp!" he added, his voice rising in frustration.


    Apollo''s calm demeanor shattered, overwhelmed by the reckless behavior of the other students. They weren''t helping the situation; they wereplicating matters even further, putting everyone at risk.


    "There''s no way I''m looking for them." He decided firmly, intent on leaving Alicia to head straight to his friends.