My Alter Ego's Path to Greatness

Kwaaa— A terrifying tearing sound, like a missile being launched, echoed fiercely, as if the atmosphere was being ripped apart. However, it wasn't any kind of science technology, mystical magic principle, or even a special weapon that was used.

"Euhahahat!"

The source was purely the power of the physical body. Originating from a fist as hard as rock, it was the pinnacle of violent physical force produced by a single human. ...Though whether that being should be considered truly human is debatable.

Kwaaang!

"Keuheup!"

The Secretary gasped, due to the immense impact transmitted from the divine power shield in her left hand. Her steps, which had been relentlessly advancing like a runaway train, had already been pushed back several paces. Even though the divine miracle imbued in the shield neutralized most of the damage, it was still this much! It was beyond absurd, almost bewildering.

'Kkeueu, what is this? Where did such a guy suddenly come from…?'

A barbarian with a physique far exceeding 2 meters, adorned in distinctive attire and flamboyant tattoos. She gritted her teeth, glaring at the muscular giant who blocked her path. She had thought it was all over. If she just bought a little more time, the surrounding area would be thoroughly sealed off by those who followed her, and then she believed she could make that impudent infidel who dared to attack her pay the price.

'Just how…!'

It took less than a minute for the tide to turn. From a trial that she could overcome, albeit with some difficulty, to a desperate crisis where she was barely able to even take care of herself. It was all because of those thugs who suddenly barged in.

"Paha! Blocked it? This is quite the excellent sandbag! Shall we pick up the tempo a bit more?"

The barbarian, bursting into mad laughter with his mouth stretched wide enough to tear, lowered his stance and clenched his fist strongly again. Pudeudeuk! Kkigigiging—! At the same time, the noises leaking from that body. Could those sounds really be coming from a living creature's body? Extremely compressed muscles twisted, and a loud metallic sound spread in all directions. Steam rising from his flushed red skin was a bonus.

"Keueu! My Lord! Grant me strength that will not falter in any adversity!"

But the Secretary was also an enhancement-type combat priest, not lacking in direct offensive power. The divine power filling her body blazed like flames, and a radiance like a small sun settled on the head of her hammer.

"Receive judgment!"

"Eurachacha!"

Swoosh— Kwaaaang!

The hammer, swung in a large arc, and the fist thrust out in a straight line collided head-on. The tremendous pressure generated by the aftermath pressed down on all sides, and the formation screamed again.

"Wow! You're really something? It's been a while since my bones were broken! Kahahat!"

"...Monster. To face the Hammer of God head-on and only get a fracture? No, wait. Already healed?"

"Ah, I'm a bit on the faster side when it comes to recovery!"

Immediately after exchanging blows, the two people, facing each other at point-blank range, engaged in a grim conversation. The Secretary, swinging down her hammer burning like the sun, and Harley, resisting that power with his fist locked against it. It was a fierce scene, making the overwhelming difference in physique seem insignificant.

"So you won't wag that mouth again, I'll mince you to piec—."

However, if there was a variable in the current situation—.

"Excuse me for a moment."

It was that the target she needed to be concerned about now was not just the giant in front of her.

Chwaaak—!

"Keuheup!"

The cool voice was heard at the same moment the attack landed. In a stealthy surprise attack aimed at her back, the divine power armor on her back was torn off, and blood splattered. She had reacted instantly upon sensing the presence and twisted her body, but in a defenseless state after exerting full power and with her mind distracted, responding without damage was impossible from the start.

"Keueu! These cowardly fiends…!"

Lavishly scattering divine power, she barely retreated, gritting her teeth as she suppressed the blood magic penetrating into her body through the wound. It was only thanks to divine power's absolute superiority over vampires that it ended at this level; otherwise, her heart might have been ripped out in that single attack.

'Regeneration speed is slower than I thought. Is it a curse of wound worsening? ...I need time. If this continues, truly…!'

Of course, her ordeal didn't end there.

———!

As if aiming for the opening created by the fatal wound, bombardments she had already experienced several times rained down in succession. Colorful beams of light flying in silently relentlessly pounded her body, which was hastily taking a defensive stance.

"Kyaa! As expected of a divine power user, they're tough, aren't they? They're holding out better than I expected?"

Ttududuk! Pudeudeuk—! A humanoid monster, actively using bodily transformations as if revealing its true colors and starting to inflate its body size, rejoined the fray.

"Ptooey, is it because of Divine Descent? The blood is useless. Now 2 minutes… no, less than 3 minutes? To finish within 5 minutes, I'll have to move a bit faster."

The Vampire Lord, spitting out the blood he had put in his mouth, disappeared as if his body was melting into the air. Each of them were transcendent powerhouses, against whom it would be difficult to predict victory even in a one-on-one fight. They coordinated organically, like a single entity, thoroughly cornering their sole prey, the Secretary.

'...How? Why? How did things turn out like this? Were they a gang from the start? To not notice these kinds of guys setting a trap and approaching…!'

In Adeline's mind, overwhelmed by the relentless attacks, confusion about the current situation flared up like wildfire. The monster blocking her path as if to seal her movements showed no signs of breaking no matter how much she struck it, and amidst all that, the continuous ambushes of the vampire and the bombardments of the sniper were enough to mercilessly whittle away her vitality, which was exploding like a volcano with near-infinite divine power.

"Keoheok…! Ah, my Lord…! Please forgive this unworthy servant…."

Exactly 5 minutes. That was the time it took for her, who had fought valiantly to the end, to finally kneel.

Western United States, near San Francisco, California.

Squeak— Screech!

"This way!"

"Hurry and prepare the barrier! Don't let your guard down and secure the area!"

Multiple people getting out of several abruptly stopped vehicles quickly scattered around and moved with perfect order. Personnel in various attire, naturally divided into several groups.

"Phase transition point detected. This is the epicenter!"

"Then let's start right away. What is Pantheon doing now?"

"They say they are preparing to breach immediately. I suppose they have no choice but to prioritize the safety of the target, right?"

"Let's cooperate as much as possible so no unnecessary words come out later. There's nothing as tiresome as hypersensitive fanatics."

"Yes, understood."

In fact, although they happened to be acting together, they were not affiliated with a single organization. From agents of the California state government to Guardians dispatched from the American Returnee Association, to those urgently dispatched from the Pantheon headquarters located in San Francisco, people of various backgrounds were mixed together. But their purposes were all very similar. It was to safely rescue Adeline Schneider, one of Pantheon's top executives, a member of the Committee of Twelve.

"By the way, to dare to touch the Pantheon's leadership. They've got guts. It must be the work of a follower of an evil god, right?"

"Well, there's been so much talk about that recently. Like the thing about the saint from another world who summoned that dragon."

"Ah! Come to think of it. Could this also be related to that? Those Divine Retribution Society guys are behind this…."

"That, one can never know."

Since many ability users had gathered in one place, it took less than a few minutes to identify the center of the spatial distortion, set up a barrier, and complete preparations for entry. Including the time it took to understand the anomaly and rush here, perhaps only a little over 10 minutes had passed? It was a quick response that was possible because they had already sensed suspicious signs and started moving before the signal was detected.

"Entering the interior!"

"Three— Two— One—!"

In that situation, it was the Pantheon side that entered the formation first. For them, the safety of their leadership was the most important thing, more so than neutralizing any traps inside or setting up barriers to prevent the escape of the hostile entity.

"Now!"

Pajik—!

What they first encountered as they entered the other side of space, with hearts full of tension….

"...Good heavens."

"What in the…."

It was truly a scene of destruction on an enormous scale. Trees uprooted and scattered, as well as those charred black, burned to a crisp. Rocks shattered to pieces, so completely destroyed that their original form could not even be guessed. Land cracked and dug up as if by an earthquake, and even a huge crater revealing the earth's bare interior, and so on. It was enough to tell at a glance that something extraordinary had happened here.

"Such traces of battle. If there hadn't been a barrier…."

"The impact on the surroundings would have been considerable. The casualties would have been significant too."

"No, that's not what's important right now! Is Schneider-nim, is Adeline Schneider-nim safe?!"

"Heot! Track her immediately…!"

Immediately after those overwhelmed by the horrific scene regained their senses, a search of the surroundings began. And those who suppressed their anxious hearts and tirelessly used mysteries related to exploration and information gathering, soon had no choice but to face an unbelievable reality.

"How about your side? Did you find her?"

"...No, nothing…."

"Kkeueung, same here. Traces are so clearly left, and yet we can't grasp any information!"

That was the fact that with their abilities, they could not find out anything from this place. From psychometry, which reads past memories from traces, to clairvoyance, precognition, tracking, nothing worked.

"...Cleanly erased. It seems the hostile entity took care of it first."

"Does that mean, Schneider-nim is already…."

"Heo! Nonsense! She is a transcendent being that America boasts of, and among the top in all of Pantheon! There's no way she could have been defeated in such a short time…!"

They tried hard to deny reality, but no matter how much they searched the scene, nothing changed. It was the same even after those outside finally completely dismantled the formation and joined them.

"Such concealment ability. It's beyond words."

"Complete erasure that even abilities can't intervene with. And the level used for it seems to be at least transcendent class, even at the lowest estimate… I wonder if there's anyone who can see through this."

"Barrier construction, information concealment, and even the traces of battle left at this scene. It's certain that the perpetrator is not an individual."

Inevitably, they even sought out ability users specialized in exploration to try and figure out what had happened here, but all they could discern was a mystifying void of mystery that felt almost hollow. In the end, the full story of the terrorist incident targeting the Pantheon's leadership was bound to fall into a labyrinth. It became an opportunity to instill vigilance not only in the leadership at positions similar to hers, but also in the heads of other forces outside of Pantheon. Along with a sense of crisis about an 'unknown hidden power' whose identity they could not fathom at all.

'It was worth investing excessive force.'

A 5-minute time attack. That was an extremely tight timeframe against a transcendent being who even used Divine Descent. Although there was a time limit, within it she could use near-infinite divine power, and the explosive increase in all abilities stemming from it exerted power that could never be ignored.

'As they say, there's no match for numbers.'

When Harris was alone, he thought it might be a bit difficult, but when he additionally投入 force, didn't things get resolved this easily? It wasn't for nothing that heroes of justice in comics and such often overwhelm villains with numbers. This must be the life lesson one gains in real life.

'And also, thanks to Heinz II, we were able to cleanly erase the traces.'

「Existence Denial」, which had grown to the point where it could be called the ultimate skill in the concealment category. It demonstrated excellent performance in post-battle cleanup as well. With the level of Heinz II, who had become a divine blood and begun to sprout a faint seed of divinity, unless someone like the Society Master himself came directly, no one would be able to see through the remaining traces.

'Main tank Harley holding the enemy, long-range dealer and utility supporter Harris, and close-range main dealer Heinz II. A pretty decent combination. ...Above all, the blow dealt in this incident will be fatal to the Divine Retribution Society as well.'

I slowly nodded my head at the satisfaction rising within my heart. Eliminating the Secretary, who was the North American Branch Manager of the Divine Retribution Society, an apostle of the Society Master, and also one of the Pantheon's leaders, was a very significant achievement. This could be an opportunity to further increase Heinrich's influence over Pantheon.

'...Moreover, that's not the end of it.'

Gently closing my eyes, I sank into the chair. The Secretary, an apostle of the Society Master. A clergy member who not only used divine power bestowed upon her by him, but had also reached a high enough level to use Divine Descent. Naturally, her spirit and flesh had to contain a vast amount of information about the Society Master.

'From one to ten. I will thoroughly analyze everything.'

Fortunately, he had the best expert in this field. The best in the world… no, the best expert in all dimensions.