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Each branch of magic has its own distinctive color.

For example, the Holy branch is the one for which Chalcedony is best suited. When using magic from this branch, the mage emits a silvery light.

To continue using Chalcedonia as an example, the Flame branch is crimson, the Sea branch is deep blue, the Tree branch is fresh green, and the Thunder branch is indigo.

While the light of mana that Tatsumi unleashed is golden in color.

It was the mana light of the Heaven branch—a branch so legendary that it is said only one person in history has ever possessed it.

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A horizontal strike with a short spear.

For Tatsumi, who had no knowledge of martial arts whatsoever, let alone spearmanship, that strike was nothing more than a simple blow, what is commonly called a “baseball swing.”

He simply swung the short spear he held with both hands horizontally. It was an attack method that was a far cry from the proper use of a spear, revealing him to be a complete amateur.

Even so, the spear’s shaft appeared to have struck the side of Morganaik’s head—now a fiend. However, Morganaik managed to force his sword, which he had already swung through, to slide between his head and the spear’s shaft.

Was this a feat made possible by Morganaik’s honed skills, or was it only possible because his physical abilities had been enhanced by the specter possessing him?

The reason was unclear, but despite losing his balance, Morganaik barely managed to defend himself, successfully blocking Tatsumi’s all-out strike.

Furthermore, Morganaik skillfully maneuvered his sword, even managing to brilliantly knock Tatsumi’s short spear away.

This was proof that he was a seasoned warrior, not an amateur like Tatsumi. Regardless whether he’d become a fiend or not, the combat skills ingrained in his body over many years had not rusted away.

However, despite successfully defending himself, he was caught off guard by Tatsumi’s follow-up attack just as he was losing his balance, and even the renowned Free Knight was forced to stumble back a few steps.

Nevertheless, Morganaik quickly regained his composure and swung his sword as he turned. Although there was a gap of several paces between him and Tatsumi, if he closed that distance quickly, he could easily bring Tatsumi within striking range.

A sharp sword flash struck at Tatsumi. But once again, Morganaik’s blade only sliced through the air.

Once again, Tatsumi had vanished.

The Free Knight’s eyes, glowing red, widened in shock. Behind the Free Knight, Tatsumi’s figure appeared once more.

He no longer held a weapon in his hand. Instead, he clenched his fist tightly and slammed his right fist, shrouded in golden light, with all his might into Morganaik’s face.

Another surprise attack from behind. Even the Free Knight couldn’t react to this on the spot.

Still, he managed to twist his head just in time, minimizing the impact. Besides, Tatsumi’s fist was that of an untrained amateur; it couldn’t possibly pack much of a punch. Even if struck in the face, the actual impact Morganaik would feel would be negligible.

Or so it should have been.

But the moment the fist touched Morganaik’s face, the golden light dwelling within it exploded, effortlessly sending Morganaik’s body—clad in sheet metal armor—flying.

Even after being sent flying, Morganaik rolled several times on the ground to slow his momentum. Shaking his head a few times to steady himself from the unexpected impact, he regained his composure and fixed his gaze firmly on his enemy, Tatsumi. Or rather, he tried to.

But Tatsumi, who had been standing there just moments ago, had vanished once again.

Morganaik was momentarily stunned by the enemy’s disappearance. But his highly trained warrior’s instincts detected a presence behind him once more.

Following that instinct, he threw herself forward. After rolling once on the ground and getting back up to check behind him, he saw Tatsumi there, his fist raised in a striking stance.

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Still sprawled on the ground, Calcedonia forgot to get up as she kept her eyes fixed on Tatsumi.

Watching the battle between Tatsumi and Morganaik from a short distance away, she could see Tatsumi’s incredibly high-speed movement much more clearly than Morganaik’s stance.

The moment she thought he had vanished, Tatsumi was already behind Morganaik. To Calcedonia, it seemed to far exceed the realm of mere high-speed movement.

“…Instant… teleportation…?”

The words slipped from her lips.

It was undoubtedly the name of a spell belonging to the Heaven branch

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Long ago, there was a great magician named Tiet Zamui.

Known by the epithet Grand Sorcerer, he is said to be the only mage in history to possess the aptitude for the Heaven branch.

The Heaven branch, which only he could wield, is considered a higher-tier branch than Holy and the highest tier of the Light system. However, what Heaven governs is space-time. In other words, it is said to be magic that transcends space and manipulates time.

In fact, the magical ritual Calcedonia used to summon Tatsumi was one left behind by Tiet, and normally, it would not function without magic of the Heaven affinity.

Caledonia succeeded in substituting it with the Holy branch, which is considered the closest to Heaven.

By combining her own vast mana with the immense mana overflowing from the Sacred Site beneath the temple, she managed to activate it through sheer force of will.

Of course, her exceptional skill as a mage was also one of the reasons she succeeded in summoning Tatsumi.

And now.

Right before Calcedonia’s eyes, Tatsumi—who kept vanishing and reappearing—was using none other than the Instant Teleportation, said to be the quintessential magic of the Heaven branch that manipulates space-time. At least, that is how it appeared to Calcedonia.

How could Tatsumi, who was supposed to possess no mana, suddenly cast magic—and not just any magic, but a spell from the Heaven branch, one said to be nothing short of legendary?

Of course, Calcedonia had no idea why.

Moreover, the bleeding from the wound on his chest had stopped. It seemed he had activated a recovery spell without even realizing it.

Currently, it is believed that magic with healing effects exists only within the Light and Water” systems, as well as their higher-tier and derivative branches.

Heaven is a higher-level branch of Holy and Light. If that is the case, it wouldn’t be strange for Heaven to possess magic with healing effects as well.

“……M-Master is the second person in history to possess Heaven magic…?”

Forgetting the current situation, Calcedonia’s cheeks flushed crimson as she continued to follow Tatsumi’s movements with eyes ablaze.

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Tatsumi’s surprise attacks, appearing and vanishing repeatedly.

But that only worked for the first few times.

Tatsumi had never studied martial arts, let alone been in a fistfight.

It wasn’t a karate jab, nor was it a boxing straight punch. There was no way the amateurish attacks of someone who simply thrust and swung his fists could keep working indefinitely against a true warrior who had honed his skills in real combat.

Even now, Morganaik effortlessly dodged Tatsumi’s attack, which had suddenly appeared from behind. The moment Tatsumi vanished, he had anticipated that he would reappear in his blind spot.

Even if it was an attack from a blind spot, it wasn’t difficult to dodge if he knew it was coming. Moreover, Morganaik even had the composure to counterattack while evading Tatsumi’s strike.

But the Free Knight’s attack was also evaded by Tatsumi. Of course, by making himself vanish.

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No matter how many times he swung his sword, the blade never managed to cut through his enemy’s body.

Whether he slashed downward, upward, or swept horizontally—and of course, even when he thrust forward.

It was as if he were striking at smoke; no matter how much he swung his sword, the blade never reached Tatsumi’s body.

It was true that Tatsumi’s attacks were child’s play to Morganaik. Now that the element of surprise was gone, his crude attacks—nothing more than swinging his fists—would never land on Morganaik’s body, no matter how many times he repeated them.

But the fact that his attacks were completely ineffective only served to fuel a growing sense of frustration and irritation within him.

*He’s nothing but a mere insect! All he can do is buzz around aimlessly!*

Morganaik unleashed yet another sword strike. But once again, Tatsumi’s figure vanished into thin air.

*Where is he!? Where will he show up this time!?

He scanned his surroundings with unwavering vigilance. But this time, he couldn’t detect Tatsumi’s presence.

*—How long do you plan to keep playing around? Just get rid of that winged insect already.*

*Shut up. I don’t need you to tell me that!*

While mentally arguing with the voice whispering in his ear, the Free Knight continued to search intently for Tatsumi.

It wasn’t just the Free Knight who was irritated; the specter possessing him felt the same way.

The mana emanating from that human was even more dangerous to the specter than the Holy magic—which could be called its natural enemy.

When the human it possessed was struck by that golden fist just now, the specter felt a shock as if its entire body were being torn apart.

That shock was far more powerful than the one it had received from the woman lying over there just a moment ago.

That is why the specter tried to incite the human it possessed to end that person’s life as quickly as possible.

The specter’s impatience and frustration only served to intensify the possessed man’s own impatience and frustration.

The last remnants of the Free Knight’s will were gradually being consumed by the impatience and frustration emanating from the specter.

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH !!”

When that frustration reached a critical point, Morganaik roared.

Like a beast, he roared toward the heavens.

But the roar suddenly stopped dead.

His red eyes, brimming with frustration, widened.

It was clearly reflected in Morganaik’s eyes as he looked up at the sky.

The figure of Tatsumi, feet first, plummeting headfirst from above the Free Knight.

Tatsumi hadn’t teleported behind Morganaik—he had teleported directly above him.

Human consciousness is surprisingly unable to look upward. Not a blind spot in vision, but a blind spot in consciousness. For an amateur like Tatsumi to land a hit on the Free Knight, the only option left was a surprise attack beyond even a surprise attack.

It was unclear whether Tatsumi had thought that far ahead when he teleported into the sky, but ultimately, this surprise attack proved successful.

“AAAAAAAAAAAARGGGHH!!”

Now it was Tatsumi’s turn to roar.

Having teleported into the air, Tatsumi used his falling speed to his advantage and launched a surprise attack on the Free Knight directly below him.

Morganaik, having noticed Tatsumi’s presence, frantically tried to flee from the landing spot. But it was too late. The distance between them was far too short for him to escape.

Like a bird of prey pouncing on its prey, Tatsumi’s heel—enveloped in golden light—slammed into the Free Knight’s face an instant later.

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Golden light exploded.

The golden light spreading out in all directions violently shook the trees and flowers in the temple courtyard, much like a blast wave.

But it was not the trees and flowers that bore the brunt of the golden blast; it was none other than the specter lurking within Morganaik.

The golden magical power residing in Tatsumi’s leg surged through Morganaik’s body like a torrent.

The golden light drove out the darkness dwelling within him, then attacked the specter lurking in the very depths of his being.

The golden light pierced the formless body of the specter like countless needles, causing it to crumble to pieces.

Letting out a voiceless cry of agony, the specter writhed in torment.

For many long years, it had possessed countless creatures, feeding on their ugly, twisted desires.

In this way, it had accumulated power until it finally became capable of possessing humans.

Even after it began possessing humans, the specter’s power continued to grow. Eventually, it gained enough strength to withstand Calcedonia’s Exorcism magic time and time again.

That very specter.

Like fog driven away by the morning sun, it was helplessly trampled by the golden light.

*—W-what is this light!? What is this mana!?*

In an attempt to escape the agony, the specter resolved to abandon the human body it had possessed.

But that decision came too late. The interior of the Free Knight was overflowing with golden magical light, and there was nowhere left for the specter to flee.

Swallowed by the torrent of golden light surging in from all directions, the specter’s existence was gradually eroded and shattered—until it finally vanished completely from this world.

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A raging golden blast. Calcedonia lay flat on the ground, desperately struggling to withstand the force of the blast so she wouldn’t be blown away.

When the blast finally subsided, Calcedonia slowly sat up and looked around.

Where Tatsumi and Morganaik had stood, the ground was gouged out, and centered on that spot, the nearby undergrowth lay torn to shreds, while nearly all the leaves on the trees had been blown away.

Then, Calcedonia’s ruby-red eyes fell upon Tatsumi, who lay collapsed in the shallow depression.

“Master!?”

Caledonia scrambled to her feet and rushed toward the beloved boy..

As she ran, her large, beautiful white breasts bounced up and down, and Caledonia was suddenly reminded of her current appearance.

Caledonia cupped her ample breasts with both hands and knelt beside the fallen Tatsumi.

Then, she pressed her cheek against his lips to make sure he was still breathing steadily.

“I’m sorry, Master. I’ll be borrowing this for a little while.”

While lifting Tatsumi’s body, she removed the junior priest’s robe he had been wearing and put it on herself.

His priestly robes were stained bright red with his own blood, but since it was Tatsumi’s blood, Calcedonia didn’t mind.

She felt reluctant to strip the clothes from the unconscious Tatsumi, but she had to undress him to examine the wound on his chest.

Tatsumi’s priestly robes were also torn open wide across the chest, but they still managed to cover Calcedonia’s upper body.

She then examined the wound on Tatsumi’s chest once more. The gash that ran deeply across his chest from side to side hadn’t closed completely, but the bleeding had stopped. His heart was beating steadily, and though his breathing was labored, it wasn’t shallow.

Concluding that his life was not in immediate danger, Calcedonia began to chant a recovery spell.

A faint silver light gathered in her hands, and as she held them over Tatsumi’s wound, the silver light seeped into the cut, healing it before her very eyes.

After confirming that his wound had completely closed, Calcedonia let out a sigh of relief, stood up, and looked around.

At her feet lay Tatsumi, and a short distance away was Morganaik. Further away still lay Bardio—a total of three men lay unconscious.

After confirming that Tatsumi was okay, she checked on Baldio and then Morganaik in that order.

The fact that Morganaik was left until last might have been because her opinion of him had dropped significantly.

She also used Bush Restraints to restrain Morganaik’s body, just to be safe.

After checking on the other two, she found that while they had sustained minor injuries, their lives were not in danger.

A human who turned into a fiend may be exorcised to drive away the specter possessing them, but if the bond with the specter had been too strong, they might end up in a vegetative state afterwards. This is because their minds have been completely taken over by the specter.

Since there is no way to assess the mental state of Morganaik and Baldio who are still unconscious, what Calcedonia could do now was focus on transporting them from here to another location.

That said, it would be impossible for her alone to carry three men, so she needs to go get someone.

“Master. Please wait a moment. I’ll go get someone right away to help carry them to a place where they can rest. And also…”

Caledonia glanced around once more to make sure no one was nearby, then crouched down beside Tatsumi again and gently brushed her cherry-pink lips against his cheek.

“…Thank you… for saving me… I was so… so happy.”

Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink as she whispered softly into Tatsumi’s ear.

Then, to secure helpers to carry out the three unconscious men, and to report to her grandfather, Giuseppe, what had happened here today and what she had witnessed, Calcedonia quickly left the temple grounds.