CHAPTER 100
A day after the great earthquake, the Imperial Palace finally began to move in earnest.
First, they borrowed the power of the Magic Tower to begin rebuilding the ruined city.
It was the dead of winter.
Rescue was one thing, but at this rate, even the living would freeze to death.
Therefore, reconstruction was the most urgent priority.
“Move it, move it!”
“We’re short-handed here! Any mages, come over here!”
Thanks to this, the capital was in utter chaos.
The one silver lining was that while modern science was often helpless without heavy machinery, this world’s reconstruction was incredibly fast, thanks to mysterious powers like magic.
Compared to modern society, everything here was lacking and inconvenient, but when it came to confronting disaster, this world had the upper hand.
The injured continued to appear until that evening, so I was swamped with work.
However, as the second day began to pass, the number of injured started to decrease.
This was thanks to the Holy Church and ordinary Holy Mages lending their strength here and there.
By the time the third day rolled around, I was able to finish my work. It was now a time when I didn't need to do charity work anymore.
And with that, the time had come to confirm it.
‘What did Black Dawn do?’
An earthquake is an unstoppable disaster.
But it occurred at the exact same time Black Dawn launched their terror attack.
There was clearly some kind of intent behind it.
And for that purpose, I had saved a finger.
“Lululio, isn’t it about time for Lieutenant General Inferno to return?”
“He’s probably on patrol all over the place, ssumda. But shouldn’t he be back soon, sir?”
“Good, we’re going to the Regular Army HQ.”
“Ooh, let’s head out right away, sir!”
I couldn’t just use Resurrection magic anywhere.
It was better to revive the culprit in a place where he could be securely contained.
“Aranseol, Babiyen, I’m heading out.”
“Will you be okay going with just Lululio?”
“You’ve been working hard taking care of people too. Get some rest.”
“I really don’t know who should be saying that to whom.”
Listening to Aranseol and Babiyen’s sighs, I gave them a wave and immediately set off.
The Regular Army building was undamaged, despite the earthquake.
It seemed the building had been heavily reinforced with magic.
As the Regular Army headquarters, it was a likely target for terrorism.
They must have constructed strong defenses for that purpose.
“Ah, are you Holy Mage Harua-nim? Please, go in.”
The Regular Army soldier on guard duty let me pass as soon as he heard my name.
I had already worked with Inferno several times.
It seemed news about me had spread throughout the guard posts.
Shortly after I entered, a person came running from the opposite corridor.
He was a man with noticeably thick-lensed glasses.
“Harua-nim, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Lieutenant General Inferno’s aide, Leyra.”
So that old man had an aide.
Then again, it would be strange if Inferno, who was buried in work every day, didn’t have one.
“My name is Harua.”
“Yes, Lieutenant General Inferno is currently absent, so I will be guiding you.”
His work wasn't finished yet.
I understood that things would only proceed properly once Inferno was here, so I nodded.
Just as I was about to be led by the aide, Lululio’s ears, who was beside me, perked up.
As I registered her reaction, Lululio pushed down her goggles and said.
“Umm, Harua-nim, maybe we should run?”
“Run?”
As I questioned her statement, a breeze blew from somewhere.
The wind brushed past us, drawing our gazes down the corridor.
A woman was standing there.
She had a considerable muscular build and a tall frame.
She was a woman with a rugged appearance and striking brown hair.
Since coming to this world, I had never felt that women were lacking in physical strength.
But the woman before me now felt as if she had far surpassed the realm of mere strength.
Is that… even human?
She was as shocking as when I first saw Aigis, the Divine Lord.
“Yo, are you the kid Inferno and Rapha Hastel-nim have taken a liking to recently?”
A giant of a woman, her whole body covered in scars.
She exuded an aura of wildness.
It felt like encountering a beast in the middle of a jungle.
She walked down the corridor and arrived before us.
“Lieutenant General Anastasia!”
The aide called out her name in surprise.

Lieutenant General.
My eyes widened as soon as I heard that.
She was one of the Lieutenant Generals, the same rank as Inferno.
No wonder she had such a monstrous aura; she was another one of those monsters of the highest caliber.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Anastasia Petrovna.”
Petrovna?
This person had a surname.
But the pronunciation of her name was different from those of this world, so she wasn’t a noble.
This was, if I had to guess…
“Are you Russian?”
“Correct.”
This person was Russian.
And to use a Russian name meant…
“You’re not a No-Named?”
“Also correct.”
My mouth fell open.
A woman who had reached the rank of Lieutenant General without being a No-Named.
I immediately understood what that meant.
In this world, the rank of Lieutenant General in the Regular Army required martial prowess as an essential component.
That’s why, at the level of Lieutenant General, the proportion of No-Nameds was inevitably high.
But Anastasia was different.
Since she wasn’t a No-Named, she would have an Ability that wasn’t particularly effective.
The situation might vary depending on the Ability’s performance, but there was still a vast gap between a No-Named and a regular Transferee.
In other words, she had risen to the rank of Lieutenant General in the Regular Army solely through martial strength she had built herself, without the aid of an Ability.
‘Should I see her as more of a beast than a human at this point?’
What a monstrous woman.
“You have a look of disbelief. Well, most people react that way. I was a female professional wrestler in Russia.”
She held up an arm that was bigger than my head.
“Thanks to that, my body was already fully developed, and I grew like a storm as soon as I was transferred.”
I could certainly see where her large physique came from.
“So, hit me once.”
“Excuse me?”
What kind of bullshit was this now?
But she paid no mind to my reaction and took a stance, baring her abdomen.
“You’re the friend Inferno’s been fond of lately. As a fellow Lieutenant General, I have to test you.”
Ah, so this person wasn't normal either.
I finally understood why Lululio had suggested we run.
“I did warn you, ssumda.”
Lululio began to secretly back away.
“Lululio.”
But she too had already been spotted by Anastasia.
“I need to check how much you’ve grown as well. You must have gotten stronger, having been taught directly by Rapha Hastel-nim, right?”
“Lu-Lululio’s arm is sore from all the hard work today, ssumda. Ah, what a shaaaame~.”
With those words, Lululio flickered into light and vanished.
That little brat, she bolted.
“Hmm, can’t be helped. Lululio wasn’t the main objective anyway.”
She turned back to me and grinned.
“Now, hurry up and hit me. Show me the spirit of a real man.”
My eyes were drawn to her steel-like abs.
I had a feeling they were even harder than steel.
Damn it, I had no intention of getting involved in something like this, but my opponent was a Lieutenant General.
It was better to play along quickly and get out of there than to try anything foolish.
“……Should I hit you with all my strength?”
“Yep. Give it your all. If I feel it’s lacking, I’ll kick you right out.”
She herself said to hit her with all my strength.
I took a deep breath and got into a stance.
Then, I slowly began to draw Holy Magic into my arm.
Various buffs enveloped my arm.
I had acquired several new spells while studying Holy Magic.
And all the Holy Magic I had acquired were physical support-type spells.
The foundation of Divine Pugilism ultimately comes from a strong body.
The strength of Divine Pugilism is determined by how far one can push the body’s abilities to their limits.
The muscles in my arm felt like they were repeatedly tearing and mending.
My bones rattled, and my entire body began to shake.
But it was fine.
By healing countless people during this great earthquake, the efficiency of my Holy Magic had once again grown.
The sprout that bloomed upon my Seed of light.
That sprout had now grown larger than before and was beginning to form the base of a tree.
To become the world’s largest tree of light.
My Seed, too, was undergoing dazzling growth.
“Oh.”
Anastasia let out a short exclamation of admiration.
She too could vividly feel the torrent of power swirling in my arm.
But I had no intention of ending it with just this.
She was the one who told me to hit her with all my might.
“Myeongnyeong-ah!”

At my call, Mi-Myeongnyeong flew towards my arm, which was now bulging with muscle.
In the next moment, Mi-Myeongnyeong seeped into my arm.
My arm began to turn a pure white, different from before. My already pale skin became even whiter than if it had been painted with powder.

At the same time, golden patterns began to draw themselves across my white arm.
The immense divine power flowing from the golden patterns was enough to partially distort the surrounding scenery.
“That is…”

Anastasia’s eyes opened wide.
It seemed she knew something about the power I was using.
Partial Apostle Transformation.
Although I wasn’t skilled enough to envelop my entire body, a partial transformation like this was now possible.
The help of Mi-Myeongnyeong, who was already born as an Apostle, was crucial for this.
The power contained in my arm was so great that I felt like my legs would buckle under the strain.
But because I could feel that immense power, a confident smile spread across my lips.
“H-Heok.”
Aide Leyra took a step back with a shocked expression.
He too had felt the tremendous torrent of power emanating from me.
An overflowing amount of Holy Power, thanks to my Resurrection magic.
An empty heart that feels no strain from using Holy Power.
A Grade 1 Light Attribute and a ridiculously inefficient but hard and large Seed.
This was my greatest single strike, with Divine Power added on top.
Amidst the cold sweat dripping down, my lips parted.
“You definitely said it with your own mouth.”
She’s a Lieutenant General, so she should be able to block it somehow.
Anastasia bared her teeth and smiled.
That smile was her permission.
I planted my feet and ran towards her with all my might.
With an immense strain on my waist, I threw the greatest punch of my entire life.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
A violent roar was accompanied by a raging storm.
It was a punch packed with such overwhelming power that even I, the one who threw it, was sent flying back.
I was flung past the corridor and into the garden, where I tumbled across the ground.
I couldn’t feel my arm.
I knew for certain that my arm was, at the very least, twisted out of shape.
This thing is a complete glass cannon.
It still had many flaws to work out before I could use it freely.
Still, I lifted my head with a slightly confident expression.
Now then, she was a Lieutenant General, one of the strongest people in this world.
How much of an effect did that blow have?
As I cradled my battered arm and shifted my gaze, Anastasia was standing there.
Yes, standing on two feet.
I, the one who attacked, was sent flying like this, yet she stood there proudly.
Don’t tell me she’s unscathed?
No matter what, that would be soul-crushing.
Drip—
At that moment, a trickle of blood flowed from Anastasia’s mouth.
Anastasia wiped the blood from her lips with her thumb and then slapped her stomach.
“Ten steps, was it?”
That was the number of steps Anastasia had been pushed back after I hit her.
Just ten steps.
I was dumbfounded by that fact.
“Excellent. That last blow was in the top 10%.”
“...Top 10%?”
“That includes all the magic I’ve ever been hit by.”
Wait, why does this person go around getting hit on purpose?
I had no idea.
“It looks like there’s a lot to improve on, but the firepower is incredible! Friend, you’ll be able to get much, much stronger.”
“……I’m feeling an overwhelming wall right now.”
“Hahaha! I have the greatest defense among the Regular Army. Just giving me that much of a shock is an amazing feat!”
Praise is praise, so I decided to take it in a good light.
“Anastasia, are you up to your usual bullshit again?”
Just then, a familiar voice rang out.
I turned my head to see Inferno, who had returned dragging Lululio behind him.
“Mm, Inferno.”
“Haa, Harua, don’t play along with this musclehead.”
“Musclehead? That’s harsh. I have a lovely name, Anastasia. Call me that.”
“I’ll call you that when you start acting lovely.”
It seemed Inferno and Anastasia were quite close.
While Inferno was tutting at Anastasia, her eyes flashed towards Lululio.
“Next is Lululio.”
“U-uh, n-no thank you, ssumda! If I’m weaker than before, you’ll just say I’m lacking and put me through the wringer, won’t you, ma’am?!”
“That’s a given. Strength should be renewed, not allowed to regress.”
Uh, wait a minute.
“………Lieutenant General Anastasia, does this mean I have to do this again next time we meet?”
Just in case, I asked, and Anastasia looked at me as if I’d asked the most obvious question in the world.
“I’ll look forward to next time.”
I’m screwed.
I once again realized why Lululio tried so desperately to escape.
“You two can fool around on your own time. Harua, let’s go.”
Inferno pushed up his sunglasses and nodded his head.

“It’s about Black Dawn.”
The time had come.

A Word from the Author
Wow! 100 chapters