Night had fallen, and inside a lavish palace, the flickering lights cast shifting shadows.
Bolic took a deep sip of crimson wine as he pulled a scantily clad beauty closer.
The grand hall was alive with music and dance—half-dressed women swayed their hips in a seductive rhythm, their movements enticing.
This was Bolic's nightly indulgence, one he never tired of.
"Bolic, you acted on your own again, didn't you?"
Just as he was enjoying himself, a voice rang out from behind his seat.
The speaker was Gozuki, the strongest among the Four Rakshasa Demons.
"What do you mean?" Bolic's heart tightened, but he maintained a calm expression.
Gozuki didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point: "You sent that Teigu user under your command on a solo mission. What are you planning?"
"What?!" Bolic was stunned. "You know about the Teigu user I recruited?"
Among the countless believers of Path of Peace, there was indeed an Teigu user named Holimaca whom Bolic had secretly drawn to his side.
Holimaca's Teigu was called "The Mysterious Adayusu"—Bolic had kept this a well-guarded secret, never revealing it to the Empire. It was his hidden trump card.
Gozuki snorted. "Did you really think you could hide your little schemes from someone trained in the Imperial Fist Temple?"
His tone carried a clear warning. "The 'Divine Descent' event in Path of Peace hasn't been fully investigated yet. You'd better not stir up trouble! What exactly did you send that Teigu user to do?"
Bolic casually gestured for a servant to refill his drink, took another sip, and smirked. "I just had him go capture a little girl—one of the new maids that the Lord recently took in. I checked; she has no background. It won't cause any problems."
Gozuki thought for a moment and recalled the girl Bolic was referring to.
He let out a mocking laugh. "Hah, she is a fine little beauty, but... you've got guts, I'll give you that."
"The Lord probably already knows I'm an Imperial spy. The fact that he hasn't exposed me means he's wary of the Empire."
Bolic set his wine glass down, chuckling. "It's just a maid. He won't care, and besides, he won't even know it was me. I'm really looking forward to tonight... Hm!?"
A deafening crash shattered the air.
The palace doors exploded inward, blasted apart by some immense force. The broken fragments scattered across the floor in large chunks.
A black mass shot through the wreckage at terrifying speed, hurtling straight toward Bolic.
A sharp, slicing wind cut at his face like invisible blades.
Gozuki, reacting instantly, sensed lethal danger.
Without hesitation, he abandoned his mission and leapt aside to dodge.
Bolic, however, wasn't fast enough.
The black mass slammed into his chest, the impact caving in his ribcage and crushing his organs.
The sheer force of the blow sent him flying, embedding him into the palace wall. Blood trickled down from his gaping mouth—he was as good as dead.
The entire event lasted less than two seconds.
The stunned crowd turned to stare at Bolic's limp body, now embedded in the wall.
They quickly noticed something else stuck with him—another person.
The half-dressed dancers ran in all directions, their shrieks filling the palace as chaos unfolded.
But before things could spiral completely out of control, a strange force swept through the palace.
A hypnotic aura spread out, lulling the panicked people into unconsciousness.
As the dust settled, three figures stepped through the wreckage, emerging into the palace.
Souta, Kurumi, and Chelsea.
The Four Rakshasa Demons immediately grouped together, their eyes locked onto the intruders, ready for battle.
Chelsea glanced at Bolic's corpse and showed no sympathy. She had no compassion for scum like him.
Instead, she was just shocked at Souta's precision.
"You hit him a little too perfectly, didn't you?"
Souta replied casually, "I can see through walls."
A small miracle barely consumed any divine spark.
He hadn't just seen Bolic through the walls—he had also overheard his conversation.
And when this filthy pig dared to set his sights on Kurumi, Souta didn't even hesitate—he grabbed Holimaca and threw him like a human projectile.
The so-called 'trump card' Teigu user, Holimaca, had already been captured.
Souta turned to look at the man stuck in the wall alongside Bolic.
In the original story, Holimaca was the most pathetic Teigu user.
He had bragged about his abilities, confidently believing he had caught Akame in his trap—only to be instantly decapitated.
His existence was an embarrassment to all Teigu users.
As for his weapon, "Adayusu", no one ever learned what it actually did.
The mystery of its ability remained unsolved even after the story ended.
And now, history had repeated itself.
He had snuck into Kurumi's quarters, thinking he could kidnap her in the dead of night.
He had barely uttered a few threatening words before he was caught in Kurumi's time barrier—and instantly sent to his death.
"You can see through walls?"
Chelsea suddenly took a step back, wrapping her arms around her chest.
Souta rolled his eyes. "What are you even worried about? Do I look like that kind of guy?"
"Who are you people!?"
Gozuki's furious voice rang out.
The strongest of the Four Rakshasa Demons glared at Souta, Kurumi, and Chelsea.
Bolic was as good as dead, which meant their mission had failed.
If they returned to the Empire empty-handed, they wouldn't be let off easily.
At that moment, Gozuki wanted nothing more than to tear Souta apart.
But Souta simply glanced at him—then charged forward.
He didn't bother answering.
Gozuki gritted his teeth and launched a counterattack.
The Four Rakshasa Demons had undergone intense training at the Royal Martial Temple, achieving absolute mastery over their own bodies.
Gozuki's hair suddenly bristled into razor-sharp spikes, transforming into steel-like needles capable of piercing solid walls.
The other three members rushed in as well, surrounding Souta in a coordinated assault.
But Souta didn't even move.
He simply stood there.
The gods possess an inherent defense—Divine Protection.
Divine Spark naturally absorbs all damage.
Not even time-based attacks could bypass it.
In D&D's cosmology, legendary wizards all have "Time Stop." If gods couldn't resist it, they wouldn't be worthy of divinity.
And Divine Protection didn't even consume faith—it was an innate trait of godhood.
The more faith a god had, the stronger their protection became.
Unless someone had a special countermeasure, or enough raw faith to shatter the barrier, a god couldn't even be scratched.
So, as the Four Rakshasa Demons desperately attacked, Souta didn't even flinch.
When they finally realized something was wrong—and tried to run...
He lifted a single finger—and golden light flashed at its tip.
"Feels kinda unfair using god powers against mortals."
Souta shook his head, pulled out a memory-altering spell card from the shop, and casually slapped one onto each of their foreheads.
At that moment, his system notification buzzed.
[Friend Group Mission Triggered]