"Both of you at once," George said.
The moment he finished speaking, he felt something inside him loosen, as if a knot had been untied. The strange substance within his body that fueled his strength settled further, stabilizing after his victories over Dunn and Jern.
He turned toward Krestai and Reldar, eyes bright with anticipation.
"Care to test me together?"
Krestai and Reldar exchanged a glance.
"All right," Krestai said calmly. "Let's see what your body is truly capable of."
Neither of them felt insulted by the proposal.
After witnessing George's speed and raw physical power, neither believed they could confidently subdue him alone. Pride was meaningless in the face of uncertainty.
More importantly, they needed answers.
They had to determine George's limits, so they could decide how the Church would treat him afterward.
And they also wanted to make something clear.
Yes, George's body was extraordinary.
But extraordinary did not mean invincible.
The Church did not rely on a single powerhouse, or even two. Its strength lay in layers upon layers of monsters, many far beyond what George had glimpsed so far.
If George were to join them, he needed to understand that truth.
Reverence before power made recruitment easier.
With that in mind, the two captains were awakened and ordered to lead their squads in clearing civilians from the surrounding area. This was not a casual sparring match.
Even restrained, clashes between beings at this level could turn a city into rubble.
Once the perimeter was secured, the battle began.
Reldar rose into the air in a blur of motion.
A casual wave of his hand sent thunder crashing down from above.
Forked lightning speared toward George like descending judgment.
George tilted his head slightly, watching the storm.
Interesting path, he thought.
Early stages focused on brute strength and durability, almost like a warrior. But at higher levels, it turned into something closer to a walking natural disaster.
The lightning alone rivaled the strongest elemental magic he had ever seen in other worlds.
Truthfully, he could have stood there and let the bolt hit him without suffering serious harm.
But that would have been… problematic.
First, surviving direct lightning strikes without flinching might traumatize the two executives.
Second, his clothes definitely would not survive.
Fighting naked, especially in the body of an infant, was not an image he wanted to introduce to the world.
So he moved.
A blur.
The lightning tore into empty ground.
Before he could fully settle, a pure white blade descended toward his head.
Krestai had already closed the distance, wielding the Goddess Sword with ruthless precision.
The coordination was flawless.
Earlier, Dunn had harassed from range while Jern handled close combat.
Now, the roles were reversed.
Krestai pressed in, while Reldar dominated from afar.
"Too slow," George muttered.
He shifted his weight, preparing to slip past the blade.
Then—
His foot slid.
Just slightly.
But enough.
For an instant, his balance collapsed.
Impossible.
George's eyes sharpened.
"My fate was nudged."
The moment he intended to dodge, something unseen had interfered. The sword itself had tampered with probability, wrapping a thread of misfortune around him.
So that was part of its power.
He grinned.
"Now this is interesting."
Instead of dodging, George snapped his fingers against the flat of the blade.
A sharp metallic crack echoed.
The sword's trajectory bent sideways, carving air beside him instead of through him.
George used the rebound force to leap backward.
Midair, a massive crescent of compressed wind descended from above.
Reldar again.
George clapped his hands together.
The impact generated a violent shockwave.
Two opposing currents collided.
The wind blade exploded into scattered turbulence.
Reldar's eyes widened.
He had just seen someone disperse a high-density wind attack using nothing but physical force.
George landed.
Krestai was already there.
This time, there was no restraint.
Krestai raised the Goddess Sword with solemn focus. Power flooded into the weapon.
Five meters away, he brought it straight down.
Light vanished.
Not dimmed.
Devoured.
The blade became a vertical abyss, swallowing brightness and releasing a tide of absolute darkness that rolled outward like a living ocean.
Shadows thickened.
From within Krestai's body, vague spectral figures emerged and melted into the gloom, multiplying its danger.
This was not merely darkness.
It was a domain that assaulted the soul.
Once engulfed, even beings at Reldar's level would feel their consciousness dragged downward, pulled toward endless slumber.
Reldar halted midair.
"It's over," he said quietly.
George's strength lay in his body.
This technique did not care about bodies.
Speed was meaningless here.
Durability was meaningless here.
Without Reldar's earlier pressure, Krestai might never have had the opening to unleash this attack so cleanly.
But now that it was out…
There should be no escape.
The darkness surged toward George.
He looked at it thoughtfully.
Then he rolled his shoulders.
"Huh. That's a pretty clever move."
A slow breath.
"Guess it's time I show a little of the real thing."
He planted his feet.
Not to run.
Not to dodge.
But to push back.