Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

Instant destruction.

That was what happened when one of those weapons was used somewhere.

Actually, destruction was not the right word to use. It would be better to call it 'Annihilation'.

If you were lucky enough to be far away from the spot where the weapon was used, like a few kilometers away, you would be able to survive with only some parts of your body burned. 

Everything would be gone for good if those weapons were used. People, animals, buildings, monsters, everything.

'Completely annihilate...'

Kairen remembered the only time he used his strange power. It was when he faced a few Philomns members in one of his missions as a cadet. 

He remembered how everything vanished after he used that power. The people who had attacked him were gone as if they never existed and even the ground was massively destroyed.

'Come to think of it, why couldn't I use that power last time while fighting that soil dude?'

He was about to die, then why couldn't he use that power of his to save himself?

'When will that power be helpful if not when my life is in danger? Does it only exist to make my life harder?'

Kairen clicked his tongue inwardly and continued to search.

The first time that this weapon was used was about 7 years ago in Hainston. It led to a lot of people, and SMF agents dying at once. The country was in great shock after that and it took them quite a long time to recover from it.

'Nah I don't need these! Tell me where is the origin of this power!'

Well, the origin was unknown. There was no info about it.

'Is this even possible? You've been dealing with it for 7 years and know nothing about it?'

Kairen searched even more, but there was nothing.

The fact that there was nothing was even more confusing.

Not finding anything about the weapon, Kairen started to think about his own power.

There were two things that were strange. One was that mysterious power, and the second was his unique mana. The power that could annihilate everything and his mana that had more destructive power than normal people.

'Can it be that my mana is also affected by that power?'

The source of mana was one's soul, and that power Kairen used... he was sure that he sensed that coming from his soul as well. If they had both the same origin, wasn't that possible that the two of them could also affect each other?

Kairen thought about the times that he had used his mana to kill monsters. He remembered how the huge centipede in the third ruin turned to dust after it was hit with Kairen's spell.

'Hmm...'

The centipede...  the ruin...

'Come to think of it, can there be a connection between all of these?'

The mysterious weapon. His power. The centipede. The ruin. Increase and decrease in monster generation rate. Cracks that appeared before monsters were created. Philomns so desperately looking for an old painting and a book that was in a ruin that was said to be able to fend off monsters but had one of the strongest monsters underneath it.

'Wait, a ruin that can fend off monsters... and some places with lower monster generation rate?'

Kairen looked at the records that he had just written as a thought crossed his mind.

'A painting about some old ruins that belonged to a village near the place where monsters didn't exist. Philomns, who has the power to summon monsters, looking for that painting and the book that was with it...'

The power to summon monsters... a huge centipede...

Kairen then remembered their conversation with the village chief. 

-As much as we know, the book had information about the ruin in the center of the plain, monsters, unique powers, and their connection.

'The book had something to do with monsters and the ruin. Philomns also has something to do with the monsters and the ruins... and the monster generation rate... Of course, the area around that ruin has to have a lower monster generation rate, or maybe zero, for there to be no monsters around...'

Could it be because of that centipede? 

Then, were there other monsters like that centipede in those locations with lower monster generation rates?

As he thought about that centipede, Kairen remembered the only phrase in the book that they knew about, which the old man recited for them.

-Three red stars thundered in the dark sky, striking the living, gathering the dead, bringing upon and warding off the end.

"...."

Kairen didn't know about the rest of the phrase, it still sounded meaningless to him, but he felt that he could understand the first part to some extent. 

'Three red stars... those three ruins...?'

And...

'Bringing upon and warding off the end... like summoning monsters and bringing upon destruction... and fending them off to ward off the... same destruction?'

"...."

Kairen looked down on the map that he had been using for his research with Glenn.

He moved his pen and marked the three ruins on the map.

Then he looked at the seven locations with a strange monster generation rate.

'Then, does it mean that these places have something to do with each other as well?'

Kairen had thought that they might be just some random locations, but what if it wasn't like that?

The Frozen Ocean...

One was that. 

The ocean had been frozen for ages after an enraged dragon was killed by some old religion.

'Come to think of it, I didn't see any monsters there at all...'

The jungle on the Southwest.

And one other.

A vast jungle that is always filled with monsters and is almost impossible to pass.

The tallest mountain in the Stlinct Mountain range...

A tall mountain that was a favorite spot for mountaineers and tourists for both its unique nature and historical sites. The place used to be a worship place for the people of the past and now is a tourist spot as there are not a lot of monsters there.

Those were the three locations in Hainston.

The Temple of Time.

On an island in the country in the west of Hainston.

"...."

Kairen stopped before moving to search about the locations in Bordkly and looked back at those four locations once again.

'A temple... A worship place...  an ancient religion...'

Is this a coincidence?

Kairen looked at the map again, not sure what to do.

'Let's check it just in case...'

The ancient religion that had attacked The Dragon of Frost. Kairen had heard that story from Reyan on their way to find that man, but Reyan didn't say much about the religion itself.

'It was for... 3000 years ago?'

The religion seemed to have appeared 3000 years ago. Then, it spread throughout the empire, gaining more believers than any other religion of that time. 

Unlike the other religions, this one wasn't completely about worshiping gods and such beings. It is said that they helped the people of that time a lot with science and fighting techniques to protect themselves against monsters. That religion was said to have brought peace with it by dealing with monsters. 

'Doesn't this religion have a name?'

Kairen couldn't find that religion's name at all.

It was said that the head of the religion, the holy saint, had the power to protect people against monsters. That was how people trusted him and he gained a lot of believers. He had a power beyond the special powers of the people of this world. According to tales, he had the strongest and the most beautiful miracle, capable of fending off all the danger in the world. 

There were also a lot of rumors about his unique appearance. He was said to have long white hair, white eyelashes, white brows, and even white pupils. 

'Oh man, was he an anime protagonist?'

Kairen shook his head and continued to read.

The saint's unique appearance and his power which was also called a miracle, caused people to believe that he had descended from the heavens. 

Before him, the people always regarded Emperor Reynold as their hero, angel, or savior, but he never accepted such nicknames and never showed his face a lot in public. All he did was fight and fight and fight to create a peaceful empire. 

But that man was different. Unlike the empire, he was always kind to people and did everything to help them. Also, a long time had passed since the empire disappeared, so long that people had almost forgotten about him. In no time, he was the new hero and angel for the people of the Hainston Empire.

There were a lot of stories about him, about a man that had come from the land above to help the pitiful people of the land abandoned by the gods.

'Was that painting on the first ruin... that man?'

But that couldn't be. Those three ruins were built far before that religion came into existence.

'Wait...'

"...."

Kairen read the things before his eyes once again.

'The holy saint had the power to protect people against monsters... capable of fending off all the danger in the world... had come from the land above...'

"....."

Something like... 

A mysterious man from... another world...? That had a very unique power...?

Kairen scratched his cheek.

'No way... right?... Hehe... no way....'