The First Temple of the Dawn was not designed to be breached. It was a fortress of white marble and gold, perched on a cliff overlooking the Holy Sea. A massive, shimmering dome of golden mana—the Aegis Barrier—covered the entire structure. It was said that even a meteor would bounce off that shield.
Princess Isolde crouched behind a boulder on the cliff edge, peering through a spyglass.
"Okay," she whispered, her mind racing with tactical diagrams. "The Aegis Barrier cycles its frequency every thirty seconds. If we wait for the rotation, I can cast a small disruption spell to create a hole the size of a mouse. We can turn you into mist, slip through, and—"
She stopped. She didn't hear breathing next to her.
She lowered the spyglass and looked to her right. The space was empty.
"Oh no," she groaned.
She looked down at the main causeway leading to the temple gates.
Cain was walking right down the middle of the road. He had his hands in his pockets, strolling with the casual arrogance of a tourist looking for a bathroom.
"He's going to get us killed," Isolde muttered, scrambling down the rocks to catch up.
At the massive Golden Gates, two Temple Paladins stood guard. They were seven feet tall, clad in armor blessed by the High Priest, wielding halberds that crackled with lightning.
They saw the man approaching. He wore no armor. Just black tactical trousers and a tight shirt that showed off a terrifyingly dense physique.
"Halt!" the Left Paladin boomed. "This is sacred ground. Present your pilgrimage papers or face divine judgment."
Cain didn't stop. He didn't even slow down.
"Papers?" Cain asked, stopping five feet from the gate. He looked at the massive golden doors, then up at the shimmering barrier. "I left them in my other pants. The ones I was wearing when I didn't care."
The Right Paladin stepped forward, lowering his halberd. "Insolence! Turn back, mongrel. The Aegis Barrier will incinerate you if you take another step."
Cain smiled. It was a smile that didn't reach his eyes—a predator baring its fangs.
"Incinerate?" Cain chuckled. "That sounds warm."
He took a step.
ZAP.
The barrier flared. A bolt of concentrated holy fire, enough to melt steel, arced from the dome and struck Cain directly in the chest.
Isolde, watching from the rocks, covered her mouth to scream.
The smoke cleared.
Cain was still standing there. There was a small, smoldering hole in his shirt, revealing pectorals that looked like they were carved from diamond. His skin wasn't even red.
He brushed the ash off his chest, looking disappointed.
"That tickled," he said.
The Paladins froze. "H-How? That was a Tier 5 Smite!"
"I have thick skin," Cain shrugged. "And zero mana. Your magic has nothing to latch onto. It just... slips off. Like water on a duck. A very, very angry duck."
Cain reached into his shadow. He didn't pull out a weapon this time. He pulled out a pair of black leather gloves, pulling them on tight. The leather creaked over his knuckles.
"Now," Cain said, cracking his neck. "Open the door."
"Never!" the Paladins shouted, charging together.
Cain moved.
He stepped inside the guard of the first Paladin, grabbing the lightning halberd by the blade with his bare hand. He crushed the metal, then backhanded the Paladin into the stone wall with enough force to leave a crater.
The second Paladin swung. Cain ducked—a blur of motion—and delivered a simple, brutal uppercut to the man's solar plexus. The armor caved in. The Paladin folded like a lawn chair and passed out.
Cain stood before the Golden Gates. They were twenty feet high, reinforced with magic seals.
"Isolde!" he called out without looking back. "Cover your ears."
Isolde, hiding behind a statue, clamped her hands over her ears.
Cain pulled his right arm back. His muscles coiled, veins bulging as he engaged every fiber of his Heavenly Restriction. He didn't use technique. He used raw, unadulterated violence.
BOOM.
He punched the center of the gate.
The sound was deafening. It wasn't just a thud; it was an explosion.
The magical seals shattered instantly. The massive golden doors were ripped off their hinges. They flew backward into the temple courtyard, tumbling like discarded toys, crashing through a fountain and skidding to a halt fifty meters away.
Dust and debris billowed out.
Cain walked through the gaping hole where the gates used to be. He dusted off his gloves, looking at the army of shocked priests and monks gathering in the courtyard.
The High Priest, an elderly man in silk robes, stood at the top of the stairs, trembling.
"Who... who dares desecrate the Temple of Dawn?!" the Priest shrieked.
Cain stopped in the center of the courtyard. He looked up at the Priest, his crimson eyes glowing in the shadow of the temple.
"I'm the eviction notice," Cain announced, his voice echoing off the silent walls. "Now, where is the divinity? I heard he glows in the dark. I want to see if he breaks as easily as his door."
Isolde finally caught up, panting, staring at the destruction. She looked at the ruined gates, then at Cain's calm back.
"You..." she wheezed. "You knocked."
Cain winked at her over his shoulder.
"Politeness is key, Princess."