I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

After leaving the underground laboratory of the history department building, Rod did not choose the wide road leading to the main road, but instead turned into a narrow alley called Spindle Alley.

The area was filled with piles of abandoned building materials and garbage left uncollected due to the plague. The dim gas streetlights could only illuminate a small area under the lampposts, while the rest of the area was shrouded in deep shadow.

Rod walked very slowly.

He is adapting to this completely new body.

After being promoted to a formal wizard and solidifying his [Immortal Body], his sensory world underwent a dramatic transformation.

The elements floating in the air are no longer a blurry sensation, but have become a data stream with color that can be captured.

The tactile feedback from the stone slabs underfoot clearly told him the density and hardness of the ground, as well as the moisture of the soil beneath.

The most obvious change is in gravity.

With each step he takes, his body's "gravity adaptation" property automatically adjusts the interaction between his body and gravity.

He felt as both a light feather and a heavy mountain, a contradictory state that achieved perfect unity within him.

When he reached the corner of the alley, Rod stopped.

Ahead was a crossroads, three of the four streetlights were broken, and the only light came from a candle in the shrine on the street corner.

There was no warning, and no murderous intent was revealed.

The moment Rhodes stepped into the shadows, the light elements in the air suddenly became violently disordered.

A dazzling white light burst forth from the blind spot to Rhodes' left. It was a two-handed greatsword engulfed in holy flames. It made no sound as it pierced the air, because the speed at which it was swung was so fast that the sound was delayed.

The sword's edge was aimed directly at Rhodes' carotid artery.

The angle of this attack was extremely tricky, positioned in a blind spot of human vision, and timed perfectly to coincide with the moment when Rhode's old power was exhausted and his new power had not yet been generated.

Krell didn't shout slogans like ordinary paladins; he was like a seasoned butcher—silent, precise, and deadly.

Faced with this deadly sword strike, Rhodes neither chanted an incantation, nor retreated, nor even turned his head.

He simply raised his left arm, defying all logic, to meet the giant sword that could cut through steel.

"clang!"

A dull, metallic clang rang out in the alleyway.

A crack appeared on Krell's previously expressionless face.

He felt as if the greatsword in his hand was not striking flesh and blood, but rather a solid ingot of refined gold.

The immense recoil force traveled along the hilt of the sword to his wrist, elbow, and shoulder, causing half of his body to go numb.

The blade of the greatsword stopped on Rhode's forearm, unable to advance even an inch further.

Rhodes slowly turned his head and looked at Krell, who was standing close to him.

Beneath the torn black sleeve, Rhodes' forearm skin had a grayish-white, rocky texture, and on the surface of the rocky texture was a very thin, translucent purple crystalline film.

The moment the holy flames came into contact with the crystalline membrane, they were refracted into scattered spots of light, making it impossible for them to burn Rhodes' skin.

"heresy."

Krell growled, a ruthless glint flashing in his gray eyes.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands, pouring his fighting spirit and divine power into the weapon without reservation.

This sword, named Judgment, is a high-ranking sacred artifact passed down within the church, possessing a natural suppressive power against dark creatures and spellcasters.

"Buzz—"

All the runes on the sword lit up, and the white holy fire instantly surged three feet, causing the temperature to rise sharply and the surrounding air to distort due to the intense heat.

Krell exerted his strength, attempting to forcefully cut through Rhodes' defenses using the sharpness and high temperature of the sacred artifact.

Rhodes felt the pressure coming from his arm.

The model of the "Immortal Body" was spinning rapidly in the mental sea.

"Gravity doubles."

Rhodes gave the order in his mind.

His seemingly casual stance instantly became as steady as a rock.

Centered on him, the stone pavement beneath his feet instantly cracked, and countless fragments of stone were crushed into powder by an invisible force field.

He didn't use any magic; he simply relied on his physical strength, swinging his left arm outward with a sudden burst of power.

There were no fancy techniques involved, just pure brute force.

But this force is astonishingly large.

Krell felt an overwhelming force surge through him, and the greatsword of judgment in his hand was actually knocked away.

He staggered backward uncontrollably, each step leaving a deep footprint on the ground.

Rod lowered his arm.

His sleeves had been burned by the sacred flame, and there was only a faint white mark on his exposed forearm, without even breaking the skin.

"Is this how the court operates?"

Rod's voice was flat, without a hint of sarcasm.

Krell steadied himself, his gaze becoming extremely serious.

As a peak second-ring retribution knight, with the holy artifact in his hand, even a third-ring wizard wouldn't dare to directly confront his slashes.

But this bloodline sorcerer, who was only described as having some talent in the intelligence, actually blocked his attack with his bare body.

There was no magic shield, no elemental fluctuations, and not even any alchemical items were used.

This is not how wizards fight at all.

"You've transformed yourself into a monster."

Krell took a deep breath, held the greatsword upright in front of his chest, and assumed the charging stance of a church knight.

"No matter how thick your skin is, it will turn to ashes under the glory of the Lord."

Krell's figure vanished instantly.

He transformed into a white streak of light, moving more than twice as fast as before.

The greatsword in his hand drew countless afterimages in the air, simultaneously blocking Rhode's evasive space from four directions: up, down, left, and right.

This is a combo designed to find weaknesses in the defense through high-frequency attacks, ultimately delivering a fatal blow.

Rhodes still did not use any spells.

His pupils reflected the countless sword shadows, and his mental energy captured the trajectory of each attack.

With the blessing of the "Immortal Body," his dynamic vision and neural reaction speed have surpassed the limits of humanity.

He stretched out his right hand, spread his five fingers, and then clenched his fist.

"Steel bristles".

Although the mutation was not fully activated, the subcutaneous muscle fibers underwent instantaneous reorganization, resulting in a surge in density.

Rhodes threw a punch amidst the barrage of sword shadows.

This punch didn't aim at any of the sword shadows, but instead struck directly at the very center of the stream of light—Krell's main body.

Counterattack with offense.

Rod was betting that Krell wouldn't dare to trade injuries with him.

The force of the punch was so strong that the air was compressed into visible ripples.

Krell really didn't dare.

He felt a deadly threat from that punch.

If his sword were to strike Rhodes, it would at most leave a wound, but if he were to be hit by this punch, his plate armor would definitely not be able to withstand it, and his internal organs would be shattered.

The light suddenly stopped.

Krell abruptly interrupted his combo, holding his greatsword horizontally in front of his chest in a blocking stance.

"Bang!!!"

The fist slammed heavily onto the broad spine of the sword.

A terrifying burst of kinetic energy erupted instantly.

Krell felt like he had been hit head-on by a charging rhinoceros.

The indestructible holy weapon, Judgment, let out a painful wail as its blade bent inward and slammed into Krell's breastplate.

"puff!"

Krell coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward like a cannonball.

He crashed through a brick wall beside the alley and tumbled into the ruins amidst a cloud of dust.

Rhodes retracted his fist and glanced at his knuckles.

It's a little red there, but that's all.

"Power output is 70%, skeletal load is normal, and there are no muscle fiber tears."

Rod calmly assessed his body.

A sound came from the ruins.

Krell pushed away the bricks that were pressing down on him and stood up unsteadily.

His breastplate was badly dented, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his hand gripping the sword was trembling violently.

He looked at the young man a few meters away, dressed in thin clothes and with an indifferent expression, and a sense of absurdity welled up in his heart.

The intelligence was completely wrong.

This is no bloodline sorcerer; it's clearly a high-level magical beast in human skin.

That pure physical suppression reminded him of certain abyssal demons recorded in church scriptures.

"Shall we continue?"

Rod strode forward, each step steady and deliberate.

As he approached, the surrounding gravitational field began to subtly distort, and the pebbles on the ground trembled slightly, as if they could not withstand some kind of invisible pressure.

Krell gritted his teeth.

He still has a trump card: he can burn his life force to unleash the final release of the sacred artifact and summon the light of judgment.

But he wasn't confident he could kill Rhodes.

If he fights desperately under these circumstances, he will only die.

As the presiding judge, he is not only a warrior but also the Church's sharp blade, and cannot be broken here meaninglessly.

Krell pulled a golden runestone from his waist and crushed it violently.

A blinding beam of light erupted in the alleyway, as bright as the midday sun, instantly obscuring all surrounding vision.

Rhode subconsciously squinted, and the [Crystal Shell] automatically adjusted the refractive index of the eyeball surface, filtering out the strong light.

When the light faded, the ruins were deserted.

Only the still-dry bloodstains proved that a battle had just taken place.

"They run pretty fast."

Rhodes did not pursue.

This is, after all, the lower city, not far from the church's stronghold. If it attracts more paladins or Bishop Cecil himself, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Moreover, he has already achieved his goal.

He verified the combat effectiveness of the [Immortal Body].

Facing a knight at the peak of the second ring who wields a sacred artifact, he can crush them with sheer physical strength without using any magic.

This shows that his core model was very successful.

Rod straightened his slightly disheveled collar, glanced at the burned sleeve, and frowned slightly.

"It seems I'll have to prepare some high-grade alchemical fabrics for making clothes from now on; ordinary fabrics are too fragile."

He stepped over the broken bricks on the ground and walked out of Spindle Alley.

At the end of the street, Benjamin's warehouse was still lit up.

Rhodes' expression returned to calm.

Krell's assassination attempt was merely a minor episode in this game.

But this incident also reminded him that the church had lost patience and that its methods would become increasingly drastic.

He pushed open the warehouse door and went inside.