Near the capital of Lüneburg, a battlefield. Clusters of condensed, crimson fireballs, led by a flaming spear, surged over the litter of corpses, weapons, blood, and smoke, landing in the area fortified with simple defenses, creating a continuous roar of explosions. Watching the plumes of smoke rise and the flames spread, Anderson brushed dust from his hands and smiled at his deputy beside him. "I don't know how much longer we can hold on... What would you like to leave behind? I can help you write your wills." He was pleased to see the unified expressions of anger on the faces of the surrounding "soldiers"—their sentiments so aligned. Yet, the "soldiers" did not move; their gazes settled, one by one, shifting toward other areas. "They haven't responded to my provocations," Anderson remarked, raising an eyebrow. "That means you're plotting a conspiracy." Without waiting for a reply from his adjutant or the "soldiers," the hunter smiled and continued, "So, you're planning to surrender, aren't you?" "Would you like to protect your family and friends this way?" As a wave of eyes turned toward him, Anderson sighed and shook his head. "You've all only recently become extraordinary—thanks to the outbreak of war, you've managed to gather magical medicinal materials from your enemies, enabling one after another to become 'Hunters,' 'Provocateurs,' and 'Firebrands.' But when it comes to strategy and deception, you're still quite inexperienced. "I'm curious—why haven't you tried convincing me to join you in surrender? I don't think I've ever appeared particularly resolute, and I'm not even a devoted follower of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom." Pausing, Anderson glanced at his deputy. "Have the senior officers on the other side been so incensed by me that they've issued orders refusing to accept my surrender?" The deputy remained silent for a few seconds. "You've already known all this—so why ask?" Instantly, the soldiers nearby raised their right hands, palms firmly turned toward Anderson, demonstrating remarkable coordination. "If I don't ask, how can I be sure everyone is thinking the same thing?" Anderson smiled calmly, not at all perturbed. With his left hand, he gently stroked his abdomen, while his right palm reached into his coat pocket, as though searching for something. At that moment, the sun high above suddenly expanded, growing immensely large and radiating an intense, brilliant golden light that made Anderson and the others completely unable to open their eyes or form any additional thoughts. Immediately afterward, a towering, ethereal spire emerged—each level composed of thick volumes of books, each book bearing a golden eye. The deeper one went upward, the darker and more intense the atmosphere became, filled with sensations of madness, destruction, ill fortune, and disaster. This spire stretched into the sky, as if enclosing the entire world within its embrace, including the vast, luminous sun. ………… In Beckland, within the opulent villa of the Odra family. All the vampire families residing in this great city had gathered here, preparing for the outcomes of the war that was about to unfold. Emlin White, now the Earl, stood by the window with his hands in his pockets, bathed in the mingling light of dusk and night, observing his kin discussing current affairs with growing unease. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he turned his gaze toward the outside. Within the gardens, clumps of yellowing weeds rapidly regained their green hue and grew swiftly, soon reaching a height of one person. In other parts of the city, the streets that had escaped damage during the earlier bombardment saw their trees suddenly surge with an unknown vitality, stretching one section after another, growing to heights of several tens of meters, their branches thick and their leaves spreading like canopies. These towering trees, now interwoven with one another, partially shaded the sky of Bekland. Many buildings were crushed or entangled by branches and vines, as if abandoned for several centuries. Within just a few seconds—seven or eight—the city had transformed into a vast wilderness. …越过 the open door and stepping into the deep darkness of the giant king's dwelling, Caine immediately noticed his "Silver Knight" figure before him, his "Star Staff" in his right hand, and the "Crawling Hunger" in his left palm. These figures showed no immediate changes, and the corresponding "spirit threads" remained stable, without any signs of decay. Only after confirming this, did Caine turn his attention to the surroundings, assessing the environment. Here, the darkness was so dense and tangible that it seemed solid, rendering anything beyond five meters invisible; the ground consisted of solid, dusk-gray stone slabs, showing no exceptional features at the transcendent level. Reflecting on this, Caine smiled slightly, reaching out his hand into the void and attempting to summon an angel. The next second, he burst into laughter, as he lost clear connection with the historical mist. This was precisely the reason why his earlier summoned image of the historical rift had lost contact upon entering this region. Smiling, smiling, Caine suddenly turned and walked toward the place where he had first entered. "Sir Spalro, what would you like to do?" Derek asked, equally puzzled by the constraints he himself was now observing. Caine replied with a bright smile: "Right now isn't the right time to explore. I'll come back in a while." "Would you like to summon a Sequence-4 historical projection and see if bringing it in will result in any decline or betrayal?" Colin Iliad pondered aloud. Caine spread his left palm. "No one has stipulated that once you enter, you must stay inside—once you leave, you can't return." Although Mr. World's words sounded a bit odd in this context, Deric still found them highly reasonable, as the Silver City had done the same during its explorations—by repeatedly going in and coming out, by making successive attempts, gradually accumulating information and details until problems were finally resolved. Lovie remained silent, neither speaking nor expressing opposition; in her view, making more preparations was undoubtedly a good thing. In the ongoing exploration that would shape the Silver City's future, one must never rush. Taking a few steps back, Caine suddenly stopped and laughed. "It seems the host here doesn't want us to leave." The faint glimmers representing the entrance had been swallowed by deep darkness and were now completely gone. Colin Iliad surveyed the surroundings and said, "We can only proceed forward." As both the Chief and the "World" figure turned toward the same direction, Deric took a deep breath, raised his left hand, and let golden radiance ripple out from it, illuminating the surrounding darkness. The towering pillars—unseen at their tops, too thick to be grasped by even five or six people—partially emerged, partially outlined, and partially remained hidden deep within, only faintly discernible. Deric shifted his gaze, preparing to move forward alongside the "World" figure and the Chief. Yet, in his peripheral vision, he failed to catch another familiar figure. His pupils suddenly dilated, and he gently turned his head, searching for the elder Loviea, who had just stood beside him. The half-god, devoted to the "True Creator," was gone! Vanished silently, without a trace! Deric's unusual reaction was noticed by Caine and Colin Iliath, who both turned their attention to that spot, only to find Loviea, dressed in a robe of purple patterns against a black background, completely still—disappeared as if she had evaporated into thin air. With the intuitive spiritual insight of a seer and the environmental awareness of a hunter, neither had detected when or how Loviatar had vanished—within just a few meters. A slight curve formed at the corner of Caine’s mouth, and without hesitation, he summoned his spirit to merge with the deep red phantom positioned at the "Ace of Pentacles" spot, now rising above the gray mist. Then, he directed his gaze toward the deep red star symbolizing the "Sun," hoping to uncover clues through his "true vision." Yet, once again, everything remained obscured by that deep darkness—nothing revealed—just as Caine had anticipated when entering the Giant King’s palace. Without further thought, he immediately returned to the physical realm. In that brief interval of a few seconds, the only figures remaining beside him were Deric and the "Silver Knight" figure. And there—Deric himself, the chief of the Silver City, had vanished! "What just happened?" Caine asked warmly. Derek stared at him, astonished, bewildered, and increasingly alarmed: "Didn't you see it?" As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow beneath Derek suddenly came to life, rushing upward swiftly and enveloping both Derek and the sunlight he radiated. Once the shadow fully covered Derek, it merged seamlessly with the surrounding darkness, becoming indistinguishable from it. Originally, Kline had raised his black staff, intending to intervene and halt the transformation, but in the end, he did nothing at all—merely smiled calmly as he watched. A few seconds later, while immersed in the profound darkness, Kline noticed his own body gradually darkening and fading, as if being absorbed and dissolved by the environment. Like Derek, Kline made no effort to save himself, simply tilting his head slightly and smiling gently. After his figure had completely vanished, a sudden change occurred in his vision: the deep darkness was gone, and the gray-white stone tiles, the surrounding walls, and the massive columns came into sharp focus, each lightly shaded; outside the windows, neither sun nor moon nor stars was visible, yet a faint light filtered through, casting the entire palace into a solemn, dim, and quiet atmosphere; at the deepest part of the palace, a very subtle shadow stood like a curtain; previously unseen, Lovie, Colin Iliath, and Deryk stood at a distance, carefully observing their surroundings, as though they had arrived in a completely different world. "Unfortunately, my spectral companions cannot enter," said Kline, lifting his "Staff of the Stars" and smiling to Deryk and the others. His calm demeanor and the steady composure of the chief quickly reassured Deryk, calming his earlier fear and agitation. Colin Iliad nodded slightly, about to share his guess, when suddenly a feeling stirred within him, and he turned toward the deepest part of the palace. Kaine, Deryck, and Lovieya followed suit, making similar movements in turn. At the deepest part of the palace, the faint shadow dissolved, revealing a series of steps belonging to the giants, and atop the steps, an iron-black throne. Seated upon the throne was a man with black hair reaching to his shoulders, slightly wavy, his eyes veiled in shadow, his features blurred and indistinct, his back adorned with layers of ethereal black wings that cascaded down, covering most of his body. His robe, deep black in color, was woven with silver threads forming intricate patterns and adorned with elegant accessories. At that moment, the man rested his left elbow on the armrest, his palm supporting the side of his face, as though he were asleep.