Jodeson sighed with a complex mood, and his desire for advancement increased.
"Compared to other Pathways, the 'Parasite' which causes the Spirit Body to split requires a higher standard for the advancement ritual, needing the support of a certain number of anchors."
"A battlefield might be a good choice, but it's relatively dangerous. I need to seek some help."
After muttering to himself, Jodeson saw the airship fleet in the sky approaching his side of the West Borough. His face instantly turned grim, and he quickly ran into his house, tidied up his belongings, and prepared to leave Backlund first.
In Hillston Borough, inside Leopold's experimental building, Trissy, dressed in simple male attire with smooth black hair cascading down her back, emerged from the shadows.
She looked at Leopold, who stood by the window, staring blankly at the city that had just undergone a baptism of artillery fire, and said in a calm tone:
"Let's go to the Southern Continent. Although there's also war there, it's been confined to the coastal areas. The Northern State and Paz River Valley in the interior are still safe. You can get protection from the organization and continue your research in peace."
Leopold shook his head, his voice tinged with sadness, yet calm:
"I am a Loenese. I was born here, grew up here. I never thought of abandoning my homeland, even if, even if it's not so beautiful."
Trissy was not surprised by Leopold's reaction; it wasn't the first time she had brought up this topic with him.
After two seconds of silence, she walked to Leopold's side, looked at the city outside through the glass window, and said calmly:
"But I'm leaving. This place is no longer suitable for me to continue the ritual. I must leave. Before I successfully advance, or before the opportunity for revenge arises, I will not return."
"Without my protection, you should understand what kind of situation you'll be in."
"You're leaving?" Leopold's eyes widened, revealing a complex mix of emotions: nostalgia, reluctance, and panic.
Trissy did not look at Leopold. She didn't need to look to know what expression he had. She didn't like that kind of gaze. Not to mention that she used to be a man, even if she were truly a woman, she wouldn't fancy an old, ugly, and unromantic man.
"I'm just here to inform you. Give me your answer today. I will take those who are willing to leave to the Southern Continent."
As her words fell, Trissy took two steps back. Her figure rapidly became transparent and vanished from Leopold's sight.
In the West Borough, inside the "Loen Charitable Education Fund" office building, Klein rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit weary. His good mood, which had come from his gains in the Specter Empire, had long since vanished.
If he hadn't arrived in time, Benson and Melissa would have already Fallen to Feysac's artillery fire.
"The war came too suddenly. A large-scale, comprehensive war. It's hard not to suspect whether the will of that person from the Southern Continent is involved."
"This level of war seems to perfectly fulfill the 'Red Priest' ritual. I have a premonition that the 'Red Angel' Medici, who has been missing for a long time, will become active again. Is this also part of Their calculations?"
"Perhaps, I should let Melissa continue to advance, rather than remain a 'Savant.' This Sequence does not allow her to protect herself. She should at least become an 'Artisan' or an 'Astronomer.' As long as she doesn't advance to a demigod, and knows the Acting Method, Beyonders won't face too severe a risk of losing control."
Thump! Thump!
Knocking interrupted Klein's self-talk. He looked at the door direction with some doubt.
As he approached, Audrey's figure spontaneously appeared in his mind. 'Coming to find me at this time, because of the sudden outbreak of war?'
Lost in thought, he had already opened the door and stepped aside to let Audrey in. He didn't close the office door, otherwise, he worried about more rumors about his current identity.
Placing a freshly brewed cup of black tea in front of Audrey, Klein sat back in his seat and asked calmly:
"Miss Audrey, are you troubled by the war?"
Audrey nodded, a hint of worry on her face, her mood appearing quite low:
"Mr. World, why do you think the war broke out so suddenly?"
She directly addressed him as Mr. World, rather than Klein's current identity, indicating that she preferred to converse with him as a member of the Tarot Club.
Klein nodded, leaning back slightly against the chair, carefully choosing his words:
"From the perspective of war, taking the enemy by surprise will achieve better results."
"But more broadly speaking, this is an irreconcilable conflict between the Seven Deities. Of course, it's also possible that the Southern Continent offered Feysac irresistible terms, making them attack Loen, forcing the Church of the Lord of Storms to return for support, or perhaps, both are true."
"Irreconcilable conflict between the Seven Deities."
Audrey murmured to herself. She did not press the topic, intuitively believing that it might involve some secrets at the top of the Sequence, and some of Mr. Fool's plans.
After two seconds of silence, she asked again:
"Will this war escalate to the level of the Southern Continent and Intis?"
Klein nodded gently: "Perhaps it will be even more intense than the current Southern Continent."
Essentially, this war is a conflict between the God of Combat and the Evernight Goddess, triggered by the Uniqueness of Death. It is irreconcilable, and neither side will back down. Most likely, a War of the Gods will occur, a war sweeping across the entire world, involving all levels, has already begun.
Sighing, he looked at Justice Audrey and asked calmly:
"Are you worried that Loen will lose the war and be occupied by Feysac?"
Justice Audrey's expression was slightly complex, and she nodded slightly.
In the Southern Continent, Leyton and Roselle, who had returned to Paz River Valley, were staying at Oleston Port on the coast of the Berserk Sea. This was one of the few remaining intact ports in the Southern Continent, and also the main battlefield to come.
Behind the street near the Dock District, a mysterious church-like building stood quietly at the edge of a square surrounded by purple irises.
This was the church of the Erudite, managed by the Erudite Church, which was primarily led by the Moses Ascetic Order, with some elements of the Numinous Episcopate and Oravi Island incorporated.
It is currently mainly distributed in the important cities of Paz River Valley and Northern State, as well as the coastal areas that serve as the main battleground against Intis.
In the church's basement, at the end of a corridor with bright yellow lamps on both sides, a golden door made of bronze-colored metal, etched with numerous strange symbols and magical markings, continuously emitted wisps of pale white mist, carrying an aura of coldness and Death.
These pale white mists rapidly dissolved under the bright yellow light, leaving no trace.
On the other side of the hallway, Leyton, holding the golden crown inlaid with numerous gemstones that he had obtained from the Specter Empire, calmly glanced at the bronze-colored door from which pale white mist continuously surged, then turned and entered an adjacent room.
Inside the empty room, stars, one after another, emerged, densely packed and dazzlingly bright.
These stars scattered rays of brilliance, converging into mottled, floating light and shadow, enveloping the entire room.
Crack! Crack!
Crisp shattering sounds continuously echoed in the room. The crown Leyton held in his hand shattered inch by inch, disintegrating instantly into countless fragments.
As the crown was disintegrated by Leyton, pale golden phosphorescence continuously separated from the void at the original location of the crown, floating within the room enveloped by mottled light and shadow.
These floating pale golden phosphorescence occasionally distorted into golden vortices, vortices full of chaos!
An extremely heavy and majestic aura permeated the air, causing the surrounding mottled light and shadow to tremble, constantly producing chaos of varying sizes.
Starlight continuously scattered, quickly filling the gaps caused by the "chaos" around them.
Leyton watched this scene expressionlessly. Silently, his body became withered and dark, with numerous strange, three-dimensional patterns interwoven, outlining eyes all over him. Wisps of pitch-black emerged from his body, weaving into an exaggerated pitch-black robe, and growing eyes that gleamed with pure light, cold and indifferent.
Each eye reflected a brilliant Cosmos, overflowing with specks of deep blue or pale purple starlight, continuously sinking and evolving into a floating "wilderness" of light and shadow.
With the appearance of this "wilderness," Leyton raised his hand and virtually pulled at the continuously floating pale golden phosphorescence. A distorted golden piece was torn from it and thrown into the floating "wilderness" of light and shadow, buried deep.
The remaining pale golden light points were gathered in his hand, quickly condensing into a silver-white paper inscribed with numerous strange golden words.
Leyton's figure blurred for a moment, then returned to normal. The surrounding "wilderness" and starlight vanished in an instant, as if it had all been an illusion.
Taking a step forward, his body instantly disintegrated into countless complex and pure knowledge, surging like a torrent out of the basement.
In the Dock District, inside the captain's cabin of the Dawn, which was moored in the port, countless knowledge passed through the windows, doors, and walls, surging into the captain's cabin and reassembling Leyton's body.
He casually threw the silver-white paper he held to Roselle, and at the same time said:
"This contains two portions of the 'Balancer' characteristic. You can separate one for Nast, if he needs it."
Roselle shook his head and said:
"He probably won't choose to switch Pathways. Of course, as an ally, I still have to ask. Perhaps, in the future, he will be my Angel of Entropy. Hmm, that name sounds a bit strange. He could also be called a Fallen Angel, or a Chaos Angel."