Leyton's deep, piercing gaze made Kotar, the Dark Demonic Wolf controlling the marionette from behind, feel uneasy. He continued to manipulate his marionette and said, "I can sense that you carry an aura from Sefirah Castle."
"...And there's a very dangerous feeling."
Leyton twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing an insincere smile, and calmly said, "Dark Demonic Wolf Kotar? How many layers of historical projection did you add to yourself before creating this marionette?"
The middle-aged man-shaped marionette in front of him said expressionlessly, "My spiritual intuition tells me you are very dangerous."
"But you can't help but be curious about the Sefirah Castle aura on me, so you've sent marionettes to observe me nearby again and again?"
Leyton played along with the other party's words, while stimulating the lingering aura from the Gray Fog on himself, and silently recited The Fool's honorific name twice in his mind.
In Backlund, Klein, who had appeared in this metropolis under a new identity, was busy re-establishing his social circle and enriching his prepared new identity.
As soon as he stepped out of his room, a vague whisper suddenly echoed in his ears. The scene of the Gray Fog reappeared in his mind, and he saw the fluctuating Gray Fog.
He stopped, looked at the butler waiting beside him, and said, "I think I need to change into more presentable and suitable clothes. Please wait for me a little longer."
After speaking, he turned and returned to the room at an unhurried pace, closing the door behind him.
Once out of Mr. Butler's sight, he quickly walked towards the washroom, chanting the incantation and taking four counter-clockwise steps to ascend above the Gray Fog.
Klein looked at the constantly contracting and expanding star in front of him, sending out circles of crimson ripples, feeling a little dazed.
The whispers in his ears were still vague, making him feel as if the other party was casually speaking meaningless words, the purpose of which was merely to activate this crimson star and cause the Gray Fog to vibrate.
"I, as The Fool, am really losing face. What's the difference between this and knocking on someone else's door late at night for no reason?"
Klein complained while extending his spirituality to touch the crimson star representing Leyton.
A tidal wave of light instantly erupted, engulfing half of the hall, then quickly receded, condensing into a scene.
In the scene, Leyton was communicating with a middle-aged man carrying a beast-skin lantern and wearing an ancient court robe that did not fit the era.
As Klein's gaze fell, the middle-aged man seemed to sense something. He suddenly looked up at the sky, as if searching for something.
At the same time, Klein felt several gazes, some strong, some subtle, looking at him from different directions. They searched blindly for a while, found no target, and then gradually disappeared.
Klein, above the Gray Fog, paused. He suppressed the urge to cut off the scene now, staring at the middle-aged man in the ancient court robe in the picture. Above this Gray Fog, he easily saw through the manipulated Worms of Spirit on the other party.
The Worms of Spirit on him slanted upwards, disappearing into the deep Darkness.
Klein tried to expand his field of vision to search for the manipulator behind the marionette. Within the range he could observe through Leyton's corresponding crimson star, there was no sign of the manipulator. He only found some Monsters hidden in the Darkness that had been transformed into marionettes.
"The extreme distance for the other party to control a marionette has exceeded the range I can observe above the Gray Fog. This is at least a Sequence 3 Saint, or even an Angel."
"Could it be the Dark Demonic Wolf that Arrodes mentioned before?"
Klein muttered to himself for a moment, then quickly calmed down and watched Leyton's conversation with the other party in the scene.
The marionette in front of Leyton withdrew its gaze from the sky and said calmly, "Stranger Sage, are you willing to make a deal with me, using the aura from Sefirah Castle?"
Leyton chuckled and said, "Yes, I only need a Miracle Invoker characteristic."
"That's impossible. I don't have any extra Miracle Invoker characteristics to separate, and this trade is not equivalent."
The middle-aged man manipulated by the Dark Demonic Wolf directly shook his head, refusing Leyton's condition. His gaze lingered on the mechanical glove on Leyton's right hand for a moment, then he spoke again, "If you need an Angel-level characteristic, I can help you hunt a Profane Presbyter wandering here."
Leyton scoffed, "Hunting an Angel under the True Creator's command right in front of him? Why wouldn't I cooperate with him to hunt a Dark Demonic Wolf instead?"
Kotar was not angered by Leyton's words; at least, he didn't show it on his marionette.
The middle-aged man in the dark ancient court robe said with a gentle expression and calm voice, "I can create an environment where the surrounding space-time is distorted. In this situation, he will be completely isolated from the outside world, and even information cannot be exchanged."
"This has a certain Concealment effect and can be used to block the True Creator's gaze."
Leyton moved his right hand, which wore the mechanical glove. The faint purple glow flowing in his eyes deepened a bit. A suitable look of astonishment appeared on his face, followed by an expression of understanding as he said, "Realm of Mysteries? This should be a capability only possessed by a Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries."
"You shouldn't have advanced yet. Amon is in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. If an Attendant of Mysteries appeared here, he wouldn't be unresponsive, even if you pose almost no threat to him."
"In other words, you possess an Attendant of Mysteries characteristic, or perhaps you can summon historical images of Antigonus or Flegrea from the crevices of history?"
In front of him, the middle-aged man in the ancient robe rarely showed a change in expression. He looked Leyton up and down with surprise, then slowly said, "You know this Pathway very well. If I couldn't confirm that you are truly alive, I would even suspect you are a marionette controlled by Sefirah Castle."
After two seconds, he suddenly had a look of realization and said, "I just felt a peeking gaze, but I couldn't see who it was. Now, the one truly communicating with me is the one who controls Sefirah Castle, or Sefirah Castle itself?"
Above the Gray Fog, Klein's expression was strange for a moment. There's some truth to the guess, but I'm actually just a Spectator sitting above the Gray Fog.
As his thoughts churned, he reached out his right hand, intending to transmit the locations of the marionettes he had found to Leyton. Halfway through, he suddenly stopped.
After thinking for a moment, he changed direction and picked up the strange crown stained with rust and blood that was on the table to his right. Using the connection established by the crimson star, he set up a "Mind Link" between himself and Leyton, transmitting the locations of the marionettes he had found hidden deep in the Darkness.
At the same time, he asked in his mind, "Is it Kotar, the Dark Demonic Wolf, who is manipulating these marionettes from behind?"
Leyton's thoughts quickly transmitted to his mind:
"It is him. It must be the commotion I caused earlier that attracted his attention, and then he noticed the Sefirah Castle aura I picked up from the Gray Fog."
"Do you need Worms of Spirit? Since we've encountered them, we can't return empty-handed."
"It"… It's not wrong to say that, but the other party is a living Angel, already worthy of being addressed as "He." Aren't you looking down on this Dark Demonic Wolf a bit too much? Klein couldn't help but mutter inwardly.
Immediately, Leyton's thoughts echoed in his mind:
"Is it possible that I can hear you?"
Klein's expression froze for a moment, then he changed the subject and said, "What are Worms of Spirit? Also, the other party is an Angel of the Seer Pathway. Will we really not be discovered by plotting so loudly?"
"The Sage already possesses some Concealment abilities, which is why he didn't detect your gaze just now."
Leyton, while answering Klein's questions in his mind, slowly shook his head at the Dark Demonic Wolf waiting for his reply in front of him:
"I don't think you have any sincerity, and besides, I currently maintain a cooperative relationship with the True Creator..."
At the end of his words, his voice became very slow. His body was like a rusty, old, malfunctioning machine; his movements and thoughts slowed down in sync.
This state lasted only for a moment. He suddenly became illusory, and along with his Worms of Spirit, he became non-existent.
Don't use the Paper Angel. I can't conceal it, and it will catch traces... He warned Klein in his mind, then quickly composed himself. His right hand, wearing the mechanical glove, gently rubbed together.
Silently, pure and clear light illuminated the surroundings, lighting up every corner and transforming the place into a land without Darkness, leaving no shadows, allowing nothing to hide—a land of no Darkness.
All the Monsters hidden in the Darkness that had been transformed into marionettes became visible. They appeared extremely conspicuous in Leyton's eyes.
As soon as the light appeared, Leyton once again fell into a state of slow thought, stiff body, and sluggish movements. The Dark Demonic Wolf tried to manipulate his Worms of Spirit again.
Within the pure and clear light, a Monster with a human body, a bird's head, and hands merged with wings, somewhat resembling a harpy, flew into the air and emitted a high-pitched, hoarse voice:
"I wish for Darkness to descend."
Dense, deep Darkness engulfed the surroundings like a tide, swallowing all light and sound, plunging the area into a deathly silence.
In the pure, lightless Darkness, Leyton felt the remnants of the Evernight Goddess's aura gathering and stirring.