When he opened his eyes again, the crimson reflection in them had vanished.
He let out a long breath, then turned his head to look at the Twilight Church behind him, as complex and illusory symbols condensed in his eyes, and streams of chaotic information emerged from thin air, merging into the wind and spreading to every corner of the port.
The surrounding light seemed to dim slightly, but upon closer inspection, there was no actual change.
Silently, a simulated "Realm of Mysteries" enveloped the entire Mishier Port, completely isolating it from the outside world, preventing even information exchange.
This change was very subtle, difficult for those within the "Realm of Mysteries" to notice, especially "Warriors" and "Hunters" whose spiritual intuition was not strong enough and who were not skilled in divination or prophecy.
Having finished all this, Leyton raised a hand and patted Bugs Bunny, chuckling:
"It's your turn. Make those spores grow faster."
"Let's go, let's go." Bugs Bunny nodded excitedly, pulling out the already prepared Hermit Card and a Holy Emblem of Life, engraved with symbols of wheat, flowers, and springs, from his embrace.
Leyton nodded, extended his right hand and made a grasping motion in the air; streams of "light" generated from nothingness quickly drilled into the Hermit Card, imbuing this Card of Blasphemy with substantial power.
Bugs Bunny held the Hermit Card in his hand, shaking it while infusing it with spirituality. His body instantly dematerialized, breaking down into streams of complex and pure knowledge, which then darted towards the people in the port who had been corrupted by spores.
On the square outside the Twilight Church, two figures, one red and one white, appeared one after the other.
One wore silver full-body armor, stood nearly three meters tall, held a broadsword, and beneath his silver helmet, only a pair of dark green, sharp eyes could be seen.
The other was also over two meters tall, draped in a dark red long robe embroidered with intricate patterns. He was a mature man with deep-set features, scorched yellow eyebrows, and fiery red hair.
In the square, everyone tacitly ignored the two figures who had suddenly appeared, continuing their actions and conversations as if they hadn't noticed them at all, or perhaps they had, but were utterly indifferent.
The mature middle-aged man in the dark red long robe looked up at the sky, calmly observing for a second, then suddenly murmured in a low voice:
"I smell 'Concealment'."
The three-meter-tall giant in silver full-body armor, holding a broadsword, looked directly in Leyton's direction. The illusions and mind-affecting influences around him seemed to have little effect.
He snorted, then plunged the broadsword in his hand into the ground. The broadsword instantly brightened, becoming entirely silver-white, like a solidified mass of light. Pure and holy morning light instantly filled the entire square, dispelling the illusions and mind-affecting powers that enveloped the surroundings.
This morning-like light tried to expand further, but it was blocked by a faint, dark curtain of shadow, unable to advance another inch.
In the square, those who had just been conversing and walking suddenly startled awake, their eyes a little unable to open, stung by the sudden morning light.
Before they could figure out what was happening, a wailing gale rapidly swirled, like invisible giant hands, pulling and pushing them into the Twilight Church at the front of the square.
Leyton's figure emerged in the morning light. He looked at the two tall Feysac people before him and spoke with a light chuckle:
"A Silver Knight and a Weather Warlock. Does the Feysac Empire value such a small port so much?"
No one answered Leyton's question. The Silver Knight in silver full-body armor melted, transforming into a pool of flowing silver metallic liquid, which rapidly surged towards Leyton, like viscous, heavy mercury, completely engulfing Leyton's figure.
The Weather Warlock in the dark red long robe ignited, his entire body transforming into a mass of crimson-white flames, which condensed into a long spear and charged towards the layer of shadowy curtain covering the surroundings.
The viscous, heavy mercury enveloped Leyton into a giant silver-white cocoon, leaving no gaps. This Silver Knight seemed to intend to suffocate Leyton while restricting his movements.
The next second, streams of "light" surged from the silver-white cocoon. In their illusory form, torrents of terrifyingly complex information swiftly intercepted the flaming spear that was charging towards the shadowy curtain in the sky.
The crimson-white flaming spear became difficult to move within the "light" formed by countless converging pieces of information, and even the flickering flames diminished considerably.
The surrounding information rapidly converged, forming an illusory ball of light, like a cage, firmly imprisoning the crimson-white flames.
Within the torrent composed of pure information, morning-like light erupted, like silver-white blades, cutting the "light" formed by the information torrent into pieces.
The invisible "light" continued to surge, completely unaffected by the attack. A few Silver Knights, who were skilled only in frontal combat, could hardly threaten an angel capable of switching between normal and information torrent states.
On the ground, the Silver Knight, whose entire body was hidden beneath silver full-body armor, looked at the flames, which were gradually weakening under the siege of the information torrent. He suddenly sighed, gripped his sword hilt with both hands, and knelt on one knee, praying devoutly:
"Symbol of Power and Glory;
"The Great Knight God;
"Master of War;
"Patron of Guns;
"Twilight of All Things."
"Your devout follower prays to You, prays for the power of twilight, prays for the power to slay enemies."
As each phrase of Jotun was chanted, certain characteristics of this Silver Knight were activated. The color of twilight appeared on his silver full-body armor, gradually condensing into a greatsword composed of orange-red twilight light.
In an instant, this greatsword, composed of orange-red twilight light, emerged from the surging information torrent in mid-air, plunging deeply into the information torrent.
An aura of decay and corruption instantly spread, affecting even the information, causing confusion and an uncontrollable collapse.
Taking advantage of this brief chaos, the crimson-white flames burst out of the information torrent, fell to the ground, and re-formed into the figure wearing the dark red long robe.
In the sealed Dock District of Mishier Port, the Feysac assault army that had disembarked from the airship was temporarily stationed, collecting supplies in preparation for their entry into the Ancient Forest.
On the second floor of a converted warehouse pub at the dock, a middle-aged general, his military uniform adorned with numerous medals, stood frowning by the window, gazing at the quiet night sky. Ever since being disturbed by that unknown gaze in the afternoon, he had felt an unsettling sensation.
He was once the youngest general of Feysac, and now the most renowned general of Feysac, Larmic Wilt. He was not from the Einhorn family, nor was he a great noble of Feysac. His ability to become a War Bishop relied more on his own strength and wisdom.
Years of experience on the battlefield told him not to overlook any signs of danger, even though this place was safe enough, being Feysac's safest colony on the Southern Continent.
Yet, his intuition and reason told him that all his worries were superfluous. Not only were there well-equipped armies and powerful Beyonders here, but also an angel, who for the most part only existed in church records, was stationed here.
After a moment of hesitation, Larmic Wilt gave a self-deprecating smile and whispered aloud:
"With Prince Snarnar here, nothing unexpected will happen. The uneventful weather is proof."
After a two-second pause, he belatedly wondered, "Is it too quiet today?"
Remembering something, he extended his will and spirit, connecting himself with his army, forming a single entity.
The next second, an abnormal flush surged onto his face, his body uncontrollably reacted physiologically, and the thoughts in his mind were almost overwhelmed by desire.
The voices, so familiar to him, now transformed in his mind into high-pitched or low-pitched gasps, both painful and joyous, irresistible and uncontrollable.
"Damn it..." Larmic Wilt cursed in a low voice, using his remaining rationality. He tried to sever the connection established by "Mind Communication."
The next second, a rabbit wearing a tuxedo, a bow tie, and holding a playing card appeared in his room.
His attention was uncontrollably drawn to the suddenly appearing Bugs Bunny, watching as complex and illusory symbols condensed within those crimson eyes.
"Oh no!" The thought had just flashed through Larmic Wilt's mind when he suddenly froze in place.
Using the Card of Blasphemy, which Leyton had temporarily endowed with substantial power, Bugs Bunny poured a large amount of chaotic and useless knowledge into Larmic Wilt's mind. Through the "Mind Communication" he had established, this influence was transmitted to every soldier under his command.
Buzz— Buzz—
It was as if countless roaring engines echoed continuously in their minds. For a moment, Larmic Wilt and every soldier under his command froze, unable to even maintain thought.
The sudden change caused the soldiers, who had been struggling and clearing the suddenly appearing mushrooms, to abruptly stop. They were entangled, enveloped, and dragged by white, thread-like mycelia to places where mushroom piles were hidden, such as under beds, in corners, behind doors, and beneath curtains.
Bugs Bunny glanced at the briefly dazed Larmic Wilt. His free paw reached into his fur and pulled out a handful of black-green seeds, which he casually scattered onto the floor after infusing them with spirituality.
The seeds sprouted and grew the moment they hit the ground, rapidly spreading. In a short time, they grew into large patches of vines as thick as a baby's forearm. Some had sharp barbs, others had leaves as wide as a hand, completely burying Larmic Wilt's figure.