Leyton transformed into a torrent of information, swiftly traversing the city and taking in everything that was happening around him.
The city was vastly different from his last visit; the armies of Feysac and Feynapotter were already pressing close to this metropolis, assailing the Loen Military and the Church's last line of defense on the city's outskirts.
In the Empress Borough, within the Imperial Palace belonging to the Augustus Family, phantoms torrents composed of complex information surged in from all directions.
The moment he entered the Imperial Palace, the torrent of information uncontrollably collapsed, reconstituting Leyton's body. The rules here were distorted and chaotic, unlike those outside, preventing Leyton from maintaining his information-based form.
In a lavishly decorated basement resembling a palace hall, William Augustus I, clad in a dark red cloak, sat upright on a high-backed chair at the highest point against the wall, his expression as focused as a sculpture.
His aura was quite distorted and mad, one eye azure and the other dark red, his expression restrained, as if he was trying to suppress the madness constantly surging from his heart.
In the silent hall, brilliant starlight surged forth, emerging from the ceiling, the surrounding walls, and the tightly sealed large doors.
The starlight quickly surged, and within it, fragments of starlight recombined, revealing Leyton's figure.
This ability was a prerequisite for informational abilities; the two were similar but not entirely identical in essence. After losing his informational ability, this ability to transform himself into starlight remained.
The moment he appeared, the surrounding air inexplicably became viscous, as if transforming into layer upon layer of barriers, attempting to bind him in place and restrict his movements.
At the same time, William Augustus I's voice, imbued with a sense of solemnity and majesty, rang out:
"Here, Mysticism is weakened, and Reality is strengthened."
"Here, information interaction is forbidden."
"Here, forbidden…"
William Augustus I's voice suddenly caught, and the surrounding air seemed to solidify, preventing any sound from propagating.
Interrupting William Augustus I's decree, Leyton extended his right hand and made a grasping motion in the air before him.
The originally ornate and exquisite palace hall suddenly cracked with fissures, as if it were a dilapidated building on the verge of collapse due to disrepair.
In a situation where mysticism was weakened and reality strengthened, the abilities of the "Paragon" pathway were instead somewhat enhanced; although altering physical laws became more difficult, the achieved effects were greatly magnified.
William Augustus I suddenly rose from his high-backed chair, reaching into the void before him to draw out a silver-white straight sword laced with faint dark red threads, appearing exceedingly distorted and chaotic.
The moment this straight sword appeared, the physical laws altered by Leyton in the hall instantly became chaotic.
This chaos was not entirely random, but rather changed to a certain extent according to William Augustus I's will.
The surrounding air seemed to turn into a flowing, extremely viscous transparent liquid, firmly immobilizing Leyton and making it difficult for him to move.
At the same time, silver-white and pitch-black liquids, filled with chaos and distortion, vaguely overflowed from William Augustus I. He seemed to be melting into a puddle of liquid, merging into the fundamental rules of the world.
In this state, it was difficult for Leyton to use his own Beyonder characteristics and traits to modify the surrounding physical laws.
"Here, Godhood is forbidden!"
Another decree echoed around them. The auras of both Leyton and William Augustus I continuously diminished, and the special qualities and abilities brought by divinity temporarily lost their effect.
William Augustus I seemed to have accomplished a great feat, and he exclaimed excitedly:
"This is Loen, this is Backlund, this is the Augustus Family's stronghold, which they have managed for hundreds, even thousands of years. Even the avatars of the gods cannot threaten me here."
Boom! Boom!
Violent, illusory thunder suddenly exploded in Leyton's ears, as if a thunderstorm was directly overhead. The surrounding light brightened considerably, instantly turning to midday, exposing him to the sunlight.
Leyton instinctively looked up, a silver-white glimmer flashing in his eyes, instantly becoming profoundly deep, resembling the sea before a storm.
The next second, his figure vanished from where he stood; the Historical Projection summoned by Fors had reached its time limit.
"Another Historical Projection of a 'Scholar of Yore'!"
William Augustus I's expression suddenly turned very ugly, with black and silver-white liquid continuously flowing down his clothes.
Over the Berserk Sea, the sunlight suddenly became scorching, dispelling the long-standing fog, dark clouds, and storms that had enveloped the sea. The weather became exceptionally clear, and time seemed to be fixed at midday.
Rumble!
A clap of thunder exploded out of nowhere, and the weather over the Sonia Sea became overcast. Silver-white electric snakes darted chaotically through the thick layers of clouds, as if they could strike at any moment.
On the Southern Continent, the light became dim and eerie, as if covered by a deep, dark curtain, rippling in layers like a profound, the Tenebrous Heaven. The illusory sound of waves echoed in everyone's ears.
Above the dark sea reflected from the spiritual world, countless stars emerged, dense and dazzling, making time seem to have arrived at night.
The brilliant, shimmering starlight intermingled, like scattered sand, being pushed and dispersed by two invisible large hands.
Above Backlund, the sky changed rapidly, and soon, an orange-red dusk was reflected, the glow of the setting sun falling upon everyone. Some were excited, some were solemn, and some began to pray softly.
Silently, a deep, tranquil night sky, accompanied by scattered stars, descended. It occupied half the sky, opposing the orange-red dusk.
On the ground, insects that had vanished due to the war became active again, scrambling out from underground, emitting high-pitched, joyful chirps.
Trees destroyed by artillery fire also sprouted new buds, and green plants grew from the ground, wall cracks, and the gaps between street paving stones.
Even the wounds of those injured in the war began to heal, and their conditions improved. All living beings at this moment felt the joy of growth and new life.
On the square outside Saint Samuel Cathedral, a place usually bustling with people, now only occasional clergy appeared.
Leonard stood at the edge of the square, looking at the night and dusk that had suddenly appeared overhead, his expression turning solemn.
Due to the tightening front lines, the Red Gloves team he led became the Church of the Evernight Goddess's sole remaining combat force within the city, responsible for both guarding against potential sneak attacks and stabilizing the increasingly anxious believers within the city.
He was not afraid to go deep into the battlefield and fight the enemy head-on, but the immense pressure of maintaining order and appeasing the Goddess's believers within the city left him gasping for breath.
After two seconds of silence, he suddenly turned his head and muttered softly, "Old man, nothing will happen, right?"
Pallez chuckled, saying in a relaxed tone:
"This is just the normal progression of this war, or rather, now is the crucial point of this war."
"What do you mean? Did Feysac's 'God of Combat' and the Goddess personally descend?" Leonard swallowed, asking with some difficulty.
"To be precise, the 'God of Combat' has entered Evernight's Tenebrous Heaven."
"You need to be careful during this period. In the time before the war ends, the battles in reality will become even more intense. The demigods and angels, who were relatively restrained before, will now truly throw themselves into the battlefield with full force."
"The Astral World is a mess right now, all the true gods and evil gods are fighting for themselves, and I also need to pay attention to the situation to prepare for what comes next."
As his words fell, Pallez fell silent again, and no matter how Leonard called out, he did not respond.
In the illusory and abstract Astral World, within an illusory kingdom composed of countless books.
Phantoms torrents composed of complex information surged through the gaps formed by stacks of books, rapidly converging and reconstituting Leyton's figure.
In front of him, an old man wearing a hood, revealing his mouth, wrinkles, and white beard, stood calmly among numerous books.
He held an open book in his left hand, flipping through it page by page, reading with deep immersion.
Leyton bowed slightly to the old man before him, saying, "This should be our first official meeting."
After a slight pause, he continued:
"I need to trouble you to look after the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Currently, the only one free to go there and take the first blasphemy slate is Amon. After I deal with 'Steam,' I will go and assist you."
The old man, still flipping through the book, said without lifting his head:
"This is the best-case scenario, but from what I know of him, he will certainly make some preparations in advance."
"Even if his own will is not completely unified at the moment, on a crucial issue like the blasphemy slate, he will certainly be united against outsiders."
"In the current situation, the only ones he can win over are Cheek and Farbauti. Their conditions are not good, but they are enough to tie me down for a period until this war ends."
Leyton nodded, sighing, "At least, fate is on our side."
As he spoke, he took out a milky-white dice from his pocket, the "Die of Probability" evolved from the "Fate" pathway's Uniqueness.
Turning the "Die of Probability" twice in his hand, he casually tossed the dice towards the old man before him:
"In battles involving true gods, it can't do much, but if it's interfering with Amon's 'Theft' and 'Deception,' it might play a significant role."
The milky-white dice landed on the open book, spun twice, and then stopped on its own, with six dots facing up!
Leyton chuckled, "Luck and wisdom coexist!"