That giant, tearing at human legs with bloodshot eyes, does not truly exist—he is fundamentally the intense emotions generated by one or several beings. These profound emotional impressions enter the unconscious, spreading from the island of the individual mind into the surrounding imaginary "ocean," gradually settling and forming a mark. Not all emotions and consciousness ultimately settle; most are worn down by time, dispersed by the "sea water" and washed away. Only the most intense or repeatedly recurring ones endure. Once transformed into such a mark—becoming a droplet within the collective unconscious ocean—the entity can then reverse its influence on other beings of the same kind, becoming a shared, deeply embedded, ancient memory inscribed into their very blood. Thus, the mythical biological form of the phantom giant, though not clearly defined and containing numerous subjective additions, would typically not overwhelm Leonard and Audrey with spiritual confusion or mental collapse. Yet the intense, almost tangible sense of madness—this profound, pervasive fear, seemingly originating from some unknown source—resonates as a physical force, infecting the minds, souls, and spirits of every living being! This is the essence of the dangers within the collective unconscious: it does not stem from inherent power, level, or status, but rather from the emotional and sensory imprints generated thereby. Of course, when encountering the imprints left by high-level beings or deities, one can directly perceive certain or specific mythical forms—though the outcome is invariably severe: either a complete mental breakdown and madness, or a complete emotional and sensory contamination by the deity’s or high-being’s feelings, rendering the final state unpredictable. In short, here, within this vast ocean of collective unconsciousness, the way battles unfold differs from the outside world—sometimes, the more urgently you strive to shatter the phantom, the more susceptible you become to infection due to emotional upheaval. Precisely for this reason, as soon as Kline spotted the towering gray-blue giant approaching, several meters high, he immediately took steps to steady his own emotions. Then, he employed a "magic technique," targeting Leonard and Audrey. To these Sequence 5 extraordinary beings, the giant—once several stories tall—no longer appeared as frantic or violent, no longer evoking a deep, instinctive tremor; instead, it now seemed ordinary and unremarkable. Thus, before the true extreme sensations of contamination reached them, both Leonard and Audrey remained remarkably calm, with no emotional fluctuations. Shortly thereafter, Leonard drew his hand from his pocket, extended his right arm, and slightly opened his mouth. He had originally intended to harness his own power as a "spirit seer," seeking the Archbishop's assistance to seal the first spirit residing in his tooth—the fearful fairy (a powerful spirit-being with a beautiful face and decaying body, bearing massive eagle wings, skilled at draining others' consciousness and instilling fear), but soon recalled that, as both a star-spirit and having undergone the purification of the gray mist, it was impossible for any other spirit to dwell within him. Compelled, he instead employed the abilities of an "exorcist," his emerald eyes deep and serene. The giant spectral form immediately slowed its pace, and its mood appeared to ease somewhat. At that moment, Odile also calmly extended her arms, using the "soothing" technique. A gentle, invisible breeze flowed through, causing the spectral form to momentarily halt, and the surrounding infection significantly diminished. During this process, Caine produced the cross of copper-green, adorned with numerous spines. As he opened the bottle containing his own blood and poured a few drops onto it, his expression grew solemn. "Light!" A brilliant, pure, and spotless glow erupted, engulfing the giant spectral form as the black coat of Caine gently swayed. The gray-blue giant dissolved swiftly with almost no resistance. One of the primary abilities of the "Cross of No Darkness" is to eliminate or purify residual mental imprints! This is precisely why Caine brought this sealing artifact along. When using the cross from the ancient sun god, Caine employed it to dispel illusions, enabling "Stars" Leonard and "Justice" Odile to directly perceive the true form of the giant spectral figure, thereby enriching their experience and enhancing their understanding in this regard. Though it lasted barely a second, the giant's silhouette was overwhelmed by an endless flood of light, yet Odile and Leonard still felt a wave of dizziness, a profound, uncontrollable fear rising from the depths of their being, threatening to shatter their spirits. This didn't last long. By instinct, Odile applied a calming measure to steady herself, then proceeded to address the psychological concerns of both the "Star" and the "World" gentlemen. "It's truly terrifying... Is this what half-god-level giants are like?" When the light finally subsided, Odile, the embodiment of Justice, surveyed the scene with genuine admiration. In that instant, she gained a deeper understanding of a single phrase: "One cannot gaze directly upon the gods!" Even half-gods at the Saint level—whose only lingering images were preserved in others' memories—could not directly experience or perceive the gods. How much less could one who was truly divine? Leonard, too, had considerable experience—he chuckled self-consciously. "Sequence 4 indeed marks a qualitative leap in life, but the fear I felt just now was rather mild, falling far short of the intensity I experienced when I first faced a pregnant woman." Is that the nature of poets, always exaggerating? You managed to stay composed then, but by now you were nearly collapsing... If Megalois delivers that child successfully, we might not even be able to bear to look at her without breaking down into monsters ourselves. While murmuring these thoughts to himself, Klein found himself recalling the moment with a touch of wistfulness. "Was she a half-divine pregnant woman?" Audrey asked with genuine curiosity. "No," Leonard shook his head. "She carries a child of a demon god." Ah—Audrey didn't press further, knowing well that the journey and exploration had far from concluded, and that time was not to be wasted. She then turned to Germaine Spalro, who was holding a copper-green cross and a metal flask, dressed in a black coat, and smiled slightly. "Thank you for the impact you had on our senses earlier." "Hmm, where should we go next?" As a seasoned 'observer,' she could clearly discern from the before-and-after comparison that she had indeed received assistance from the 'World' gentleman.克莱恩 suppressed the instinctive furrow of his brow, glanced around, and asked, "Doesn't this collective unconscious ocean have a central region?" "No," Audrey replied seriously. "As long as there are living beings, there is a collective unconscious ocean—there is no hierarchy, no one more noble than another." This imaginary ocean doesn't truly ripple; the conditions in different regions largely depend on their surrounding environments—a phenomenon we call the "sedimentation effect." In simple terms, the collective unconscious ocean within Roon differs significantly from that of Indis, because it accumulates the strong emotions and experiences of generations of Roon citizens. In turn, this shapes the national character of both peoples, giving them distinct temperaments or personalities. After offering this explanation, Audrey, representing "Justice," concluded: "Given that, how could there be a universally recognized core region for the collective unconscious ocean?" Kaine nodded, thoughtfully, and then asked: "So, in other words, you can't effectively advise where it should go?" "Mr. World is so direct... If it were a more sensitive lady or gentleman, right now he'd probably feel embarrassed, even hurt. But in an instant, Audrey noticed the deep brown, nearly black eyes of Mr. World, Germaine Spalro—calm, serene, and deeply thoughtful, far from frantic or cold. Ah. Suddenly, Audrey understood: Mr. World was deliberately creating such moments, intentionally drawing attention to the subtle details of shared actions, gathering experience over time. "Yes," she nodded with ease, completely at ease. Klein nodded silently and then turned his gaze toward "Star" Leonard. "Don't look at me—my domain is dreams, not this strange sea of collective unconsciousness." Leonard immediately waved his hand. Compared to "Justice" Miss, he had participated in countless shared actions and knew well that one must know when to refrain from showing strength. "Then follow me." Caine drew his gaze away, handing the now-copper-green "Cross of No Dark" to the hand holding the metal vial, and produced a gold coin. Clang! As the coin rolled, he seized it firmly, then, without looking at the result, oriented himself and stepped forward. This was the method of divination... Odile suddenly understood. She watched the serious, composed profile of "World" Germain Spalro, and the image of him in a black coat, silk hat, and copper-green cross, and unexpectedly felt as though he were a missionary. Leonard, in turn, recalled a past memory. It was their first joint case—searching for a child who had been kidnapped—and at that time, it had been Caine who had guided them using the method of divination, with Leonhard following close behind. Compared to his initial awkwardness, he now moves with such ease as if he had been immersed in the mystical world for over ten years… Ah, really, it's only been about a year and a half. Leonard inserts his hands into his pockets, slightly reflective, following closely behind Caine. Audrey glances at him and notices the shift in his demeanor. "Mr. Stars" and "Mr. World" are not merely acquaintances—they might even be quite close friends, the kind who haven't seen each other in the past few years. As she forms this judgment, she doesn't slow down, instead drawing on her knowledge to observe the surroundings carefully, identifying which spots might harbor "vortices" or conceal "dangerous creatures." With Audrey's guidance, Caine leads smoothly, no longer encountering direct encounters like the "Giant Specter" as before. They alternate between straight paths and turns, and after an indeterminate length of time, the landscape before them suddenly opens up. Before them lay a "deep-sea chasm," at its center standing a city the size of an island. The city's foundation was pale gray, upon which rose towering stone pillars ranging from dozens to hundreds of meters high. These pillars stood either alone or together, supporting majestic, ancient palaces. As a whole, the scene was both strange and grand—something no ordinary creature could have built.