The massive, towering buildings stood quietly in the still evening, silent and untouched, as if it were simply a painting. Amid this stillness, Derek Berg felt more tense than ever—more so than in any other dark, deep part of the realm—his back hairs standing on end. Once the team entered the area bathed in evening light, a sense of weariness and decline settled over the entire exploration group, including Chief Colin Iliat and the Elder, Loviea, the "Shepherd," as though they had already reached the twilight of their lives. As they moved forward, either along the paths or emerging from various buildings, the decaying giants grew in number and strength, becoming more powerful with each step. With the explorers weakening and the monsters growing stronger, progress grew difficult. After several fierce battles, the Silver City exploration team finally broke through the monsters' encirclement and resistance, reaching a region of profound stillness—so quiet that not a single sound could be heard, leaving the air itself unnervingly tense. On this point, Caelin Iliad, the Hunter of Giants, broke his silence and reminded them: "This means we have truly entered the 'Kingdom of the Giants,' approaching its core—danger will only increase, not decrease." Hearing this, a few members of the exploration teams, affected by the 'Dusk' phenomenon, showed signs of wavering. In their view, although during the earlier stages they had often hesitated to stay, fearing being overwhelmed by the decaying giants, they had eventually managed to clear out entire zones of monsters, allowing them to rest and recover. They had also gathered numerous exceptional traits, rare materials, and magical recipes. Thus, their current exploration had already yielded substantial results, and there was no immediate need to push further. Their priority now should be to locate suitable buildings and establish a forward camp, preparing for the next phase of exploration. Facing this proposal, Colin Iliad said little, merely emphasizing that the objective of this exploration was to gain as comprehensive an understanding as possible of the general layout of the "Kingdom of the Giants," thereby gathering sufficient information to support future operations. Then, he assigned a member named Antirna to calm the members who were wavering in their resolve. With the support of the "Shepherd" elder Loviya, the small exploration team quickly stabilized their mindset and proceeded quietly under the lead of the chief. After a while, they came upon a massive stone staircase, overall gray-white in tone yet glowing with warm, vibrant orange light—both splendid and serene. Each level of the staircase was notably high, which would have been quite taxing for ordinary humans. Fortunately, the shortest member of the team, Elder Loviya, stood nearly 1.9 meters tall and was capable of harnessing strong winds. On the grand staircase stood a mighty wall so imposing that one had to look up to see its summit, bearing visible signs of damage and scorched areas; at several points, arrows several meters long—thick as ordinary trees—had been embedded, causing sections of stone to collapse. At the heart of the wall stood a massive double gate, several tens of meters high, with a more gray-blue hue, adorned with golden rivets. Outside the gate stood two guards whose mere presence created an overwhelming sense of pressure. Each stood five to six meters tall, clad in elegant and sturdy silver full armor—one wielding a great sword, the other resting a massive axe upon the ground—each radiating a warm orange glow behind their face masks, as if possessing a single, glowing eye. "Silver Knights..." said Colin, the Hunter of Monsters, raising his right hand and crossing his straight sword horizontally to block the path of the exploration team behind him. — He had already removed his two straight swords from his back and treated them with different medicines. "Silver Knights..." Dric Berg felt his eyelids twitch, his heart pounding. He only recently came into contact with some intelligence known exclusively to the highest echelons—learned that the Sequence 3 path of the "Giants" is called "Silver Knight," and that the city of Silver lacks the correct potion recipes but possesses corresponding exceptional traits. What struck Dariq with surprise and fear was that the gatekeepers of the core section of the "Giants' Court" were actually two half-gods of Sequence 3—higher than even the city of Silver's strongest warriors! And this was merely the gate area; what lay ahead, deeper within, remained unknown. After this wave of astonishment, Dariq could not help but feel a growing sense of anticipation: Perhaps within the "Giants' Court," he would find the potion recipes for the Sequence 4 path and beyond of the Giants. Then, the chief might become a "Silver Knight," significantly strengthening the power of Silver City. With that, they could further explore the "Kingdom of the Giants," discover more potion recipes, hunt down more monsters, and gather more exceptional traits and rare materials of higher tiers. Subconsciously, Darien glanced to his left and right, noticing that the members of the exploration teams—Joshua, Heine, Antilena, and others—reacted much like himself: equally tense and fearful, yet with a touch of hope. At that moment, Elder Loviya, the "Shepherd," stepped forward two paces, standing beside Colin Iliat, gazing up at the gray-blue gate and the two silver knights who appeared to be in an unknown state. "If only one of them succeeds, we still have a chance." "Her true intention was that there are now two 'Silver Knights.' Even if we're willing to suffer heavy casualties, we simply can't eliminate the enemy. Though the Chief can command mythic beasts and normally hold his own against a Sequence 3, the current environment doesn't allow him to make such a move—the twilight has brought decay, and what once could have been endured may no longer be sustainable. Colin Ilyas nodded, glanced at Loviya and Darien Berg, and observed the area ahead. 'At this point, as long as we don't approach that gate, neither of the guards will attack us.' 'Perhaps we could try to draw one of the 'Silver Knights' away and clear them individually?' suggested the female warrior named Antirina. She had medium-length, wine-red hair, a moderately plain face, yet her overall presence was commanding and bright. During this exploration mission, her primary task was to use a sealed artifact under her command to treat her teammates' psychological issues and counter enemies with mental capabilities. Antilna's specific plan was to have her team members draw away one of the "Silver Knights," using terrain advantages and coordinated maneuvers, while the team leader and Elder Loviya combined forces to engage the remaining one, aiming to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. This was the textbook approach that the Silver City had developed for handling similar scenarios. "Even if only one 'Silver Knight' is present, the situation will be extremely difficult, and you cannot guarantee that the 'Silver Knight' you draw away won't directly manifest its mythical being form." The seasoned warrior Colin calmly rejected Antilna's proposal. Beyond the "Silver Knight's" already formidable extraordinary abilities, as soon as it revealed its mythical form, the majority of the Silver City exploration team would be unable to bear the sight, suffering significant effects—making any sustained engagement impossible. Before the other members had even spoken, Colin Iliath turned and said, "Let's take a different route. Derek found some records in the reflection world of the afternoon town, documenting a passage in the rear area of the 'Kingdom of the Giants.' " The elder Lovira, known as "The Shepherd," cast her gaze toward Derek Berg, calm and composed, with no trace of emotion. Subconsciously, Derek raised the "Cross of No Shadow" slightly, holding back the unmistakable tremor in his hands. "Agreed," Lovira affirmed Colin Iliath's suggestion. Thus, the exploration team stepped off the grand stone staircase and turned to the left. Not long after, they spotted a rugged path, with a towering cliff on the right and a sky of golden-hued clouds stretching into the horizon on the left, its base unseen. Of course, while the path appeared narrow when viewed from the perspective of the Giants, it remained relatively spacious for the members of the Silver City exploration team. As they advanced step by step, inspiration struck simultaneously among Darike and the others, prompting them to instinctively turn toward their neighbors. At the cliff's edge, numerous gray-blue, swollen hands emerged from the orange-red cloud vapor, reaching out and clutching firmly—dense and numerous, impossible to count. If these were all giants, even merely of Sequence 7 or Sequence 6, their sheer numbers alone would be sufficient to wipe out the entire Silver City exploration party right there. Colin Iliad was about to swing his straight sword when Darike suddenly felt a subtle sensation, quickly raising his "Cross of No Shadow" higher and pressing a finger against a thorn spike, drawing a fresh crimson streak of blood. The pure light of the cross, once glowing like dusk, suddenly brightened—seeming to surge back to midday—and surged vigorously toward the cliff edge, enveloping the gray-blue giants attempting to climb. At that moment, all the giants froze, their forms gradually fading inch by inch, and swiftly dissolving into nothing. They are not true giants, but the vengeful spirits and spectral shadows left behind after the original giants perished—hence, the "Cross of No Darkness" has sensed them. It is a holy seal of the "Sun" domain, a powerful force that defeats spirits, shadows, and malevolent entities. After easily dispatching these monsters, the Silver City Exploration Team remained vigilant and continued forward. Eventually, they rounded the mountain walls and cliffs and came upon a gray and dim forest. The trees within were towering—some reaching dozens of meters in height and remarkably thick—but their bark had flaked away, trunks decayed, and branches withered, giving an immediate impression of decline. The branches should have intertwined overhead, forming a canopy that would have blocked the evening light and dimmed the interior. Yet now, due to the widespread collapse and breaking of trees, the warm orange glow had spread throughout much of the forest, visible to the eye. This is the "Forest of Decline," where the primordial giants—the parents of the giants—were laid to rest. Derek looked ahead, silently calculating how long his "Cross of No Dark" would last, then spoke to the Chief and his teammates. Colin Iliath gazed at the forest for a moment, saying, "It's already been damaged. Even with any lingering threats, they won't be strong. We can attempt to explore." "Yes, Chief," Derek replied without hesitation. "My cross can withstand this environment. I'll go ahead." He remembered the World先生 had mentioned that the forest might harbor some form of contamination, and that the "Cross of No Dark" could effectively issue early warnings. The white-haired Colin nodded gently. "Be cautious around you." Derek inhaled silently and took a steady step forward, heading into the "Waning Forest." At the same time, taking advantage of his position at the forefront, he softly recited the name of the Knight of the Fool. Then, after being obscured by the setting sun and losing connection for a while, Kline finally managed to see the specific details, though he could not expand his field of view much beyond what he had.