A while later, the half-opened forest suddenly tore apart, revealing a magnificent and enigmatic portal. The portal opened silently, and a tall, distinguished man stepped forth—black hair, golden eyes, dressed in a crisp formal robe, mature and refined. Before he could even take in the scene, he heard a sharp sonic boom, felt a violent gale rushing toward him, and saw a strikingly imposing middle-aged man materialize to his side. This man had prominent earlobes, deep-blue, thick, round hair, and his eyes seemed to hold countless flashes of lightning. He was the Cardinal of the Storm Church, the Archbishop of the Beckett Diocese, and the "High Priest of Deep Blue," Radel Valentin. The clergyman in a black robe embroidered with storm symbols glanced left and right, then fixed his gaze on the man with golden eyes, his voice resonating like thunder. "Celt," he asked, "what has happened here?" The man known as Celt shook his head. "I've just arrived too." As he finished speaking, a luminous, nearly transparent spiritual form—resembling a mountain—rose from the void on the other side, lifting a figure into the air. The figure wore a black robe with red trim, deep-set eyes, and a clean-shaven face—none other than Anthony Stevenson, the head of the Becland district of the Night Church. Once its task was complete, the massive spiritual form contracted and entered Anthony’s mouth. At the same time, a spectral being with long black hair concealing its face and a translucent, drifting lower body emerged behind him, supporting his shoulders and preventing him from falling. The very next second, a surge of air rushed in from the Becland city district, propelling another figure swiftly toward the area. Soon, the figure came to a halt—this one dressed in a white priest’s robe, wearing a soft hat typical of clergy, with a kind and gentle expression. As the figure stopped, the air stream emanating from his back faded, and the dark, metallic-tinted tube retracted into his body. Hormaki Haydon, the Archbishop of the Beklanth Diocese and a member of the Divine Council, stands strangely suspended in midair, surveying the scene. "The combat here isn't particularly intense, but it's undoubtedly at the level of the Saints. And this lingering pollution—truly, truly..." As he speaks, the four half-gods simultaneously lower their heads, gazing toward the center of the collapsed forest. There, a Tarot card stands upright, depicting an elder holding a staff and a glass lamp. "The Hermit!" The silence that follows is profound—Raydor Valentin, Caelt, Anton, and Hormaki all remain motionless, no one speaking for a moment. A powerful force surged forth like steam, gathering into a mighty flood that completely submerged and tightly enveloped the "Box of the Ancient Days," layer by layer, binding it firmly. At this moment, the silver-black, three-layered "jewel box" embedded with gems seemed like a tiny insect trapped within the amber, utterly motionless. "Previously, whenever the 'Sanctum' responded to injury—when I witnessed the true gods or the King of Angels suffer—this was always the case. But this is the first time it has reacted to an external object in such a manner." Caine couldn't help lifting his right hand to wipe sweat that wasn't there at all. To be honest, he felt a bit uneasy, as though he had grown complacent in his grasp of the 'Sanctum' after initially mastering it. In the past, he had never dared allow any zero-level seal to enter here. This time, however, because the matter did not involve uniqueness, and because he himself had undergone a fundamental improvement compared to before, he had finally found the courage to attempt it. "Good thing I managed to hold on... I'll have to tell the 'Seer' lady later—not everything we find has to be sacrificed to me. I'm not a junk collector, after all." Kline mumbled as he began examining the "Box of the Old Days." He remembered that the "Magician" lady was still inside the seal, so he decided to quickly assess the situation of the seal to avoid letting the bait wither from delay. "This seal is of a high level; Arōdes, the 'Mirror,' knows only a limited amount about it. I'll have to handle it myself. As far as I can tell right now, as long as we don't attempt any 'divination' of the third layer or try to trace the source of power, the danger is manageable—indeed, negligible." Kline made his initial judgment based on his intuitive spiritual sense. Then, he materialized paper and pen, and began to divinate. It wasn't clear how long it had been before he finally opened his eyes, and spoke softly, without sound: "Layer one can swap the internal space with a designated area, and scale down and toy-ify the corresponding scene—this is the only capability it can勉强 be put to use. 'Toy-ified' beings must be released within 24 hours; otherwise, they undergo permanent transformation, never finding rest even as spirits. Release is simple: just designate a region, small enough that it nearly lacks any living beings, and swap it with the internal space. This capability has limits—covering at most a city the size of Beckland. Why did I use this example? Layer two records different scenes—deep abysses, starry skies, various locales—allowing the holder and beings within a certain radius to directly transfer to the target area. The issue is randomness: sometimes, specific locations can be chosen and released, but most of the time, the chosen destination changes unpredictably, making the final destination hard to anticipate. It's impossible to know when a designation will take effect or when a change will occur. Moreover, this seems unaffected by good fortune—specifically, by fortune below sequence 0. This In the distance, he believed that as long as he reached out, he could easily unlock the third layer of the "Box of the Ancient Days" by lifting the seal imposed by the "Source Keep." ...Such a strong appeal... Caine turned his gaze back, raised his hand, and sent the "Box of the Ancient Days" soaring toward the pile of clutter in the corner. Matter of fact, whether it's a "0"-level sealed object or not—let's just go there and clear my head first! As a particularly dreadful "0"-level sealed object, it deserves a designation to hold its place. Unfortunately, I don't know exactly what number among the seven Churches' "0"-level sealed objects it would reach—probably no more than fifty. Hmm, for now, let's call it "0-61," and adjust the number later as circumstances warrant. If the Lady of the Hidden Ones cannot establish a favorable sealing environment, we can place "0-61" atop the gray mist, and request it later when needed—of course, we must first seek the blessing of Will. I wonder, though, at what stage will my title as the "King of Good Fortune, Yellow and Black" truly The "Wondrous Master" has a certain aspect—the "Mysterious Servant" must have a part as well... After musing to himself, Kline reached for the extraordinary trait left behind by the "Saint of Secrets," Butis. The trait resembled a crystal, within which countless beams of light refracted, unfolding one after another into shimmering, ethereal gates. Kline gazed at it for several seconds, then suddenly flung it into the air. The power of "The Source Citadel" surged once more, forming a tangible, semi-transparent wave under Kline's control, which struck the crystal with force. The crystal shattered instantly, scattering into countless fine luminous points. Dark gases surged forth from these points, twisting and swiftly dissolving within the Citadel, fading away. Under the influence of the Law of Aggregation of Extraordinary Traits, the fine points gradually converged, reassembling into the magnificent, dreamlike crystal within nearly a minute, settling once again into Kline's palm. The contamination within had been purged. — Inside the "Fort of the Source," Klein is equivalent to an Angel of Sequence 2, though often he possesses the power without being able to activate the corresponding extraordinary abilities, requiring the right supporting elements to enable them. After placing the extraordinary trait of the "Secret Mage," Klein turned his attention to the remaining two eyeballs of Butis.