The light that enveloped everyone slowly faded away. As everyone's eyes slowly adjusted to the light, their vision slightly turned blue and purple. Even if they still feel heavy, they also feel refreshing and cool
A few seconds later, their eyes went wide open because of the view and scenery that their eyes feasted upon
The odd feeling that was invading Philip's body slowly disappeared. He slowly stood back up and faced the squadron and Justine. His eyes were glowing and the squadron were struggling to stand up
"No more secrets... This is bigger than anything else... We need to move"
His voice was deep and very serious. He then raised his left hand and snapped his fingers. An audible sound reverberated throughout the field
The heavy feeling that was surrounding the squadron was blown away amd they were liberated
"What was that?!"
Mark asked with urgency
"Dense Mana, denser than Pure Mana, a type of Mana that I can harness and strengthens my body"
"Whoaaa..."
Elaine exclaimed after seeing the view in front of them. Mark also realized it, as it was more breathtaking the more looked at it
"Stop looking for now and get into your cars. We'll move forwards as we go!"
Philip shouted. He has assumed the role of the leader and Mark seemed taken aback by his demeanor. H ehad no choice but to follow him since he doesn't know what was happening and Philip seemed to know something
Everyone got on their vehicles and drove forwards. The squadron has already disobeyed orders of leaving the vehicles before entering the ground zero. They couldn't think of anything after seeing the fantastical view in front of them
As they go deeper into the road and into the woods, the sky above them had a thick swirl of clouds as flashes of blue light occurs at the gaps. The eye is not empty and filled with darkness. Small arcs of lightning crawls through the surface if the clouds. The diameter of the swirl of clouds reaches up to 100 kilometers wide
Justine and Sheena were carefully and slowly cruising above the stange trees
~~~
'This is worse than I thought...'
Philip thought to himself after seeing this place and confirming that it's real
What appeared after the flash of blinding light has dissipated is a very recognizable forest, but this forest is different from any forests on Earth
It's a magical forest full of plants, trees, and biology that came from fantasy movies and novels
There were twisted trees, different colored leaves and plants across the ground, plants that releases light, mushrooms that glow, vines that are fantastical in shape and form, and many more. This magical forest is a bombardment of all magical plants and mystical herbs together. Everywhere Philip look is magical. There are even floating blue and violet wisps that really elevates the mood of a magical forest
Of course, since this is the first time that such magical forest formed on Earth, everyone in the squadron, including Justine, couldn't help but bathe their eyes by the beauty of the forest. That's why they are driving extremely slow. Philip wasn't bothered anyways
The reason that Philip became very serious after seeing the magical forest is because his Future Vision didn't tell him anything about it. This means that either Future Vision didn't actually see it or this was the purpose of fate
With the existence of the magical forest, this could only mean that Mana is spreading in an alarming degree. Not to mention, the Mana present around the magical forest is neither Mana nor Pure Mana. The Mana is condensed, compacted, and fused together that it can almost be seen by the naked eye. Philip will call this as Dense Mana
His body was resonating with the Dense Mana and his Spirit Fibers were tingling. Though, the Pure Mana is pushing out the Dense Mana and it's not allowing any Dense Mana to enter his system. Nonetheless, the Pureblood was also helping as it was feeding on the Dense Mana. Philip could feel that the Soulblood Energy is getting stronger and the Pureblood in his chest is getting hotter. Of course, his peripheral is still flickering
Philip could also appreciate the view and scenery. There were flying wisps that beelines across and around the trees and wisps that appear on the ground and levitate into the air. The trees look dark but they are full of vitality. The leaves are vibrant and it rustles every time wind blows across the forest
The concrete road is the only thing that is ordinary around here with cracks and grass because of plants growing to its sides. Further from the road to the left and to the right are blocked by trees and plants, so everyone could only move forward. Justine and Sheena are being covered by the magical leaves on the trees from below
But of course, Philip could only turn a blind eye to the beauty of the forest since there is a bigger threat looming beyond the forest. Depending on the situation, to prevent the news about the existence of this magical forest from spreading across the world, he would destroy it after this mission. He also can't afford the world to fall into anarchy when random people will receive abilities and let the leaders and higher beings around the world to slowly introduce the existence of Magic and Mana to the world
They kept driving through the forest until the Dense Mana became even greater which made Mark stop his car. He got out of his car because the Blaze-7 HK was rumbling, like its chasis and body is tembling and shaking from the pressure. Though, the Heaven's truck, the motorcycles, and the CrawlerHK-S Plus doesn't seem to be affected by the pressure
But, the HK-22 Eagle seemed to have lost control and crashed down on the magical trees. The trees were sturdy enough that they didn't break from the fall. Looking at the osprey, it's showing that there are signs of being upgraded, which means Sheena seemed to have tried to save the osprey but failed
Sheena crawled out of the entrance with all of her guns strapped around her and jumped down from the trees
"What happened?"
Mark asked with worry
"The moment we came here, the osprey seemed to have lost control and the circuitry was destroyed. Even when I upgraded it, once the circuit is cut, I can't do anything else"
"What would cause it? How about Justine and the hover jet?"
"I'm here"
Justine came floating down from the sky
"The hover jet was disabled because of the density and pressure of Mana around this area. I could still use it to throw at something though"
"..."
The squadron members were silent, before going to the unstable Mana Hotspot, their mobility has been halved and this is a bad sign
"The Heaven's Truck is still running though, and E-1's vehicle surprisingly"
Sheena commented
"Why is that?"
Celine asked
"It's the enchantment from Chris and the protection of the God of Light. E-1 is an Enigma, so once she rode the sedan, Mana doesn't affect it. The motorcycles are small and it won't break down from this Dense Mana"
Philip gave everyone a quick explanation, to which everyone listened to closely. They were also impressed that Philip knew all of this in one look
"So, ride the truck or the sedan and let's keep going. Justine will keep watch from the skies, can you do that, Justine?"
"Sure. Can I fly up to the atmosphere and scout further?"
"Yes, but don't go too far..."
"Understood"
Justine then flew up into the sky and went near the swirl of clouds. She ignored the fact that the clouds are swirling and looked beyond towards the mouth and crater of the unstable Mana Hotspot. Her eyes widened because she can see the expanse of the magical forest. She can estimate that the diameter of the magical forest is at least 200 kilometers wide
Meanwhile, down below on the ground, Mark and Sheena boarded the top of the Heaven's Truck, instead of riding with E-1, she still gives them the uncomfortable feeling
Elaine hopped back next to the driver's seat of the Heaven's Truck without saying anything about the situation. She didn't like how Philip seemed to be leading them, but she couldn't complain because of how new the surroundings are. She feels like she is in aforeign territory that no one in the world know of. She couldn't help but be passive for now
Celine also hopped back on the HK-Speed. She started the engine and the exhaust roared. Philip went ahead and drove further into the magic forest. The rest followed behind him
~~~
After several more minutes, Philip stopped on his tracks, the other also stopped. They were now outside of the forest, next to the crater or the mouth of the unstable Mana Hotspot. Without asking anything, the squadron already knew why they stopped, instead of driving down the slight slope
Their eyes widened again and Justine landed next to Philip
"What do you think?"
Justine asked
"Very bad..."
"Like... How bad?"
"Can you contemplate this?"
"Let me try"
Around the crater of the unstable Mana Hotspot, there is a giant wall of blue energy combusting straight into the sky before dissipating into the atmosphere. The blue wall is like a barrier, or a constant stream of water and gas that flow upwards, that is keeping intruders away from the entrance of the Mana Hotspot
Justine lifted her hand and tried to touch the blue barrier. Nothing happened as the stream of blue energy goes around her hand
Philip's eyes slightly widened. Just by looking at the insignificant changes, he already knew what this blue wall is
"I will have to take a long time before my insight will analyze and identify this type of energy. The vector though... I'm not sure yet"
"I see... It's fine... I think I know what it is"
"What is it?"
"It should be Dark Matter"
Justine was surprised at Philip's answer. Mark also caught his words and decided to listen
"Dark Matter? The thing that makes up most of the universe? The unobservable matter?"
"Yes, but this kind of Dark Matter is different that is present in galaxies. This has been incorporated with the energy from the Primordial Remnants. It's name should be True Mana, a type of Mana that is on par with Pure Mana"
"Primordial Remnants?"
Justine asked about Primordial Remnants since it sounded more important. She ignored the types of Mana even though she doesn't know about it and only knows regular Mana that comes from Spirit Stones. She hasn't sensed the Pure Mana circulating in Philip's system ever
"First matter that was formed during the Big Bang and it's the source of Mana that is spreading around the world. They were caought up by the formation of the Solar System and went to Earth. This is also where the Divine Stars came from"
"What?!"
"!!!"
Justine was surprised from Philip's revelation. He hasn't told her about these things yet. Meanwhile, Mark was also shocked. These are information that will be crucial to the military. He dismissed the fact that Philip knew about this somehow
"So, what are we going to do?"
Justine asked
"..."
Philip didn't reply and faced the squadron. Tenshi and Elaine got out of the Heaven's Truck and came closer to inspect the wall of True Mana. Everyone also sees hos golden eyes
"Guys... From here on out, we might abandon half of the mission. We will not have time inspect, explore, and gather data on the magical forest. We need to go inside the Mana Hotspot immediately"
The squadron looked at Philip and hesitated to follow his instruction. If they followed his instructions, this will be the first time that they will disobey Chris' orders. But considering the situation, they think that it is best to follow Philip since he seemed to know what's happening more than Chris, especially because he has Future Vision, Clairvoyance, and Fate Control if it's true. But of course, there's only one person who stepped up and called out Philip
"What do you mean abandon the mission?! You're not our leader or our master! We are an elite squadron amd we must stick on the mission that we are given. So, remember the position that you're in and not be confident just because you're powerful. You're just a temporary member and we are more powerful than you!"
"..."
Philip was silent and only looked at Elaine with a poker face. Even if his expression is blank, his anger and annoyance is boiling inside of him, causing the negative aura behind him to rise
"I don't have time for this... Do you want to stick to your mission or follow my guidance?"
Philip is not only taking the lead of the squadron to follow his demands, he is doing this in order to save the four of them from their doom. He is trying his best to remove the Doomed Branching Timeline every means necessary, even if it means to save Elaine also
"Are you deaf?! We don't have a choice but to follow the mission one hundred percent, you ignorant fool"
Philip abruptly turned his head at Elaine. His anger and annoyance has soared. His golden eyes flickered brightly and his negative aura soared. Mark and the others were shocked at the attitude and behavior that Elaine is showing. They never seen her like this way before
"Look here you little shit. Don't be a self-center idiot who thinks that being in a squadron makes you the center of the universe. You're not. There are multiple instances that are bigger than you and more dangerous than anything else! I know some of them! So, if you want to live and survive, consider my offer. If not, then just simply don't follow it"
"What if we don't choose to follow you?"
Elaine spoke for everyone. She is calling Philip's bluff of making them choose at what to do
"..."
Philip was speechless. He didn't know if Elaine is one of those people who doesn't care about anything or the bigger picture in front of her but one thing or it's just her personality that was twisted by her ability or the military
Her radar ability might have caused her to mature early and learn that society is worse than she thought or Chris might have brainwashed her ever since she was just an innocent child. Philip felt pity for her
Nonetheless, that's not Philip's problem and he could care less. His eyes became piercing as he looked at Elaine's daring eyes. Everyone could feel his hostility and Elaine broke a sweat but she needed to make a stand
"You want to die?"
Philip sinisterly asked which brought dread to everyone present. Lightning flashed and the air around them became heavy. The ground beneath his feet slightly cracked and the wall of True Mana slightly waved and fluttered
Elaine's knees suddenly shook as fear slowly grew deep within her. It was then that Mark moved and extended his hand in front of Elaine from Philip. Mark looked at Philip with piercing but understanding eyes
"Let's compromise, there's no need for fighting within the squadron"
Mark tried to mellow out the atmosphere
"What about we split into two groups? First group will enter the Mana Hotspot and the second group will stay by the Heaven's Truck and gather data?"
Justine gave a suggestion to everyone
"But that defeats the purpose of our mission!"
Elaine tried to deny Justine's suggestion to which she looked at her with questioning eyes and ridicule
"Elaine, enough!"
Mark shouted at Elaine
"We can do that. Seems like Philip knows what will happen in the future. We will split into two groups"