II. Once a human is injected with more than one Sutherland colony, a neurological infection caused by the bacteria will occur. The initial symptoms are anorexia and lethargy, the intermediate symptoms are epilepsy, and the late symptoms are neuronal degeneration leading to death.

Third, the upper limit for the number of supernatural abilities that humans can accommodate is 13, but for safety reasons, a conservative estimate is 10.

In short, if a human is transformed into an "inheritor," they can carry a maximum of 10 superpowers. Exceeding this number may lead to illness.

After determining the maximum number of abilities that an "inheritor" can carry, the next step is to determine which abilities they should carry.

Todd conducted a survey, and after repeated testing and screening, there are currently 18 effective and usable superpowers in the "Superpower Library," which are divided into three categories according to the type of ability.

Elemental Attack Type:

'Inflame Breath', 'Freezing', 'Highly Acidic Blood', 'Sonic Vibration', 'Electrostatic Field'

Physical Enhancement System:

'X-ray vision', 'night vision', 'eagle eye', 'pain resistance', 'regeneration', 'speed', 'skin respiration', 'webbed hands and feet'

Deformation mimicry system:

Metal Skin, Limb Giantization Technique, Chameleon Disguise, Stone Fist, Blood Marking

Todd now needs to consider which of these 18 abilities to extract and inject into the 13 'Inheritors' led by Huggins.

The selection criteria are as follows:

First, choose abilities that are not overtly apparent. After all, overly conspicuous abilities will expose your alien identity and attract attacks from both the church and secular society. Therefore, elemental attack abilities are not recommended.

Second, the combat style of the Knights should be adapted. Considering that the terrain around Twilight Town is mostly plains, the group charge of heavily armored knights will be the main means of combat. Therefore, in terms of ability selection, more charge-type and defensive abilities should be selected.

Third, pay attention to the number of abilities you have, and leave room for later. An "Inheritor" has a maximum of 10 abilities, but if you fill all 10 abilities now, you will not be able to erase or replace them if a better ability appears in the future. After all, Todd does not have any way to remove the alien abilities in his body.

After much deliberation, Todd finally selected three unique abilities for the 13 "Inheritors": "Regeneration," "Pain Resistance," and "Metallic Skin."

In addition to this team, Todd also plans to equip them with a scout—Edgar. Besides Edgar's existing "Speed," he intends to infuse the scout with the abilities of "Night Vision" and "Eagle Eye."

After making the above decision, Todd found these 14 people and held a meeting in the side hall of the church to explain his plan and some of the procedures and risks involved.

He wasn't worried about Huggins and Edgar; what troubled him were the 12 former subordinates of Huggins. These people weren't mutants; they were all perfectly normal people. To order them to undergo bacterial modification was, from both a moral and logical standpoint, an order that went beyond the bounds of normalcy.

To To Todd's surprise, all 12 sergeants said they would accept the injection immediately after hearing his words.

Even after the priest repeatedly confirmed the matter, the sergeants still insisted on their opinion.

Finally, over a three-day period, these 14 people underwent bacterial modification by the "Inheritors." One soldier experienced a strong rejection reaction when receiving the "Sutherland bacteria," but fortunately, he recovered without serious harm thanks to timely treatment.

Thus, the first combat squad of the Twilight Knights was officially established, consisting of 1 (former) knight, 12 (former) sergeants, and 1 (newbie) scout.

After handling this matter, Todd instructed Huggins to begin recruiting peasant soldiers and believers in Muxi Town. In peacetime, the peasant soldiers were primarily responsible for managing and operating the Knights' estates; in times of war, they were mainly responsible for transporting supplies, and sometimes also for clearing out enemy remnants and cleaning up the battlefield. The believers, on the other hand, were generally the basic military force of the church organization. They were composed of devout catechumens who, under the leadership of the church knights, trained in combat skills and formations; in wartime, they would follow behind the knights and sergeants, serving as the third echelon of the Knights' military force.

After these matters were dealt with, it was late September or early October of the year 1170 in the papal calendar, less than two weeks before the official edicts of the Papal Council and the Knights of Twilight.

That morning, Todd walked down the main street of Twilight Town, watching Joe and the monks measuring the land boundary lines and the distance between houses, while discussing street planning and building layout with the craftsmen led by old Aiden; Huggins and the soldiers, along with a group of 68 catechumens, were conducting basic formation training in an open area not far away; and Alfonso was struggling with physical training on a distant hill, wielding a greatsword.

As promised, Todd arrived at the first-floor table of the hotel on the opening day of Rachel and Karin's "Sisters' Hotel." Looking at the dazzling array of dishes on the menu, rubbing his empty stomach, and pondering what he should eat, a figure stumbled in through the door.

Todd looked up and saw that it was Edgar, the novice scout, who looked panicked.

"Cavalry! Lots of cavalry are heading towards the town!"

Upon hearing his words, Todd quickly put down the menu in his hand, stepped out of the shop, walked to the square, and looked into the distance along the street. Using his 'Eagle Eye' ability, Todd clearly saw more than a dozen fully armed Silver Ring Knights rushing towards Twilight Town on the plain.

Upon seeing this scene, Todd's first thought was—are these people crazy?

The army of a secular kingdom has entered the territory of the church without permission. Is someone so arrogant as to be an enemy of the entire church?

As the group drew closer, Todd noticed something strange. The leading old knight, with white hair and beard, covered in blood, and several arrows stuck in his armor, appeared to be Baron Cumberland. Behind him sat another person. Todd tried to make out what appeared to be a young woman, dressed in a luxurious court dress.

When Todd finally saw who the woman was, he involuntarily gasped.

Queen Mary...