Sorcerer’s Handbook

Beyond the Rain Curtain, silence reigned, as if the Heroic Soul Legion had vanished without a trace.

“You’re afraid I’ll go down with the ship.”

Ashe declared with absolute certainty, “Yes, the Pact states I’m not allowed to abandon or destroy the ‘soul summoning’ spirit, but the enforcement of this Pact lies in the Virtual Realm’s immediate punishment. Which means, if I believe I can bear the risk of the Virtual Realm’s punishment, this Pact is no more than a piece of useless paper to me.”

“The Virtual Realm can only punish after the fact; it can’t stop me midway. At most, it can kill me once the dust settles, but if destroying the ‘soul summoning’ spirit means death, and being caught by you also means death, I’d rather die at the hands of the Virtual Realm than be completely consumed by you, my dear paramour.”

The world fell silent as the Reverse Golden Rain silently fell towards the sky. After a moment, Danzel’s voice slowly emerged, “There’s just one thing that needs correcting.”

“In the ‘generous plan’ I’ve prepared for you, there’s only one spot for someone to leave alive.”

Ashe frowned, his expression turning cold. “So I’m definitely going to die, which means…”

“You have to choose someone to die with your own hands,” Danzel’s voice was now unabashedly filled with amusement. “One lives, one half-dead, one fully dead. That’s the ending I’ve prepared for you. Do you like it?”

“…I’ve heard that heroic souls can only regain their emotions by retrieving soul fragments from hell,” Ashe said. “I’m curious, in this vile form that makes one want to vomit, how much of your former charm remains?”

“You seem to know us well. If we’re talking proportions, about one-sixth,” Danzel said cheerfully. “Have you decided who’s going to die? Your lover, or your sister?”

“Oh, and a reminder: if you kill your companion with your own hands, it means she’ll exit the Virtual Realm early, violating the ‘three-hour stay in the Virtual Realm’ condition, which will result in her being killed by the Virtual Realm. I don’t recognize that kind of death! It has to be done by us. I want you to watch your companion being dismembered and devoured by my adorable minions.”

“…Did the Gospel Incarnation find you in a trash can?” Ashe said with disgust. “Thank goodness you love a god. If you loved a person, you’d have worn them out long ago. Being loved or hated by you must be a disaster.”

“Oh, stop it, I’m not that bad,” Danzel laughed. “By the way, I like smart people who know the times and hate those who say, ‘No, I’d rather die than let you have your way.’”

“So… are you a smart person or a stupid one?” the Empress’s tone dripped with arrogance. “Even if you’ve guessed my plan, what difference does it make? Do you even have a choice?”

Indeed.

Ashe’s situation hadn’t improved one bit despite his sharp mind. This was an open Scheme. If Ashe was scared senseless by the Empress, he’d naturally make the emotional choice. If he was smart enough to see through her Scheme, he’d make the rational choice.

With only two options, there’s no real freedom of choice. Anyone would have to choose the lesser evil.

As Ashe fell silent, the Sword Princess and the Witch turned to look at him.

Especially the Witch. Her hair quickly lost its luster, the Water-born Thread flickering between her fingers, her eyes growing increasingly murky, like a cat bristling in alarm. If Ashe made a wrong move, she’d react violently.

“It’s hard to make a decision, isn’t it? Especially when it involves your own companions, and you have to pronounce their death sentence yourself,” Danzel said suddenly, almost kindly. “I’m not that bad, my dear paramour. How about I help you out?”

“I’m sure you’ve considered the possibility of breaking through head-on, right? Here’s the deal: when you make your breakout attempt, I’ll have my minions focus their attacks on your two companions. You just need to give a look or a gesture indicating which one you want to abandon, and my adorable minions will do the rest. They’ll tear apart and devour the companion you’ve chosen to forsake. Your companion will think they just died in battle, and you can console yourself that it was merely the result of a failed breakout plan, something you didn’t intend.”

As she said this, the Witch’s shoulders trembled slightly.

Even though she quickly turned her head away to hide her expression from her teammates, both Ashe and Sonya knew that their breakout plan had completely fallen apart.

On one hand, the Empress’s heroic soul had reached a level of Mental Miracle with her words, easily sowing discord among them. On the other hand, the Bond with the Witch hadn’t reached a level of unconditional trust.

A chill ran down his spine as Ashe finally realized the level of the enemy they were facing. Though they were only up against three sorcerers, the Empress’s heroic soul had spared no expense in deploying a large legion, using the terrain to corner them, and constantly digging into the cracks in their team’s relationships to gain even a slight advantage… They hadn’t even engaged in a formal battle yet, Ashe hadn’t even seen her legion, but he knew they had already lost.

The battle for sorcerers ends before it even begins.

Ashe let out a breath. “Witch.”

“Hmm?”

“I know whatever I say won’t matter because you think I’m closer to the Sword Princess. You know that the Bond between you and me hasn’t reached the level of unconditional trust—perhaps it never will because Bonds are something that depends a lot on fate.”

“Hmm.”

“But I need you to trust me,” Ashe said earnestly. “We must work together to—”

“Does saying this help?” Sonya abruptly interrupted Ashe. “Witch, wrap a thread around my neck.”

“What?”

“If you feel the Observer has abandoned you, cut my throat immediately. Such a severe injury will send me straight to the Virtual Realm, violating the Pact and invoking its punishment,” Sonya said seriously. “I won’t ask you to trust the Observer as I do. If you think he will only save me, then I’ll place my life in your hands.”

“And put one on me too,” Ashe suddenly said, his tone as casual as asking for a cigarette.

Deya looked at them and nodded firmly. “Alright!”

The Witch did as she was told. Two transparent Water-born Threads wrapped around their necks, one in each of the Witch’s hands, as if she were holding two balloon heads. Though neither Ashe nor Sonya felt any discomfort, they couldn’t shake the feeling that their heads weren’t quite stable.

“Alright.” Sonya took a deep breath and gripped her sword hilt tightly. “Let’s carve a bloody path—”

“Who said we’re fighting our way out?”

The Witch and the sword Princess were stunned. Suddenly, the sports car roared to life, and the powerful thrust wiped away all their extraneous thoughts.

Danzel’s voice, filled with both rage and shock, boomed like thunder. “Paramour, come back! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“No, even if I die, I won’t let you have your way!” Ashe responded calmly. As the heroic soul legion charged with a roar, he drove the sports car into the Golden Flow area!

The moment they crossed the Rain Curtain, the car’s Refracting Wall quickly disintegrated, and even the car itself began to corrode and fall apart. At that moment, Ashe stretched his hands back, and the sword Princess and the Witch immediately grasped his hands, understanding his intent.

Red and blue hues surfaced on the sorcerers’ bodies, forming a fairytale-like armor as if drawn with crayons.

Armed Troop Type: Two-tone Anchor!

As the car shattered into pieces, all three leapt forward simultaneously. The heavy flow of time battered their souls, making them feel as if their spirits were weighed down with lead and their thoughts rusted and sluggish.

However, as they tumbled to the edge of the Golden Flow, a surge of immense joy filled their hearts.

Anchoring activated!

“Anchoring: When you encounter any external influence (physical attack, mental shock, curse weakening, etc.) or voluntarily change yourself (consume spellforce, enhance yourself, etc.), there is a chance to trigger the anchoring effect. Once triggered, for the next 5 seconds, you cannot be affected by external influences, nor can you affect the external world.”

Although there was only a 20% chance, the Golden Flow area accelerated the aging of sorcerers every single moment!

In their ‘anchored’ state, they no longer felt the corrosion of time. The Golden Flow vividly appeared before them, with the golden waters stirring waves of history. Time spirits bathing and swimming in the Golden Flow curiously watched the Uninvited Guests. Rare Spirits like ‘Reverse Day,’ ‘Hear Month,’ and ‘Fixed Year’ peeked their heads out from the river, keeping their distance yet unable to resist observing the sorcerers, showing no fear at all.

“Let’s go.” Ashe noticed his voice had become more resonant. “We need to cross the Golden Flow.”