Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 531: Raven Annihilation

“I’d rather call it giving up.”

Raven said, “Not all the disciples of the Four Pillars Cult are bad people. They were previously believers of other cults. The original Four Pillars Cult seemed to have originated from a cult that had lost its Demi-God.”

“In the past, everyone chose to follow the Demi-God to resist crossing the night, and the Four Pillars Gods offered them another option: indulging in the present. After all, without a Demi-God, not everyone can hold on to their ideals and continue crossing the night. Now that there’s an easier choice, the Four Pillars Cult naturally spread like wildfire.”

“Moreover…” Raven sighed, “It’s been a long time since the Gray Fox Divine Era, over two hundred years without a Demi-God transforming, making ideals seem out of reach. That’s why the Four Pillars Cult could rise.”

“So,” he paused and said resolutely, “the Four Pillars Cult must be uprooted, or Senlo will never see another divine era.”

“What does the Gray Fox Divine Era have to do with the Fire Cat Divine Era?” Ashe leaned against the wall, half-squinting as he asked.

“The Fire Cat is the second divine era, Gray Fox is the fourth divine era.” Raven pointed to the board beneath Ashe. “These scraps probably were excavated from the Gray Fox Ruins.”

Igor asked, “Is the divine era when everyone follows the Demi-God, dedicating their lives to achieving the ideals of the Demi-God?”

“Yes, it was a beautiful era that only exists in legends.” Raven remarked with a sigh, then continued, “I find it hard to imagine a Kingdom without a Demi-God. Are you all like candle peers, able to steadfastly strive for your ideals even without the Demi-God’s guidance?”

Igor: “Of course.”

After a brief silence, the three of them looked at Ashe. Ashe tugged the corner of his mouth, realizing that in this room, he was the closest to a Four Pillars Cult member-Is it wrong to have no ideals? Is it wrong to indulge in an ordinary life? Waking up naturally, eating Lala Fatty at every meal, heading to the Virtual Realm after gaming-what’s wrong with such a life?

Turns out, I’m truly a disciple of the Four Pillars Cult!

“Wait,” Igor noted a problem. “According to what you’re saying, does that mean as long as someone is an idealist, they can cross the night?”

“Yes,” Raven replied. “But they must be very pure, steadfast people who won’t be tainted by Choking Green even when crossing the night. Because they often become new Demi-Gods after death, such individuals are also called candle peers, meaning future Demi-Gods about to ignite.”

“Though I think I might be one, I’m not willing to bet on it,” Raven glanced at them. “Would you dare to gamble?”

Both of them shook their heads, then looked toward the thoughtful Harvey, who also shook his head under the intense gaze.

“Has Choking Green always existed?” Igor rubbed his temples to stay alert. “It sounds like some aftermath of a disaster.”

“At least since before the Dove Divine Era, over a thousand years ago,” Raven responded. “Eras change, environments change, and species change, but Demi-God and Choking Green have never changed.”

Ashe suddenly thought of the sword Princess and asked, “With such a harsh environment here, wouldn’t it be incapable of resisting Abyss disasters?”

“What Abyss?” Raven asked.@@novelbin@@

At that moment, Harvey suddenly said, “Something’s wrong.”

The drowsy-eyed Ashe and Igor immediately realized-they were completely out of energy, feeling incredibly fatigued and sleepy, to the point that they hadn’t noticed their spellforce rapidly depleting! ȓἁNŐꞖΕṩ

They immediately cast suspicious glances at Raven, the only one able to move normally. Without hesitation, Raven stomped the ground, punched forward, kicked back, then uppercut, directly blasting the warehouse into pieces!

There were no disciples outside trying to capture them; instead, the surroundings were eerily silent, with only the distant crackling of a bonfire. Raven turned to look beyond the camp, his voice cold with a hint of urgency: “The night is approaching.”

The warehouse was approximately fifty meters from the night’s edge, but now only twenty meters remained. The night seemed to have devoured the streetlight’s glow. Any later, and they would have become part of the night without a trace!

Raven swiftly lifted Igor and Ashe, then turned to see Alice carrying Harvey. Among the three sanctuary sorcerers, Harvey was the only one still combat-capable despite the unknown attack.

Harvey smiled at Ashe and Igor. “Now you see the benefits of the Necromancy Sect?”

Ashe and Igor’s mouths twitched-damn it, he had upstaged them!

As the night approached, they were forced to retreat to the center of the camp. Along the way, they saw many dried corpses inside the buildings and on the ground, as if the place had been a graveyard for years.

But as they got closer to the center, Ashe and the others noticed tiny particles of silver sand emanating from their bodies, drawn like a Whirlpool towards the bonfire in the square. With each bit of silver sand lost, they felt their souls and bodies weakening.

“Stay… away…” Igor said weakly. “If we get any closer… we’ll become like the things you crushed…”

“Behind us is the night,” Raven replied. “Are you sure about being a candle peer?”

Igor responded, “Better than… watching ourselves… be drained dry.”

“If the contamination is related to my actions in the Virtual Realm,” Ashe exhaled lightly, “then I’ll probably become a Blade Fish Dragon.”

Alice suddenly spoke in Harvey’s voice, “Even if we move closer, it’s useless. The Four Pillars Cult’s protection seems to have failed, and the night will eventually consume the entire camp.”

“That’s correct.” Raven nodded. “There are probably very few survivors left in the camp now. The Demi-God’s power is tied to the number of followers. Although the Four Pillars Cult isn’t a Demi-God, the principle is likely similar… ideals aren’t realized by the Demi-God, but by its disciples. The camp’s protection seems to be from the Four Pillars Gods, but in reality, it comes from the disciples themselves.”

Raven then put down Ashe and Igor, telling Alice, “Watch over them, don’t let the night swallow them. I’m going to pass judgment.”

Alice nodded, carrying Harvey on her back and holding the two sanctuary sorcerers by the nape of their necks like cats.

“Judgment?” Ashe asked, forcing himself to stay awake.

“This camp is a nest of the Four Pillars Cult. If the attackers are here to dismantle it for justice, that’s understandable. But I’m sure if I mention there are some innocents inadvertently caught up here, they’d stop this indiscriminate slaughter. That’s the good raven.”

“But if they don’t intend to stop and disregard your lives, I’ll judge them as the evil raven.” Raven said calmly, “And for an evil raven, the only option is destruction.”

“By the way,” he addressed the three sorcerers seriously, “if I fail and you die, I hope you’ll record me in your Sorcerer’s Handbook. If future generations see my deeds in your handbooks, maybe they’ll follow my path.”

“I am Tamashi, judgment warrior of the Raven Annihilation Cult. Our ideal is to eradicate evil ravens, trample sinners, and derive joy from combating evil, creating a society where everyone delights in crushing wickedness, eliminating deceit, assassination, antisocial behaviors, and any criminal act.”

Con Artist Igor, Kaimon’s number one assassin Harvey, Cult Leader Ashe: “…”

“You think our ideals are great, too, right?” A distorted laugh emanated from behind the raven mask.

“Since they’re all deserving of death, why not use them as a stepping stone for doing good?”