Sorcerer’s Handbook

“When the cataclysm occurred, my sister and I were both under ten years old.”

“The vast majority of adults perished, and those who survived were mostly children still in primary school. Then the first night of the Choking Green claimed many more lives… At that time, I hadn’t studied history yet, but I heard a phrase in a listening comprehension test: ‘Only those with steadfast faith can reach the other side of the night.’ It was because of this belief that my sister and I barely made it through the night.”

“While scavenging through the ruins, we encountered a group of older kids who planned to go to the Silent Spiral, as they had discovered in the library that those who emerged from the Silent Spiral had a better chance of surviving.”

“Yes, the library hadn’t been destroyed. My sister and I kept this in mind and followed them to the Silent Spiral. Food was not scarce; we easily found non-expired supplies in the ruins of passing cities. However, after 67 days of travel, only 8 of us reached the Silent Spiral, the others had succumbed to the Choking Green of the night.”

“After leaving the Silent Spiral, the eight of us journeyed through the wasteland together, calling ourselves the Children of the Spiral because we had emerged from it.”

“We discovered many other survivors; the children living in underground cities didn’t have to endure the Choking Green, yet much of the old era’s resources had decayed, and they lived in hardship until we arrived.”

“To lead them in rebuilding surface civilization, some of the Children of the Spiral stayed behind. Eternal fire, justice, freedom… the Children of the Spiral became the new flames of civilization, urging the children to believe in them to endure the Choking Green of the night.”

“In the end, only my sister and I remained, continuing to traverse the land, sifting through materials in various libraries. Although most facilities were destroyed by the cataclysm, the identity verification systems were surprisingly still functional. Fortunately, our citizenship hadn’t been lost in the cataclysm, otherwise, we couldn’t even enter the libraries.”

“We aimed to uncover the truth about the cataclysm, but this was top secret information from the old era. We could only vaguely deduce that it wasn’t a natural disaster but rather a man-made calamity. In the process, we came across other records from the era of the divine and found that even with the divine fire system, the divine eras were fraught with conflicts and disasters.”

“As long as self-awareness exists, there will be conflict, disaster, accidents, internal strife. It is the tragedy of civilization, and it is our tragedy.”

“We must transcend consciousness.”

When Ashe opened his eyes, he saw a small Golden Thunder Wolf standing on his shoulder, with flickering thunder arcs draping over him like fur, causing no harm.

He hadn’t anticipated that the Transcendent Cult’s Transcendent Demi-God would actually be the ancient first generation technique!

However…

Ashe looked across at the alluring and confident Silver Lantern, who was also cloaked in a blue arc. A tiny thunder hamster was nestled in the cleft of her chest, and her hair danced wildly like thunder snakes!

While he was channeling the Transcendent Demi-God as a divine host, Silver Lantern had successfully channeled the Resonance String Demi-God!

Whoosh!

With a crack of thunder, Ashe shot forth as a fleeting shadow!

Boom!

The moment Ashe and Silver Lantern’s arms collided, countless gold and blue thunder arcs burst forth from them, creating a legendary-level shockwave that overwhelmed the Transcendence followers!

But compared to the shockwave, it was perhaps this scene that most shattered the worldviews of the Transcendence followers-a battle between the Transcendent Demi-God and the Resonance String Demi-God!

Ashe let out a thundering roar, a golden thunder horn emerging from his head. As the sharp horn charged with electricity, golden thunder arcs filled the entire space!

Silver Lantern, with limbs touching the ground like a beautiful vixen, crouched on the floor. A thunder arc tail grew from her, and as it stiffened and bristled, blue arcs painted the ground!

Divine Host Second Form: Phantasmal Species!

Not all demi-gods have a second form, as it is a combat method developed by previous divine hosts to best harness the power of the demi-god, akin to the perfect guide from veteran players. Thus, once Ashe and Silver Lantern engaged, they immediately entered the second form, bypassing the stage of familiarizing themselves with the powers of the demi-god!

When Silver Lantern glanced towards the audience, Ashe surged right up to her, his hand slashing down like a thunder claw capable of tearing everything apart!

A divine host doesn’t need a spirit or a Miracle; they are tactical weapons superior to all else, fighting purely by instinct!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Ashe, the Golden Wolf, wielded formidable power, attacking relentlessly like a beast, each strike accompanied by fierce thunder and continuous explosions wherever he went. Although Silver Lantern was on the defensive, she was more agile, her attacks precise and swift like a surgeon’s scalpel.

The two figures, one gold and one blue, clashed ceaselessly across the arena in a matter of seconds, entangled like paramours, clashing intensely like wild beasts! Until, with a swoosh, the blue figure was launched into the air like a missile, punching through two ceilings up to the 98th floor!

Then, with a thunderous boom, the golden figure pursued!

When Ashe caught up, he found that Silver Lantern was attempting to escape upwards, and he continued the chase.

Upon reaching the 90th floor, Ashe felt himself crossing an invisible boundary and saw Silver Lantern pause on this level.

The entire space was lined with deep red grids on the walls, resembling both a blood-red warning and a restraining net.

“Are you satisfied now?” Vesser asked, her tail swaying back and forth. “Every 10 floors here contain a Miracle cage designed for legends; entry is allowed, but exit is not-it’s difficult even for a divine host to break through. Once the Transcendent Cult initiates it, it’s even tougher to dismantle.”

“You’ve won your gamble,” she said. “Because of you, I have to execute the plan according to your pace.”

The moment she saw Ashe leap down, Vesser knew she had lost.

With Ashe taking the Transcendent Demi-God, the Transcendent Cult would undoubtedly seal the Resonance String Demi-God, and it was clear that Ashe wouldn’t kindly break the cabinet for her to access it.

After witnessing someone seizing a demi-god, the Transcendent Cult would never unlock the cabinets during future worship; she would have no chance to take it!

So, she had to either give up completely or join forces with Ashe.

But she couldn’t abandon the Resonance String Demi-God-in her plan, seizing the two ancient demi-gods of the Transcendent Cult was essential! Unlike other demi-gods, they held the key to the ultimate end!

Without these two demi-gods, her plan couldn’t even commence!

And Vesser’s reaction was exactly as Ashe had anticipated.

The time spent adventuring with Igor and Harvey had not been wasted. While he hadn’t yet mastered the art of the perfect crime, he had learned how to disrupt one.

“There’s no help for it; we’re leaving tomorrow, and we can’t go back empty-handed,” Ashe said with a grin. “If someone’s going to steal something anyway, why can’t it be us?”

“You never intended to seize a Demi-God,” Vesser said, stroking her tail. “If I hadn’t appeared, you’d probably planned to run with your companions to the first floor, hold out against the Transcendent Cult until morning, then return the Demi-God and make your escape… After all, the Transcendent Cult can’t pursue you outside; they’re bound to this building by faith.”

“In that case, a cautious Transcendent Cult would surely tighten security and leave me no more chances.”

“I didn’t expect you to understand me so well,” Ashe said with surprise. “I thought only Igor could read my mind.”

“I also know you want to be a hero,” Vesser said with a mocking smile. “I tried several times to extend the battlefield to the audience, but you forcibly kept it contained… Does protecting the weak give you such moral satisfaction? Sadly, the Transcendent Cult won’t see you as a hero. In their eyes, you and I are just thieves trying to steal Demi-Gods, even if you claim you’re trying to stop me-they’ll believe they can stop me themselves, like with this cage.”

“Your defense will only be seen as an excuse for attempted theft; your good deeds will be seen as audacious acts of evil. That’s not how one becomes a hero. A hero must be craftier than villains, more ruthless than evil… There’s never been a moral hero, only a hero of capability. You must find a way to make people trust your ability, then they’ll acknowledge your morals.”

“You once had the chance to gain the friendship of the Transcendent Cult and become an honored guest of the Qinyi Alliance. Unfortunately, from now on, you’re just like me-villains attempting to steal Demi-Gods. Those cults won’t risk listening to your explanation. Your talents will no longer be appreciated by the cults, only viewed as the source of disaster.”

As Vesser spoke, she could barely contain her anger, with thunder arcs erupting around her and her tail bristling. She had paved the way for Ashe, almost spoon-feeding him the opportunity, but Ashe had overturned the table, refusing to take what was offered!

He nearly shattered her plans in the process!

Yet how was this any different from her own plan?

Ashe is performing divine hosting, and so is Vesser; both fighting… and ultimately arriving at the same result!

Ashe, do you even understand what you’re refusing!?

Boom!

Facing Ashe’s charge, Vesser swiftly grabbed his wrist. The two grappled, arcs of electricity darting across the Blood Cage Net, creating ripples with each clash.

“Regretting it now, looking to vent your anger on me?” Vesser sneered.

“No, I just can’t believe you’d surrender so easily,” Ashe replied. “Unless I reduce your threat level down to Lala Fatty’s, I can’t rest easy.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With the thunderous symphony resonating, they switched rapidly between offense and defense, tangled together on the ground. Vesser finally gained the upper hand, pinning Ashe down as she mocked, “Does being an unsung hero bring you that much joy?!”

“I’m no Raven Annihilation; I’ve never aspired to be a hero. I’m not kind-hearted enough to rescue people I don’t know, nor do I expect applause from them,” Ashe gritted his teeth. “I just can’t stand to see cowards strut around in front of me.”

“Haven’t you ever insulted a woman? Feel free to be nastier-I’ve heard worse,” Vesser mocked. “I’ve gotten tired of Senlo’s filthy mouth; got anything more interesting?”

“Do you enjoy being seen as a monster by everyone?”

Vesser said nothing, instead using both hands and feet to try and crush his neck.

“Silver Lantern Saintess, Bishop of the Four Pillars, Demi-God scourge… You hide your true identity, yet flaunt your presence so boldly. Why are you so conflicted?”

Ashe sneered, “Reality is just a momentary delusion, and the virtual realm is the eternal future. You might genuinely believe the latter, but not necessarily the former. I heard Raven Annihilation mention you spout twisted things like saying murder is just setting people free, but if you truly believed the first part of that phrase, how would you justify your own actions?”

“Sometimes I just want to develop some companions,” Vesser replied. “In any case, everyone will awaken in the virtual realm; reality is just a temporary delusion, a cage, a game.”

“Oh, really?” Ashe retorted. “Even if reality were a game, it’s one you’ve been engrossed in all this time. That first part isn’t meant to convince others-it’s to convince yourself, so you can indulge guilt-free.”

“You subconsciously crave more attention, greater renown, and stronger titles-you do care about everything in this ‘delusion.’ I don’t know what intelligence you have that makes you feel reality is beyond saving, but you haven’t even tried to save what you care about; you’re just keen on retreating into the virtual realm.”

“The Transcendence followers believe shedding consciousness will lead to evolution, and you think returning to the virtual realm will set you free-there’s little difference between you. But at least Transcendence followers strive to realize their ideals. You, on the other hand, hide your misdeeds behind hollow slogans, rampaging across this land, just waiting for death to reset everything!”

“As a villain, you lack taste-you’re not even on par with the two by my side. As a cultist, your ideals fall short of the Four Pillars Cult, who at least admit they just want indulgence.”

“What do you even know!”

With thunder arcs entangling her, Vesser’s strength surged, almost pinning Ashe beneath her. Seizing the opportunity, Ashe swung his hand, slamming her with a thundering claw against the wall. Standing up, he remarked, “I’m not interested in a coward’s journey.”

Exhaling an arc, Vesser touched her face, quickly regaining her composure. “What’s the point of talking to someone as empty and ideal-less as you?”

“I might lack praiseworthy ideals, but…”

Golden thunder arcs filled the space as Ashe charged, his progress slightly slow, but Vesser didn’t dare underestimate him. With arcs of lightning coiled around her hands, she prepared for a head-on clash!

Snap.

When Vesser launched her lightning-fast strike, Ashe shattered like foam, dispersing into light smoke. The familiar sight immediately signaled to Vesser-it was a Substitute Spirit!

But why was the Substitute Spirit speaking? No, the real question was-

From the golden thunder arcs filling the space, a figure like a golden wolf emerged, seizing on Vesser’s moment of stiffness after her attack. Ashe’s thunderous claw struck her chest, its lightning like a pillar nearly piercing through her!

“…Seeing a woman like you succeed is more upsetting than my own failure!”

With Ashe’s thunderous strike, Vesser flew like a projectile, crashing into the Blood Cage Net, twisting it and scattering the blue arcs entwining her body!