Sorcerer’s Handbook

Looking at the Silver Lantern slumped over the Blood Cage Net, vomiting a pool of fresh blood, Ashe exhaled a breath of turbid air, golden electrical sparks flickering in the air.

He had been in numerous battles before, but it seemed like this was his first time being so ruthless to a young girl. He wasn’t sure if Igor and Harvey lowered his standards, or if the Sword Princess and Witch raised his threshold.

However, Ashe hesitated not a bit; as he often said, even though he wanted to bring the Silver Lantern back alive to the Four Pillars Cult to solve the Tactile Sense issue, if he didn’t reduce the Silver Lantern’s threat to Lala Fatty’s level, he couldn’t set his mind at ease.

Ashe crouched down on all fours, arching his back like a cat. The sharp horn on his forehead emitted flashes of lightning, and the golden lightning covering his body contracted vigorously, resembling a thin layer of golden fur. If Freya saw him, she’d surely say he looked like a plush Bewitcher, the Cult Leader thought.

But at this moment, contracting into a big cat actually made him fiercer, not weaker. The chaotic currents were a result of his initial attempt at Divine Hosting, leading to unnecessary waste due to being unable to control the power of the Transcendent Demi-God. Now that he actively gathered all his energy, his destructive power was set to surpass the limits of a legend.

Whether the Silver Lantern was faking death or truly unconscious, his next move would entirely disarm her!

Whoosh!

A blur dashed through the space, and the blinding flash of lightning illuminated the entire area. Ashe’s thunder claws aimed at the limbs of his opponent, tracing a brutal trajectory!

Snap!

Lightning!?

With the close contact, Ashe realized the figure slumped on the ground was merely a cluster of lightning. He immediately reacted, turning to look at the blood on the ground behind him!

Just as he had used the “acting” and “Substitute” spirits to deceive the Silver Lantern, she too had used a Miracle to catch him off guard!

However, the Silver Lantern had already dispelled the illusion of the blood disguise, and her right hand, like a scalpel, thrust toward the back of Ashe’s neck!

Slash!

The moment they made contact, they instantly separated. Ashe retreated to the other end of the room, touching the scratch on his neck from which blood continued to ooze with each breath – the Silver Lantern had nearly slit his throat.

“In the moment near death, what flashes through your mind?”

Vesser, appearing unscathed, calmly said, “Is it the person you want to see, the things you want to do, or perhaps those unspeakable desires? Justice, conscience, ideals, desires… how fragile they all are in the face of death.”

“This is the difference between illusion and eternity. You who are trapped in the narrative of illusion fear death, despair at being adrift, and suffer from unattainable desires. I pity you. Voluntarily imprisoned in illusion and bearing suffering, yet unaware that just one step forward can grant eternal peace.”

“You consider everything within the illusion as fate, yet fail to realize that it’s merely a drama woven by the Virtual Realm for reality.”

Ashe raised an eyebrow, seeking an opportunity while asking, “What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you ever thought about it?” Vesser smiled, “Since the Virtual Realm can resonate with our knowledge, why can’t it resonate with emotions, with desires, with fears?”

“The less you lack something, the easier it is to obtain it; the more you fear something, the more likely it is to occur. Many cults have appeared in the Land of Senlo, but survival is unrelated to ideals-it’s tied to resources. Those with resources can quickly grow past the initial stages, while those without, however noble their pursuit, are lost to history.”

“The more stable and well-fed a cult is, the more the Virtual Realm can hear their pursuit of happiness; the more desperate and starved a cult is, the more they can create imaginative despair.”

“In other kingdoms, you’ve probably seen similar things, right? Money flows to those who don’t need it, love goes to those already loved, and misfortune seeks out the distressed.”

“What you call fate is merely the echo of your cries to the Virtual Realm.”

For a moment, Ashe thought of many people: Annan, Banjeet, Igor, Harvey… even himself. He had never truly settled, always living in crisis, to the point where he almost grew used to it.

But when Ashe thought of Lise and the Sword Princess, thought of Annan and Freya, his mood quickly calmed. Perhaps he hadn’t escaped fate yet, but at least many people he knew were on the best paths.

“Fate Sect?” Ashe probed cautiously.

Vesser neither confirmed nor denied, her intent in saying those words was to mislead Ashe about her Spellcasting Sect and buy some time.

Sizzle.

The electric glow around Vesser suddenly dissipated entirely, leaving only a single blue lightning tail. Ashe realized something was off-unless she intentionally dispersed her power, this phenomenon could only mean she had completely mastered the power of the Resonance String Demi-God.

But it didn’t matter, the combat strength of the Transcendent Demi-God was superior to the Resonance String Demi-God. If it came to a fight, Ashe wasn’t going to flinch-

Yet, Vesser stood at the entrance edge of the Blood Cage Net, pressed her hand against it, turning the cage’s blood glow into a safe green light. She then stepped out of the cage, giving a bewildered Ashe a backward glance.

“The reason you still cling to illusions,” she said, “is because you haven’t lost enough.”

Vesser pressed the wall again, turning the cage back into the blood net. Then she nonchalantly made her way toward the elevator, leisurely escaping!

Ashe immediately rushed forward, pounding on the blood net. However, it only warped without shattering.

Even with full force, it would take at least a few optimistic minutes to break through, by then the Silver Lantern would be outside basking in the moonlight!

How could the Silver Lantern unlock this cage? Isn’t this place under the Transcendent Cult?

The Cult Leader looked at the currents dancing on his palm and suddenly recalled the information he had read from the Demi-God. Both the Transcendent and the Resonance String were remnants of the Gray Fox Divine Era, recognized as official citizens by all relics, which allowed them to gather historical intelligence data.

This building wasn’t the territory of the Transcendent Cult at all.

The Transcendent Cult was nothing more than a band of outsiders, like rats raiding the fridge, cockroaches nesting in the shoe cabinet, or stray cats playing with a computer. The owner of this building still belonged to the old era over two hundred years ago.

The ease with which the Silver Lantern had opened the cage clearly indicated the building was willing to heed her commands!

Which means-

Once Ashe realized this, thunder quietly merged into his soul, creating a blurred identity verification card!

He reached out to touch the Blood Cage Net, receiving options like “maintain,” “unlock,” “cancel,” “contact customer service,” and immediately canceled the cage, contacting the building to halt the high-speed elevator!

“Sorry, honorable guest, you do not have the necessary permissions.”

Just a citizen identity wasn’t enough… Ashe immediately punched through the elevator doors, wrecking the elevator shaft mechanisms to force it to a stop, then transformed into lightning to chase up through the shaft!

In just a moment, the elevator had reached the 50th floor, and Ashe found that the Silver Lantern was continuing her escape through the ceiling. He silently pursued her upwards!

Vesser stared in surprise at Ashe trailing behind her. Although she initially used the delusion spirit to confuse the Resonance String Demi-God during the divine host ritual, to unlock the full access of the Resonance String, she had to continuously deepen the influence of the ‘illusion’ and use the thousand changes spirit to transform into the Resonance String’s favored thunder spirit, thereby earning its trust.

Even if Ashe had reacted in time, how could he possibly unlock such access without the relevant spirits? After all, he wasn’t truly the First Gospel!

However, the situation was still in Vesser’s favor. Taking the elevator wasn’t a waste of time; she had already figured out her citizen privileges. As soon as she exited the elevator, she immediately applied for an emergency escape route. Now, each floor of the building was opening tunnels on both sides, forming a direct escape path leading to the ground!

Although the Resonance String might not be as powerful as the Transcendent, it was slightly faster, leaving Ashe struggling to keep up!

Just as she transformed into lightning to rush into the night, a sinister midnight green spirit leapt down from above!

Nether Knight, Ghost King!

Harvey, riding a Nightmare Steed and clad in terrifying armor made of Frostfire, wielded a despairing blade that was part scythe, part sword. Though he rode alone, dozens of Nether Knight phantoms crowded the passageway, charging like a thousand-strong cavalry!

Vesser couldn’t help but feel a ripple of unease. How could a necromancer be up there? Even with the 90th floor sealed off, no Transcendence follower could surpass it!

Then she realized.

The necromancer must have reached the upper floors before the 90th floor was sealed!

She and Ashe had been fighting in the Upload Chamber on the 100th floor for a while. The Transcendent Cult wouldn’t have paid them much attention, and even if someone had tried to capture them, the mental sorcerer could handle it. With their inability to interfere in the Demi-God fights, they had preemptively set up an ambush on the top floor!

Ashe didn’t seem like the type to plan that far ahead… It must have been the mental sorcerer’s doing.

Nonetheless…

Vesser didn’t slow down and collided like a streak of lightning with Harvey’s Nether Knight blade!

Crack!

The despairing blade, Frostfire armor, and Nightmare Steed… were all pierced as if they were paper. Even though Harvey did his best to twist his body aside, his chest was still gouged out by Vesser’s hand, turning flesh and bone into charred ash under high voltage!

How could a sorcerer without a Sanctuary dare to stand in front of a divine host?

Just then, a piercing shriek echoed throughout the entire building, burrowing into Vesser’s ears. She turned towards the source of the sound and saw the mental sorcerer standing near the edge of the opening, holding a loudspeaker.

In her divine host state, this mental attack could barely hinder her. It was Harvey’s eardrums that were likely compromised. Although she couldn’t understand why the mental sorcerer would join Ashe in such madness, he clearly still had some sanity left and wasn’t going to recklessly tangle with a divine host. He was merely casting Miracles on the sidelines to show he had tried his best.

Keep him around; he’s Ashe’s most likely weakness-

Wait, if the mental sorcerer was just putting on a show, why use a loudspeaker?

Vesser whipped her head around to see a Death Raven descending above her!