Mage Manual
Chapter 493 - 405 Ice Cold Flowing Fire

Chapter 493: Chapter 405 Ice Cold Flowing Fire

The forest was burning, Hell was flowing with lava, the Sea of Knowledge was boiling, and the Flowing Gold River was drying up... The fortress garden built from the countless treasures of Belladett had become an unremarkable display of fireworks.

Yvalin leaned against the railing of the front garden, gazing down at the scene of the standoff below. The moment Qinna captured Hanna, her contract with the Funeral Service Office was wholly dissolved—she was only a shelter, not a protector.

The Funeral Ceremony no longer needed to gather 6,000 shell points, but she had no obligations toward the Ceremony either.

It was a very lucrative transaction. Five Holy Sanctuary Mages and sixty-three elite mages were silently implanted with the seed of dominance, and all she had given up were assets worth billions and a few newly acquainted friends.

She actually liked them.

Banjee was an ageless youth, outwardly naive but mature and stable inside, and he shared the same deep blue hair as Yvalin, providing a comforting presence to be around;

Liss was as beautiful as she had been in her childhood, with white hair as soft as silk and cheeks as tender as eggs that tempted one to take a bite;

Harvey, despite his odd personality and dark complexion, possessed a destructive aura akin to a vortex, seemingly ready to engulf everything around him in madness, and she was intrigued to witness his end up close;

Ash, the thought of him made the corners of Yvalin’s mouth curl up. She found it hard to summarize him with just a few labels, but knew that being with him was always interesting. If Harvey was a vortex of destruction, then Ash was the opposite breed, making it a mystery why they could stay together... If possible, Yvalin really wanted to keep him.

And then there was Hanna.

They were sisters who had shared their hearts in the night, bosom friends who had confided in each other, and even romantic rivals who had flared up in jealousy... In Yvalin’s unremarkable life, the adventures with Hanna were one of the few bright moments.

"I’m about to lose a friend," Yvalin shrugged her shoulders, her eyes fixed on the distant standoff without a ripple in her heart.

When you rule the will of millions, you aren’t swayed by the joys and sorrows of one.

Belladett rules all, and Belladett owns nothing.

...

...

"Miracle·Slay Me!"

Ash’s shadow flashed and shattered, the Slay Me Miracle was successfully activated, but he still lay lethargically on the grass without moving a finger.

Even though he had hardly managed to execute the Slay Me Miracle through Technique Spirit Resonance, the chaos in magic power, nerve lockdown, and suppression of senses remained unmitigated. It wasn’t that the Miracle was ineffective, but rather that Ash himself was; the Holy Domain Miracle wouldn’t simply overpower a Golden Mage. If Ash could have fathomed this restraining miracle, he could use the Slay Me Miracle to purify it.

The essence of Slay Me Miracle was to excise foreign bodies not belonging to oneself, which was mostly practical because many foreign bodies were visible to the naked eye or directly perceivable.

But this time was different. Qinna’s gun bullets were fierce and hidden; Ash didn’t even know what was suppressing him, so the ’Slay Me’ Miracle swung its sword blindly, only managing a token gesture by cutting at Ash’s fingernails.

Had the ’Slay Me’ incorporated a Technique Spirit capable of scrutinizing the body and soul, the purification power would have risen another level... Ash suddenly realized the potential improvements for Slay Me Miracle, but at that moment, they were moot.

Bang!

A Holy Barrier unfolded around Qinna, blocking the frosty gun bullet.

She looked surprisingly at the young housekeeper rising with frost all over his body, not quite certain, "To break through my Soul-locking Bullet’s oppression... could it be the ’Age Freeze’ Miracle?"

"Indeed, Mrs. Qinna, you saw right through that this was the ’Age Freeze’ Miracle,"

The young housekeeper nodded as the frost began to fall from his body.

"But it’s slightly different from the original version, ’Age Freeze’ usually works by consuming the soul’s lifespan to freeze the body’s time, thereby generating Frost Magic Power. But my soul can no longer afford such waste, and given my current physical state, I had to make some adjustments..."

"...Now this move should be called ’Melting.’"

As the frost melted away inch by inch, Banjee’s voice also transformed from a tender young boy’s to a magnetic young man’s. A tall, handsome, blue-haired housekeeper appeared before everyone, gun in hand, aiming at his former master.

"During Melting, I possess the combat power of the Holy Domain,’" Banjee said, "Madam, please let the lady go."

"Growing up has made you arrogant?" Qinna laughed, "Someone who has never been to the Distant Realm doesn’t understand what Holy Domain is... But, having known you for many years, this is the first time I’ve seen you so ambitious, so I’ll give you a chance."

"If you can snatch Hanna from me, I’ll let you all go."

Bang, bang, bang!

The sky burst with frost, gun bullets carved out rivers of ice swirling like a vortex towards the Clan Leader.

Qinna grabbed Hanna by the nape like picking up a kitten, effortlessly moving and dodging while casually breaking Banjee’s assaults.

Gun bullets flew wildly, Miracles surged, and situated at the edge of the battlefield, Ash nearly got caught in the intense clash between the Golden Mage and the Holy Sanctuary Mage, but suddenly he realized he was being dragged back. Although he couldn’t see who was behind him, whose tiny hands and the grunting effort could it be but hers?

Ash gathered his concentration and focused all his attention on his mouth.

Slay Me!

Cut me down!

Cut me down!

After being ordered to cut him down three times, Ash finally managed to loosen the restrictions on his tongue and throat a little and said weakly, "Get out of here..."

"Okay!" Liss nodded vigorously, "Liss will take Daddy away soon!"

"You get out of here..."

"I’m leaving, Daddy, stop rushing me!"

"Leave me..." Ash whispered, "Then run to the main house, let Yvalin protect you... You haven’t appeared in the Weaving Festival yet, as long as you’re not there, no one will catch you..."

"How can you ask Yvalin for help!? She’s a bad woman!"

"Yvalin... as Hanna said... she’s not bad by nature. At least, with no conflict of interest, she won’t mind taking care of you... you’re so adorable..."

Liss sniffed, "Liss is so adorable, how can you bear to leave Liss?"

"We... let’s pretend we’ve got caught by Qinna... and we’ll come back to get you soon..."

"Then Liss will get caught too!"

"What if? I see other clan members around, and Red Hat... If we are forced to separate... I don’t want to be worrying in a strange cell about whether you’ll kick off your blankets tonight..."

"I won’t..." Liss desperately dragged Ash to a more secluded spot, "I won’t separate from Daddy!"

"When I first met you, you were much smarter than now... and more decisive," Ash said, his voice tinged with a hint of amusement, "On our first night together, you ran to me and said... you wanted us to pretend to be father and daughter."

"It’s all Daddy’s fault!" Liss wiped the tears and snot from her face, "Being with you, Liss has become dumber!"

"Is that so... Well, nothing can be done about that," Ash sighed softly, "Just leave me."

"I won’t—"

"What I mean is, we don’t need to run anymore... it’s too late."

Suddenly, a Shadow appeared, picking up the Necromancer, and a floating, uncertain laughter echoed around, "I thought I’d leave empty-handed. I didn’t expect Senheiser had thoughtfully left some prey for us; Mercury shall accept this kindness—"

"How dare you!?"

Although Qinna and Banjee immediately redirected their gunfire, the Shadow, holding Harvey, moved with incredible speed above Ash.

At that moment, Liss resolutely stepped in front of Ash, her small silhouette unwavering like a fortress.

However, Ash wasn’t looking at Liss, but instead locked eyes with the Necromancer held by Mercury. For some reason, the Cult Leader suddenly recalled a scene from the "Clan Leaderboard," his lips quivered slightly as he whispered,

"Harvey, save me."

Crack!

The coffin, previously unnoticed, suddenly burst open with seven chains, seizing the Shadow and pulling him into the coffin! Simultaneously, a figure leaped out of the coffin, seizing the Necromancer from the Shadow’s clutch!

The Shadow, a Holy Sanctuary Mage in his right, broke free from the chains mid-air, revealing his young figure clothed in a black robe, surprised as he gazed at Harvey.

Held by Alice, Harvey had then transformed into a mist, enveloping the elegantly dressed young girl like armor, merging life and death as the two became one!

Puf!

A tinge of greenish flame ignited the mist around Alice, turning him into a torch. But the flame did not hurt Alice one bit; instead, the nearby grass quickly withered and decayed!

"Maintaining good relationships proved to be useful." Alice suddenly turned back to look at Ash, Harvey’s voice coming from her mouth, "You see, Liss is only saving you."

Ash’s eyes widened, and Liss was also dumbstruck, "You... Uncle Harvey..."

"The one worthy of the Angel Inheritance... such a madman," Mercury mused aloud, "Is this the Necromancy Miracle you created using Mist Spirit? Such disorder, such deceit, to have combined a living person with a corpse!"

No sooner had he spoken than he transformed into a Shadow again, clearly intending to capture the Necromancer in one swift move!

Alice·Harvey’s stiff smile appeared.

"Though this body endures Ice Cold Flowing Fire, it still awaits the final burn."

Boom!

As Ghost Fire exploded within, vast Magic Power burned out all life around him, and strangely, the barrier formed by the coffin at its center managed to stop the Holy Sanctuary Mage’s strike head-on!

"Tonight is a fitting night for the dead." Harvey declared, "Perhaps it’s finally my turn."