Mage Manual
Chapter 674 - 533: Mercury Wooden Horse

Chapter 674: Chapter 533: Mercury Wooden Horse

As the thunderous footsteps exploded, Black Crow charged at Silver Lamp at high speed, flinging his hand axe ahead of himself!

At this moment, Silver Lamp was certain that her Miracle had completely failed against Ya Sha Jin—during their conversation just now, she had cast the Miracle "Substitute Doll" on the Flame White Tiger, disguising herself as a blue flame squirrel. Added to that was the guidance of the Illusion Technique Spirit; not even a Holy Sanctuary Mage could detect her true form.

However, Ya Sha Jin was charging straight at her real body!

Actually, during the Dragon Blood cultivation just now, Silver Lamp had also been maintaining the Substitute Doll, yet Ya Sha Jin didn’t glance at the doll at all, aiming a shock wave at her vital point instead.

After two consecutive failures, Silver Lamp held no delusions of luck.

When she dodged the hand axe, attempting to host the spirit of the squirrel, her ears caught four distinct voices.

Without hesitation, she whispered urgently, "Power."

"Wisdom."

"Life."

"Pleasure."

The formidable power of The Gods of Four Pillars came upon her once again, and Silver Lamp regained command of a divine might that reigned over reality. She moved directly toward Black Crow, knowing that just a brush of her fingertips against this Ya Sha Jin would tear him from the dream of reality.

Right before the two were about to clash, Black Crow suddenly slid forward with a tackle.

If he had aimed for her feet, Silver Lamp believed she could shatter him just as one would kick over a sandcastle, but Black Crow aimed at the ground beneath her feet.

With that tackle, he carved a small pit out of the concrete ground so hard that Silver Lamp stepped into it and couldn’t maintain her balance, only managing to fall forward with the inertia.

But Black Crow was right below her, and she was convinced her palm would penetrate the flesh of this Ya Sha Jin.

At that moment, Black Crow aimed an elbow strike at her head. In a flash of lightning, Silver Lamp saw a glint of dark gray light on his elbow and, thinking quickly, shifted her attack to defense.

Boom!

The ground shattered into pieces under Silver Lamp’s strike, causing dust to fly up, while Black Crow escaped from the dust, sporting several scrapes but otherwise unharmed.

On the other hand, Silver Lamp stood up to see a punctured hole in her palm that was rapidly healing.

If she hadn’t defended herself just now, that hole would have been in her forehead, piercing through the back of her skull.

She asked, "Gray Fox?"

"Probably," Black Crow raised his elbow, revealing a dark gray blade: "A gift from my Master. Haven’t found anything yet it can’t stab through."

Silver Lamp looked at him, pondered for a moment, and retreated.

"You want to escape?" Black Crow scoffed, "As expected of a beast that hasn’t evolved. It’s my own fault, I almost mistook you for a human."

Facing Black Crow’s insults, Silver Lamp showed no reaction; she kept her eyes on him as she backed away and said, "I have heard of the Ya Sha Jin faction twice. The second time was because the Ya Sha Jin faction became the first victim of the Four Pillars God Sect."

"The first time though, it was because a legend had emerged from the Ya Sha Jin faction."

"A legend more rare than the Legendary, more bizarre than the Great Skill."

"It is said that there was a Ya Sha Jin warrior who was shunned by the Void Realm."

"He couldn’t commune with the Void Realm, nor could he be affected by Technique Spirits. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t summon a Technique Spirit; no matter how minor his injuries, he couldn’t be healed by Water Therapy."

"Logically, such a person should have lived out his life quietly within the faction, yet he became a warrior and even rose to fame, so much so that even the tribulation of the Holy Temple had heard of his deeds of killing Evil mages with a Mortal Body."

"A Void Realm-insulated body, a Ya Sha Jin fanatic. No wonder the Dragon Blood cultivation system didn’t affect you."

"Judgement Warrior, Tamasi·Ya Sha Jin." Black Crow said, "I regret meeting you. What’s your name?"

Silver Lamp: "I never tell my information to anyone."

"Too bad, I tell my name to everyone I meet. If they are good people, I hope they remember my name in their Mage’s Handbook, so that my ideals will echo through the Void Realm; if they are bad, I hope they chew on my name with resentment in Hell and let my infamy shake Hell."

Silver Lamp suddenly smiled, "The Void Realm is the eternal future, reality is just a fleeting illusion. So you understand too, what is real."

"Don’t compare my grand ideals with your deluded Evil Crow fantasies," Black Crow said coldly, "Can pearls be placed alongside dung?"

Watching her about to step into the night, Black Crow couldn’t find an opportunity to strike; his eyes grew narrow, "Are you sure you’re the kind able to pass through the night and withstand the strangling green?"

"You are strong," Silver Lamp said, "Even immune to the Void Realm, it doesn’t diminish your excellence in the least. So, a strong person like you probably wouldn’t understand."

"The weak have always lived in the night, always been tainted by the strangling green."

"I’m not entering the night for the first time, nor have I never been contaminated by the strangling green." Silver Lamp gently lifted her hands, "But because I have surpassed everything, I am able to become like a Judgement Warrior."

Flawless.

Black Crow withdrew the throwing knife into his sleeve; his voice, distorted yet calm and cold, said, "You’d better pray to The Gods of Four Pillars that you don’t meet me next time."

"Next time we meet, Ya Sha Jin will become extinct," Silver Lamp faded into the night, "And... you might want to think about how to survive with your ’friends.’"

Black Crow turned his head to see Alice carrying the three useless Holy Sanctuary Mages, placing them on the ground.

Tamasi glanced at the direction where the Silver Lamp had disappeared and bowed his head to apologize, "I’m sorry for letting you down."

Ash and his two companions now appeared somewhat revived, like the fleeting rally before the end, except their faces were so pale that not even a flame could give them color.

Harvey said, "I never thought I’d die here. Life really is a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get."

Igula retorted, "So you mean to say we’re all dogs?"

Ash suddenly asked, "If I activate the Holy Domain, could it possibly fend off this ritual?"

"The issue right now isn’t just the ritual, but the darkness."

Tamasi looked at how the darkness had devoured the camp until nothing was left but the bonfire area. "In a few minutes, everything will go dark, only the Judgement Warrior can continue burning."

Ash declared, "So you’re saying, Harvey, as long as you can make up for the loss of life, there’s still a good chance we can survive. I have never seen a more devout idealist than you. Your devotion to the Necromancy Faction burns hotter than my passion for risqué pictures. You’re practically the reincarnation of that what’s-his-name, ’Ha’ something."

"It’s Hagen Dazs," Harvey clarified, then said, "If you die, I won’t continue living either."

Ash and Igula were surprised as they looked at him. The Necromancer, gazing into the dark night sky, said, "Moreover, I wouldn’t say I’m truly devout to the Necromancy Faction. It’s like when you’re eating and find nothing appealing on the table, except for one dish that is somewhat edible. So you keep eating it. Can that really be called devotion?"

Ash inquired, "Then why do you still recommend that we study Necromancy?"

Harvey bluntly stated, "Because you guys are eating shit."

Ash was feeling flustered inside; the Necromancer’s logic was a closed loop, utterly impossible to contradict.

Harvey continued, "Now that you’re both about to leave the table, why should I sit and suffer with those I hate through more filthy, messy, inadequate rubbish food?"

"Moreover," he looked at Tamasi, "I heard your conversation just now... the Void Realm is the eternal future, reality is but a fleeting illusion... That makes a lot of sense, considering we’re all going to sink into the Void Realm until the end of time."

"Compared to clinging to this brief illusion, I think it would be more interesting to accompany you two through the Level Six of Hell."

"But that’s just the coward’s escape, a weakling’s self-comfort," said Igula firmly. "Even if that were true, it’s no reason for us to give up on reality. Giving up is easy, but Harvey, at some point, someone must have joined you for a meal, right? And now you have us. How do you know you won’t meet others in the future who will dine with you, or find a dish you enjoy?"

Tamasi nodded repeatedly, "Exactly. Even if there is such a thing as eternity, it must be founded on greatness. The eternity of cowards, like this darkness, is utterly worthless."

This time it was Ash and Harvey who turned to Igula in surprise. Harvey remarked, "I always thought, Igula, you were the embodiment of nihilism. How come you’ve become so upbeat?"

Ash had a moment of insight, "I get it, is it Anfeier! Does thinking about Anfeier and Belladett waiting for you to return light up your heart like the sun over a graveyard, warming the coldest tomb?"

Igula regarded him speechlessly and asked, "What about you? Can you guarantee you’ll become a Judgement Warrior?"

"I don’t know," Ash said softly. "I really don’t have any grand ideals."

"I just have people I want to see, a life I want to live, and a place I want to return to."

Igula looked at Tamasi, who shook his head, "I’m not sure, I can’t even be certain if I’ll survive myself. I can only judge right and wrong; I can’t determine your ideals."

The Swindler’s expression changed subtly. After a moment of contemplation, he made up his mind and said, "Ash, you still owe me a favor."

Ash looked at him calmly as the Swindler commanded, "Ash, I order you—"

At that moment, they heard footsteps. Tamasi and Alice immediately became alert. The darkness was very close, within five paces, as if it could snatch their ankles at any second.

Could it be the Evil Crow, coming back to finish them off?

Out of the darkness stepped a figure none of them recognized.

A female bearing a sniper rifle on her back.

Tamasi stared at her, puzzled. After a moment, as if realizing something, even his distorted voice could not hide his grinding teeth, "It’s you, Tanomu!"

"I am the Mercury Wooden Horse," the woman said. "How on earth did you recognize me? This isn’t even my body."

"I’d recognize you even as ashes!" Though his tone was filled with hatred, Tamasi did not move to attack, knowing this was just an avatar.

The woman ignored him, her gaze sweeping over the three dying mages on the ground, back and forth between Igula and Ash, finally fixating on Ash, "Hello, I am the Mercury Wooden Horse, the former Sensory of the Four Pillars God Sect."

Ash scoffed, "Former? Is it even possible to resign from such a job?"

"You can’t resign, but you can be dismissed," said the Mercury Wooden Horse. "Just now, the Four Pillars God Sect dismissed me. There can only be one ’Sensory’ for each realm, and they want to replace me."

"With whom?"

"The woman who put you in this state."

Ash had anticipated as much and sighed, "The Pillar Gods really know how to pick them."

"Aren’t you angry?"

"How could I not be? I’d nail her to the wall with a sword if I could, but right now I can’t even move a finger." Ash retorted, "Do you have any better ideas?"

"One, that could save you all and give you your revenge."

The Mercury Wooden Horse crouched down, looking at him, "That is for you to become a Sensory as well."