On the second basement level of the Wizard Tower, just as the three female heads let out a shrill scream, the gray-haired "Death Messenger" also had his face suddenly change.

Without the slightest hesitation, he leveraged the Tower Master's unique authority and activated the Tower's "Teleportation Ability," in an instant jumping to the third floor—the "Internal Ecosystem."

But when he arrived here, he could only watch as a figure with an unchanging face put the glittering "Golden Compass" in his hand away into the [Witchcraft Garden].

He looked somewhat regretfully at those treasures in the vault that hadn't had time to be taken, then blew apart into a wisp of breeze and vanished.

"You've got guts! Where do you think you're going?!"

As the Death Messenger's furious roar resounded through the entire Wizard Tower.

Aiven's true body, still on the second basement level, immediately shifted from gecko form into a strand of hot wind and shot out along the workshop's exhaust duct.

However, due to his operation being exposed for reasons still unknown, the smooth sailing he'd enjoyed all the way up to now could only end here.

Buzz—! 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

A light wave suddenly spread out rapidly, centered on the Wizard Tower whose surface was covered in asphalt human faces; space and the Shadow Realm were instantly frozen, and all Teleportation Spells were prohibited within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.

"Tch, child's play."

Aiven gave a faint smirk, his stride not pausing as he directly turned into a bolt of lightning shooting up into the sky. Even if he couldn't use [King's Rook Castle] or [Shadow Jump], his escaping skills had long since reached perfection.

He could still pull off a clean getaway by flying.

At the same time.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Inside the Wizard Tower, a chain of massive explosions suddenly erupted; even a section of its solid outer wall was blasted apart with a roar. In the dazzling firelight, bricks and gravel pattered down.

These were the "hair insects" scattered throughout the Tower—some of them had transformed into searing Fire Element and begun wanton destruction, while others also turned into lightning and shot into the sky.

However.

Whoosh—!

Aiven's true body had only just darted a few kilometers away in that split second of lightning and fire.

A gray‑haired young figure, completely unaffected, had already teleported straight to him, reached out a hand, and said in an icily unquestionable tone:

"Hand it over."

The lightning opposite him halted at once, revealing the figure of a young man in midair.

He wore a long cloak, a wide‑brimmed black round hat on his head, a black eye mask over his eyes, and a Swift Sword at his waist—done up exactly like the heroic thief "Zorro."

Only, faint arcs of lightning flickered over his body, making him look more like an Air Element Wizard from the "Elemental Breathing School: Hurricane Nest Branch."

Seeing how easily the Death Messenger had locked onto him, Aiven glanced in annoyance at the "Golden Compass" lying quietly inside the [Witchcraft Garden].

In fact.

Even now, he still hadn't found any trace of Magic on the Golden Compass at all, yet it had actually been noticed simultaneously by the God of Deceit Pyrmont and the Death Messenger.

Of course, even though he had already become a [Divine Creature], he would never look down on any "Crowned Wizard."

It's no exaggeration to say that every Crowned Wizard is unquestionably number one in the world on their own path, able to use that lever far longer than anyone else's to pry up inconceivable power.

Just as a Demon God and a Crowned Wizard couldn't see any trace of his transformation, when it came to Understanding of things like "media," Aiven couldn't hope to measure up to the Death Messenger even if he whipped his horse to death.

Just then, the God of Deceit Pyrmont rode his golden one‑humped camel, flying up into the sky in a way that looked slow yet was actually fast.

A faint look of impatience appeared on the gray‑haired youth's face. Ever since advancing to Crowned Wizard, the self‑regarding Death Messenger no longer put anyone below the gods in his eyes.

Aiven raised an eyebrow. Seeing the situation, it clearly wasn't realistic to just slip away, so he spoke to the gray‑haired youth:

"So, Mr. Death Messenger, how about we talk this out? You pretend you never saw me, and we all go our separate ways, how's that?"

The gray‑haired youth looked at this apparent cross‑dresser with delusions of grandeur, almost laughing from anger.

"What? Are you joking?"

Pyrmont, on the other hand, was off to the side taking sip after sip of what seemed to be an inexhaustible fine wine, looking rather unconcerned about what was happening here.

"Of course I'm not joking. Think about it, I just did you a huge favor!

All that public money you embezzled before, the bad debts you couldn't patch, and the deficit from your term as a member of Parliament... you can just write them all off as losses with those guys from the Bank Group, can't you?

I won't change my name or my surname, I am Zorro! You can just dump all the blame on me."

Aiven thumped his chest and took everything on himself, generously sharing this brilliant get‑rich scheme.

Hiss—!

Seeing Pyrmont suddenly turn his head with interest, a fine sheen of cold sweat broke out on the Death Messenger's forehead.

"Who embezzled anything? Don't go spouting nonsense!"

But in his heart he was screaming: MD, this guy looks like a total pro!

As for whether he was embezzling or not?

Uh, that question is about as meaningful as asking whether a wolf eats meat or eats vegetarian.

Seeing the two people opposite both look over, Aiven kept on with the Enchantment:

"I only just made my move, I only had time to take one piece. You can report that ten, even twenty pieces were stolen.

And hey, finders keepers. I think His Majesty Pyrmont wouldn't mind earning a bit of extra cash either, right? Swap all the instruments of the Demon Banner for pure gold ones, that's the only thing worthy of your exalted status!"

After hearing him, Pyrmont, the "God of Deceit," had his eyes gradually light up, and undisguised appreciation spread across his face:

"Kid, pledge yourself under the banner of the great 'God of Deceit,' 'Dark Prince,' 'King of Fallen Angels' Pyrmont. You have the potential to become a Demon God, maybe even the next 'Dark Prince.'"

Right at that moment.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!...

After finishing off the Fire Element that had launched the suicide attack inside the Wizard Tower.

That group of towering ghostly silhouettes with beheading giant sword in hand and blood-soaked hoods on their heads; the terrifying "little ghosts" with horns on their heads, bodies pitch-black but covered in white Spell, faces twisted and eyes vicious; and the white Evil Spirits whose limbs were contorted, crawling like spiders....

Had already turned into a wailing dark cloud and rushed out from the gaping hole in the Wizard Tower.

They were part of the vault's defense system, with some control authority even handed over to the banker, and every last one of them devoid of Reason.

The instant they locked onto the silhouette of the thief, they pounced straight toward Aiven.

Aiven didn't even move. A dazzling blue halo suddenly bloomed in his right eye, and then a ray turned the gray sky over the Withered Wood Swamp into a sheet of tile-blue laser that swept across that group of Ghosts.

Szzzt——!

A light breeze blew by, and that whole bunch of cannon-fodder Ghosts, most of them no more than Tier 3, turned to ash and scattered.

Only a few scattered ones escaped thanks to special abilities, but they still managed to transmit the signal of Combat to the Eye of Wealth.

[Magic-like Technique: Fruit of Life]

Right now, relying on the Personality of a Divine Creatures and his identity as the founder of Genetic Theory, Aiven could already borrow various paths and Magic-like Techniques that School members had branded into the Mysterious Source: Tree of Life.

Although for the moment he could only borrow the power of existing School members.

But as long as he advanced to Truth Embodiment, all the abilities accumulated by the Life Tree School over a full Era of five hundred thousand years would be his for the taking.

And that massive accumulation would also surely let him leap straight into being one of the standouts among the Truth Embodiment!

"A Crowned Elemental Wizard?"

Seeing the terrifying destructive power Aiven caused with a casual strike, both people opposite couldn't help their pupils contracting.

After their gazes flickered, spotting the "Spirit Ghosts" hovering at the edge of the battlefield like overseers, the Death Messenger gritted his teeth and struck without hesitation.

Woooo, woooo, woooo....

The black Magic Robe on his body billowed like a dark cloud, scattering a wave of wailing and howling.

Then a towering black silhouette rose to pierce the clouds and blot out the sky: a judge wearing a stern Magic Robe and a crown symbolizing the authority of judgment.

Countless screaming human faces clustered around him like a grand jury, shouting in unison: "Guilty! Guilty!"

"This kind of ability..."

As the core power of a Crowned Wizard, Lady Crow Ye He'er had never managed to ferret out this chief of the Curse School's Forbidden Curse.

But thanks to the Power of Death she herself possessed, she had sensed in daily contact that nearly tangible, terrifying power of Death on the Death Messenger.

This was the current Forbidden Curse: Apoptosis Curse: Death Sentence of the Supreme Court!

However.

Although he was acting under the pressure of the Eye of Wealth, what the Death Messenger was thinking at this moment was no longer retrieving stolen goods.

It was using the Wizard Tower's home-field advantage to keep this guy here for good, and then... appropriate his clever idea for himself!

Even so, since the Elemental School was one of the Wizard paths with the strongest frontal offensive power, and also one of the strongest counters to the Curse School, the Death Messenger didn't dare be careless.

"Your Majesty Pyrmont, please join me in taking this guy down. The flesh and soul of a Crowned Wizard are enough to restore a huge chunk of your strength."

Pyrmont, hearing this, only gave a noncommittal response. How could a God of Deceit fall for some empty promises?

"Heh heh heh, capturing thieves isn't exactly within the scope of our contract, you know."

He raised the silver flask and took another luxuriant swig:

"You'll have to pay extra!"