Mage Manual-Chapter 1380 - 1010: Now I Am the Master

Under the clear and pure blue sky and white clouds lay an endless mountain of corpses and sea of blood. On the horizon, there stretched a towering army clad in armor, with millions of mages shackled by chains on their hands, collars on their necks, adorned with helmets of punishment that only exposed their mouths, all forming a silent army guarding the supreme throne, like silent gravestones.

The evil dragons sat atop platforms constructed of bones, like banners. They had no dignity of their kind, only a frenzied madness, armed to the teeth, carrying destructive Miracle Firearms on their backs. They were both vanguard soldiers and shields guarding the throne, sometimes even used as all-or-nothing gambles.

On the mound made of human skulls, under the bright and warm sunshine, sat a magnificent and bloody Supreme Throne. Vishi sat atop it, admiring all things under her dominion.

This was the deepest desire of Vishi’s soul.

Ash looked at all of this before him, not surprised at all that Vishi would create such a world. As a demon who never believed in humanity, if she could become the Supreme of Magic, she would surely use the Soul Divine Trace to dominate the souls of all beings, building a wall of fear through slaughter, turning all mages in the world into her army, suppressing any rebels against her.

She never intended to benefit the world; she only wished to gather immense power unto herself, enslaving all beings to serve her. Indeed, there were such people in the world, born tyrants, demons, and madmen. Even though she feared the violent end, she still pursued the thrill of tyranny.

She was like a hungry wolf that could never be satisfied.

But she just happened to become an operator, just happened to help him cross so many life and death situations, and just... Ash sighed, pondering how to help Vishi summon the Divine Being.

Clink.

With the sound of chains being pulled, Ash was suddenly dragged forward and made to kneel on the ground. He looked up to find himself in front of the throne, with Vishi holding the chains, staring at him teasingly, while he wore a collar around his neck.

It was obvious that he was in Vishi’s deepest desires, and their roles were just the opposite of reality. However, Ash wasn’t very surprised, as he had anticipated this.

Delicate and adorable jade feet emerged from under the robe, the tip gently lifting Ash’s chin. Vishi propped her left hand under her cheek, looking down at him like a pet: "Lick."

Forget it, letting her be crushed by hell might just raise the average moral level of the mage world by a notch.

Ash turned his head in defiance, thinking about the opportunity for Vishi to summon the Divine Being, but Vishi seemed displeased instead. She tugged sharply on the chains, pulling Ash into her arms like a favored consort lying in the embrace of a tyrant. Her expression turned cold, and she said in a harsh tone, "I am now the Supreme of Magic, and you still dare disobey? Do you think you’re my master?"

But the next second, she chuckled, a hint of charm gliding over her eyebrows. She reached into Ash’s collar, her playful demeanor unlike any Ghost Prophet: "Of course you’re my master. Even if you’re the one in chains, you’ll always be my eternal master."

Was she always this capricious? Ash started to realize just how much fear Vishi instilled in the mages of her time.

"Master, ah." Vishi peeled a grape, and with it between her lips, pushed it towards him. Ash intended to avoid it, but the chains limited his reaction, forcing him to accept Vishi’s affection obediently.

The juice burst between his lips, trickling down his chin. Vishi tugged on the chains, making Ash lift his head, and then she trailed her tongue along the moisture, and when the juice dripped onto his clothes, she unbuttoned him with her mouth, kissing the sweetened skin as if she truly were Ash’s maid.

"You’ve always disliked my closeness," Vishi leaned to Ash’s ear, her breath tickling his earlobe: "because you’re afraid of becoming my slave."

"But you can’t escape, because this is your fate." Vishi tugged the chains, burying Ash into her chest: "Peace or dignity?"

"Live as your slave, or die as your slave?" Ash recollected their first conversation.

"No," Vishi laughed: "Peace is you becoming my slave, dignity is me becoming your slave."

"Now that I am the Supreme of Magic, I’m not afraid of losing anything, and no one can bully me. We have infinite time to adjust our relationship; if it’s more fun with you as the master, I wouldn’t mind either."

Ash was somewhat amused: "Is this your only pursuit after becoming the Supreme of Magic? But even if you weren’t the Supreme, it wouldn’t change much, would it?"

"All the world’s beauty will eventually vanish into smoke." Vishi shook her head: "My race, my country, my era, my past... When I open my eyes in Dream Heaven, everything is forgotten by time. We are born alone and will die alone."

"Only by sitting on the Supreme Throne do my life and love gain meaning and eternity. Only then can I live without fear, not experiencing any heart-wrenching pain again."

Ash stared blankly at Vishi. He considered many reasons for Vishi’s pursuit of power, world domination, eternal life, exploring the limits of magic... but he never thought Vishi’s reason would be so simple and childish it made one want to laugh.

She feared death.

Not just her own death; she feared the death of what she cared about.

So everything must bow to power because she was rational to the extent of being a monster. She knew that unless she became supreme, whatever she cared about and loved would vanish. Since everything would die anyway, it might as well become her leverage. Friendship, love, affection, dignity, or morality—if it could fetch power, she would sacrifice it at the altar without hesitation.

Only by pursuing power to its end, only by ascending the Supreme Throne, could she come alive. Though she might understand the beauty of fireworks, she could no longer be satisfied with fleeting beauty, preferring to miss all joy rather than endure the agony of loss. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Under the tyrannical and selfish spirit lay a Prophet wise about worldly matters.

"...Why me?" Ash asked the final question.

"Because you were once my master, because you spoke ill of me, because you saved me, because you didn’t abandon me..." Vishi caressed the chains: "There are many reasons, but the important thing is never the reason, it’s my mood."

"You are the first," she raised her eyebrow, a bright light in her eyes: "first person after my rebirth that I wished wouldn’t die."

Ash blinked, skeptical, wondering if Vishi could control his deepest subconscious. Vishi, noting his reaction, wasn’t angry, saying: "Earlier you weren’t captivated by me, wasn’t it because I wouldn’t give you my heart?"

"Not exactly..."

"Well now that I give you my heart, you must give yours to me."

Ash paused, how would he do that? He saw Vishi’s hand approach and feared she would take out his heart, but her fingers only brushed lightly across his chest, and she took his hand, sliding it to her heart along the groove.

No, I’m here to help you summon the Divine Being, not to... Yet when the chains pulled the collar, Ash couldn’t resist, lying like a favored consort pleasing a tyrant, nestled into Vishi’s embrace on the throne.

"Now, I am the master."