Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 533: Mercury Trojan Horse

Chapter 533: Mercury Trojan Horse

As the thunderous footsteps exploded, Raven charged towards the Silver Lantern at high speed, flinging his hand axe ahead of him!

In that moment, Silver Lantern was certain that her Miracle had completely failed against Raven Annihilation-during their recent conversation, she had already cast the Miracle ‘Substitute Doll’ on the Flaming White Tiger, while disguising herself as the Blue Flame Squirrel. Even with the guidance of the Delusion Spirit, not even a Sanctuary Sorcerer could detect her true form.

However, Raven Annihilation charged directly towards her original!

In fact, during the dragon blood cultivation, Silver Lantern had maintained the Substitute Doll, but Raven Annihilation didn’t even glance at the doll, aiming a shockwave right at her vital spot.

After two consecutive failures, Silver Lantern had no more illusions of luck.

As she dodged the hand axe and tried to merge with the squirrel through Divine Hosting, she heard four distinct voices:

“Strength.”

“Wisdom.”

“Life.”

“Joy.”

The mighty power of the Four Pillars descended once more, granting Silver Lantern dominion over divine might. She charged directly at Raven, knowing that just a brush of her fingertips would be enough to pull him out of his illusory reality.

Just as they were about to clash, Raven suddenly slid forward.

If he had aimed at her feet, Silver Lantern believed she could shatter him like a sandcastle, but Raven’s target was the ground beneath her feet.

With a scrape, Raven gouged a small pit in the concrete, and Silver Lantern, stepping into it, could not maintain her balance and fell forward, driven by inertia.

However, Raven was right below her, and she believed her palm would pierce through the body of this Raven Annihilation.

At that moment, Raven aimed an elbow strike at her head. In a flash, Silver Lantern saw a glint of dark light on his elbow and swiftly changed her stance to defense.

Boom!

The ground shattered under Silver Lantern’s strike, sending up clouds of dust as Raven escaped from the debris, scratched but largely unharmed.

On the other hand, Silver Lantern, standing up, looked at her palms-a blood hole pierced through them, rapidly healing.

If Silver Lantern had not defended, that hole would have been in her forehead, penetrating through to the back of her skull.

She asked, “Gray Fox?”

“Probably,” Raven raised his elbow, revealing a segment of a dark blade: “A gift from my mentor, and so far, there’s nothing it hasn’t pierced through.”

Silver Lantern looked at him, pondered for a moment, and then began to back away.

“Do you think you can escape?” Raven mocked. “Just as I thought, an unevolved beast. It’s my fault, really. I almost mistook you for a human.”

Faced with Raven’s insult, Silver Lantern showed no reaction, continuing to stare as he backed away and said, “I have heard of the Raven Annihilation Cult twice. The second time was when they became the first victims of the Four Pillars Cult.”

“The first time was when a legend emerged from the Raven Annihilation Cult.”

“A legend rarer than legends themselves, more mysterious than a Demi-God.”

“It is said that there was a Raven Annihilation Berserker who was despised by the virtual realm.”

“He could not communicate with the virtual realm, nor could he be influenced by spirits. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t summon a spirit; no matter how minor his injuries, he couldn’t be healed by Hydrotherapy spirits.”

“Logically, such a person should have spent a quiet life within the cult, yet he became a warrior, and even rose to fame. Even the Tribulation Fire Temple had heard of his feats of killing evil sorcerers with his mere mortal body.”

“A virtual realm insulator, a Raven Annihilation Berserker. No wonder the Dragon Blood Cultivation System had no effect on you.”

“Judgment warrior, Tamashi Raven Annihilation,” said Raven. “I regret getting to know you. What’s your name?”

Silver Lantern replied, “I never share my information with others.”

“Unfortunately, I tell everyone my name when I meet them. If they are good, I hope their Sorcerer’s Handbook will remember my name, letting my ideals resonate through the virtual realm; if they are evil, I hope they chew on my name full of resentment in hell, letting my infamy shake hell itself.”

Silver Lantern suddenly laughed: “The virtual realm is the eternal future, reality is just a momentary delusion. So you understand as well, what truly is real.”

“Do not equate my grand ideals with your delusional fantasies, you evil raven,” Raven coldly replied. “How can pearls be ranked with dung?”

Watching her about to step into the night, Raven squinted his eyes, unable to find an opportunity for a surprise attack. “Are you sure you are a Candle Peerage, able to cross the night and endure the Choking Green?”

“You are strong,” said Silver Lantern. “Even as a Virtual Realm Insulator, nothing can diminish your excellence. That’s why someone as strong as you probably wouldn’t understand.”

“The weak have always lived in the night, always tainted by the Choking Green.”

“I am not entering the night for the first time, nor am I untainted by the Choking Green,” Silver Lantern gently raised his hands. “But it is precisely because I have overcome everything that I can become a Candle Peerage.”

Without a flaw.

Raven withdrew his throwing knife back into his sleeve, his voice distorted yet calm and cold: “You’d better pray to the Four Pillars that you do not encounter me again.”

“If I encounter you again, Raven Annihilation will be the final sound,” Silver Lantern disappeared into the night. “And… you might want to think about how to keep your ‘friends’ alive first.”

Raven turned his head and saw Alice carrying three useless Sanctuary Sorcerers, setting them down on the ground.

Tamashi glanced in the direction where Silver Lantern had vanished, then apologized to them, “I’m sorry to have let you down.”

The trio, now strangely invigorated like a dying flicker before extinguishing, were so pale that not even a flame could mask their pallor.𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Harvey said, “I didn’t expect to die here. Life really is like a box of chocolates-you never know what you’re going to get.”

Igor remarked, “Are you saying we’re all dogs?”

Suddenly, Ashe asked, “If I deploy my sanctuary, could it fend off the Ritual a bit?”

“It’s not just the Ritual that’s the issue now, but the night itself.”

Tamashi looked as the night devoured the camp, leaving only the bonfire area. “We have a few more minutes before everything goes out, only the Candle Peerage can keep burning.”

Ashe said, “So, if Harvey can find a way to counteract the loss of life, there’s still a good chance you can survive. I’ve never seen a more steadfast idealist than you. Your devotion to the Necromancy Sect is hotter than my interest in those explicit illustrations. You’re basically the reincarnation of that Ha-something.”

“It’s Haagen-Dazs,” Harvey corrected him, and continued, “If you all die, I won’t stay alive either.”

Ashe and Igor looked at him in surprise. The necromancer gazed at the dark night sky and said, “Besides, I wouldn’t call myself devout to the Necromancy Sect. It’s like when you’re eating and there’s nothing good on the table except for one dish that’s decent. So you keep eating that dish-can you really call that devotion?”

Ashe asked, “Then why do you keep recommending we study necromancy?”

Harvey replied, “Because you guys are eating crap.”

Ashe felt stumped; this necromancer’s logic was a closed loop, impossible to argue against.

Harvey added, “Now that you’re both leaving the table, why would I stay here with people I dislike and tolerate filthy, unpleasant junk food?”

“And,” he looked at Tamashi, “I overheard your conversation… ‘the virtual realm is the eternal future, and reality is just a momentary delusion’… those words indeed make sense, because ultimately, we will all sink into the virtual realm forever.”

“Rather than clinging to this delusion, I think crossing the Sixfold Hell with you two would be more interesting.”

“But that’s just the coward’s escape, the self-comfort of the weak,” Igor said firmly. “Even if those words are true, they are no reason for us to abandon reality. Giving up might be easy, but Harvey, you once had someone to eat with, right? Now you have us, and how do you know you won’t meet others in the future, or find a dish you love?”

Tamashi nodded repeatedly, “That’s right. Even if there’s something eternal, it must be built on greatness. The eternity of a coward is as worthless as this night.”

Now it was Ashe and Harvey’s turn to be surprised at Igor. Harvey said, “I always thought you were the epitome of nihilism, Igor. How have you become so positive?”

Ashe had a sudden flash of insight. “I get it! Is it Anfel? Just thinking about Anfel and Belldate waiting for you must make your heart feel like a sun rising over a graveyard, warming even the coldest tomb.”

Igor looked at him speechlessly, then asked, “And what about you? Can you guarantee you’ll become part of the candle peerage?”

“I’m not sure,” Ashe replied 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.”

Igor glanced at Tamashi, who shook his head and said, “I’m uncertain. I’m not even sure if I can survive. I may judge good and evil, but I can’t judge your ideals.”

The Con Artist’s expression shifted slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he made up his mind and said, “Ashe, you still owe me a wish.”

Ashe calmly met his gaze as the Con Artist said, “Ashe, I command you-“

Tap.

Hearing footsteps, Tamashi and Alice immediately tensed up. The night was dangerously close, just five paces away, ready to snatch at their ankles.

Could it be that evil raven coming back to finish them off?

From the night emerged a figure, unfamiliar to them all.

It was a woman carrying a sniper rifle.

Tamashi stared at her, puzzled. After a moment, as if something dawned on him, his distorted voice carried a hint of gritted teeth, “It’s you, Tanomoo!”

“I am Mercury Trojan Horse,” the woman replied. “How did you recognize me? This isn’t even my body.”

“I’d recognize you even if you were ashes!” Despite the venom in his voice, Tamashi didn’t move, aware that this was merely an incarnation.

The woman ignored him and scanned over the three dying sorcerers on the ground, her gaze shifting between Igor and Ashe, finally settling on Ashe. “Hello, I’m Mercury Trojan Horse, the former Tactile Sense of the Four Pillars Cult.”

Ashe found it amusing. “Former? Is it possible to resign from that job?”

“You can’t resign, but you can be dismissed,” she explained. “I was just dismissed by the Four Pillars Cult. Each Kingdom can only have one Tactile Sense, and they’ve decided to replace me.”

“With whom?”

“The woman who turned you all into this state.”

Ashe had somewhat anticipated it and remarked, “The Four Pillars sure have an eye for talent.”

“Aren’t you angry?”

“How could I not be angry? I wish I could pin her to the wall with a sword, but right now I can’t even move a finger,” Ashe retorted. “Do you have any good ideas?”

“There is a way, one that can save you and also help you get your revenge.”

Mercury Trojan Horse squatted down to look at him. “And that is for you to become the new Tactile Sense.”