Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 569: Divine Fire Trial

Ashe felt like he was looking into a mirror.

The same Raven Annihilation feathered cape, the same Twisting Mask, the same hairstyle, the same steel-soled boots, the same Blade Fish Dragon undershirt, and even the divine hosting belt was identical-could you also transform into the Transcendent Hell Mad Dragon Knight?

The only difference was his eyes, which revealed a complex yet familiar hue. It was something he had seen in Igor’s eyes, in Harry’s eyes, in Empress Yisuo’s eyes, and even… in Silver Lantern’s eyes.

“You’ve already made your judgment,” he said calmly. “Why do you still need me to give you an answer?”

“The origin of the Twinborn Cult, the starting point of the perfect fate, and the fact that they regard this Abyss as their exclusive domain…” Ashe said. “Are you my Fate Twin? My other half?”

“Just someone who happens to share the same memories and appearance as you,” he replied. “When you fell, I was born from this place.”

“So, we’re not completely the same after all,” Ashe said. “At least our birthdays are different.”

“But I’m also Ashe, and you’re Ashe. How should we address each other?”

“No special titles are needed. You’re not schizophrenic, and neither am I. As long as you speak loudly enough, I’ll naturally know whether you’re talking to me or being sarcastic.”

“No, even though names are used by others and not ourselves, without a name, we truly have nothing of our own.” Ashe counted on his fingers. “Our corpses will enter the cycle of the world, our souls will become part of the Virtual Realm’s legacy, and after countless years, all traces of us will be erased. Only our names might endure into the future.”

“The corpse philosophy of a necromancer? The nihilism of a mental sorcerer? Or perhaps the influence of the Dramatic Poet and Raven Annihilation?” he said. “So, you’ve been hiding such thoughts all along?”

“Not really, I just used it as a reason to persuade you to choose a name.” Ashe was enthusiastic. “Who hasn’t thought about giving themselves a new name? Something simple, like Ashe Heath, and just call you Heath? No, no, that feels like it carries an ominous premonition… Do you remember the names we thought of when we were kids? Ashe Soul, Ashe Mourn, Ashe-“

“Call me Observer,” Observer interrupted.

“How about Ashe Weeper? I feel like names with more characters sound better-“

“I’m Observer, and you’re Ashe.”

Ashe shrugged helplessly, his face filled with disappointment, and walked over to sit on the steps. After a moment of thought, he asked, “You said you have all my memories-“

“Aurora’s Sorcerer Handbook, the Sword Princess, the Witch, Vesser, before the time travel, after the time travel,” Observer replied. “I know all your secrets. To me… you’re transparent.”

As he spoke, Observer’s voice grew deep and resonant, like a demon’s whisper emerging from the darkness, carrying an indescribable coldness.

The next second, Ashe grabbed Observer by the shoulders and pinned him against the wall. Observer remained calm, even feeling a sense of relief. But when he looked up, he saw Ashe’s face brimming with uncontrollable joy and excitement.

“Did I really die suddenly? Will my parents be okay? Will the insurance I bought pay out? They won’t go through my computer files, right? And… and…”

As Ashe rambled on like a floodgate had been opened, Observer was momentarily stunned. Then, he replied calmly, “If even you don’t know the answers, how would I?”

“Still, with your older brother and sister-in-law around, and your nephew, your parents will recover quickly even if they grieve for a while. You’ve always been working away from home, only returning for the New Year and rarely calling them… they’ve already gotten used to your absence.”

“It’s our absence!” Ashe corrected. “What’s the point of calling? There’s no good news to share. Should I tell them I stayed up late working on a project again and barely slept four hours? But I never thought working away from home would have this benefit-even dying can be so straightforward…”

Observer said, “The insurance payout won’t be an issue. You specifically bought it for sudden death. As for your computer files, they’ll definitely go through them.”

“Sigh…”

But it had been so long since the time travel that Ashe quickly pulled himself out of the emotional quagmire. He looked at Observer and grinned. “They say Fate Twins come in three types: similar, complementary, and opposite. You don’t seem too similar to me, so that means…”

Ashe slung an arm around Observer’s shoulders, grinning. “You’re the complementary type, right? Let’s get along well from now on!”

“I won’t take care of you,” Observer replied coldly. “You’re on your own.”

“So, what do we do next?” Ashe glanced around, his gaze eventually settling on the massive circular hole he had fallen through. “How do we get out of here? Is there an elevator or something?”

Observer pointed to a wall across from them.

Ashe blinked and quickly noticed something unusual: in the circular Underground Hall, there was a passage at regular intervals. The direction Observer pointed to should have had one too, but now it was blocked by a wall.

Observer explained, “There should be 16 passages here, but now only 15 remain. Silver Lantern and her companion likely chose this passage to continue deeper.”

“Her companion?” Ashe asked. “Just like us?”

If one Silver Lantern could turn the Senlo Wasteland upside down, Ashe didn’t even want to imagine what two could do.

“Since they chose to go deeper, it means the way out can only be found by continuing to explore,” Observer said, turning to him. “Do you want to choose, or should I?”

Ashe glanced at the indistinguishable passages. “They all look the same. You pick.”

Observer nodded and led the way into the nearest passage. The light source in the passage was mysterious, with a bright beam shining in the far distance. After Ashe followed him for a while, he heard a loud rumbling behind him. Turning back, he saw the entrance had been sealed shut.

“Well, even if Igor and the others come in, they won’t be able to find us now…” Ashe muttered. “Speaking of which, do you think they’ll be okay?”

“Since the Twinborn Cult has freed up their hands, the Nature Cult’s defeat is inevitable,” Observer replied. “The Twinborn Cult takes this Abyss very seriously, and the Twins personally saw you fall into it. Even if it’s just to gain your favor, they won’t harm your companions.”

“Our companions,” Ashe corrected. “It’s not like you didn’t go on adventures with Igor and the others.”

“The definition of companions isn’t based on shared experiences in the past, but on aligned interests in the future.”

“And it’s because of shared experiences in the past that our interests align in the future.”

Observer didn’t continue the discussion, either because he wasn’t interested or because a door had appeared ahead in the passage.

When the two of them stood in front of the door, a crystal block above them emitted a green light, and the alloy door automatically opened. Inside, an enthusiastic female voice announced: “Welcome, Trial Taker 2, Twin. Please select suitable equipment as soon as possible. The Rebirth Channel will close in 8 minutes and 36 seconds. The Trial will officially begin in 18 minutes and 36 seconds.”

Trial Taker? Rebirth Channel? Equipment selection?

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The room was divided into three sections: the weapons area, the equipment area, and the appearance area. The equipment area was filled with sets of combat attire, each with a unique but undeniably stylish design. The weapons area was stocked with sharpened melee weapons, and while there were guns, they weren’t just any guns-they were bolt-action rifles. Faced with these, Ashe felt confident that within seven steps, he could be faster and more accurate than them.

While Ashe was looking around, Observer had already changed into combat attire and equipped himself with two long swords.

“You know dual swordsmanship?”

“Golden-level swordsmanship allows me to master all basic sword techniques,” Observer said calmly. “Not just dual swordsmanship. Try triple or even eight-sword techniques, and I’d pick them up quickly. Dual swords are just better for rapid strikes.”

Ashe also changed into combat attire, but instead of picking up a weapon, he pulled out the Honey Sword from his mouth. Observer glanced at him and immediately knew what he was thinking. “Everything you gained from Aurora’s Sorcerer Handbook-I don’t have it. All I have are memories and skills.”

“I was hoping we could exploit some kind of system bug together…”

They moved to the appearance area, which was unlike the equipment area. It was filled with cloaks, masks, capes, accessories, cosmetics, and even hair dye-all flashy but seemingly useless except for boosting one’s appearance. Ashe naturally stuck with his dark red trench coat and Twisting Mask, while Observer casually draped a black trench coat over himself. When they returned to the entrance, they saw a counter rise from the ground, holding two wristwatches.

In this unfamiliar place, with their spellforce suppressed, even Ashe knew it was wise to follow instructions. After putting on the wristwatches, they saw a countdown appear on the LCD screen: 14 minutes and 12 seconds.

“What now?” Ashe asked. “Do we wait here until the countdown ends?”

“Trial,” Observer said simply, then continued down the corridor.

Since it was a trial, it couldn’t possibly be about testing their ability to hide in the room. If Ashe had to guess, they probably needed to go as far as possible before the countdown ended. If they dared to hide in the room, punishment would likely follow-like the Expel Secret Toxin in the Sea of Knowledge.

“You really are my complement,” Ashe remarked as he walked beside Observer. “You prefer dual swords, I’m good with a single sword. You’re decisive, I’m good at thinking. You…”

As Ashe chattered away, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, time flew by. When the countdown reached ten seconds, Ashe instinctively quickened his pace, as if boulders might roll in from behind or a swarm of Blade Fish Dragons might appear at any moment.

However, when the countdown reached zero, another 30-minute timer appeared, accompanied by a small indicator labeled “Trials: 1.”

Ashe glanced behind him but detected no movement.

Observer also stopped in his tracks. “Up ahead.”

Ashe turned his head and noticed a figure gradually emerging from the light at the end of the passage. The figure’s shadow stretched long and thin, reaching all the way to Ashe and Observer’s feet.

As Observer gripped the hilts of his twin swords, Ashe still couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Are you-“

A Mental Scream, beyond the range of human hearing, reverberated through the passage, marking the start of the trial!

Meanwhile, in the underground city of Nightfall.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Igor turned and saw the divine hosts of the Twinborn Cult approaching. “The sounds of battle outside have ceased. Have you dealt with the Nature Cult?”

“There’s still a small group resisting stubbornly. After all, their Demi-God isn’t here, so a fight to the death is their only outcome,” the Twins replied. “I heard there was some unusual activity here-“

The Twins froze.

The change in the circular pit was visible from a distance.

It had been sealed.

What was once a deep pit had now become a flat, level surface. The Twins rushed over, running their hands over the texture of the ground, their voices trembling. “Will it… will it revert back?”

Harvey said, “It should return to normal once the trial is over.”

“What trial?”

Harvey pointed, and the Twins noticed Raven crouched nearby, examining an area with several lines of text. They moved closer to look, and their faces immediately filled with disbelief and… ecstasy.

“The Divine Fire Trial?” they murmured. “Does the Divine Fire System exist beneath Nightfall?”