The Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 1: Arrested

"Great Watcher of Doomsday, Ashe Heath! The righteous bow before you, the wicked revere you. Light itself longs for your presence, and even darkness casts its hope upon you. You are a being beyond all, and the divine hue with which the gods have adorned all creation."

"Great Watcher of Doomsday, Ashe Heath..."

Seated on the ice-cold stone throne, Ashe gazed at the black-robed crowd kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and praying to him. Beneath his cold, stern facade, his heart was racing with panic.

This wasn't his fault. After all, the last thing he remembered was pulling an all-nighter, pouring out the last bit of usefulness he had for that damn mobile game company. The next thing he knew, he was in this strange underground hall, being worshiped by. Anyone would be caught off guard in such circumstances.

Even more bizarre was that Ashe understood their language as if he'd spoken it all his life. He instantly grasped their meaning without having to consciously translate a single word in his head. Once he regained his composure, he quickly came to the conclusion that he had transmigrated, and his soul had entered the body of someone with the same name.

Since he was young, many people had said his name sounded very fantasy-like, but Ashe never expected that something so extraordinary would actually happen to him.

However, Heath hadn't been his surname in his past life, and it was precisely this that led him to conclude that he had transmigrated and wasn't dreaming.

Other than the name being the same, the new body’s appearance was also almost identical. Ashe felt nothing out of place as he moved his fingers, toes, and other parts of his body. It was as if this were his original body. Everything felt so dexterous and natural that he couldn't help but wonder if he had transmigrated into a parallel version of himself.

Since they shared the same given name, Ashe privately referred to the original owner of the body as Heath for the sake of convenience.

Nevertheless, these thoughts did nothing to help his current predicament, for Ashe realized that Heath had not left him with the one thing he needed most, which was his memory.

Yes! He had none of this body’s memories!

Ashe had no idea what to do next. He forced a calm expression, tinged with a hint of malice, careful not to reveal the slightest slip.

The people below the throne seemed extremely respectful for now, but if he allowed even the slightest slip, their attitude could turn as merciless as it was now deferential.

Ashe would be seen as an evil spirit from another world, the one who had destroyed the soul of the holy son, Heath, and seized his body. He would be a complete villain.

Given the depth of their religious fervor, Ashe knew there was no way to gain their understanding by simply claiming, "I'm actually the victim here too."

However, simply sitting here offered no solution. Ashe was already struggling to maintain the subtle smirk on his face.

Just then, the underground hall shook with a deep, resonant rumble. The black-robed believers erupted in joy. They prostrated themselves with foreheads pressed to the floor and shouted in unison.

"Pray for the descent of the Lord!"

Ashe thought it was an earthquake and tried to stand up. However, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't rise from his seat. It was as if his buttocks were glued to the stone throne. Suddenly, dazzling, multicolored rays of light flooded his vision. Looking up, he saw four brilliant rainbow rays hovering in the air, casting vibrant colors and an endless warmth throughout the hall.

Voices could be heard from the rays of light. They[1] sounded as though millions were speaking at once.

"Great Watcher of Doomsday, Ashe Heath! The only pure soul in this dark and muddy world, the last hero of the heavy earth, thou bearest the mission of saving the world, and the mission of redeeming all living beings! 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"We shalt traverse the Silver Celestial Wheel to bestow power upon thee, and shatter the Golden Celestial Scales to bless thy glory! Thy name is sacred, thy will is Our will, and thy kingdom the land of happiness for all living beings.

"Ashe Heath!"

Ashe unknowingly found himself kneeling on one knee, with head bowed in respect as he waited for the moment when glory would descend.

The red light on the far left said, "I am the Lord of Infinite Light, master of battle, courage and honor! I bestow upon you the Angel of Power to sweep away all your enemies!"

A female angel holding a long spear, with a pair of wings on her back, flew in front of Ashe. She was only the size of a finger, yet as she floated there clad in red armor, she exuded an overwhelming presence. As Ashe met her gaze, he felt as though mountains of corpses and oceans of blood lay hidden within her eyes.

The blue light second from the left said, "I am the Lord of Wind, Rain and Snow, master of strategy, change, and destiny! I bestow upon you the Angel of Wisdom, to help you achieve all your goals!"

Another female angel, also no larger than a finger, hovered before Ashe. She wore a blue hat and carried a notebook. Her eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if endless knowledge lay within them.

The green light second from the right said, "I am the Heart of Eternal Flame, master of life, equality and sharing. I bestow upon you the Angel of Life, to help you be healthy forever!"

A female angel with the appearance of a little girl flew in front of Ashe. She was enveloped in emerald-green light and looked incredibly cute. With a halo of the same light swirling around her, her presence filled the hall with warmth and a comforting serenity

The pink light furthest to the right said, "I am the Soul of Dreams and Freedom, master of love, joy and art. I bestow upon you the Angel of Joy, to make your charisma reach a transcendent level!"

A beautiful, pink female angel flew before Ashe. Despite her small size, her curvaceous figure and enchanting eyes made her seem like the most beautiful being in the world.

The four angels circled Ashe, bathing him in dazzling, radiant light. At that moment, power surged endlessly through him. His body brimmed with energy, his spirits soared, and countless plans flashed through his mind. Everything felt extraordinary.

The Lord of Infinite Light, the Lord of Wind, Rain, and Snow, the Heart of Eternal Flame, and the Soul of Dreams and Freedom spoke in unison: "Hero favored by destiny, watcher who sees through all karma, go forth to create miracles and save the world!"

A sound resembling popping bubbles echoed through the hall. Following that, the four descended deities gradually faded. Nevertheless, the underground hall remained bright, for Ashe, accompanied by his four angels, shone like a walking rainbow.

Ashe clenched his fists. The corners of his mouth curled up into a very confident smile.

He could never have imagined this. What had seemed like a sudden, disastrous transmigration had turned into a blessing. He had become the hero of this world, blessed by four divine spirits and worshipped by countless followers.

Next, he would defeat monsters, save the world, marry the most beautiful princess, ascend to the throne, and reach the pinnacle of life itself! What a wonderful and perfect script!

Just then, a thunderous bang reverberated from the ceiling. The black-robed believer at the front said, "Hero, the Bloodrage Hunters have found this place! Now we can rely only on you to drive them back!"

The name alone told Ashe that the Bloodrage Hunters were villainous.

He guessed they were low-level foes, meant to let him gain fame and get acquainted with his skills. He arrogantly drew the long sword from his waist and declared, "None shall stand against my blade! Let these Bloodrage Hunters be the first souls to perish beneath my blade! Come, lead the way!"

"No need, we've come ourselves."

With a thunderous boom, the ceiling of the underground hall shattered!

Ashe looked up to see a group of enemies leaping down from above. They each wielded a blood-etched longsword and wore a silver windbreaker and hunter's hat.

"Good that you've come!" Ashe shouted. "Power! Wisdom! Life! Joy!"

The four angels bestowed their blessings upon him. In that moment, Ashe felt unstoppable! With a fearless roar, he leapt into the air and unleashed a sky-splitting sword energy at the lead Bloodrage Hunter.

To think I've actually become this strong with the gods' blessings! I now have protective barriers and endless stamina! Let's see who could possibly stand against me!

Just as Ashe was secretly reveling in his strength, he heard the Bloodrage Hunter across from him scoff, "That's it?"

The Bloodrage Hunter let out a fierce grin. With a casual wave, his longsword turned into a several-meter-long segmented whip sword. He unleashed a blade of blood-red sword energy that stretched a dozen meters!

Ashe's sword energy was instantly swallowed, and his protective barriers shattered in an instant. The underground hall split in half from the strike, and a massive crack opened beneath Ashe's feet.

Seeing the opponent easily defeat him, Ashe was dumbfounded. He muttered, "How is this possible..."

"With only four Two-Winged Chaos spirits that aren't even yours, where did you find the courage to face a Three-Winged Sacred Realm sorcerer like me?"

Following a swoosh, a violent gust of wind surged as three wings sprouted from the Bloodrage Hunter's back. They were silver, gold, and rainbow-colored.

He turned the chain sword back into a normal longsword and charged at Ashe like a soaring dragon, driving the sword through his chest and pinning him to the stone throne.

Ashe gagged and coughed up blood. He stared blankly as the Bloodrage Hunter pulled a small lantern from his waist. By some unknown means, the hunter made it blaze with a blinding white light.

The angels still attempting to empower Ashe let out desperate, hateful shrieks beneath the blinding light. One by one, they could no longer maintain their former beauty and became horribly disfigured.

The Angel of Power turned into a hideous mantis. The Angel of Wisdom became a rotten fly. The Angel of Life melted into pale maggots, while the Angel of Joy turned into a stench of rot!

The blessings of courage, wisdom, joy, and life quickly faded from Ashe. Pain shot through his chest, sobering him up instantly. He frowned. What just happened? I'm just an ordinary person who transmigrated here! I know nothing! How could I be so arrogant and reckless? Why did I try to involve myself in a war that isn't even mine? I’m just a normal office worker bullied by life, how could I handle something like this?

While Ashe was lost in thought, the battle in the underground hall had also come to an end. The black-robed believers had stood no chance against the Bloodrage Hunters.

The Bloodrage Hunter before Ashe took out a scroll from his clothes and unrolled it, revealing that it was a red-stamped document.

"I am Bloodrage Hunter Gerard Westminster of the Heresy Court. Hunter number 307791. The Heresy Court suspects you of involvement in the expansion of the Four Pillars Cult, along with multiple incidents of kidnapping, homicide, robbery, and other serious crimes.

"This is an arrest warrant issued by the Heresy Court of Caimon City. If you have any objections regarding our enforcement, you may submit a complaint at the front desk of the Caimon City Heresy Court Branch at 233 Civitas Avenue, or send feedback directly to the mayor's mailbox."

The Bloodrage Hunter put away the warrant and took out a pair of silvery handcuffs. "Now, then."

He gave a cruel smile, revealing his white fangs, as he personally fastened the exquisite cuffs onto Ashe's wrists. "Leader of the Four Pillars Cult, Ashe Heath, you are under arrest."

1. The pronoun "they" in the raw text is written as "祂们" (ta men), the plural of “祂,” which is a special pronoun used to refer to deities or divine beings, distinguishing them from the regular “他” (he) or “她” (she). We will be writing these pronouns with a capital letter as is the norm. ☜