CHAPTER 702: THE LOOP OF BEGINNING AND END

Ashe seemed oblivious to the surprise on everyone’s faces as he calmly spoke, “Tamashi’s intentions are clear. He didn’t tell us, choosing to leave secretly on his own because he didn’t want to drag us into this.”

“The Mercury Trojan Horse is down there; it’s the end of his revenge. He’s willing to sacrifice everything for it, even if it means dying inside. If he succeeds, he’s content to breathe his last; if he fails, he’s resigned to being lost without a trace.”

“But we’re different. We have a grudge against the Mercury Trojan Horse, but not to the extent of sacrificing our lives for mutual destruction. More importantly, we have a way out, a future we can grasp.”

Ashe stated calmly, “We’re just one step away from happiness.”

“To pull us, travelers who are already on our way out, into risking our lives for his revenge? Just the thought of it seems too selfish, especially for a disciple of Raven Annihilation, whose actions are always just.”

“If we really go to save him, not only would we risk our lives, but we’d also betray his good intentions,” Ashe continued. “We’re no longer children acting on whims, with favorite colors.”

“We can’t be emotional; we can’t look back. Everyone has their own path to walk. If the paths are different, then we won’t meet.”

Aside from the orc’s slurping of pasta, Ashe’s words echoed in the shadow of the desert. Harvey glanced at him thoughtfully, shook his head, and tightened his grip on Alice’s hand.

“…Do you really think that?” the Con Artist asked. “Won’t you regret it?”

“What else?” Ashe retorted. “To save someone we’ve known for three months, should we charge into the Four Pillars Cult’s army of tens of thousands of sorcerers? For the private vendetta of someone whose face we don’t even know, should we face the threat of a legendary sorcerer?”

“In just a month, we could safely leave this wasteland of religious fanatics, monsters, and war, and return to the safety of the Gospel to enjoy wealth and comfort-at least without the fear of being hunted down. But instead, we can’t wait that little time and insist on risking our lives in the near-death Silent Spiral?”

“More importantly, is Tamashi of Raven Annihilation worth such a sacrifice? Though he’s incredibly strong, he’s ultimately just an ordinary person; he’s illiterate, with no life skills other than a rumored talent for cooking…”

“His faith in Raven Annihilation is too cold and rigid, likely causing trouble for us in the Kingdom of Gospel. Although he hasn’t caused any major conflicts with us these months, minor disputes have been constant. Can we truly accept a companion whose beliefs are so different from ours?”

“Come to think of it, we should be grateful the Mercury Trojan Horse is here,” Ashe said coldly. “Tamashi leaving for revenge might actually be a good thing.”

Clang!

The Con Artist slammed the stainless steel plate onto the ground, standing up to glare at the Cult Leader with wide, furious eyes, biting his lower lip. Everyone else was stunned-they could hardly believe Igor would show such an emotional expression.

“Ah, what a surprise! I never knew you were a mental sorcerer, Ashe,” he mocked. “Mind reading? Mimicry? You’re spot on; it sounds just like something I’d say, like a voiceover in my head. Go on, I have thirteen more reasons not to save Raven. I’m curious to see how many you can guess!”

“Chikara, watch and learn! This is sarcasm at its finest. Your little tricks are nothing compared to this!”

The orc meekly replied, “I really am sincere…”

Ashe shook his head. “I wasn’t being sarcastic.”

“Then who are you trying to convince with these grandiose reasons for not saving Raven? Are you trying to persuade Raven’s closest brother, Harvey, or his non-human friend, Chikara, or perhaps me, who knows him inside out?” Igor kicked the plate aside, gritting his teeth. “Who here doesn’t know you’re closest to Raven? Who are you trying to disgust with these words?”

“I’m not.”

“Fine,” Igor said, stepping outside and spreading his arms. “Since you say you’re not, let’s leave. We’ll head to the nearest village and wait for a couple of weeks, then come back to the Silent Spiral to see if we can find that raven’s corpse in the Green Beast’s stomach-“

“I just thought you wouldn’t want to say it,” Ashe replied. “So I said it for you.”

The Con Artist stood with his back to them, facing the desolate land outside. The wind, carrying sand, lifted his long, untrimmed golden hair.

After a long pause, he asked, “What do you mean?”

“Even Chikara knows I want to save Raven. How could you all not know?” Ashe said. “But I’ve waited so long, and none of you have voiced any objections.”

“It’s different from Blood Moon, where we were forced by circumstances to take risks for mutual benefit; different from Gospel, where Annan enslaved us, leaving us no choice. This time, we’re free.”

“You don’t have to like Tamashi, you don’t have to save him, you can wait a month and escape Senlo. You can do whatever you want; nothing is holding you back.”

“What I fear most is you risking your lives for my sake.”

Ashe continued, “Yes, I do want to save Tamashi, but if it means sacrificing your lives, that would be too selfish, even more selfish than him wanting us to help him with his revenge.”

“I might as well deceive myself, wait until my spellcasting is perfected, and then return to Senlo to avenge him.”

Igor’s voice carried a hint of mockery. “You can deceive yourself?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t promise you here and then run off alone to save Tamashi-that would be a foolish suicide mission. I understand that I can’t save Tamashi by myself, and even if we all went, the chances would be slim. If you ended up risking your lives for me, the Mercury Trojan Horse would probably laugh herself awake from a dream.”

“I’m not a god, nor a savior. There are times when I’m powerless, obstacles I can’t overcome,” Ashe said. “I’d rather regret standing by in the future than become your burden.”

“Tamashi Raven Annihilation is indeed a friend I’ve shared life and death with,” Ashe said earnestly. “But Igor, Harvey, do you think your place in my heart is any less than Tamashi’s?”

Harvey suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable, wishing he could crawl into a coffin and lie beside Alice. ‘Is this something a Blood Moon person would say?’ he thought, though he found himself sitting up straighter, as if Alice sensed his thoughts and squeezed his hand tighter.

Igor covered his face with his hand to mask his expression and asked, “So, you’re giving up on Raven for us?”

Ashe shook his head. “Not for you, that would make it sound like I’m making a huge sacrifice for you… Maybe I just don’t want to go and am using you as an excuse.”

“Though it’s not really my place to speak,” Chikara suddenly interjected, “but Mr. Ashe, that must be a lie.”

“It’s almost 10 o’clock,” Gwen suddenly reminded them.

Igor sighed deeply. “Alright, you win, we-“

“That’s not going to work,” Ashe interrupted. “Now it’s your turn to convince me. I need a word, a sincere word, especially from you, Igor. If I don’t feel it’s genuine, I won’t let you go save Tamashi.”

“How am I supposed to know what you want to hear?”

“You definitely know, because you’re the Con Artist Igor. Besides God, only a con artist like you would dare claim to fulfill anyone’s wishes,” Ashe said. “But this time, I want to hear your true feelings, not a lie to fulfill my wishes.”

Igor stared at Ashe, his eyes showing annoyance. Yet Ashe held his gaze, firm in his stance.

After a moment, Igor reluctantly squeezed out a few words from the corner of his mouth, “Unlike you, Raven holds a very low place in my heart. But you all aren’t much higher, merely tools I think I can use long-term-what people call ‘friends.’”

“However, there aren’t many ‘friends’ I acknowledge,” the Con Artist said. “So, Raven can’t die.”

“To die in a foreign land at the hands of a legendary sorcerer is quite a prestigious way to go,” Harvey mused. “If my death can help Raven shatter Mercury Trojan Horse’s happy life, making this bloody revenge even more intense, then all the better.”

This was what Ashe wanted to hear.

They could go save Raven, but not because “Ashe wants to save him.” If that were the case, Ashe would rather abandon this obsession; he didn’t want to be the catalyst for their downfall.

Igor and Harvey had to want to save Raven out of their own volition. Only then would Ashe approve of the mission.

Though it might seem the same, to Ashe, the meaning was entirely different-the former would be Ashe dragging them into the arena with chains, while the latter would be them walking in with heads held high.

It’s the difference between shame and honor, between disgrace and pride.

“I will follow Mr. Igor,” Gwen said softly.

Chikara looked around, swallowing nervously, “Maybe we should think this through carefully?”

“You were just all fired up about saving Raven, weren’t you? We know your stance very well,” Igor said, patting the orc’s shoulder and leaning in with a cold voice, “Or are you thinking of backing out now?”

Chikara looked at Ashe with pleading eyes, but Ashe shrugged-indicating he wouldn’t speak on Chikara’s behalf to Igor.

“Don’t worry,” Harvey said calmly, “Your master is Alice. Just keep her and the coffin safe; no one’s sending you to your death.”

Igor snorted, seemingly displeased, but he accepted Harvey’s arrangement, and Chikara felt a wave of gratitude. Ashe watched this unfold, thinking how well Igor and Harvey played the good cop, bad cop routine.

The group emerged from the desert and gazed at the distant Vine Giant City.

Ashe suddenly chuckled, “Speaking of which, when we first arrived in Senlo, we were thrown into a cell, and it was Tamashi who broke the wall to save us.”

“That was three months ago,” Igor remarked, “Back then, you were so confident in your Divine Hosting, only to be instantly defeated by Silver Lantern.”

Igor realized his mistake as soon as he spoke. Ashe paused, his expression slightly dazed, “Silver Lantern… It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about her.”

He quickly returned to the topic, “When we first came to Senlo, Tamashi saved us, and now, before we leave, we need to save Tamashi. It forms a perfect loop.”

“But when we see him, I’m giving him a punch.”

Ashe threw a straight punch into the air, grumbling, “Even though he had no choice, my anger is beyond my control. He said he was under my command… Hmph!”

“Let’s go, before heading to hell, let’s follow Raven into the Silent Spiral.”

In the shadow cast by the barrel, Raven was fully engaged in the technique he learned in Blind Town, trying to erase his presence as much as possible. Although this technique could achieve the effect of stealth, it demanded a high level of emotional control; any intense emotional fluctuation could reveal his aura.

But for a judgment warrior who had seen countless battles, there was little in this world that could shake his composure. Yet, during the past half-hour of listening, Raven found himself repeatedly unable to suppress his inner shock, nearly causing the technique to fail.

“…Lord Vichy, Silver Lantern has reached the lower level.”

“Although it should take some time, I’ll go down and keep watch… By the way, without my orders, do not approach the bottom three levels, lest you alert Silver Lantern.”

“Understood.”

“You could have left earlier; didn’t you already open a normal Void Gate?”

“On the other side is a deserted island surrounded by ocean, far from human society, not even knowing if there’s civilization… Anyway, there’s still plenty of time, no need to rush the decision.”

“In my era, there was a saying: ‘After much picking, you end up with a broken lamp.’”

“Remember Lord Vichy’s teachings.”

“No need to remember. You might open a brilliant Void Gate, or you might pick for a long time and end up worse off. All the world’s wisdom is the experience of those who have successfully navigated fate, but success has never been about experience, it’s about luck.”

Raven heard Vichy’s footsteps growing closer, his voice becoming clearer, “As long as you win in the end, you’re right; otherwise, no matter how right your reasoning is, it’s wrong.”

“So…”

The next moment, Vichy’s enigmatic voice pierced through Raven’s ears, reaching his brain, “Your luck is good; she’s of no use to me anymore.”

“Farewell, Lord Vichy,” the others said politely, as if they hadn’t heard the remark.

Raven dared not move, unsure how long he waited, until people began to move the barrels. A drop of Crow’s Blood Wine dripped from the barrel, landing on Raven’s Mask, tracing a bloodstain.

Then it gently fell.

Onto his grey fox blade.