Boom!

“Help, help…”

“Intruders…”

The sorcerers, engulfed in black flames, writhed in agony on the ground, but the sand and dirt they touched only fueled the fire.

Ashe walked through the thick smoke, hands tucked in the pockets of his dark red trench coat, stepping over the charred remains.

Igor took out a perfume bottle from his skirt suit, spraying it on his waist and the back of his neck to dispel the strong smell of tar. Gwen followed behind him, offering eye drops and a warm towel. Igor had just unleashed a large-scale mental assault, which not only drained his spellforce but also put immense pressure on his optic nerves, necessitating immediate eye care if possible.

Harvey and Alice emerged from the black smoke arm in arm, as if attending a gala. However, Alice was no longer in her normal form; her body was a decaying corpse, with countless flies and maggots forming her new skin, exuding a dark green putrid aura. This was the necromancer’s new Miracle, “Death’s Breath.” Without needing close contact, merely gazing upon Alice’s deathly visage could drive onlookers into madness, fear, and paralysis, inducing various Negative Status effects. They would even forget to breathe, and without switching to manual breathing, they might suffocate to death.

Chikara, bringing up the rear, extinguished his flames. Apart from his pants, the orc’s clothing was almost entirely burned away. While there might be debate over individual combat prowess, few would contest Chikara’s dominance in group attacks; his destructive black flames had obliterated all obstacles in their path.

“No traps, surprisingly.”

Ashe stepped into the ancient stone tunnel, his Heart Sword spirit sweeping through the fifty-meter area ahead, radiating an intensely bright and penetrating warm white light. This move was low in damage but highly disruptive, capable of triggering most Miracle Traps.

It wasn’t a Miracle per se, just a special application of the Heart Sword spirit. Ashe had been wielding the Heart Sword spirit for so long that he’d naturally unlocked some new tricks.

“Who else but a sanctuary sorcerer could make it through here?” Igor remarked. “And if they are a sanctuary sorcerer, what use are traps?”

Behind them lay the hexagonal fortress the Four Pillars Cult had built at the entrance to the Silent Spiral. Although Ashe and his group had considered a stealth approach, their six-person team was too conspicuous. The Four Pillars Cult had reconnaissance Miracles specifically targeting sanctuary sorcerers, and they were detected shortly after entering Vine Giant City.

However, luck was finally on their side this time. Just as Ashe resolved to storm Vine Giant City, the Qinyi Alliance’s forces arrived at the Silent Spiral and launched a probing attack.

Seizing the opportunity while the Four Pillars Cult’s attention was diverted by the Qinyi Alliance, with most of their forces gathered on the city walls, Ashe and his team cut through the chaos. With their lineup of four sanctuary sorcerers, they tore through half the camp-against four sorcerers who ignored all damage, the Four Pillars Cult members were like butter meeting a hot knife, melting away in an instant.

Before the Four Pillars’ Bishop could arrive, they had already stormed the hexagonal fortress guarding the Silent Spiral. This was a race against time, a daring intrusion into the heart of the Four Pillars Cult, where no one dared to hold back. They paved their way with spectacular displays of death, blasting open doors with brutal Miracles.

Ashe pointed behind him, his Heart Sword slicing through the air at the tunnel entrance, leaving hundreds of sharp ink marks in space, capable of cutting even through the black smoke. “Even a sanctuary sorcerer would need considerable time to disarm this trap,” he said. “For now, we needn’t worry about pursuit from behind.”

Utilizing the secret toxin of faded dreams, Ashe transformed it into Shadowblade Spellforce. With his Four-winged Heart Sword and Four-winged Sword Mark, combined with the Four-winged spellforce and spirit, he could elevate this Heart Pen Miracle to a legendary level!

Shouts and curses echoed from behind, yet none dared to cross those ink marks.

As Ashe and his companions turned along the spiral passage, the noise from above faded into a distant delusion.

True to its name, the Silent Spiral was a peculiar passage spiraling downward, constructed of square stone bricks. Fluorescent mushrooms and green grass sprouted from the edges of the bricks, ensuring visibility was not compromised.

The crisp sound of boots on stone echoed through the passage, accompanied by dim lighting, creating a dreamlike haze.

Yet, no one relaxed their vigilance. They all knew that what lay ahead was the real challenge from the Four Pillars Cult. Having fought their way in, they no longer expected to ambush the Mercury Trojan Horse; avoiding an ambush themselves would be fortunate.

“We’re still in the ‘foyer’ of the Silent Spiral,” Chikara reminded them. “The foyer consists of about eighteen spiral layers, accessible to anyone without restriction. But to step out of the foyer and enter the first layer of the Silent Spiral, one must use a Demi-God to unlock the ‘New World’-also known as the ‘Trial.’”

“Each Trial layer requires a Demi-God. At its peak, the Tribulation Fire Temple had five Demi-Gods, enabling access to the fifth layer of the Silent Spiral. Of course, the Temple wouldn’t deploy all its Demi-Gods for the Tribulation Trial-it’s unnecessary, as the Trials on the first and fifth layers are identical.”

“If the Four Pillars Cult has already established multiple Trial layers here…” Chikara’s expression turned peculiar. “I suspect we might be halted by the Trials before even encountering the Mercury Trojan Horse.”

“What exactly are the Trials of the Silent Spiral?” Igor inquired.

“Each Trial initiated by a Demi-God is unique. I only know of the Tribulation Trial, and my experience might not serve as a reference; it could even skew your judgment,” Chikara admitted helplessly.

Gwen, another informed party, nodded in agreement, affirming Chikara’s words.

The orc feigned ease, saying, “But there’s a silver lining; perhaps Mr. Tamashi has already been halted by the Trials, and we’ll find him without breaking a sweat…”

“We’ve arrived.”

A massive Fog Gate loomed at the end of the spiral passage, with a faintly visible blood-red flame pattern within. Clearly, they had reached the end of the foyer.

Upon seeing this, Chikara’s composure shattered, “How is this possible…”

The group stared in surprise at the orc, who took a deep breath and slowly said, “This is the mark of the Tribulation Fire Chapel. The blood-red flame signifies a Trial initiated by the Killing Tribulation Fire Demi-God.”

Igor suddenly asked, “What’s your full name?”

“Chikara Tribulation Fire,” Chikara replied expressionlessly.

At this moment, Ashe suddenly walked towards the wall. The others looked over and noticed a ‘→’ mark on the stone slab. However, it wasn’t pointing towards the Fog Gate ahead, but rather back the way they had come.

Ashe extended his finger, placing it into the groove of the mark, finding it a perfect fit. As he moved his fingertip, he scraped away some of the debris within the groove.

“You can write on the stone slab with just a finger, and it was done recently…” Ashe confirmed, “This was left by Tamashi.”

“At least he has some brains and conscience,” Igor glanced at the mark pointing backward, “He even guessed you would come to save him and left a warning.”

“He guessed we would come to save him,” Ashe pointed to the faint scratches on the slab, “There are five more warnings that you can only see up close-looks like he included Alice in his calculations.”

“Ah-ha,” Harvey remarked, “Another reason to rescue him.”

“Indeed,” Igor sneered, “Since he guessed you would come, he naturally assumed we wouldn’t be absent.”

“Couldn’t it be that he genuinely believes his confidant, the psychologist Igor, would come to save him?” Ashe chuckled, “Alright-it’s your turn now, Chikara.”

Chikara was silent for a moment before seriously saying, “I vaguely remember the procedure. Follow me closely, do exactly what I do, and don’t act rashly.”

After a slight adjustment to their formation, Chikara led the way through the back door, with everyone else following closely.

The next second, gentle sunlight squeezed into their eyes.

Warm sunlight streamed through the blue sky and white clouds, passing through a massive glass dome, and softly bathed everyone.

They walked along a bustling avenue, flanked by clusters of flowers, with towering buildings in the distance. Children played on the distant lawns, couples chatted on benches, and a mother pushing a stroller passed by them.

Ashe almost thought he had time-traveled back to the Kingdom of Gospel.

But upon closer inspection, he noticed significant differences: above the flower beds, numerous bee-like spirits tended to the blossoms; children played with spirits, even reading picture books with them; while couples whispered sweet nothings, two spirits behind them seemed poised for a fight; the stroller wasn’t pushed by a mother, but by a spirit, and inside, the baby slept alongside a small spirit.

Almost everyone had a spirit companion, whether humanoid, beast-like, insect-like, One-Winged, two-wings, or even three wings. Some people even had multiple spirits.

They interacted with the spirits naturally, chatting with them. When they were happy, the spirits were happy; when they were downcast, the spirits mirrored their mood.

On this road, Ashe and the other sorcerers seemed like country folk without spirits.

“Welcome to the Tribulation Fire Trial,” Chikara’s voice carried a hint of nostalgia, “It’s a fascinating place, isn’t it?”

“The so-called Trial is actually an Illusion constructed by the Demi-God?” Igor suddenly realized.

“This isn’t an Illusion,” Chikara shook his head. “This is the world we envision after achieving our ideal, a future depicted by the Demi-God’s boundless imagination.”

Gradually, everyone began to understand the situation: no wonder each layer of the Silent Spiral must be constructed by the Demi-God, no wonder each layer is called a new world!

Because each new world is a future imagined by the Demi-God!

It’s the ideal nation they wish to establish!

It’s their hope and longing for the Senlo wasteland!

“Our Tribulation Fire Chapel yearns for the glory of the Fire Cat Divine Era, and the key concept of the Fire Cat Divine Era is the ideal of the Fire Cat Demi-God: Allow ordinary people to wield spirits. We don’t know the true situation of the Fire Cat Divine Era, so we can only imagine our desired past-or future-from the fragments left in the ruins.”

As Chikara walked, he continued, “Therefore, the Tribulation Fire Chapel believes that everyone should have a Familiar Spirit, inseparable until death.”

At that moment, a spirit suddenly appeared beside Ashe and the others. This spirit resembled them closely, almost like another version of themselves.

“The Familiar Spirit will accompany us as we grow.”

After walking a while, the scene suddenly changed, and they found themselves atop a slide. The orc naturally slid down, and the others followed suit.

“Accompany us in learning.”

They suddenly appeared in a classroom, with five desks beside them, each with a test paper on it. The orc sat down first to answer the questions. Ashe and the others couldn’t quite see what was written on the test paper, but the Familiar Spirit guided them in answering.

“Accompany us in making friends, traveling, participating in activities, facing emotional issues, entering higher education…”

With the constant change of scenes and Chikara’s guidance, Ashe and the others seemed to experience the growth process of a ‘Tribulation Fire person.’ ‘Tribulation Fire people’ grew up with spirits, occasionally having spats with them, but mostly weathering life’s storms together, never alone, always optimistic and hopeful for the future.

The Familiar Spirit is their friend in life, helper in learning, and weapon in battle.

“When we grow up, the Familiar Spirit will continue to accompany us-” Chikara said, “in pursuit of the ultimate Truth.”

Suddenly, the scene transformed into a dark underground Institute.

A Scholar in a lab coat addressed them, “The research on ‘stealing spellforce from the Virtual Realm’ has hit a bottleneck. Should we continue experimenting with the Blade Fish Dragon or use humans?”

Meanwhile, several large cultivation tanks appeared on both sides of the Institute, with Blade Fish Dragons on the left and humans on the right. Chikara, without hesitation, directed the Familiar Spirit to choose the human tank, causing the people inside to suffer agonizing pain until they died!

“Quick, follow suit!” Igor urged. “It’s all an illusion!”

However, this was just the beginning. The subsequent experiments gradually exceeded the limits of Ashe and the others’ imagination: preventing death while making someone watch their body decay, to see if they could summon a new spirit; transferring a person’s consciousness into food at the moment of eating, then back after consuming it, to see if they could activate the Gluttony Sect; using humans…

Every experiment offered a choice, yet before each one, they were informed that animal testing had reached its limits. Without exception, Chikara opted for human trials.

Finally, it seemed they arrived at the last experiment. The lab-coated figure stated, “The research on ‘self-sacrifice breaking the spellcasting limits’ has hit a bottleneck. Should we proceed with Blade Fish Dragon or human trials?”

Despite the question, there were no other living subjects available. When Chikara directed his Familiar Spirit towards his own throat, everyone realized the test subject was himself.

Slash!

The Familiar Spirit wailed as it cut Chikara’s throat, and the orc slowly collapsed to the ground. Igor watched coldly, without hesitation, instructing his Familiar Spirit to slice his throat as well!

“Do it,” Igor said, clutching his throat as he looked at them. “You must use the Familiar Spirit…” With that, he too fell.

Ashe, Harvey, and Gwen hesitated little, each cutting their own throat, consciousness plunging into darkness.

When they awoke, they found themselves once again before the Fog Gate. Inside the gate, faint flame patterns flickered.

“Are we back at the start?” Ashe asked, surprised as he got up.

“No, we’ve passed the first layer of the Silent Spiral,” Igor replied. “This is the Fog Gate of the second layer. Look closely.”

Ashe examined it carefully, noticing the flame pattern was blue, not blood red. Turning around, he saw the passage behind them was also filled with mist, as if they were wedged between layers of fog.

“Typically, the Tribulation Fire Trial requires ten completions to be deemed successful, and with each repetition, the difficulty increases sharply,” Chikara explained. “But the more times you pass the Tribulation Fire Trial, the higher your resonance with the Tribulation Fire Demi-God. If you wish to become a divine host, multiple trials are necessary.”

“Why does the trial involve so many inhumane experiments?” Ashe asked, puzzled. “Is this really the future the Tribulation Fire Demi-God envisions?”

“To be precise, this is the future envisioned by the Killing Tribulation Fire Demi-God.”

Chikara clarified, “And you seem to have misunderstood; the Tribulation Fire Chapel doesn’t aspire to the prosperity of the Fire Cat Divine Era, but rather its ‘atmosphere.’”

“Atmosphere?”

“Yes, the atmosphere of daring to challenge all impossibilities.”

Chikara continued, “Forever young, forever passionate, always chasing impossible dreams, seeking the greatest Truth. The Tribulation Fire Chapel wants to return to such an era-though it’s likely a romanticized past.”

“But the five Demi-Gods of Tribulation Fire differ slightly on ‘how to pursue.’ The Killing Tribulation Fire Demi-God’s pursuit is ‘by any means necessary.’ If human trials are the most cost-effective choice, then human trials it is.”

“In fact, the Killing Tribulation Fire district conducts the most human experiments,” the orc shrugged. “But human trials are merely a facade; in any trial constructed by Tribulation Fire, adhering to one principle ensures safety.”

Ashe asked, “What principle?”

“Truth is Supreme,” Chikara replied. “No matter how it tests you, as long as you choose the path closest to Truth, it will be correct.”

Harvey suddenly asked, “What happens if we make the wrong choice?”

“In other new worlds, I’m not sure, but in the Trial of Tribulation Fire, a wrong choice leads to the curse of Tribulation Fire, burning until death.”

Harvey asked, “Can Tribulation Fire burn through the Sanctuary?”

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

Chikara blinked and hesitated before saying, “Generally, only two-wings sorcerers participate in the Trial of Tribulation Fire…”

Harvey turned and walked back into the mist, but he soon returned, his clothes slightly scorched. “Tribulation Fire is a bit of a hassle, but the Sanctuary can withstand it.”

Chikara almost choked on his own words.

He had intended to use the Trial of Tribulation Fire to scare them off, as it was only easy with him leading. The subsequent trials wouldn’t be so accommodating. Yet, he had forgotten that among the five living people here, four were Sanctuary sorcerers, akin to tactical weapons!

Forget the trials, just bulling through with the Sanctuary would do!

Despite his frustration, Chikara still reminded them, “Each trial has a main theme, like the ‘Truth is Supreme’ in the Trial of Tribulation Fire. As long as you follow the main theme, you can avoid the curse. To conserve spellforce, if we can follow the main theme, we should.”

Everyone nodded, but Ashe seemed puzzled. “How did Tamashi get past the Trial of Tribulation Fire…”

Truth be told, the Trial of Tribulation Fire wasn’t much of a threat to them, being morally flexible death row inmates. If necessary, they could just act through it, or overturn the table if acting failed. But for someone as rigid in his values as Raven, without the protection of the Sanctuary, how did he manage to pass?

“You forgot he’s a Virtual Realm despiser, right? It’s hard to say whether these trials even affect him,” Igor said. “So, next…”

“Blue flames, it’s a trial constructed by the Dust Tribulation Fire Demi-God,” Chikara said, somewhat puzzled. “Wait, the Killing Tribulation Fire Demi-God, the Dust Tribulation Fire Demi-God, I recall these Demi-Gods were in…”

Even though the orc immediately shut up, those who needed to understand had already understood.

“Let’s go,” Ashe said calmly. “We’re here to save Tamashi.”