“Found it!”

“Oh?”

“Reporting to Your Excellency, we’ve discovered a stable alternate world! It’s 15 meters below ground, primarily a coniferous forest, undeveloped, with no signs of civilization or dangerous creatures. There’s water and wildlife present!”

“Abandon it.”

On the fifteenth layer of the Silent Spiral, Mercury Trojan Horse lounged lazily on a cool-toned plush carpet, nestled against a 200-kilogram gray wolf. Dressed in a simple robe, she seemed more like she was on vacation. A girl in a cat-eared pajama set curled up in her arms, eyes closed, enjoying a sweet slumber. Mercury Trojan Horse gently caressed the girl’s delicate face with the back of her fingers, as if handling a piece of art.

Around her, sorcerers clad in Black Feather robes were busy at work. Most were engaged in creating Void Gates and scouting what lay beyond them-these gates could lead to unimaginable places: lava fields, underground caverns, high altitudes, deep seas, or even virtual realm turbulence. Without a robust defense mechanism, opening a Void Gate was akin to greeting death.

“Remember two conditions: you must observe a civilized society, and it must be in a lawless area where civilization’s control is weak. The best places are underground facilities like sewers, followed by slums, and lastly, suburban forests and beaches,” Mercury Trojan Horse instructed. “If these two conditions aren’t met, there’s no need to report to me.”

She raised two fingers, picked up a glass, and gently swirled it before downing the chilled lemon Crow’s Blood Wine in one go, letting out a soft burp.

“Your Excellency, the probability is just too low,” remarked a cold-faced Black Feather youth. “Although we have the Miracle ‘Sustain,’ which allows us to continuously increase the usage of Void Gate Spirits, each sustain consumes a significant amount of spellforce. This Miracle is sanctuary level, and only four of us can use it… Out of hundreds of experimental records, only twice have we found a safe Void Gate. If we insist on meeting both conditions, it might take thousands of tests.”

“We have time,” Mercury Trojan Horse replied calmly. “Remember, this isn’t an escape; it’s a strategic relocation. The Four Pillars Cult’s mission will follow us to a new Kingdom. If we end up in a barren world, even the Four Pillars would abandon us. Only by dragging civilization into the Abyss can we please the supreme Four Pillars.”

“Praise the Four Pillars that uphold the world, granting us happiness and peace,” the group chanted in unison.

“Your Excellency,” a cute boy in a black feather robe asked, “since we’re going to a new world, why not bring Oreyva along? He was already a legendary sorcerer a decade ago, and no one would dispute him being the first in Senlo!”

“I would love for Oreyva to continue with us,” Mercury Trojan Horse said, setting down her glass as the cold-faced Black Feather youth promptly refilled it. “But he’s… no longer useful.”

“In his pursuit of the Wishflux Inheritance, his soul was repeatedly damaged at Ruby Mountain. I’ve exhausted countless resources just to keep him alive, but his consciousness is completely shattered, no different from being dead. There’s nothing more I can do.”

“Your Excellency’s compassion for subordinates is truly benevolent and kind,” the group praised in unison.

“Outside, without my distraction to sustain him, he wouldn’t even have the ability to move,” said the Mercury Trojan Horse. “I brought him down not to guard the Silent Spiral, but to keep others from knowing that Oreyva is a flickering flame in the wind.”

“I just didn’t expect that Silver Lantern would initiate a Trial using the War Demi-God; nor did I foresee that Oreyva, within the War Trial, would actually develop a new consciousness.”

Another sunlit boy clad in Black Feather curiously asked, “Since Mr. Oreyva has a new consciousness, why not bring him down?”

“Because he is no longer human,” the Mercury Trojan Horse explained. “The Four Pillars Cult does not need non-human disciples, and…”

She looked around, snapped her fingers to signal everyone to raise their glasses, “True, Oreyva is the foremost sorcerer of Senlo, the strongest legend of the wasteland, but you are the Black Feather Guard I formed with my own hands. I hold you in much higher regard than Oreyva. As long as I have you with me to challenge new worlds, what have I to worry about without Oreyva?”

“Together,” she raised her glass.

“Together!” inspired by her words, the Black Feather Guard drank Crow’s Blood Wine fervently, wishing they could offer their very blood to expand the territories under Mercury Trojan Horse!

“However, it’s truly a pity to lose Mr. Oreyva,” a bespectacled young man in Black Feather lamented. “Water spells are not known for their lethality, yet Mr. Oreyva managed to earn the title of Pope of Annihilation. Even the sanctuary sorcerers of the Qinyi Alliance retreat immediately upon encountering Mr. Oreyva. Apart from legendary peers, even sanctuary sorcerers struggle to survive against him, such is the reputation of Frost Extinction.”

The crowd nodded in agreement, and the Mercury Trojan Horse smiled, “Now he remains on the tenth floor, aligning with the mechanism of the War Trial. No one can pass his winter, which is making the best use of him, dedicating himself completely.”

“With him standing guard, we need not worry about the Qinyi Alliance… or any other messy pursuers. We can safely find the Void Gate leading to the new world.”

“Found it!”

Suddenly, a Black Feather sorcerer exclaimed excitedly, “The Void Gate leads to a suburban forest, but there are traces of a highway in the distance!”

Mercury Trojan Horse’s pupils dilated, but she remained calm, “Keep the Void Gate open, send someone to investigate further. Charlyn, well done.”

The Black Feather sorcerers’ spirits soared, and Charlyn, a humble One-Winged Sorcerer, couldn’t believe that Mercury Trojan Horse remembered him, “I am willing to die for your honor!”

“But I don’t have anything to reward you with right now, hmm…” she glanced sideways, noticed the wine was gone, and a stern-faced young man immediately tried to fetch more, but Mercury Trojan Horse gestured with her eyes for him to stop. She picked up two wine glasses and personally went to the barrel to pour the wine, “I hope you won’t mind that Crow’s Blood Wine isn’t refined enough.”

“Your Honor.” Charlyn hurried over, not daring to interrupt as he choked up and took the wine glass.

“Together.” Mercury Trojan Horse gently clinked his glass, and the other Black Feather sorcerers watched with envious eyes. Charlyn’s face flushed with supreme honor, “Together!”

Mercury Trojan Horse smiled faintly, lifted her head, ready to down the Crow’s Blood Wine-

Crash!

The barrel suddenly burst open, a spectacular blood rain commenced! Amidst the sweet drips of blood wine, a dull blade sliced through the air, its sound lagging behind it, the air compressed into a shockwave before it!

Since the day the Raven Annihilation Cult turned to ruins, since the night he was forced to kill his comrades, Raven had been waiting for this blade.

He closed his eyes and dreamed of this blade,

Opened his eyes and thought of this blade,

Gripped the blade in training,

Released the blade in contemplation.

Every bite of bread he ate was to have the strength to wield this blade,

Every drop of water he drank was to keep his mind sharp for this precise strike.

He was not a sorcerer, illiterate, unversed in spellcasting, he had nothing but this blade.

So, with this blade.

Let it end everything.

Mercury Trojan Horse still held her drink, her pupils shifting as she sensed the danger. A sanctuary sorcerer only needed a thought to-

Crash!

As the sonic boom ripple tore through the blood rain, marking a trail of revenge, Mercury Trojan Horse’s head soared into the air!

Raven stepped forward, shattering the wooden remains of the barrel, his blade lightly vibrating, slicing the remaining headless corpse into dozens of pieces in an instant!

The other sorcerers barely had time to react, stunned by the sight of Raven amidst the mingling rain of blood and wine. Wearing a ferocious raven mask and draped in a Black Feather cloak, he appeared as a ghastly specter risen from hell to claim lives.