“Cough, cough, cough! “

Harvey coughed up a glob of black phlegm, unable to sit up-after all, someone whose body hadn’t fully formed past the upper torso, spine included, lacked the essential parts needed to sit.

A sliver of warm light squeezed through his barely open eyes. Harvey slowly opened them and saw Chikara, the orc, healing him. The orc’s remaining right hand was ablaze with orange flames, and as the fire continued to burn, Harvey’s internal organs slowly regenerated within the flames.

“Has the snow, ” the necromancer’s voice was hoarse, “melted? “

“It’s melted, ” said the orc. “Spring has returned. “

Harvey turned his head, viewing the endless blue sky and white clouds above, the snow pressing down on the vibrant green grass. A gentle breeze blew, causing waves of grass to ripple across the plains.

“I should have become a complete undead, my blood turned to corpse blood,” Harvey curiously asked. “How did you bring me back?”

“The way you became undead, that’s how I turned you back to living, ” Chikara stated.

Harvey blinked in astonishment, then realization dawned on him: “My eyes? “

To become undead, Harvey had gouged out his own eyeballs and replaced them with Alice’s, thus the only part of his body not tainted by necrotic energy was the eyeball he had removed.

Blinking again, Harvey realized his left eye had not yet regenerated, but his right eye saw clearly.

Yet, with just an eyeball, Chikara had miraculously restored him to life, almost akin to a blood rebirth. Such healing power…

But the necromancer didn’t pursue this point and instead asked a more crucial question: “Why save me? “

Given that Chikara could regenerate Harvey from just an eyeball, the orc surely could have healed his own limbs. Previously, he had used the Miracle of Blood and Flesh Flame to burn off one of his hands and both legs, which would logically be his priority. However, he remained disabled, using all his spellforce to heal Harvey.

More importantly, Chikara had no reason to save him. They were not comrades; Chikara had joined them only because he had surrendered as a slave in the Dead City, defecting from the Four Pillars Cult to survive as their Sanctuary slave.

Now that Alice had burnt out completely, the slave pact was nullified, and Chikara was free again. It would have been natural for him to kick Harvey while he was down or simply walk away silently. Saving Harvey painstakingly offered no benefit to the orc.

“Because it’s the ethical duty of a Healing Sorcerer,” Chikara said in a deep voice. “To try and save any life possible.”

Harvey couldn’t help but laugh: “You’re a Healing Sorcerer?”

“The Tribulation Fire Chapel’s water spell Inheritance is rare, but healing is a universal need. Thus, we developed a set of healing fire spells,” Chikara explained. “Hydrotherapy has its spirit, and so does fire cupping. Fire cupping spirits may not be as convenient as hydrotherapy spirits, but they can significantly accelerate the body’s natural healing processes. The regenerated body is stronger and, in the long run, even better than what hydrotherapy spirits can achieve.”

“I thought fire cupping spirits involved locking someone in a jar and roasting them alive as a form of torture,” Harvey said earnestly.

“I have always been a Healing Sorcerer, all the way to the Sanctuary,” Chikara said. “It is precisely because I am a Healing Sorcerer and have seen too many casualties that I cherish life so deeply. Those who ascend to the Sanctuary by fighting either die battling the Mercury Trojan Horse or are killed by it.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you were a Healing Sorcerer?” Harvey asked curiously. “Igor would definitely have treated you better-we’ve always had Ashe fill in as a healer.”

However, Chikara changed the subject: “This healing fire spell miracle called ‘Life Fire’ is the strongest masterpiece of the Tribulation Fire Chapel’s healing fire spells. As long as there is a single brain cell left, it can bring someone back from the brink.”

“But the Life Fire requires not just spellforce, but life itself to ignite.”

Harvey opened his remaining right eye, only then noticing the orc’s face had grown significantly more wrinkled. Orcs were naturally hard to read due to their rugged features.

No wonder this healing miracle was so potent; it required the sorcerer’s own life span.

No wonder Chikara dared not reveal this to Igor. If it were known, Igor wouldn’t stop until he had drained the orc’s life span, unless a Con Artist’s conscience happened to kick in.

It was also fortunate that Chikara’s spirit had a deceptive nature, appearing more like an offensive spirit, so everyone assumed he was a battle sorcerer. Who could have guessed he could use offensive spirits to form a healing miracle?

“I’ll help you keep it from Igor, but if he asks seriously, I probably won’t be able to hide it,” Harvey chuckled.

“I never thought I could escape Mr. Bukin’s discerning eye,” Chikara said with a bitter smile. “I can only hope nothing dangerous happens in your homeland.”

“Do you still want to leave with us?”

“I have nowhere else to go,” the orc said. “Since I’m leaving the wasteland, why not go somewhere with people I know? And… Mr. Harvey, have you forgotten something you lost?”

Something lost?

Harvey paused, then suddenly remembered: “Where’s my corpse?”

He was regenerating starting from his eyeballs, which meant his original body, transformed into the Blood Corpse King, still existed!

“That’s no longer your body,” Chikara laughed. “Look beneath you.”

Harvey turned his head and saw he wasn’t lying on the grass, but in a corpse’s embrace… in Alice’s corpse’s embrace.

Although it was said to be Alice, her features were unrecognizable, only the right eyeball remaining intact while the rest of the body had turned into a desiccated corpse, full of cracks. Her arms were crossed over her chest, like a pair of wings, meant to protect the necromancer cradled within.

“I did my best, never really thinking I could actually bring you back,” Chikara said. “I placed your eyeballs on her body, then ignited the Life Fire, hoping to wrest your soul and life from her shell.”

“It seemed eager to push you out, and I didn’t have to do much before transferring you to the eyeball for regeneration. And your old shell has now become the new vessel for Lady Alice.”

“Is that so?” Harvey murmured. “You think I’m not yet ready to quietly enter the grave?”

“Ah?” Chikara was momentarily taken aback, then quickly realized the necromancer was speaking to Alice. However, the orc had witnessed such scenes many times before and didn’t find it strange at all.

“In that case, your Pact with Alice remains valid, and you’re still a slave. But you saved me, and I saved you before, so I consider us even,” Harvey said. “If you want to travel with us, I can assure you that the slave Pact won’t bind you.”

The orc nodded. He hadn’t expected Alice to still exist, but that didn’t affect his decision. “I have one more request for Mr. Harvey.”

“What is it?”

“I want to learn from the Necromancy Sect.”

Harvey was slightly taken aback, his right eye staring intently at the orc.

It wasn’t until the latter began to feel uneasy that Harvey broke into a genuine smile, his lips curling as he said, “Alright. If Igor bullies you in the future, you can come to me.”

As Ashe, Igor, and Gwen passed through the Fog Gate on the silent fifteenth floor, they immediately tensed up, ready for battle.

The fifteenth floor was a vast room with various images playing on the walls. But no one cared about the main theme of the fifteenth floor because all eyes were fixed on the confrontation inside!

On one side was a group of sorcerers in Black Feather uniforms, guarding a Void Gate passage. They looked tense, and despite having a numerical advantage, they didn’t dare to act rashly.

On the other side was Tamashi, holding a Black Feather sorcerer hostage. His gray fox blade was already at the hostage’s throat, a slight move away from decapitation! The hostage’s face was full of resentment, eyes fearless, yet they dared not resist.

After all the effort and danger, they had finally found the main culprit!

Ashe was both excited and furious, barely able to contain his anger. “Tamashi Raven Annihilation!”

“Ashe!”

But Raven was more excited than Ashe. He turned to stare at Ashe, his distorted voice unable to hide his delight. “You came, just as I expected.”

He then let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you’re here.”

Ashe and Igor both frowned, puzzled by the uncharacteristically meek words from Raven…

“Don’t mind me, don’t stop, don’t engage them, just go through this floor!” Raven shouted. “Hurry to the lowest level and stop Silver Lantern!”

“She’s already constructing the World Destruction Procedure, preparing to annihilate Senlo! You’re the only ones left who can stop her!”