Ashe had a rather bad habit: when he felt close to someone (at least in his own eyes), he liked to sling his arm around their shoulders.

Igor found this habit extremely distasteful, but after slapping Ashe’s hand away a few times, he gave up. Whenever Ashe slung his arm around the Con Artist’s shoulder, it always gave the impression of two kittens together-Ashe was a tabby, and Igor was a ragdoll.

Harvey didn’t mind at all, but ironically, Ashe rarely dared to put his arm around Harvey’s shoulders. Walking beside Harvey, Ashe felt like a husky that resembled a wolf, while Harvey was a wolf that resembled a husky.

Tamashi also didn’t mind, but just like his nickname implied, whenever Ashe walked with him, he felt like a pigeon, while Tamashi was a raven. Ashe’s outstretched hand was like a pigeon’s wing-never able to truly grasp the Black Feather.

It was then that Ashe faintly sensed: Tamashi was a person who, like a bird, would never be bound by emotions.

“We,” Ashe exhaled deeply, first exchanging a glance with Igor. The latter nodded silently, having already used a Miracle to confirm that this Raven was the real deal. Then Ashe glanced at the group of predatory Black Feather sorcerers and said, “Let’s help you deal with them first, then go find Silver Lantern.”

“No,” Raven said seriously. “Silver Lantern has been preparing at the lowest level for several hours now. Every second you delay is another second closer to Senlo’s destruction.”

“I heard about this three hours ago, but Tanomoo was right here, so I had to stay. I was planning to kill Tanomoo, then find a way to stop Silver Lantern at the lowest level, but…”

Right!

Igor’s gaze dropped, seeing a heap of corpse fragments and a head. The blood in the neck had long since dried up. The beautiful head lay on the ground, awash in spilled wine and blood, turned just enough to face Ashe and the others. Even with her face marred by dirt, her beauty was unmistakable, and her lips bore a mocking, ambiguous smile.

These corpse fragments were sliced almost perfectly smooth-clearly the work of Raven.

Igor asked, “Mercury Trojan Horse, dead?”

“Tanomoo is dead.” Raven nodded, then shook his head. “But Mercury Trojan Horse isn’t dead yet.”

At that moment, the young sorcerer Raven had been restraining suddenly grabbed the grey fox blade, thrusting his left elbow backward. A wind blade shot from his elbow toward Raven’s back!

Snap!

Raven casually swatted the wind blade aside, and with a light flick of the grey fox blade, sliced off all the youth’s fingers! Yet even after this flurry of attacks, the tip of the grey fox blade remained pressed to the youth’s neck-Raven hadn’t revealed even a second’s opening!

“Charlyn!”

A voice as melodious as wind chimes rang out in the hall: “I order you, you are not allowed to die!”

The youth named Charlyn immediately ceased struggling. He seemed utterly unconcerned with his injuries and, upon hearing the command, could only clench his jaw in humiliation and remain Raven’s captive.

Ashe and company now noticed the young girl surrounded by Black Feather sorcerers. Amidst the tense, battle-ready Black Feather sorcerers, this adorable girl in cat-faced pajamas looked like a hotel guest who had wandered into the wrong room. She seemed only in her teens, with sweet features and large, bright eyes.

Noticing Ashe and the others looking at her, she waved cheerfully and greeted them with enthusiasm, “Long time no see, Lord Ashe, Lord Igor, and Gwen-seeing you doing well after leaving the Four Pillars Cult, I’m relieved.”

Mercury Trojan Horse!

Ashe’s eyes sharpened and he gripped his Honey Sword tightly. Igor also readied his spell, trying to pinpoint Mercury Trojan Horse’s location. But after speaking, Mercury Trojan Horse immediately hid behind the others, protected entirely by the sanctuary. If they wanted to deal with her, they’d first have to get past the human wall of Black Feather sorcerers.

Ashe asked, “So that’s what Mercury Trojan Horse really looks like?”

“No,” Raven said. “Tanomoo’s originals are those rotten scraps on the floor. I’ve dreamed of her-I’d never kill the wrong person. But… she’s not dead yet.”

“Even if the originals are dead, the soul can transfer to a backup vessel?” Ashe sucked in a sharp breath. “The Four Pillars Cult has more than a million followers…”

“She probably can’t transfer her soul out of the Silent Spiral-she can’t even leave this level,” Igor analyzed calmly. “If she could descend at will into other vessels on the wasteland while in the Silent Spiral, she’d already be on the surface commanding the Four Pillars Cult against the Qinyi Alliance, not leaving command to other Bishops.”

“Oh?” Mercury Trojan Horse asked curiously. “The Qinyi Alliance has already advanced this quickly? I hope they can hold out a few more days…”

“Don’t trust her words, but don’t entirely distrust them either. She’s acting as if she really doesn’t know what’s happening on the surface, but maybe she does, or maybe she’s just trying to make us think she does,” Igor said. “The best way to deal with a person like her is not to negotiate. Strike hard while she’s talking. We kill everyone here, then cut off her head-then we’ll know for sure!”

“Understood!” Ashe nodded vigorously. “Just like how I deal with you-this is my specialty!”

“Ashe!” Raven grew anxious. “Are you even listening to me-“

“How nice, Tamashi, you finally have friends who care about you.” Mercury Trojan Horse smiled. “Why refuse their kindness? We all have our entanglements. Before Doomsday arrives, isn’t it nice to settle our old scores? Then we can all march cleanly to hell together.”

“But since you won’t let me live, I won’t show you any mercy either.” She said, “How long will this revenge last? Three hours? Six? Twelve? Or a whole day? I have four sanctuary sorcerers here, thirty-two two-wings sorcerers, and sixty-four One-Winged Sorcerers-let me buy a little more time for Silver Lantern in our final moments. After all, we were once colleagues.”

“Come, then.”

Mercury Trojan Horse’s sweet voice turned chilling and sharp: “I will drag you, and the entire Kingdom of Senlo, down to hell with me!”

Ashe’s face turned cold, his tone filled with rare contempt. “Who are you trying to scare with that, Mercury Trojan Horse?” He sneered. “Trying to threaten me with some moral high ground? Ridiculous. Even a native like you doesn’t care about the Kingdom of Senlo-why should I? Whether it’s three hours or three days, you’re dying here today. Even the descent of the Four Pillars won’t save you. I mean it-“

“I care.”

Ashe turned his head to look at Raven, who nodded slightly towards him, as if pleading, “I care about this land, I care about the people of this land, I want to save the Kingdom of Senlo.”

“I also want to stop Silver Lantern, but I can’t.” Raven spoke his true feelings with a distorted voice, “I originally didn’t want to involve you… but when I found myself powerless, my first reaction was to hope Ashe, hope you would come… only you can help me…”

“Seeing you appear, tears suddenly flowed down, but my heart was as happy as winning a card game, yet my first reaction was to hope you would leave quickly… such a contradictory feeling.” The uneducated Raven could only ramble on to describe his feelings, “Not at all like the old me.”

Mercury Trojan Horse originally wanted to interrupt but closed her mouth upon hearing this.

“I can’t just watch Silver Lantern destroy Senlo, nor can I allow you to stay because of me.” Raven took a deep breath and said, “I know this is a very rude request, clearly you all risked coming here for me, clearly I’ve already implicated you so much… but I still want to ask you.”

“Ashe, Igor, Gwen, I beg you to stop Silver Lantern, to save this Kingdom.”

“We may not be staying because of you.” Igor suddenly said, “Surrounding and killing Mercury Trojan Horse is our common hobby. The destruction of the world is not important, having no Mercury Trojan Horse is.”

“Equating me with the world.” Mercury Trojan Horse said softly, “I truly appreciate Mr. Igor’s affection.”

“I can’t leave you behind.” Ashe said firmly, “We are here to save you, not to save the world, and certainly not to abandon you for Senlo-either we leave together, or we kill Mercury Trojan Horse and leave together.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.” Raven suddenly crushed Charlyn’s left wrist bone, causing the latter to sweat profusely from the pain but remained silent, “I have a hostage.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask.” Igor inquired, “Why does holding him hostage threaten Mercury Trojan Horse? Her standards aren’t that low, are they?”

This sentence seemed to provoke Charlyn’s anger more than the crushed bone, he glared at the Con Artist fiercely, his eyes almost popping out to hit someone.

“He created a Void Gate to a new civilization world, and the geographical location is very advantageous.” Raven said, “Tanomoo plans to lead people through this Void Gate, leaving Senlo for a new Kingdom.”

Ashe and the others were stunned, casting a strange glance at Mercury Trojan Horse-they hadn’t expected that they would share the same view as her, that everyone was here to escape the Silent Spiral, unsure whether to call it kindred spirits or enemies meeting on a narrow path.

The Void Gate guarded by the Black Feather sorcerers was evidently the door to a new world.

No wonder Raven could threaten Mercury Trojan Horse, who knows how much time and resources they spent to create this excellent Void Gate. If before Ashe and the others arrived, this Void Gate was merely ‘relatively precious,’ then after their arrival, its value rose to ‘extremely precious’!

Because Ashe and the others certainly wouldn’t allow Mercury Trojan Horse to leave through the Void Gate!

Frankly speaking, if Mercury Trojan Horse wants to escape, this Void Gate is her last chance. If she misses this Void Gate, then before she creates a new one, Ashe and the others might have already dealt with Silver Lantern and returned. By then, let alone leaving, she might not even be able to keep her life.

Her only way out now is to find a way to take back the hostage from Raven and ensure the safety of the Void Gate!

“As long as I have this hostage, Tanomoo will never dare to act.” Raven said seriously, “I will hold out with her until you return-if you don’t come back, I’ll drag her down with Senlo as a burial for you.”

At this point, Ashe and the others finally sorted out the current situation.

They had anticipated the appearance of Silver Lantern. After all, so many layers of trials in the Silent Spiral were closely related to the Demi-God stolen by Silver Lantern, clearly, the Silent Spiral was initiated by Silver Lantern, not the Four Pillars Cult.

Even Silver Lantern constructing the World Destruction Procedure didn’t surprise Ashe and the others. After all, Silver Lantern had mentioned it so many times, and with her silence for so long, they vaguely felt something big was coming.

The only thing they couldn’t understand was why the Four Pillars Cult was helping Silver Lantern? Wasn’t Mercury Trojan Horse afraid?

The former question still had no answer, but the latter had already been answered personally: Mercury Trojan Horse indeed wasn’t afraid, she herself was ready to lead people to the new world to start anew, as for whether the old world would go bankrupt or be destroyed, it was none of her business.

The hostage Raven was holding now was the key for Mercury Trojan Horse to enter the new world. Therefore, he said he could continue to confront Mercury Trojan Horse, which was indeed true.

Looking at it this way, Ashe and the others could indeed first go to stop Silver Lantern, then return to rendezvous with Raven and together explode Mercury Trojan Horse. But…

Just as Ashe’s expression was uncertain, he suddenly trembled violently, directly kneeling on the ground, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Igor took a closer look and found that a blood-red rune in the shape of a raven appeared at Ashe’s heart, the blood light so vivid that even clothes couldn’t cover it, visible to everyone. Along with the raven, there was a bizarre heart with edges and corners, the raven standing on it, constantly pecking at the heart’s edges.

Igor immediately activated the Miracle ‘Visualization Overlap,’ creating ripples in the Sanctuary of the Black Feather sorcerers, but Mercury Trojan Horse not only didn’t retaliate, she loudly clarified, “Don’t blame us, this has nothing to do with us, it’s just Mr. Ashe’s own problem.”

“He deviated from the main theme of the Raven Annihilation Trial.” She said, “So he suffered the curse of Raven Annihilation.”