Igor’s blood-soaked coat and shirt were removed by Gwen, who tore her own skirt and sleeves to bandage his wounds due to the lack of sufficient bandages-his injuries were too severe, and the hydrotherapy spirit couldn’t manage all the wounds, requiring immediate bleeding control to prevent shock from blood loss.

This silly woman, while bandaging, comforted him with a tearful voice saying, “It won’t hurt, it won’t hurt soon,” which was laughable. The Con Artist surely felt no pain; he was a mental sorcerer who had severed the pain feedback before the attack. However, her noisy presence wasn’t entirely useless; at least Igor wasn’t as sleepy-the massive blood loss and spellforce depletion caused a mental fog, making Igor feel waves of drowsiness…

Yet despite this, Igor maintained a clear understanding of the current situation: one must admit, the mercury bullet shot by the Mercury Trojan Horse was a brilliant move to snatch life from the jaws of death.

Could a mercury bullet really turn someone into a vessel? Was no other ritual track needed?

Could the Mercury Trojan Horse truly reincarnate at will? Could anyone with her bone marrow reincarnate?

They didn’t know the answers to these questions. The ambiguous possibilities weren’t because the Mercury Trojan Horse couldn’t weave a perfect reason but because she deliberately left a window open. As the Con Artist said, the highest realm of deception is telling a story that others are willing to believe.

Humans are simple creatures; if they wish to believe, they will deceive themselves. The Mercury Trojan Horse narrated the key elements of this story, and the more they pondered the other details, the more they believed in the story.

For instance, why did the Mercury Trojan Horse shoot a mercury bullet at Igor? Because she wanted to use Igor for herself; the Mercury Trojan Horse might not reincarnate at will, but facing a life-and-death crisis, she would surely risk great side effects to escape; the bone marrow of the Mercury Trojan Horse was no longer bone marrow but a virus capable of invading brain cells…

Just by thinking simply, Igor had already filled in countless details for the Mercury Trojan Horse’s story. The reason being, he had to believe this story because he couldn’t afford to lose.

If he didn’t believe this story and insisted on killing the Mercury Trojan Horse, he might die or might live; if he believed the story and spared the Mercury Trojan Horse, he would likely remain safe. When facing losses, people always adopt conservative strategies to stop losses, just like no one wants to hold onto a continuously falling stock until it rises again, and Igor was no exception.

However, the choice wasn’t in his hands.

He opened his eyes and looked at the dark silhouette in the hall.

No one understood Raven’s feelings for the Mercury Trojan Horse better than he did, not even Ashe, and even Raven himself didn’t understand his inner true thoughts as well as Igor did.

Raven always thought he hated the Mercury Trojan Horse, but no one who hates someone constantly recalls the other’s beauty and kindness. When you hate someone, you only remember their disgust, flaws, ugliness; when you hate someone, you feel that memories of them seem so foul; when you hate someone, you only feel how foolish you were to have liked them in the past.

If Raven truly hated the Mercury Trojan Horse, he would only remember her evil deeds.

Only when you love someone do you remember all the beautiful memories with them.

Yes, Raven still deeply loved the Mercury Trojan Horse; he loved the kind White Crow in his memory, so he had to kill the Mercury Trojan Horse before him. The more he loved White Crow Tanomoo, the more he hated the Mercury Trojan Horse; killing the Mercury Trojan Horse was protecting Tanomoo.

He hadn’t even realized that he instinctively separated Tanomoo from the Mercury Trojan Horse. If Raven Annihilation pursued other villains with anger to brew killing intent, then Raven brewed killing intent with love, more enduring than anger, deeper than hatred.

When love and hatred intertwined, brewing this exquisite killing intent, it was enough to make anyone lose their mind.

Ashe could previously persuade Raven to give up revenge because Raven himself saw no hope for revenge. But now, with the Mercury Trojan Horse right in front of him, this might be his only chance in life, and even Ashe couldn’t stop him.

Moreover, this was Raven Annihilation’s trial; if Raven wanted to spare the Mercury Trojan Horse, the overwhelming guilt would crush Raven’s mental defenses, and only the Mercury Trojan Horse’s blood could wash away this guilt!

Igor had many reasons to persuade Raven, such as other Four Pillars Cult members might already be in the Silent Spiral, and even if they killed him and the Mercury Trojan Horse, she might reincarnate into another vessel to escape; even if they spared the Mercury Trojan Horse, the Four Pillars Cult was about to be destroyed, and they could easily capture her later; and…

But the Con Artist said nothing, merely closing his eyes silently.

Only Gwen couldn’t help but shout at Raven, “Mr. Tamashi! Please, please…”

Raven still pressed down on the Mercury Trojan Horse, his wrist holding the grey fox blade trembling slightly. The Mercury Trojan Horse also remained silent, closing her eyes and waiting quietly, as if waiting for Raven to embrace her into sleep.

What should I do?

What should I do!?

Should I really let her go? As long as I can kill her completely, I wouldn’t mind dying immediately. Now that I’ve finally cornered her, how can I… how can I…

“Cough! Cough!”

Igor suddenly coughed out two mouthfuls of blood mixed with organ fragments, his head tilting as he fainted. Raven turned and saw that the Con Artist’s injuries far exceeded Gwen’s abilities. The hydrotherapy spirit was indeed powerful, but facing such massive bleeding from multiple wounds required multiple healing sorcerers to rescue him, and now there was only Gwen, a Star sorcerer, filling in.

In other words, Igor was likely beyond saving.

If for a dead man, he spared a villain who deserved death…

How many people had Tanomoo harmed? How many had she killed? She sparked a war that swept across the continent; she was the root of all evil. If he spared her here, how many lives would suffer because of her? How many villains would he have to kill to repay this sin?

What exactly have I been living for up to now? Why didn’t I take my own life when the Raven Annihilation Cult was destroyed? How could I have missed that chance?

As long as… as long as I sacrifice Igor…

I won’t let him die alone. As long as I’m sure Tanomoo is dead, I’ll kill myself immediately to atone for him. Serving him in hell for a hundred or a thousand years means nothing to me. Besides, maybe Tanomoo was lying, maybe…

Gradually, the hand Black Raven held the grey fox blade with grew steady. His hand, which had been gripping Mercury Trojan Horse’s scapula, now shifted to her throat.

Mercury Trojan Horse sensed this subtle change, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint smile, making Black Raven lose himself for a moment-Tanomoo used to hold him and smile at him just like that when they slept.

Qieshu, Kalan, Arnoi, Ye Lu, Mentor, and… Tanomoo…

Please… hold my hand tightly…

Sorry, Igor. Really… truly sorry…

“Raven! Annihilation!”

Black Raven cried out every word, stabbing down ruthlessly with the grey fox blade!

“If a criminal takes a hostage and demands a vehicle for escape, what would you do?”

In the Mud House’s “Gambling Apocalypse,” Emma, who was gambling with Igor one-on-one, suddenly asked a strange question.

At this point, Igor already knew Emma was a Blood Hunter, so he gave the politically correct answer for Blood Moon: “Of course, the top priority is ensuring the hostage’s safety, so I’d do my best to meet the criminal’s demands.”

“But what if the criminal escapes and later kills even more people?”

“That would be the responsibility of the Sin Hunter’s Hall, and it has nothing to do with the hostage.”

“But reality is never that ideal, is it? Sin Hunter’s Hall isn’t God.” Emma tossed a few chips forward. “Sometimes you have to weigh the value of different lives. The life of a single hostage, versus the lives of those who might be killed in the future-whose life is really worth more?”

“If anyone could truly judge the value of different lives,” Igor smiled, “then that must be God. But I’m not a Blood Hunter, so I don’t face those kinds of choices-so Emma, what would you do in a situation like that?”

Emma made a handgun gesture, aiming at Igor. “I’d fire a shot at them.”

“You’d better not say that outside.” Igor glanced around. “If a reporter heard, you’d make the headlines.”

“Relax, relax.” Emma waved her hand. “But do you know why I’d do that?”

Igor: “You must be confident in your Gunmanship, that you’d hit the criminal accurately.”

“That’s part of it, but who can really guarantee it? What if I hit the hostage by mistake? It’s not impossible.” Emma shrugged. “But even if I kill the hostage, I’d feel no guilt.”

“Oh?” Igor was a bit surprised. Though Emma was a Blood Hunter, she was first and foremost Moonshadow. The Moonshadow are all twisted into being kind and passionate; if they do something wrong, they could feel so bad they wouldn’t eat for months, forming a sharp contrast with the cold-blooded Blood Saints.

“My bullet could hit the criminal, or it could hit the hostage. If it hits the hostage, I’ll keep shooting at the criminal-meaning fate decided the hostage’s life was worth less. If it hits the criminal, then all is well-fate decided the hostage’s life was worth more.”

“So, this is ‘the bullet of fate.’” Emma raised her bet. “I’ve done everything I can. As for judging the value of life, I’ll leave that to fate.”

“That’s very much your style, Miss Emma.” Igor smiled. “Call, reveal-straight flush.”

“Pff, I had four aces!” Emma’s tail shot up in shock, her face incredulous. “You really didn’t cheat?”

“As a Mud House that trades in entertainment and pleasure, I have no need to cheat. If you’re suspicious, you can check the surveillance footage.” Igor spread his hands.

“All right, all right. I’m not a sore loser.” Emma muttered. As Igor shuffled the cards, she added, “But the ‘bullet of fate’ has a third possibility.”

“Oh?”

“That is-it misses.” The werewolf lady shrugged. “Neither the criminal nor the hostage gets hit.”

Igor laughed and asked, “Doesn’t that mean, Miss Emma, your Gunmanship isn’t up to par?”

“Of course not!” Emma puffed up with indignation. “If something unexpected happens and my bullet misses, that means-“

“-fate has its own plans.”

“Ah…”

Igor felt himself lying in a soft embrace, struggling to open his eyes, his lips dry as if they were burning. Gwen hurried to give him water, but there wasn’t much left, so she quickly used a spirit to condense more from the air.

The Con Artist lowered his head and discovered that most of his wounds had stopped bleeding, though each injury had developed a hideously ugly burn scar, making him raise his eyebrows.

“In the future, you can use hydrotherapy spirits to remove the scars,” Gwen whispered. “Don’t worry.”

Igor certainly wasn’t worried about his looks. He was already a sanctuary sorcerer-he could be as ugly as Chikara and still act with impunity.

He raised his head and saw Black Raven sitting with his back to him, shoulders trembling slightly. In the hall, there was no sign of Mercury Trojan Horse.

“Black Raven…” he said weakly.

Black Raven didn’t respond right away. He lowered his head, as if putting the raven mask back on, and then turned to look at him. “You’re awake? Do you feel anything strange? Did Tanomoo control you?”

Igor gently shook his head. Looking at the raven mask, now covered in blood, he asked, “You let her go?”

“Mm.”

“You know, she won’t let this go.”

“Mm.”

“You know, Harvey and the others are still upstairs. Maybe Mercury Trojan Horse was killed by them.”

“Mm.”

“You know, she’s probably lying, and if she survives, she’ll lead the Four Pillars Cult to continue ravaging the Senlo wasteland.”

“Mm.”

“But you still let her go,” Igor said, glancing at Raven’s chest. “And in your heart, there is no blood raven formed by guilt.”

Raven remained silent, merely looking down at the grey fox blade resting on his lap, as if in repentance or prayer.

Igor gazed at him quietly, then suddenly asked, “How did you heal my wounds so quickly?”

Gwen took out a copper wine bottle, and Igor actually recognized it. “Isn’t this the Mercury Trojan Horse’s bottle?”

“This is Crow’s Blood Wine, brewed from the corpse of a sanctuary sorcerer,” Raven said, his distorted voice still carrying a hint of the aftermath of tears. “Pour it on the wound and ignite it with fire, it stops the bleeding quickly. Before she left, she told me how to use this wine.”

Afraid that if I died, Raven would regret it… Igor smiled faintly and asked, “Is there any wine left?”

“There’s still half,” Gwen replied.

Igor said, “Tamashi, bring three cups over, let’s drink.”

Raven said, “You drink, you’re the injured one.”

“No, we must all three toast together,” Igor insisted. “To celebrate.”

“Celebrate what?” Raven brought over three cups, puzzled. “We let the Mercury Trojan Horse go, we’ve already failed…”

Igor raised his cup with difficulty and said, “Let’s just… celebrate that fate has its own plans.”

Though Gwen and Raven were somewhat confused, they didn’t refuse the proposal. Gwen raised her cup, “To our safety.”

Igor smiled wryly, “In our state… we’re a bit off from being safe and sound.”

Igor didn’t mention it, but Raven was also covered in wounds, and only Gwen was slightly better off, though still lightly injured.

Raven looked down at the clear Crow’s Blood Wine in his cup and raised it, “Then I’ll… toast to a new beginning.”

On the fifteenth level of the Silent Spiral, the three cups clinked gently together.

On the eighteenth level of the Silent Spiral.

When Ashe stepped out of the Fog Gate, he found that the gate behind him had disappeared.

Though there was no way back, Ashe wasn’t particularly alarmed. He looked around and found himself in a tropical forest, lush with trees, cicadas singing and birds flying, with the distant sound of waves. He followed the sound and saw a beautiful beach.

A figure in a dress was walking barefoot on the beach. Ashe intended to approach directly but reconsidered and removed his steel-soled boots, stepping barefoot onto the sand.

The fine texture of the sand seemed to massage every inch of his feet, a sensation he hadn’t enjoyed in a long time, causing him to shiver with pleasure. He then caught up with the figure ahead. Their footprints were the only ones on the beach, like two lines about to intersect.

Suddenly, a wave surged up, the residual foam washing over their ankles, the cool and pleasant sensation making Ashe want to call others down to play.

“Silver Lantern,” he called out when he was five steps away.

“You’re just in time,” Vesser pointed to the sky. “It just rained heavily, so now it’s the clear blue after the rain. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Ashe glanced at the sky and then at her-indeed, she was drenched, as if she had just been caught in the rain.

Her words reminded Ashe of a song lyric: “The sky waits for the rain, and I am waiting for you.”

“What brings you here?” Vesser asked. “I don’t recall sending you an invitation.”

“I heard you were constructing a World Destruction Procedure here, so I came to check it out,” Ashe replied.

“World Destruction Procedure?” Vesser chuckled. “There’s no such thing-even an angel doesn’t have the power to destroy the world, right?”

“However, my being here is indeed related to world destruction.” She glanced at Ashe. “You know that Senlo is the Dream of the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo, right?”

“Mm.”

“So destroying the world is actually quite simple,” Vesser said lightly. “This place is the lowest level of the entire Kingdom of Senlo, the closest to reality. I don’t have any World Destruction Procedure. The reason I went through so much trouble to get here is because-“

“This is the easiest place to awaken the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo.”

The waves surged again, soaking their ankles and taking away some sand. The sun shone fiercely, distant seagulls cried out clearly, and small hermit crabs emerged from the sand, bumping into Ashe’s foot.

“Did you succeed?”

“Halfway.”

Ashe couldn’t help but laugh. “The Chasm Sovereign of Senlo went back to sleep?”

Vesser didn’t answer, instead asking, “Don’t you think the first seventeen Trials of the Silent Spiral are like checkpoints in an Inheritance?”

“Mm.”

“A normal person could never collect seventeen Demi-Gods, and even if they did, they might not pass the seventeen Trials. But if someone accomplished both and successfully reached the eighteenth level, what do you think that means?”

Ashe thought for a moment. “It means she would be noticed by the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo?”

“Or rather,” Vesser said, “this is how the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo selects an heir.”

“The Silent Spiral is actually the Inheritance of Senlo.”

“The Chasm Sovereign of Senlo is gradually waking up. And I am about to gradually fall asleep.”

“I will replace the Chasm Sovereign of Senlo and become the Dream Master of the Kingdom of Senlo,” Vesser said, looking at Ashe. “I am the World Destruction Procedure.”