Sorcerer’s Handbook

Hiss, hiss, hiss—

Unnoticed, invisible threads had already entangled Sonya and Deya. The threads on their bodies were dark and sticky, like the tongues of a quagmire, like the barbs of a demon. Within seconds, they accumulated thicker and thicker, imprisoning them in a decaying cage.

“Ah! How filthy!” Deya exclaimed, jumping up and frantically trying to pull off the web. However, the threads, elusive and intangible, not only resisted her efforts but grew denser, turning her already mottled appearance into that of a thoroughly dirty girl. Moreover, as she shifted around in her chair, one of the chair legs suddenly broke, sending her crashing to the ground.

“You—” Sonya’s eyes sharpened as she drew her sword and charged at Danzel, but the next second, it was as if she tripped over something. She fell hard on the wooden floor, her sword flying out of her grasp!

Such was the terror of Weaving!

Danzel effortlessly eliminated two enemies!

Ashe was dumbfounded, only recovering his senses a moment later. He turned to Danzel and said, “paramour, was that really necessary? We don’t even have our memories, maybe—”

“There are no maybes.” Danzel gently pressed his face against Ashe’s, his deep purple lips brushing against the corner of Ashe’s mouth, “As you said, character determines memory. I know very well what kind of person I am. If I truly love someone, then that person will be the only one in my heart, and I will demand that no one else be reflected in their pupils but me.”

“If, Knight, you truly are my paramour… If I truly am your lover…”

“Then I will not let you leave me, nor will I allow anyone else to approach you. Love is the exclusivity of each other; love is mutual possession.”

“Although I don’t know why the past me didn’t eliminate those two bugs beside you…” Danzel’s tone remained flat, as if merely discussing why there was no Lala Fatty in today’s breakfast: “But I am certain, the future me will thank the me of now for what I am doing.”

Ashe had not anticipated that the harmonious relationships he painstakingly built could backfire. During the recent deduction of personal relationships, it was clear Ashe had his own motives; he intentionally positioned himself as the central node among everyone, naturally aiming to garner attention and even affection.

Indeed, the results had been quite favorable. Deya, his sister, listened to him well. Sonya, though still cautious, was gradually opening up to him. Danzel, more introverted and reserved, seemed under Ashe’s control. With his deliberate guidance, at least no violent fights had broken out in the cabin.

However, Danzel had been silent because he didn’t believe Ashe’s speculations at all, letting him ramble on. But when Ashe, through interactions with phantoms such as the Empress, proved that he indeed was Danzel’s paramour, Danzel finally showed a glimpse of his true nature—a terrifying sea monster awakening beneath the calm surface.

Seeing the actual entities suddenly fighting, the Swordswoman in the Phantom faction slightly narrowed her eyes, her fingertips touching the ruby hilt of her sword—

A chilling gaze pierced through the Phantom’s shell. The Swordswoman slightly tilted her head, noticing the Observer smiling at her. After a moment of silence, she withdrew her fingers from the hilt, and the Observer then looked away.

The Witch watched the women fight with great interest, while only the Empress noticed the interaction between the two Phantoms, a hint of confusion crossing her eyes.

Noticing Ashe trying to break free from his embrace, Danzel held him tighter, “Don’t move; let me handle this. It will be over soon, and I don’t want to hurt you…”

However, Ashe suddenly turned around and firmly embraced Danzel. Danzel was slightly taken aback but then compliantly buried himself in Ashe’s chest.

Though devoid of any memories, this sensation… wasn’t too bad.

“You are a very dangerous woman,” Ashe whispered into her ear. “Dazzling and enchanting, yet your emotions are so intense and crazy. If it were up to me, I would be utterly bewitched by you, to the extent of risking ruin and destruction.”

“I even wonder if we came here to lure those two here and deal with them, so we could then be together without any worries forever.”

Caught in the battle with the webs, Deya froze, lying on the ground staring at Ashe’s back. Sonya, who was just about to stand up, fell again, but this time it seemed particularly painful, and tears appeared about to spill from her eyes.

Danzel’s calm face finally showed a trace of joy: “I’m glad you can understand my decision.”

“But,” Ashe held Danzel tightly, “that’s impossible because…”

“I know I’m not the kind of man who can be ruthless.”

The Witch chuckled for some reason, though no one noticed her laughter because—

Whoosh!

Blue flames ignited on Ashe’s body. Danzel tried to break free, but found himself completely overpowered by Ashe, even with the enhancement of his troop type!

It wasn’t just strength—those four layers of armor protecting him felt like air as Ashe easily broke through, leaving Danzel almost naked and utterly controlled!

The armor was effortlessly penetrated by the blue flames… This was an ability that ignored armor!

The blue flames solidified and transformed into armor on Ashe’s body, arming him as a Stardust Fighter!

Star Hall Meteoric Warrior!

Ashe slightly squatted, leaning back with force, and with his upper body, he took Danzel down—

Back slam!

Crash!

The passionate bass cannon vibrated through the entire cabin, and the surrounding furniture trembled as if applauding.

Danzel felt dizzy, and by the time he regained his senses, he found Ashe straddling him. Ashe pressed his elbow against Danzel’s neck and said earnestly, “Break their Weaving.”

“Kill me then.”

“Huh?”

“If you must protect them, then kill me.” Danzel’s tone was calm: “I won’t regret it nor change my decision. Now you are my lover, and they are my enemies. Only one of us can survive—now, I leave this decision to you.”

“We don’t even have our memories now, can’t we—”

“Do you really rely on those clichés that have solidified?” Danzel said. “If we were to lose our memories from this point on and had to start anew, would you choose to stay with me and leave them behind in this cabin?”

Ashe was silent for a moment. Danzel, wearing an eye mask, seemed to see everything, his tone tinged with disappointment: “It seems you’ve already made your choice.”

“My reasoning isn’t finished yet.”

Suddenly, Ashe spoke, “Although it’s likely we are intimate, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m the intimate one for all of you.”

“paramour, did you not notice that you remembered your ability as the ‘Girl of Peeping’ when you saw that painting? That’s your title.”

Danzel was taken aback: “You mean—”

“The one you truly love might not be me,” Ashe glanced at Deya behind him, “It could be her.”

“If we lose all our memories after leaving the cabin, you certainly wouldn’t regret a killing spree now. But what if you killed them and upon leaving the cabin, you found that your true love was among the dead? Would you regret it then?”

Danzel fell silent.

Ashe breathed a sigh of relief internally and pressed his offensive: “You see, here, killing could lead to irreversible negative outcomes, but helping could only result in positive ones. Even if you helped your enemies by mistake, you could seek retribution once your memories return. There’s really no need for conflict—”

“What about lovers?” Danzel suddenly said. “Knights and sisters appear in my title, but not lovers. If I killed her, there should be no risk, right?”

Ashe paused for a moment, then nodded: “Yes.”

Sonya was startled; she didn’t try to get up, nor did she scream or plead. Instead, like a little girl under a big tree, she just stared stubbornly at the patterns on the wooden floor, refusing to indicate anything to Ashe through her actions.

“But she is my lover now, and I am her knight,” Ashe said earnestly. “Could you do me a favor?”

“Why not just kill me?”

“Because you are my paramour now, and—” Ashe tilted his head slightly, “I don’t want to have regrets either.”

Danzel and Ashe locked eyes through a layer of eye mask, and after three breaths, she nodded slightly: “Okay, but you owe me one.”

“I will repay you.”

As Ashe pulled Danzel up, the cobwebs on Sonya and Deya also silently dispersed.

The four exchanged glances, and naturally, Sonya, who had just been embarrassingly entangled in cobwebs, was not in a good mood, and even Deya dared to stealthily glare at Danzel. However, Danzel remained expressionless, showing no intention of apologizing.

Ashe sighed, wondering if building this castle in the air had been a mistake, and bravely stepped between them: “How about we just answer the question first?”

Hearing the plea in Ashe’s tone, Sonya glared at him fiercely but reluctantly sat down. Deya grabbed Ashe’s hand, bit it hard, then blew on it, showing she was also very angry, and sat next to Sonya.

“Is it over?” the Witch said, seemingly a bit disappointed. “Then let’s start answering the questions.”

At this point, the three looked towards Danzel, and Ashe asked, “Do you know the answer to this question?”

Danzel nodded, activating her “Peeping” ability, and the pattern lines on the spider web eye mask glowed with a shimmering purple light.

“My answer is—her.”

In the Fanmula, Senhaeser Family district.

“It’s already three o’clock, Ashe’s connection to the Virtual Realm is stable,” Banjeet reported. “It looks like the Bliss and Comfort Firm hasn’t made a move tonight.”

“Or perhaps they have already retreated in defeat,” Annan, lying in bed with a facial mask, said. “Underestimating Ashe can lead to a big loss.”

“But Mr. Heath hasn’t appeared on any ranking list…”

“He did, and he is in first place,” Annan said with her eyes closed. “You don’t think the first place on the Art Ranking is my masterpiece, do you?”

“But it could also be influenced by the arrangements made by Miss you…”

“If it were the effect of those arrangements, then why haven’t Igor and the others made it to the top?” Annan said. “Since the Gospel has chosen Ashe, it means there must be some exceptional qualities in Ashe that we are unaware of. We might get a surprise from him when we check the news tomorrow morning.”

“You should go rest, I’m about to enter the Virtual Realm.”

Banjeet nodded, carefully closed the door without making a sound. Annan lay in bed for a moment, but she did not summon a spirit to open the Gate of Truth; instead, she called up the Gospel.

“Let’s confirm the plan one more time…” Miss murmured softly, touching the Gospel lightly, and her account’s remaining points began depleting at a startling rate.

At the same time, her eyes were covered with a spider web eye mask.

This was the greatest secret of the Dolan Family, a treasure that the Senhaeser Family had long coveted but never obtained.

It was also Annan’s ace up her sleeve for daring to Desecrate the Divine Master!

“Account: Danzel Dolan”

“Password: Danzel Miller Clement Joseph… Lex Annan”

“Verification successful, welcome back, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“By the burning name of Dolan, break through the net of the Gospel!” Annan’s voice became distant and cold, as if she was speaking through someone else’s voice: “Let me see further into the future.”