Mage Manual

Chapter 1653 - 1214: Ash’s Nemesis

The unique wonder constructed by the Mirror Demon, "Mage Slayer," although its power has no limit, is actually a trash wonder. The reason is that this wonder is only effective when your magic realm can fully crush the enemy, but if your magic realm can already crush the enemy, you could win with any miracle, just like the Divine Lord attacking a demigod wouldn’t need to use any skills, a casual normal attack could explode the demigod.

Moreover, "Mage Slayer" must be custom-made based on the enemy’s physical parameters. If the enemy realizes this flaw and continuously modifies their parameters, "Mage Slayer" must change accordingly—except for the End Five, no one in the world can do this.

Therefore, the original "Mage Slayer" looks beautiful but is practically useless garbage. To make Ash use this wonder, the Mirror Demon divided the "Mountain of Corpses and Blood Sea" into the concepts of life and death, with the concept of life left in Senluo’s revived land, and the concept of death integrated into the wonder to perfect the Mage Slayer.

The updated Mage Slayer doesn’t require Ash to personally ’forge the sword’—he doesn’t have the brain for it—he only needs to summon these three swords, and they will continuously collect enemy information during battle, forging themselves into the enemy’s nemesis.

They are the enemy’s destined death.

Although simpler in usage, it has actually become weaker. Compared to the Mirror Demon being able to instantly forge a sword, the current Mage Slayer not only requires waiting for them to automatically forge, but during this process, Mage Slayer can be destroyed.

If destroyed, one must wait for the wonder to slowly recover. Thus, Ash pursued Star Law in a blaze of glory, forcing them into a state of constant flight, unable to break free.

Though the Angel of Law finally noticed its mystery, the forging was already complete.

At this moment, it is time to draw the sword!

"Realm of Suffering," "Sorrowful Curtain," "Star Sea Chessboard!"

Sword Law instantly expanded its defense to the limit, Star Law hid the two in the most secret corners of the rain curtain. But all resistance was meaningless, Ash solemnly raised his blade, imbuing all his aspirations and spirit within. "Mage Slayer" gathered not only the enemy’s information but everything about himself as well; the higher his magic realm, the deeper his emotions, the more invincible the Mage Slayer becomes.

Thus he could not lose, for he now bore the entirety of the Sword Maiden... How could the Sword Maiden possibly lose!?

Ash swung his sword down, instantaneously teleporting to Sword Law, shattering the Realm of Suffering, Sorrowful Curtain, and all defense wonders, striking out a violent red on the law angel’s exceedingly delicate robes!

He let go of Sword Law Buster, no longer paying attention to the severely injured Sword Law, immediately drawing the second sword from his back.

His tone grew more composed, but his killing intent increased rather than diminished: "This sword is named, Star Law Buster."

Ignoring the need to heal Sword Law, Star Law activated its strongest defensive secret technique, suddenly transforming into starlight and dispersing, merging into the world around.

This is a method only possible with both a quasi-star soul body and a star ocean, allowing Star Law to instantaneously teleport to all positions on the Star Sea Chessboard, thus being decomposed into tens of millions of parts, merging into the star sea. In past divine wars, she evaded the All-knowing Weaver’s prophecy of certain death, the Lord of Infinite Abyss’s space-time collapse, and just now Ash’s Red Water Moon had no effect on her, for she merged into the star sea in that moment, seemingly without moving due to the extreme speed.

Star Law would never merge into the star sea unless in a critical situation, as even though she is a quasi-star, such extreme decomposition of the soul body will cause irreversible damage to the magic temple, losing an area of one palace every second it continues. If not for being pressured by Ash, Star Law would never use this move to avoid danger.

But how could the wonder meticulously prepared for Ash by the Mirror Demon be eluded by mere angels?

When Ash raised the Star Law Buster high, Star Law was forcibly pulled back before him, like a sinner willingly accepting judgment. Star Law finally realized why the "Boundary of Bitter Sea" and the "Sorrowful Curtain" couldn’t protect Sword Law—Mage Slayer could crack the World Secret Domain!

Or rather, Mage Slayer could crack everything. Star Law thought she could merge into the star sea, but Ash could cut through sun, moon, and stars with a single sword!

Perhaps even the four descended divine lords lost because of this move... those divine lords of the World Secret Domain are indeed not his match.

Ash swung his sword down, slicing out brilliant starlight from the oldest law angel, as if her body contained a galaxy. Star Law uttered a cry, the blood she vomited turned into scattered star fragments, like a kite with broken strings falling to the ground.

The slash was too shallow.

Looking at the two severely injured angels of law, Ash sighed in his heart.

The operational mechanism of Mage Slayer can be seen as having a progress bar for accumulation and explosion, the closer the progress bar is to full, the closer it is to the target of a one-hit kill. The Mirror Demon can instantly catalyze the progress bar to full, but Ash can only wait for it to gradually increase, however, due to the law angels seeing through his intent, he was forced to draw the sword early, hence the current Mage Slayer is not at its strongest state, roughly only at 80%.

Though he couldn’t completely resolve the angels of law, Ash was not worried at all.

He still has the third sword.

Not only the experience of failure to eliminate angels twice can be integrated into the third sword, but more importantly, Ash feels that he is also reaching the strongest state. The second Prison Wings have already grown from the Void Wings behind him, the Sword Maiden’s power fully merged with him, the upcoming third sword is the final judgment descended by him and the Sword Maiden together!

Ash reaches out to grasp the third sword, his eyes at this moment transform into the luster of ruby, overwhelming killing resentment fills every corner of the rain curtain.

Star Law and Sword Law hold their breath, in their eyes Ash is no longer a ’demigod’ mage, but a great being that combines the supreme and immense of a king with the deepest and darkest of an evil ghost. At this moment, a fear they absolutely do not want to accept finally emerges in the angels of law’s hearts, a fear named failure.

Perhaps, only the lord could conquer this man, the angels of law thought.

Tick-tock.

Amidst the shining rain of stars, the sound of a liquid drop hitting the ground is so insignificant, yet in the ears of the law-bound Angel, it resounds like thunder.

Because it’s a drop of blood, a drop from Ash.

Ash lowered his head, looking at the hand holding the third sword. His hand’s flesh was rolling, blood dripping like an invisible blade was slicing through his soul body, and this torture hadn’t ended; the blood marks stretched up along his arm. He looked up into the distance, as if he could see a high-up tyrant, ruling over his fate to endure immense pain.

But Ash didn’t care about the pain on his soul body... he had finally figured out one thing.

The Six-winged Trial of the Sword Maiden wasn’t about seeing her mother; she had something to say that only her mother would understand. In this world, only the embrace of two people was a place where she could cry and confide, so she sought out her mother... because the one who hurt her was another person.

Sonia’s Six-winged Trial wasn’t a curse, but confronting the true emotions within herself.

This bold and proud girl was actually running away all along. She and Ash created countless happy memories to anesthetize herself, using numerous reasons to convince herself, trying to establish friendly relations with Witch Silver Lamp Vishi to suppress herself, thinking she could run far enough to be okay, believing she could drag things out indefinitely, until a Miracle or Death occurred.

But the Six-winged Trial didn’t allow her to continue escaping, so she was caught by her own heart. She felt so exhausted, so weak, not because of pain, but because she was suppressing herself.

She was suppressing her sadness, her grievances, and her...

Hatred.

Blood marks crossed Ash’s shoulder, spreading to his chest. Yet Ash was still in a daze, letting himself be torn into a shattered state.

Indeed, how could she not hate him? It was he who nurtured her pride, who brought her to this stage, who she tried so hard for, at all costs, just to be worthy of his help; she only had one insignificant request, which anyone would consider far too modest... yet he insisted on trampling on her Heart’s Desire.

Ash was not unaware; he was not arrogant enough to believe everyone would tolerate him, but he thought it wasn’t that serious, he thought he could handle it, so he tried to understand Sonia... That’s his sin, rightfully his to bear.

Thus, Sonia gave him a chance, an opportunity for empathy, a moment for Ash to know...

Just how much she hated him.

All sounds became distant, all light turned dim, Ash felt himself at the center of Darkness, overwhelming Killing Intent engulfed him, even Death became a luxury... No wonder Sonia was in such agony, she was disguising herself all along, her seemingly comfortable body hidden a Monster capable of world destruction, surely it’s exhausting?

Actually, Ash was also evading.

He always fantasized about everyone’s Happiness, always believed he could create Miracles, not to mention if that’s possible, but before he found them, what about everyone else?

Ash recalled the Witch’s plea in the Tower, Vishi’s stubbornness in the Imperial Palace, Sonia’s cries in her mother’s embrace... He thought he was choosing options beneficial for all, but it was merely his self-centered wishfulness. Before they reached an end, everyone was already battered and bruised.

Just like he was now.

Blood marks spread across Ash’s body, his heart and face, splitting like cracked timber along its grain, bleeding vividly.

The Sword Law Buster, collecting everyone’s information, forging a lethal blade according to the spellcasters’ will. So Ash, upon grabbing the third sword, Sword Law Buster tore through his soul body.

Because the third sword was named Ash Buster.

His Bonds with Sword Maiden reached their peak at this moment, he fully accepted the thoughts of Sword Maiden. He once thought he understood Sword Maiden, but truly embracing Sword Maiden’s Resentment, he realized he could not bear a bit of it... Thus, even a trace of Resentment from Sword Maiden cast the Sword Law Buster to be his nemesis.

No wonder this Six-winged Trial was difficult for him.

No wonder the Void Realm accepted such a proposal.

Because Ash indeed couldn’t pass the trial... How could he ever defeat Sword Maiden?

Without even pulling out Sword Maiden’s sword, he was already utterly defeated.

Ash’s Holy Domain quietly disintegrated, Sword Rain fell at the corner of his eye, leaving a blood mark that appeared as a tear of blood. His Void Wings vanished into thin air, his bleeding soul body drained of strength, plunging downwards, like a red embellishment between Heaven and Earth.

Beneath him, two law-bound Angels teleported to receive him.