The Sorcerer's Handbook

Denzel was about to speak before a sudden realization forced her to bite back the words.

Ashe raised the contract. ”There’s a loophole here. What if we sign this and you kill us immediately? If our souls are damaged and we’re locked out of the Virtual World for two weeks, wouldn’t we inevitably breach the agreement?”

Denzel removed her decorative glasses, her gaze dropping to the contract. ”I hadn’t considered that. You’re overthinking things, Sir Knight.”

Ashe countered, ”I’ve been burned by contracts one too many times lately, so I’ve learned to be cautious. If you truly have no such intention, why not add a clause that restricts you as well? And make sure it includes your subordinates. You could always just have them do your dirty work.”

Denzel stared at Ashe in a long, heavy silence. The cold glint in her eyes confirmed his suspicions were right on the mark. Sonya and Dia shifted to his sides, their stances making it clear they wouldn’t let Denzel have her way so easily.

Ashe glanced at the horizon, where the golden light was being steadily devoured by gray. ”The Static Zone is almost here. If you can’t make a decision, my dear Empress, then we’ll take our leave.”

Denzel’s face darkened. With a sharp wave of her hand, a new line of text manifested on the contract.

Clause 5: For one hour following the signing, Party A and all units under their command are prohibited from killing Party B.

”As you wish.”

For the first time, Ashe detected a flicker of genuine emotion in Denzel’s voice. This was clearly the limit of her concessions. The Hero Commander was far too shrewd. She knew exactly how to bind them.

Ashe and the others exchanged a look. They knew they couldn’t progress without signing. Finally, they channeled their mana, leaving their imprints upon the contract.

As the paper dissolved into embers, Ashe felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It was that same suffocating mix of coercion and temptation, the helpless feeling of being backed into a corner where endurance was the only option. It was a pattern he knew all too well.

With the contract signed, the life-and-death trial was finally over. Ashe let out a breath and gave Denzel a dismissive wave. ”Then we’ll be going. See you next time—”

”Who said you could leave?”

In a blur, Denzel shifted back into her Assassin Specialist form. She became a streak of black shadow, lunging at Ashe and sending him spiraling back with a devastating palm strike.

Miracle, Fission Wave Slash!

Miracle, Chain Blade!

Sonya and Dia retaliated instantly, but their strikes failed to pierce the dense, invisible armor of Denzel’s units. Ignoring their defense entirely, Denzel snatched them both out of the air and hurled them aside.

Miracle, Sword Painting!

Ashe’s Swordheart arrived a heartbeat late. Since upgrading his Sword Class spirits to the Two-Winged stage in the Legendary Library, his Miracles had surged in power. His burst damage still couldn’t touch Sonya’s, and his sustained damage... well, that fell short of hers too. But he wasn’t weak, and anyone who underestimated him usually paid the price.

Smack!

Denzel casually slapped the Swordheart aside and pinned Ashe to the dirt, raining down blows. Sonya and Dia didn’t let up, unleashing Miracle after Miracle, but Denzel simply tanked the hits and knocked them back whenever they got too close.

After several exchanges, Ashe realized something. Though he was taking a humiliating beating, he wasn’t actually injured. A thought struck him. He raised his hands to shield his face and shouted, ”You two, log out now! Before it’s too late!”

”It’s already too late.”

Denzel grabbed Sonya by the wrist and flung her toward Dia. The Witch canceled her Miracle just in time to catch her teammate.

Then, Denzel unilaterally declared a ceasefire. ”It’s over. We’re done fighting.”

Since when do you call the shots?

Sonya wanted to snap back, but seeing the massive gap in their strength, she swallowed her pride. ”Then get off him first.”

The Hero Commander shrugged and complied, stepping away from Ashe. She looked up at the sky. ”It’s over.”

Sonya followed her gaze, and her heart sank.

The sky had become a battlefield of gold and gray. The golden rain was in full retreat, and the gray tide surged forward relentlessly. The flowers and grass around the cabin were already withering, the vibrant world fading into a bleak monochrome.

”You’re going to let the Static Zone kill us,” Sonya said.

It wasn’t a question, but a realization of their death sentence.

Denzel offered a thin smile. ”You are all intelligent people, and I happen to be at my best when dealing with the wise. I only had to reveal a few insignificant flaws to play the part of the schemer caught in her own web, and your caution would fall asleep like a lion that has been fed its fill.”

The contract forbade Denzel from killing them, but it said nothing of inflicting harm. As long as she kept them injured and under siege, they would remain trapped in the Virtual World. That was the true loophole. The Virtual World was lethal enough on its own. The Hero Commander didn’t need to strike the final blow herself. She only had to bar the exit and wait for the world’s own cruelty to finish the job.

Denzel turned to leave. ”My turn is over. I look forward to our next encounter.”

Ashe narrowed his eyes. ”My dear Mistress, I won’t disappoint you.”

Ignoring his taunt, Denzel stepped beyond the enclosure. She led her troops into the gray expanse of the Static Zone, leaving the three sorcerers behind in the cabin area.

As the immediate threat receded, all three collapsed onto the grass in unison. They breathed deeply, forcing the tension from their muscles inch by inch. The gray silence pressing in on them felt strangely warm, though as the monochrome frost of the zone crept over their skin, that hollow sense of safety felt more like an ending.

”The Witch hasn’t changed much,” Sonya remarked.

Dia looked at Ashe, confused, while Ashe simply gestured to his own coat. ”The Witch’s color scheme is black and white to begin with. She looks natural here. You, on the other hand, Swordswoman... in this light, you look like you’ve put on funeral makeup.”

Sonya shot him a sharp look, but she was too drained to argue. She cut straight to the heart of it. ”What about the contract? We’re still stuck in the Static Zone.”

Ashe let out a cold laugh. ”No need to worry. Just die in peace. I’ll figure out a way to repair the damaged soul. She pushed us this far. I won’t let her off easy. More importantly...”

Ashe and Sonya both turned to look at Dia. During the earlier exchange regarding their memory loss, it had become clear that her background was anything but ordinary. A god among mortals, a Gospel Incarnation, an entire family sharing identical appearances. It was obvious her personal story held a complicated and dramatic past.

Dia hesitated. ”I...”

”If you haven’t figured it out yet, tell us the next time we meet,” Ashe said, glancing at the withered plants around them. ”I don’t want to hear half the story only to be cut off when we’re forced out of the Virtual World.”

Dia nodded gratefully. ”Thank you.”

Her thoughts were still in disarray. She had never expected her secrets to be exposed like this, and the information regarding the Gospel Incarnation was new even to her. Yet, with that revelation, many mysteries finally made sense.

”Then...”

Ashe fell silent. The other two remained quiet as well. They knew what the others were thinking, and they knew that the others were aware of their thoughts in return. No one wanted to be the first to speak.

As the golden light in the sky collapsed and they were about to be absorbed into the still, black-and-white landscape, Dia suddenly spoke, ”If you want, I can skip entering the Virtual World on some days...”

The Swordswoman instantly pinned the Witch to the ground.

”If you dare skip, I’ll kill you,” the village girl said, her calm tone making the threat sound almost like a joke.

Seeing the undisguised killing intent in Sonya’s eyes, Dia nodded frantically, like a pecking chick.

***

In the black-and-white Static Zone, Denzel sat atop the Eight-Eyed Weaving Spider.

A cluster of starlight appeared in her right palm. This was her true objective, the spoils she had schemed tirelessly, even going so far as to lure and kill the legendary commander of the Star Hall, Bledo, to claim. It was the very Incarnation of the Stars.

Denzel looked at the starlight and closed her hand.

Crack!

A series of distant, dense shattering sounds echoed, as if what she crushed was not merely the cluster of starlight in her hand, but the stars themselves.

”The stars are extinguished. Star Hall’s total combat strength has dropped by 13%,” Denzel said, lowering her gaze. ”Next, I only need to reclaim the Incarnation of Secrets. At the next Grand Investiture of the Six Nations, Star Hall will surely be defeated.”