The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 168: Syrin's Legacy

Gerard turned at the shout and saw a masked figure, one who had not yet received the blessing, break from the line and sprint toward the entrance. "This time, you're dead for sure!"

An adventurer yelled, "Stop him! He's the wanted criminal!"

Gerard's eyes turned cold and sharp. "Buzz."

He had not come alone. Several hunters stood ready to assist. At the captain's command, Buzz, the Blood Saint beastman, drew his hand cannon and flicked off the safety. In the next instant, he launched himself forward, turning into a streak of red light as he chased the fleeing figure.

Gerard did not move from the platform. As long as he guarded the Virtual Channel, Ashe would never escape the Blood Moon Kingdom.

The runner was not Ashe. Of that, Gerard was certain. He had already been deceived once by a substitute at Shattered Lake Prison. He would not fall for the same trick again. It was most likely another Substitute. Buzz alone was more than enough to destroy it.

As Buzz pushed through the crowd, every adventurer's chip interface activated at once, except for Gerard's and Kerr's. Blood-red warnings flashed across their screens.

[Warning: Attack disabled.]

[Warning: Movement restricted.]

Buzz froze mid-stride, trapped within the press of bodies. Even the Blood Saint beastman could not resist the chip's control.

Before he could react, screams erupted. Adventurers collapsed one after another as blood burst from sudden holes in their bodies.

"They're trapping us here to slaughter us!"

"They're controlling our chips, turning us into living targets!"

"Gerard is ignoring the Battle Zone and coming for us himself!"

"They're going to kill every last one of us! Using chips like this is against the law! No one will make it out alive! They'll wipe us out to keep it quiet!"

Blood stained the night. Invisible restraints held the criminals fast. Screams tore through the air. With Gerard's fearsome reputation hanging over them and the criminals certain of their fate, panic spread through the adventurers like a plague bomb.

Then the warnings on their screens began to blur and distort. They cautiously flexed their limbs. To their astonishment, they could move again.

Another message appeared.

[Run!]

They obeyed without hesitation. Running could not make things worse. Running meant escape. Escape from Gerard.

When the first few bolted, the rest followed. They scattered like startled rabbits, fleeing at the slightest push.

"Push through!"

"Flame Brigade, with me! Cut down anyone who blocks our way—"

"Ahhhh! I've been hit! I've been shot!"

"Don't step on me! Ah!"

Hysterical screams pierced the night. Those who fell were trampled beneath the stampede, wailing in agony. Some were nearly crushed to death.

From the platform, Gerard watched the chaos unfold. His ruby-red eyes flared brighter and brighter, as if they could ignite at any moment.

Chaos. Manipulation. The ignition of darkness. He pulled the strings of every mind below, bending them to his will like puppets.

This is it! This is how it should be! So it really is you... Ashe Heath. You truly are the leader of the Four Pillars Cult!

When the first wave of shouts rippled through the crowd, Gerard had already locked onto the masked adventurer who initiated the escape. He continued to fan the chaos as he weaved through the throng.

The adventurers surged toward the camp entrance. Administrative guards stationed to block the way dared not intervene. Priests might offer emergency aid, but they were here only to complete their shifts. There was no reason for them to risk their lives against this frenzied mob. The adventurers poured past, scattering in every direction.

Seeing the dangerous fugitive slipping through the chaos, Gerard pressed his hands together in a prayer-like gesture. He unleashed his Miracle, transforming into a crimson streak of light that surged over the camp like a white wolf descending on its prey.

He leapt across the panicked crowd and swung his segmented whip sword from a distance. The weapon instantly scattered into serpentine cords, lashing toward the fleeing figure at the front.

"I'm sorry, Ashe," Gerard said, his eyes burning with murderous intent. "But since you're going to die anyway, let me vent my fury!"

Blood Sword Miracle, Blood Maiden's Lament!

This was Gerard's cruelest, most violent Miracle. It turned the segmented whip sword into a meat-grinding machine, capable of shredding flesh and bone into pulp. The power extended even to the soul, ensuring the victim's final moments were bathed in unimaginable pain. It was less an attack and more a sentence. Now, all that remained was for Gerard to deliver his verdict to the evil cult leader.

Yet when the cords struck, nothing happened. No blood spattered, and no body was found. The masked figure vanished the instant the weapon made contact, leaving only a pair of familiar recording devices on the ground.

A Substitute? That's the Substitute!? Then what about the first one—

Gerard landed and turned to see the very first masked adventurer collapsing in pain. Buzz had apparently shot him in the leg. Beneath the cloak, a scaled fishman's face was revealed. Clearly, he was not Ashe Heath.

The first masked figure had been bait, set to stage the chaos. The second was the Substitute, drawing Gerard's attention while inciting panic. So where was the real Ashe?

Gerard's gaze swept the platform. Hunters stationed there had been taken down. Bloodied adventurers were charging toward the Virtual Channel.

Gerard's thoughts drifted back to the moment the adventurers began fleeing. A particular few had been incapacitated by unknown shots, leaving them unable to move. They had even been trampled amid the panic. Believing them powerless to escape, Gerard had instinctively ignored them. It was not until now that he realized something was wrong.

A wave of exhaustion hit him. I've been fooled again... by the same trick... the same substitute diversion.

The segmented whip sword felt impossibly heavy in his hands, and his movements had turned sluggish. He had been lured too far and knew he couldn't reach them in time. On top of that, the Virtual Channel only allowed Two-Winged sorcerers inside. There was no way he could chase them, not without someone intervening...

Bang! Clang!

A moment before the sniper fired, Ashe planted the Honeyed Tongue Sword into the ground from the platform. A warm-yellow wall of swords formed almost instantly, only to be shattered by the incoming bullet.

The sniper was a beastman stationed at the camp entrance, holding a heavy sniper rifle designed specifically for beastmen. Its barrel glinted with golden light, and he seemed to be using a Miracle to assist his aim.

Gerard recognized him, and so did Ashe.

He was Gassas Daff, current leader of the Woodpecker Gang, a Two-Winged sorcerer, and Professor Syrin's loyal agent. His final task was to lie in wait near Observation Point Fifty-Three and seize the opportunity to kill Ashe Heath.