Scheme Leaderboard

While Harvey held off Mercury, Qinna, Annan, and Banjie swiftly negotiated a ceasefire. Annan was not blind to reality. They had lost any possibility of escape, surrounded by a pack of covetous hunters. As prey, their only option was to submit to a hunter who would keep them rather than slaughter them. No matter how much Annan detested Qinna, she had to admit that becoming Qinna's plaything was indeed the best way out, far better than being cast into the dungeons of the Red Hats or other great families. "Harvey, Yaxiu, we surrender to Sennheiser!" Annan shouted the moment Qinna let go of her. "We are all Sennheiser's spoils now!" "Hey, hey! Does that mean we came all this way for nothing?" "You can't give everything to Sennheiser. At the very least, Yaxiu Heath must face justice." "Archibald Harvey can't be handed over to Sennheiser either!" The other three Sanctuary Sorcerers finally broke free from the suppression of the replica Flowing Gold River zone and rushed to the scene to carve up the spoils. They were the Sanctuary Sorcerer of the Kasri family, Azula's 'Weeping Red Hat' Cleios, and Family Harmony Agency's 'Red Cicada Duchess' Aina. Standing beside Funeral, Qinna waved her hand to dispel the binds of the Soul-Locking Bullets from everyone—though in truth, only the weak and helpless Yaxiu was left whimpering on the ground. The other four Sanctuary Sorcerers formed a fan-shaped perimeter around them, turning to face Qinna and applying concerted pressure. "If you hadn't caused such a fuss earlier, we wouldn't have this trouble now," Qinna remarked coolly. "Bullshit!" Annan retorted without hesitation. "Even if I had surrendered the moment I laid eyes on you, would they just stand by and watch you carry us off? It'd be truer to say that if you'd let us go earlier, there wouldn't have been any trouble at all!" Annan saw through it all with piercing clarity. This hunt was carried out by an allied force, which made squabbling over spoils inevitable—a conflict of interest with no room for reconciliation. Although the Sanctuary Sorcerers vaguely understood that Yaxiu and Harvey were impostors who had cheated the Gospel, meaning Gospel's evaluation of them was bound to be skewed, their rankings might be fabricated, but the apocalyptic disaster predicted by the Gospel within fifty years was terrifyingly real! At a time like this, anyone who could make it into the future was invaluable. Even if Yaxiu and Harvey were counterfeit goods, grabbing them was pure profit! Otherwise, why would they travel thousands of li to Memphis to trespass on private property? Out of civic virtue? Not to mention, Harvey stood a high chance of acquiring an Angel inheritance in the future, possibly even commanding the ten necromancy families to become an undisputed monarch in Gospel's apocalypse... Who wouldn't want to usurp that place? Yaxiu was less valuable, but Cleios wanted him to trade for a higher ranking, and the other families naturally desired a 'bystander male protagonist' who had appeared on two leaderboards in succession. Thus, while Yaxiu's value was lower, it was only slightly lower than that of the 'Necromantic Monarch' Harvey. Annan could not escape either. She held first place on the Art Board and was the director of the agency; anyone with a brain knew that the duo's leaderboard appearances were inseparable from her. So when Annan closed her right eye and activated her calamity vision in her left, she saw that she, Yaxiu, and Harvey were all wreathed in thick black mist, clearly steeped in looming misfortune. Sure enough, the young Mercury sorcerer spoke: "Since Sennheiser captured them first, Sennheiser may choose one of the three primary targets, and all secondary targets will also belong to Sennheiser. How about that?" Kasri added, "Whoever takes Archibald Harvey must share his necromantic research—not just with us, but with the other families on the Family Leaderboard." Cleios hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "No. Annan is neither a wanted criminal nor a future criminal. You have no authority to decide her fate. Since Annan chose to submit to Sennheiser, they are Sennheiser's people. As for harboring fugitives, Captain Qinna can handle that herself. Captain Qinna, you need only choose between Heath and Harvey." 'Red Cicada Duchess' Aina gave Cleios a deep look, then nodded. "I share the Weeping Red Hat's opinion." The expressions of Kasri and Mercury instantly turned sour. Though Annan was less important than the other two, everyone had deduced from the previous two leaderboards that she was the core figure orchestrating the deceit of the Gospel. If Annan remained with the outlanders, they would certainly throw the Weaving Ceremony into chaos once again. At any other time, everyone might have tolerated it. But the next fifty years were crucial to the survival of the Gospel, and the Weaving Ceremony was the most important channel of observation. Annan could not be allowed to continue running amok! More importantly, once Sennheiser secured the deluxe package of Annan plus an outlander, their advantage would be far too immense—tantamount to acquiring a ticket to the future! In retreat, they would remain a millennium-old family; in advance, they would forge an empire! Resources would be scarce in the apocalypse, and Sennheiser's expansion would inevitably crush the living space of the other families! Kasri and Mercury weighed countless schemes in their minds, but with Cleios and Aina subtly siding with Sennheiser, they were utterly helpless. There were only five Sanctuary Sorcerers present. The other families either lacked Sanctuary Sorcerers or were tied down and unable to come. Once a three-to-two split formed, they could only watch Sennheiser walk away with complete victory. Qinna glanced back, looking first at Yaxiu, who was shielding Lisi behind him, then at the necromancer shrouded in green flames, and finally met the eyes of the young Banjie and her daughter, Annan. "It seems I only have one choice," Qinna said coldly, adjusting the brim of her red hat. Her face smudged with grime, Annan raised her eyebrows. "Indeed... Free fire!" The moment Annan's words fell, Qinna, Banjie, Harvey, and even Yaxiu launched an attack against the four Sanctuary Sorcerers simultaneously! Frost danced through the air, deathly chains hooked toward souls, gunshots thundered, and sword light flashed! Miracle: Frost Blade Flurry Gun Dance! Miracle: Immortal Coffin: Cold Rainy Night! Miracle: Soul Burst Bullet! Miracle: Rage Sword! "Sennheiser, what is the meaning of this?!" Kasri roared while deploying his sanctuary to defend. "My meaning is—I want them all," Qinna declared haughtily. "They are all mine. You want to share? Don't even dream of it!" Cleios wore a stern expression. "Qinna, you've gone too far!" Mercury laughed out of sheer fury. "We have four Sanctuary Sorcerers on our side, and you—" "I have money!" In the midst of the clash, Qinna summoned her Book of Gospel. Instantly, the Funeral members felt an inexhaustible surge of energy welling up within them. A damage-negating Gospel Force Field coated their skin, while more than a dozen direct blessings, such as Cat's Grace, Bull's Strength, and Eagle's Keenness, were bestowed upon them. Their combat power was pushed to the absolute limit by Gospel points! In contrast, Mercury and his allies were slapped with over a dozen negative statuses, including 'Soreness and Fatigue', 'Platelet Dissolution', and 'Mosquito Buzzing Illusion'. While these were trivial to Sanctuary Sorcerers, Qinna throwing money around so recklessly was enough to make them want to retreat. They were no longer facing a mere Sanctuary Sorcerer, but an Emblem Patriarch commanding the entire wealth of her clan! Still, Sanctuary Sorcerers were no fools. Refusing to clash head-on with Qinna, they tried to capture the Funeral members to unravel the battle line. Yet after several exchanges, far from capturing anyone, they were actually being suppressed! Four Sanctuary Sorcerers, suppressed by a single Sanctuary Sorcerer and a few Two-Winged Sorcerers! Whoosh! Mercury suddenly dissolved into a cluster of shadows and withdrew from the front line. He glanced down at his hands: his right hand was rotted almost to the bone, while his left was chilled to the marrow. He had already protected himself with a sanctuary miracle, yet he still could not withstand the miracles of Two-Winged Sorcerers! Among Funeral's ranks, Annan and Yaxiu's combat strength was negligible; the ones genuinely threatening Sanctuary Sorcerers were Banjie and Harvey! "Frost sorcery power, necromantic sorcery power..." Quickly treating his hands, Mercury gave a wry smile. "Are Two-Winged Sorcerers so savage these days...?" On the other side, Yaxiu also realized that he and Annan were basically loafing on the job. Unable to hold back, he asked in a hurried whisper, "Why are Banjie and Harvey so much stronger than us?" Wielding a submachine gun to disrupt the Sanctuary Sorcerers as best she could, Annan answered swiftly between reloads, "Their miracles are enhanced by special sorcery power." "Sorcery power?" "Through certain miracles, sorcery power can be refined into a form that better suits the 'appetite' of sorcery spirits. Take frost sorcery power, for example—casting frost miracles with it can boost the effect by one hundred percent, or even inflict far more terrifying secondary damage." "There's something that good?!" "Such miracles come at an extremely steep price," Annan glanced at him, "and the learning curve is exceptionally high. Ordinary sorcerers can't master them." It was precisely because she realized Harvey and Banjie both possessed the power to challenge those above their tier that Qinna had boldly initiated the fight. Otherwise, no matter how rich she was, she could never withstand being ganged up on by four Sanctuary Sorcerers. Boom! Right as they spoke, Qinna seized an opening for a lethal shot. A Soul Burst Bullet instantly penetrated Aina's sanctuary, blasting the old woman more than a dozen meters away! However, Aina immediately utilized her reward from the Family Leaderboard, entering a 'mech spirit' state to suppress her injuries, though she was left unable to continue fighting. They had already been struggling, and now they were down a person. Mercury and the others did not hesitate to pull out of the fight. Qinna exhaled a light breath of turbid air and opened her Book of Gospel. "I'll summon a hovercar directly with the Book of Gospel, and then we—" "Evalin, you're ruthless," Annan suddenly murmured. Qinna paused, startled. Turning around, she saw the white mist over the courtyard dispersing, freeing the sorcerers trapped by the space-inverting mystery lock. The elite sorcerers looked down and saw Sanctuary Sorcerers locked in combat, completely baffled by what was taking place. "Sennheiser believes all targets—Yaxiu Heath, Archibald Harvey, Annan Doran, and the rest—should be taken into her custody," Mercury said calmly. "We are merely engaging in friendly communication." Everyone instantly understood that a tense, high-stakes postwar spoils conference was underway. Aside from the Six Emblems clan members who immediately flew behind Qinna, the remaining Red Hats, agency members, and family sorcerers all took their place by Mercury's side. The tables turned in an instant. Qinna had fewer than ten people on her side, while Mercury's faction numbered over forty. While elite Two-Winged Sorcerers could not intervene directly in a battle of Sanctuaries, Mercury only needed to tie Qinna down, and the elite squads could seize the opportunity to attack Yaxiu and the other captives, snatching the spoils right out from under her. Qinna realized this as well, but instead of softening her stance, she grew even more unyielding. "Mercury, Cleios, do you want them meddling in a Sanctuary-level fight? They will die." Because of the sanctuaries involved, offensive miracles traded between Sanctuary Sorcerers were immensely destructive; if a Two-Winged Sorcerer were accidentally caught in the crossfire, their demise would be gruesome beyond words. The only reason Yaxiu and the others had managed to survive earlier was purely because the Sanctuary Sorcerers had intentionally held back, having no desire to kill them. The standoff froze into an impasse. While Mercury's side held the advantage, it was not overwhelmingly decisive; the three Sanctuary-level combatants on Qinna's side—herself, Harvey, and Banjie—could not be ignored. If a real fight broke out, the casualties would be painful enough to make every faction bleed. Just as everyone was pondering their next move, the mature Banjie suddenly let out a wry chuckle. Thick white smoke billowed from his body, and his form rapidly shrank and dissolved until he reverted to a little boy of about five. The little boy looked down in confusion at the butler suit that was clearly much too large for him, flapping his sleeves. Then he looked up at the circle of unfamiliar adults around him. Panic and fright spread across his tender face, tears welling rapidly in his eyes as if he might burst into tears at any moment. "There, there, don't cry. Come with big sister and have some chocolate," Lisi stepped forward decisively and took little Banjie by the hand. Seeing a pretty sister barely older than himself, little Banjie held back his tears and bravely followed her into hiding at the back. Yaxiu stared blankly at Annan, then pointed at little Banjie. Annan nodded helplessly. Right then, Alice-Harvey coughed heavily twice. The green flames cloaking him gradually died down, and a plume of white mist separated from Alice and drifted into the coffin. Alice immediately slammed the lid shut. Yaxiu asked, "You..." "I'm Alice!" Alice (Harvey) declared with immense vigor. "Harvey needs to rest inside the coffin. I'll take the field myself from here!" Yaxiu could no longer tell whether this was Harvey's split personality, some sick joke of a necromancer, or a side effect of that miracle, but it made no difference either way— They had just lost two Sanctuary-level combatants in a row. Meanwhile, 'Red Cicada Duchess' Aina had recovered her baseline combat strength and stepped back up alongside the Sanctuary Sorcerers. The atmosphere grew bizarre. Mercury coughed twice. Qinna rubbed her temples. In both numbers and combat power, Sennheiser's side was at an utter disadvantage. No matter how formidable Qinna was, she could not hope to spirit Funeral away under the siege of four Sanctuary Sorcerers and dozens of elite sorcerers. Thoroughly exhausted in mind and spirit, Annan walked over to Yaxiu, wrapped her arms around his, and leaned against him, as if she would collapse the moment she lost something to support her. Everyone had done their best. They should have been captured by Qinna right at the start, but Banjie had stepped forward. Then Mercury should have seized Yaxiu, but Harvey had stepped forward. Everything before had been an anomaly; this was reality. "We have no choice but to hand Harvey over," Annan whispered into Yaxiu's ear. "Stay quiet. I'll talk to Qinna." "My lady, don't you have a... backup plan?" Annan looked at him and nodded. "I do, but it might already be useless." "Besides, in a situation like this, ordinary plans won't work. We can only pray for a miracle." Right at that moment, everyone's Book of Gospel popped open, revealing a radiant bookmark tucked inside. At a time like this? Hope surged in the hearts of Yaxiu and the others. Why of all times now? Mercury's heart skipped a beat. Why now? Evalin felt a pang of unease. Though this was hardly the moment for distractions, no one could resist the allure of the future. Harbors of varied thoughts, the crowd opened the bookmark and looked at the title of the third leaderboard— Scheme Leaderboard.