Twins

The Silver Lantern had definitely not allied with the Nature Cult just for a few Dragon Gate Array shopping cards. She might not have even planned on cooperating with them from the beginning; it had likely just been a spur-of-the-moment idea to ambush and kill Yaxiu and his companions. Even though Yaxiu and Harvey possessed Sanctuaries, if the Nature Cult launched a surprise attack, the two would find it difficult to safeguard the safety of Slay All Crows and the Swindler. The sudden collapse of the ground also proved that the Silver Lantern cared nothing for the Nature Cult's interests. She merely wanted to herd both cults into a colosseum, letting them tear each other apart to divert attention while she seized the opportunity to pursue far greater gains. From the very beginning, both the Nature Cult and the Twin Cult had been sacrifices in her grand plan. Her actions were just like a player progressing through a main storyline quest who discovers two rival targets: pretending to be a mercenary in service to one target, she not only collects an extra quest reward, but tricks the target into dealing with four permanently aggroed elite mobs for her—and then turns right around to drag everyone into the pit together. Though no one knew how she pulled it off, from an onlooker's perspective, one could not help but marvel at her madness and precision—she had taken it almost to perfection, playing two ancient cults like fiddles entirely on her own. She had almost succeeded. Provided she could escape alive. The moment they saw the Silver Lantern, Yaxiu and the other three reached an instant consensus—first find a way to capture her! Whether they interrogated her about her objective to see if they could find the Restructuring Elixir, or simply took her away and gift-wrapped her as a birthday present for Mercury Trojan, either worked! Yaxiu and the others spread their gold and silver void wings and swooped over, but were quickly intercepted. Not by the Nature Cult, but by a pair of twin sorcerers. They were unexpectedly gun sorcerers, a rarity in Senluo. The guns in their hands were not crude wasteland firearms either, but Grey Fox fantasy firearms glowing with purplish-blue light! Although the beams they fired could not penetrate a Sanctuary, their immense kinetic energy actually pushed the Sanctuaries back. Even as Yaxiu and the others dodged left and right, the twin sorcerers were in complete sync; their interlocking barrage left no opening, stubbornly pinning several Sanctuary Sorcerers within a confined area! If they really wanted to fight, they could certainly win, but Yaxiu and his companions had no intention of getting bogged down here. "No choice," Yaxiu said, pulling out an indulgence and slotting it into the god-hosting belt. "Slay All Crows, you take the offensive!" "Right." The belt played a background chime as a flow of information flooded Yaxiu's mind— [Transcendent Prison Point Card: Initializing!] [Transcendent Prison Wild Wolf Knight Form, Transform!] As golden lightning crackled around him, thunder swirled along Yaxiu's void wings. His speed exploded, and in an instant he flew right behind the twin gun sorcerers. Extremely sharp though the twins' reflexes were, Tamashi still gave each of them a punch, numbing half their bodies and sending them plunging downward. Yet Yaxiu's flashy appearance drew even more attention. A group of two-wing sorcerers detached from the Nightfall sorcerers locked in bitter combat with the Nature Cult. When Yaxiu and his companions took a closer look, it was another five pairs of twin sorcerers! Wait, isn't the twin rate here a little too high? Can your infant incubators customize double yolks now? "So that rumor really was true..." Igola sucked in a sharp breath. "The Twin Cult actually possesses the art of twins." He quickly explained, "They aren't actually twins. The Twin Cult's philosophy is that every individual is imperfect, and only by finding one's other half can a perfect 'destiny helix' be formed. Rumor has it that the Twin Cult possesses a technology capable of generating another 'self' who is opposite, complementary, or similar to oneself. Outsiders call them the Fate Twins." "Whatever else may be true, the combat prowess of the Fate Twins far exceeds ordinary sorcerers. And paired with suitable Grey Fox weapons..." "You two go ahead and pursue her," Yaxiu said. "Tamashi and I will catch up in a moment." With that, he transformed into a streak of golden lightning and charged the Fate Twin sorcerers, Black Crow clinging to his back and waiting for an opening. Though the twin sorcerers tried to track his movement, their eyes could only ever catch the lingering afterglow of the golden thunder; before they could put up a fight, they were disarmed. Ever since they were beaten into Lalafells in Void Realm aerial combat, Yaxiu and the others had made a point to carve out time to practice aerial maneuvers. Not only were their basic techniques polished, but they had also been trying to master the pinnacle technique of aerial dogfighting—the End-Shadow Maneuver. The enemy can only ever see the trailing shadow of your flight, and you are always in their blind spot—hence the name End-Shadow Maneuver. Naturally, mastering this technique was exceedingly difficult, and Yaxiu and his companions had only grasped the theory without being able to apply it in actual combat. Under the enhancement of the Transcendent Prison Grand Law, however, Yaxiu's sheer speed advantage allowed him to execute the End-Shadow Maneuver effortlessly, thrashing this group of twin sorcerers with ease. Haha, bet you haven't practiced aerial combat! When it came down to the final twin sorcerer, the opponent actually managed to react to Tamashi's surprise attack, wrapping both hands like serpents around Black Crow's arms. Yaxiu recognized it at once—this was a defensive-counter miracle similar to Water Moon! Tamashi showed no fear, parrying his moves with one hand. But the sorcerer's target had never been Black Crow—it was the golden-thunder prison wild dragon Black Crow was riding! Smack! Yaxiu blocked the kick, clamped down on the wrist, and waited until Black Crow had numbed the man's body before hurling him away. Then he rushed off to catch up with Igola and Harvey in the distance. "Why didn't you just strike back directly earlier?" "If I struck, they'd either die on the spot or die from the fall. It's better with you doing it; it's just enough to incapacitate them without taking their lives." "You actually care about that?" "Do I look like someone who kills without batting an eye?" Yaxiu chuckled. "They're defending against outside invaders, while we're the petty thieves taking advantage of a burning house... If I went for the throat, I don't think I'd be able to look certain people in the eye." "You are doing it to survive." Black Crow's distorted voice sounded as if offering comfort. "Even the Kill-All-Crows Cult would not condemn the wretched who steal merely to live." "The wretched, huh..." Yaxiu glanced down at the city below. Although the twin sorcerers were not numerous, they were enough to establish local superiority and crush the Nature Cult's forces. However, because the Twin Cult's god-hosters were busy hunting the Silver Lantern, the Nature Cult held the upper hand in top-tier combat power. This God Era metropolis—one Yaxiu had never even set foot in, and perhaps the most intact in all of Senluo—had thus turned into a meat grinder littered with corpses. Yaxiu turned his head. He had already caught up with Igola and Harvey. Not far ahead were three streaks of light tangled and snapping at one another. Without question, the Twin Cult's god-hosters were also twin sorcerers. Even if their degree of god-hosting wasn't high, their seamless teamwork was enough to thrash the Silver Lantern soundly. After waiting so long, the chance to kick someone while they were down had finally arrived! "Harvey, carry Tamashi on your back. You two help cut off the Silver Lantern's escape routes." "No." Black Crow cocked his elbow, revealing the Grey Fox blade. "I will land the killing blow for you." "Alright." Deciding without hesitation, lightning sparked from the horn on Yaxiu's forehead as he joined the melee like a wild wolf. When bitter enemies meet, eyes blaze red with fury; no words were needed. The moment he clashed with the Silver Lantern, heaven's thunder met earth's fire, sending shockwaves rolling through the clouds! Although the twin god-hosters didn't know Yaxiu's background, seeing how powerful he was and that he had come to attack the Silver Lantern, they tacitly fell into step with him. We don't know who you are, but as long as you're beating on the Silver Lantern, we're brothers from different mothers. Besieged by the tempestuous onslaught of three god-hosters, no matter how much room there was to maneuver in the sky, the Silver Lantern was soon forced into steady retreat, fleeing almost haphazardly. Just as the white flames around her grew weaker and weaker like a candle guttering in the wind—as if her first health bar were about to be emptied—she suddenly accelerated, darting straight toward the palace structures below! Yaxiu and the other two plunged down after her at once, but one of the twins blocked Yaxiu, eyes filled with irreconcilable resolve: "You cannot enter!" "But she—" "She's already on her last legs. Borel is more than enough to finish her!" In a flash, Yaxiu realized that he too had been used by the Silver Lantern: "She possesses multiple grand laws! If you don't follow, she'll host a fully charged grand law and turn the tables to slaughter your other half!" If Yaxiu hadn't appeared, it would have meant they had been wiped out by the Nature Cult, ending the chase. And if Yaxiu did appear, he could divert the twin god-hoster's attention for her, lowering the difficulty of her main quest! The twin god-hoster's expression remained unchanged—until a clap of thunder echoed from inside the palace, upon which his face shifted dramatically. Rushing inside, they found that not only were the palace guards all dead, but the other twin lay in a pool of blood, pointing a finger toward the end of the palace corridor! A massive circular hole had appeared right in the middle of the palace, and the Silver Lantern was standing on its edge. Seemingly noticing their gazes, she even waved with apparent amusement before leaping down. Whoosh. Yaxiu turned into a streak of thunder and traversed the entire palace corridor. Tamashi kicked off forcefully from his shoulder, shooting like an arrow toward the Silver Lantern plunging into the circular hole! Smack! An invisible barrier covered the circular hole. Black Crow flattened against it without falling through; only his Grey Fox blade pierced the barrier, but by now the Silver Lantern had already vanished into the lightless abyss! Yaxiu walked onto the circular opening as well, feeling like he was walking along a sky glass walkway at some tourist attraction. He reached out to touch it; it felt like touching temperature-less steel. "How did she get in..." the twin god-hoster muttered behind them. Compared to his other half's critical injury, the Silver Lantern leaping into the circular hole seemed to shock him even more. "How is this possible..." "What's down there?" Yaxiu asked. "Down below is the origin of the Twin Cult, the starting point of perfect destiny." The twin god-hoster sighed. Even as he spoke, his body grew visibly weaker, while the other critically injured twin healed and recovered at rapid speed—the twins could actually share life! At that moment, the Swindler and the necromancer entered the palace. Yaxiu nodded to them and asked, "Is there any way down?" "None. We have tried many methods, but at most we could only utilize a fraction of the leaking energy; entering is completely impossible... Who are you?" The twin god-hoster looked at these uninvited guests, realizing they were not from the Nature Cult, and couldn't help feeling puzzled. "We're just passing merchants," Yaxiu said offhandedly, running his hand along the barrier. "Is it really impossible to enter? Then how in the world did the Silver Lantern..." As he spoke, a spark of electricity appeared at his fingertip. With a sharp crack, the barrier shattered with a roar, and Yaxiu and Tamashi plunged down together. Relying on days of aerial combat training, Yaxiu almost subconsciously tried to spread his gold and silver void wings— He couldn't! Just like in the Kaleidoscope domain back in Black Robe Town, his sorcery power had stagnated! Not only that, his god-hosting state was directly cancelled, automatically reverting out of the Prison Wild Dragon Knight form! In that split second, Yaxiu kicked fiercely at Tamashi, propelling him toward the wall of the circular shaft. Then Yaxiu also reached out to grab the wall's edge to stop his fall— He couldn't reach it! He had been standing right in the center of the shaft, far too distant from the edge! Furthermore, the surface of the wall was extremely smooth, without any crevice for leverage. Anyone else in a situation where they couldn't use sorcery power would find it virtually impossible to hold on. So when Igola and Harvey rushed over, they saw only Black Crow clinging to the wall with one hand, looking down into the abyss. ...... ... I didn't crash to my death after all. Yaxiu felt that after falling to a certain point, his downward velocity gradually began to slow. In the end, he drifted down almost like a feather, as if cradled by the air, gently touching down on the ground. The instant his feet hit the ground, he immediately started moving to maintain vigilance against an ambush from the Silver Lantern. Yet before him was an empty underground hall, with corridors branching off in every direction and not a soul in sight. The Silver Lantern had gone to such great lengths to come to a place that suppressed sorcery power—what on earth was she after? Just as Yaxiu was wondering this, he suddenly heard distinct footsteps approaching from an adjoining corridor. Tap. Tap. Tap. He immediately pressed against the wall to hide, counting his breaths in his mind. The moment the footsteps sounded right beside him, he struck preemptively, using the Witch's joint-lock techniques to neutralize the opponent's ability to resist! Smack! Smack! Smack! Amid several dull thuds of flesh clashing against flesh, the opponent seemed capable of anticipating Yaxiu's every strike. Yaxiu failed to gain the slightest advantage and retreated several paces in haste to reset his stance. But the moment he got a clear look at the other person's face, Yaxiu froze. "Who are you?"