Don't Kill Him Yet

"Sword Princess, you know me." Weise explained in as calm a tone as she could muster, "I have no intention whatsoever of vying with you for leadership—" "Yet that is precisely what you are doing," Sonia said. "You think you're protecting us and helping the team, but in reality, you're placing your personal viewpoint above the will of the group, causing trouble for us and for the Watcher." Weise felt a flicker of irritation as well. She brushed Sonia's hand aside and said coldly, "How have I caused trouble for you?" Beside them, Diya was flustered and anxious, but she only dared to urge them to stop with her eyes, not daring to step between them. "You probably assumed the Watcher favors the Witch and me, so you thought this act of protecting us would earn his approval. After all, if your hands are the only ones getting dirty, everyone else can keep a clear conscience." The Sword Princess reached out and yanked Weise close. She was only slightly taller than Weise, yet at that moment, she seemed to look down on her from above. "You really look down on us, and on him as well. "He has never once taken our contributions for granted. Never. You took the initiative to integrate into our relationships, contributed immensely to the team, and voluntarily yielded benefits. We've seen all of it. "The decision to focus on nurturing you in the Spectre Inheritance to elevate your soul faction wasn't just because you're the best fit, but because the team was actively tilting resources your way. He works hard to maintain a balance of resources among us, preferring to take less for himself so that what we receive matches what we put in. "So do you see how you're causing trouble?" Sonia said. "If you force us to owe you such an enormous favor, how are we supposed to repay it? How is he supposed to repay it?" "You don't need to repay anything!" Weise said. "I never expected you to repay—" *Slap.* Diya's eyes went wide as she clapped both hands over her mouth, terrified that a single sound might slip out and drag her into the fray. Weise stared at Sonia in shock, utterly unable to believe she had just been slapped across the face. Sonia drew her hand back, but when she spoke, she turned to a different topic entirely: "There's a case in *The Flawed Edge of Cunzhou* about someone who did a good deed and refused any reward, only to bring about a catastrophe in the end. I used to think it was just made up for the story, but later I realized it's actually quite a common phenomenon. "In any organizational structure, the most fundamental principle is equivalent exchange: effort must yield a return, or else it is merely a test and desecration of human nature. By claiming you want no return, you are already trampling on the core principle of this team—after all, it's only because each of us has our own goals that we explore the Void Realm together. "If we truly could use you like a dirty rag and toss you aside without a second thought, would I even be saying this to you?" Sonia demanded. "Talking like that makes it sound as if you don't know us at all. Are you insulting us, or are you insulting yourself? "Besides, the unspoken implication of refusing a return is either that the team has nothing worthy of giving you, or that you've already found some other compensation." The Sword Princess's ruby eyes reflected Weise's visage. "Are you simply gratifying your bizarre desire for self-sacrifice?" Weise pursed her lips tightly and replied, "I only wanted to do everything in my power to help the team." "I do everything I can to contribute as well, and if necessary, I'm willing to sacrifice my own interests. But I wouldn't do it the way you are. I'll report exactly what I gave up to the Watcher, and if he doesn't compensate me tenfold or a hundredfold, I won't let him off the hook," Sonia said. "If I sacrifice for the team, I won't bear the cost alone. "That's why I despise your tone earlier. It reeked of a self-destructive urge to shoulder sin all by yourself, wallowing in hollow self-pity and melodrama, never once considering that this was a fate we were supposed to face together. There was never any need for your needless theatrics... You're practically like one of those sickening protagonists in tragic melodramas." Weise's expression darkened. "I only—" "Furthermore, you misinterpreted the Watcher's intentions," Sonia continued. "He might have considered casting the spell alone just like you, but he would never say something like 'I'll bear all the blame.' Instead, he would share his psychological burden with us—you remember the hint he dropped earlier, don't you?" "It was explicit," Weise said. "He stated that he would engage in intimate behavior with you." "Ahem." Sonia brushed past the subject quickly. "Regardless, gains and losses belong to the team, and guilt belongs to the team as well. Whatever you contribute, say it clearly. Don't hide it away, and above all, don't carry it alone... That is how I've always done things, and the Watcher has started doing it recently too. Both of you need to learn from us." Diya nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice. Weise said softly, "I merely thought doing something like this wouldn't really cost me anything." "Is that so?" Sonia countered. "Yet your heart is clearly unwilling. Why force yourself to pretend you don't care?" Weise froze. "In the past, when I talked with you about stories from the Sea of Knowledge, whenever something interesting came up, you'd listen attentively. But whenever the topic was boring, you'd actually converse more with me, forcing yourself to voice opinions just to conceal your reluctance," Sonia said. "It's the exact same thing as what you did just now. "You usually speak so rarely, Weise." Weise was stunned for a long while before her whole body relaxed. She murmured, "Your insight and way with words are so much like the Watcher's." "What does this have to do with him!" Despite her words, a blush crept across Sonia's cheeks, her gaze wandering as if she were reminiscing about something, or perhaps feeling a bit pleased. "In any case, don't say things like that anymore." Sonia placed both hands on Weise's shoulders. "I don't know what you went through to develop such a bizarre urge for self-sacrifice, but..." Sonia drew close to Weise until their foreheads touched, as though feeling each other's warmth. "We are companions who have touched foreheads," she said. "So you don't need to sacrifice yourself for us. Bearing risks together, shouldering guilt together, sharing gains together—that is what companions mean." Weise blinked. In a daze, she remembered how Vionet used to press her forehead against hers like this when she was little. After a moment's hesitation, she moved to embrace the Sword Princess to acknowledge her fault, and Sonia happily wrapped her in a hug at once. Yet this embrace, devoid of actual physical temperature, brought Weise a familiar warmth. On the sidelines, Diya watched in utter awe. Hadn't the Sword Princess just slapped Weise across the face a minute ago? How had they made up already? *Is this the prestige of a vice-captain?* "Then what about Yearned for in Dreams?" Weise asked, eventually pulling back from the Sword Princess. "It's still best if one person casts it, isn't it? Let me—" "Since our hands are going to get dirty anyway, we'll do it together," Sonia said. "There's no need to run away." Weise asked, "Are you mentally prepared?" "Even if we aren't, the worst that can happen is we go back and share the psychological burden with the Watcher later." Sonia stroked the hilt of her sword. "Besides, I anticipated this long ago. The higher one's rank, the more likely one is to encounter situations like this—forced or left with no choice but to kill innocent people. In truth, it's very easy to weigh: on one side are our four lives, and on the other are twenty-eight, fifty, or a hundred people. Naturally, we are far more important. "Regardless, our hands are forced, and it's entirely the Nightmare Angel's fault. As long as you understand that, there won't be any psychological burden." Diya asked timidly, "Can it really be that simple?" "We aren't God Lords, and even God Lords aren't omniscient and omnipotent. The only thing we can do is do what we can for the world, and give our all for ourselves," Sonia said. "And then, carry the guilt and keep striving to survive." She paused. "This is something I learned from the Watcher." Diya took a deep breath. "All right!" Weise glanced at her own palm, then lowered it. "Then let us complete Yearned for in Dreams together." "Wait!" Sonia said thoughtfully. "Do you think it's possible to modify the sorcery procedure so that it can create sorcery spirits without killing people?" Diya was powerless in this regard. If she could return to reality, she could ask the Gospel Book how to improve it, but in the Void Realm, she couldn't summon the Gospel god. Weise, however, had already studied the miracle procedure carefully. She said, "If we don't want anyone to die, it's not entirely impossible. The only reason Yearned for in Dreams completely obliterates a sorcerer's soul is to guarantee a one hundred percent success rate. With slight modifications, we could trade a lower success rate for the sorcerer's survival." Sonia and Diya were both stunned—then what on earth had they been agonizing over just now? "However, that kind of modification is beyond our abilities," Weise said helplessly. "Even with my mind faction and soul faction at the Gold tier, I can only grasp a general direction. Completing the modifications would take months at least. If we want to adjust the procedure quickly, we'd need at least Sanctuary-level mastery in both the mind and soul factions." Sonia sighed softly. "So there's no way?" "No way," Weise shook her head. "Then we have to kill them!" Diya steeled her resolve. Just then, a cloud of black mist abruptly materialized in the underground hall. The Dream Demon had finally teleported the first victim over. The sorcerer hunt had begun! *** "This Spectre Main Account... to think it holds such incredible ingenuity, and fits me so well!" Igola savored the Spectre Main Account he had just acquired, his heart surging with an excitement he could barely contain. Thanks to the soul buff Yaxiu had bestowed on him after dinner, he had charged all the way through the eightieth trial tonight in one fell swoop, claiming a Spectre Main Account! Side Accounts, Main Accounts, Comprehensive Accounts: if Side Accounts were merely minor miracles that the Spectre Prophet used occasionally, then Main Accounts were undoubtedly the formidable miracles the Spectre Prophet relied on heavily! The Spectre Main Account Igola obtained was a miracle procedure pointing straight toward the Legendary tier! Although the Main Account only contained three-winged sorcery spirits, as long as he advanced the sorcery spirits and completed the set, it would remain a top-tier miracle even at the Legendary stage! Furthermore, the sorcerous philosophies reflected in this procedure were immensely beneficial to Igola, sparking even more ideas for his own sorcery spirit system. *My luck is truly phenomenal tonight...* As he pondered, Igola noticed the underground hall was suddenly engulfed by black mist. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if this was a change that occurred after trial eighty. As the black mist gradually cleared, the Swindler drew on the soul sorcery spirits obtained from the inheritance to cast various miracles, bracing himself to meet the challenge of the next stage. When the mist dissipated completely, what entered Igola's view were three... female sorcerers? The instant the red-haired female sorcerer charged forward, Igola fired off a "Soul Torrent"! This was a potent soul miracle he had assembled within the inheritance, capable of instantly killing almost any enemy unit—*bzzzt!* The Soul Torrent was blocked by a transparent barrier, split apart and cut off! Sanctuary! Igola was dumbfounded. Subconsciously, he tried to raise his own Sanctuary as well, but his sorcery power gave no response whatsoever! *How could this be!* *Bang!* The Swindler slammed into the wall. Before he could utter a word, his throat was gripped tightly. He immediately pulled out his Spectre Secret Key, attempting to escape the inheritance. Just as he feared, the Spectre Secret Key failed to activate. He couldn't escape. He gasped for breath, but only the icy chill of death flowed into his body. Igola had already vaguely pieced things together. The appearance of a sorcerer exempt from the inheritance's suppression, coupled with the disabled Spectre Secret Key, was enough to prove he had become a lamb to the slaughter. He was a dead man. "Sorry," he heard the red-haired female sorcerer say. "We have no choice either." At this moment, what flashed through Igola's mind was neither a scheme for survival nor bitter curses, but a painting. The painting he had drawn time and again during the Return of the Soul to Youth. Even now, he couldn't understand why a black crow had appeared in that painting... Just as the red-haired female sorcerer was about to use an unfamiliar sorcery spirit on him, Igola heard the other two female sorcerers cry out: "Wait!" "Don't kill him yet!"