Does the World Dislike Me?

The Trial of Slay All Crows?! Before Igola could ask, the Black Crow said in a cold voice, "Grand Law Slay All Crows is already dead." "Yes, Grand Law Slay All Crows is dead," Mercury Trojan said. "Yet anyone can become Grand Law Slay All Crows." The Black Crow froze, then immediately realized what she meant. "Who is it?" he murmured. "The 'Debater,' Anoyi," Mercury Trojan answered. "From start to finish, he never submitted to the Four Pillar Gods. He pretended to join the Four Pillar Cult, looking for an opportunity to assassinate me just like you, and even advanced to Sanctuary sorcerer before his death... A true pity. "Compared to a new Grand Law Slay All Crows, I would much rather have had an Anoyi who sincerely helped me." The Black Crow fell silent for a moment, his distorted voice trembling slightly. "And here I thought... he had truly surrendered..." "The truth always leaves one bruised and battered," Mercury Trojan said. "And the scars left by the truth are the very cracks where faith takes root." She smiled faintly. "I even once considered giving you Grand Law Slay All Crows if you actually managed to kill me... What a pity the Silver Lantern stole it later on." "Save your reminiscing for Hell," Igola interrupted, gesturing for Gwen to watch over Yaxiu. Coldly, he asked, "What is the core theme of the Slay All Crows trial, and what is its curse?" "Look at the walls." Only then did Igola notice images continuously flickering across the stone. Looking closely, he saw scenes of slaughter and gruesome torture: the Blood Eagle, where lungs were dragged out from behind the ribcage; Scouring, where boiling blood was poured over the body before iron combs scraped away the flesh; the Pipa, where sharp blades strummed along exposed ribs; Lighting the Lantern, where bodies soaked in oil hung from wooden frames and burned alive; Blood Crow Spreads Its Wings, where limbs and head were bound separately so only the limbs were twisted around; and more. Some of these had been mentioned by the Black Crow before, while others had not, but the mere visuals made their cruelty self-evident. As for the victims, they spanned various races, genders, and ages. The only things they shared were their agonized wails at death and their horrific corpses. Alongside each display, however, floating light listed their crimes, proclaiming that they had received their just deserts. "Fascinating, isn't it?" Mercury Trojan said placidly. "The Trial of Slay All Crows is quite simple: appreciate the imagery here, comprehend it, learn from it, and maintain an unshakeable faith throughout. "Its central melody is never to regret your deeds, never to doubt your decisions. The moment you doubt, the moment you regret, the curse of Slay All Crows triggers. "The blood crow perched on Lord Yaxiu's chest is both a curse and his own guilt. That jagged, uneven heart of his is Lord Yaxiu's conscience." A trace of mockery laced Mercury Trojan's voice. "Once he begins to regret his choices and doubt his resolve, his conscience grows uneasy. And an uneasy conscience is guilt's favorite meal. "Slay All Crows holds that only criminals suffer from an uneasy conscience, only criminals carry excess guilt. The faith of a Slay All Crows devotee must be as clear as a mirror, every action righteous. Even when torturing and executing criminals, their conscience must never waver. "The solution is equally simple," she drawled leisurely. "As long as he makes a choice that sets his conscience at peace, the curse will lift." Igola turned toward Yaxiu, who was trembling violently. Sweat poured down him like rain, drenching the handkerchief Gwen used to dab his forehead. The Swindler glanced at the Black Crow and gave a cold chuckle. "Just as you wished, Black Crow. Well done this time—at least that fool Yaxiu took the bait." Why was Yaxiu's conscience troubled? Because he wanted to stay and help the Black Crow, yet deep down he knew that stopping the Silver Lantern was far more critical. More importantly, he believed he had the ability—and the duty—to stop her! If staying to help the Black Crow delayed him by even a single step, causing tens of millions of souls in Senluo to be reduced to ash, that worry would birth immense guilt and invoke the trial's curse. In a sense, it was a trial tailored specifically to target good people. Those like Mercury Trojan and Igola were entirely unaffected. "I—" The Black Crow shuddered all over, gritting his teeth. "I truly... did not know! I would never... harm you!" Igola snapped his mouth shut. Inside Tamashi, a blood crow had also materialized, pecking mercilessly at his heart. Yaxiu had been forced to his knees by that agony, yet aside from his halting speech, the Black Crow's body did not tremble in the slightest. He kept his firm grip on his hostage, Charlin. Suddenly, the blood crow over Yaxiu's chest vanished. He sucked in a sharp breath, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and stood up with a bitter laugh. "Seems I have no choice but to head down to the Silver Lantern first—otherwise, staying would only make me dead weight." Plagued by the curse of Slay All Crows, Yaxiu could not possibly participate in besieging Mercury Trojan. From the moment he learned the Silver Lantern was on the bottom floor, staying behind had ceased to be an option. Yet while Yaxiu was free, the Black Crow's conscience was still being pecked apart by guilt. Seeing this, Yaxiu sighed helplessly. He walked up behind the Black Crow, patted his shoulder, and spoke to his troubled friend: "You did well. Your choice was right. Thanks to you, we even have a chance to prevent this tragedy. In the name of the Inquisitor, I declare that you are in the right. "You said tears came to your eyes when you saw us arrive." Yaxiu could not help but smile. "Well, seeing this ugly yet handsome crow mask of yours still drawing breath made my eyes a little misty too." Under Yaxiu's reassurance, the blood crow within Tamashi gradually dissolved. Mercury Trojan let out a faint sigh and abandoned the idea of ordering the Black Feather sorcerers to strike in that moment. "We'll leave Mercury Trojan to you, then," Yaxiu said. "We'll stop the Silver Lantern, you kill Mercury Trojan, and we'll leave together. That will bring this journey through Senluo to a perfect close." "Alright." The Black Crow nodded, then paused. "If you fail, or if I fail... will you remember to record my story in the sorcerer manual?" Yaxiu did not correct his misconception that sorcerers could alter the manual. He simply nodded and promised, "Alright—but we won't fail. You'll have your revenge, we'll return home, Senluo will remain safe, Mercury Trojan will die a miserable death, and everyone will have a bright future. "See you soon, Tamashi." "Yeah." Throughout the exchange, Yaxiu did not spare Mercury Trojan a single glance. She made no move either, watching quietly as Yaxiu, Igola, and Gwen passed through the fog gate into the sixteenth floor of the Silent Spiral. * "Thank you," the Black Crow suddenly said. Mercury Trojan froze. Part of her wanted to laugh mockingly, but another part felt an inexplicable urge to weep. In the end, all those complicated emotions condensed into a single question: "Why thank me?" "Thank you for not holding Yaxiu and the others back," the Black Crow said earnestly. "If they had been delayed here by you... ten thousand years in Hell would not suffice to atone for my remorse, toward Senluo or toward them." "Is that because you chose revenge against me over stopping the Silver Lantern?" Mercury Trojan shrugged. "Compared to a minor evil like me, the greater evil of the Silver Lantern is obviously far more urgent. Besides, you know I'm about to leave; I won't be around to threaten Senluo anymore, whereas the Silver Lantern intends to drag all of Senluo down into Hell. "You were fully aware of the stakes, yet you abandoned justice and chose hatred. "Not that it surprises me. Slay All Crows was always like this." Mercury Trojan cast her gaze over the murals on the walls. "Claiming it is all for justice, when the root of Slay All Crows was always hatred. "Observing sins, hunting sins, steeping yourselves in sins. You cultivate hatred toward evil first, then vent that hatred through slaughter to attain moral gratification. "Your so-called justice is merely a label used by Slay All Crows to dress up hatred and desire." She sneered. "'Slaying all evil crows' is nothing more than narcissistic self-gratification once the killing is done. "Tamashi, the moment you raised your blade against me, you abandoned justice. You placed personal vengeance above the lives of tens of millions. Your justice is narrow, bloody, and impulsive. You cannot even pass judgment before your own heart—it is only because Yaxiu and the others appeared that your error can be remedied." Mercury Trojan's tone remained flat, yet her dissection of the Slay All Crows creed was ruthlessly precise. Tamashi, who had remained unflinching even as the blood crow tore into his heart, finally let his hand tremble slightly, nicking a thin line of blood across Charlin's neck. That was it. Doubt yourself. Regret your choice. Be crushed by crushing guilt, my dear Tamashi. Yet very quickly, the Black Crow's hand steadied. He spoke calmly: "You're right, Tanomu. "For your sake, I betrayed the justice and truth I held to all this time. You've always analyzed problems accurately, your words have always been right, and so I always listened to you... "Which is why I know that the best way to deal with you is to listen to nothing at all." *Crack!* Charlin's head flew into the air! The Black Crow stepped forward and hacked the headless body into over a dozen pieces, leaving not the slightest chance of survival! At the same time, the void portal passage guarded by the Black Feather sorcerers began to collapse and dissolve. The Black Crow did not know why Tanomu had let Yaxiu and his companions pass, nor why she had agreed to remain in a standoff with him. Perhaps she had a way to reclaim the hostage, or perhaps a way to steal away that crucial void portal sorcery spirit... but he did not need to know. By killing the hostage, all of Tanomu's schemes were reduced to fleeting bubbles. He had never intended to wait for Yaxiu and the others to return. Tanomu had tried to keep him pacified with the prospect of their return, but was he not also buying time for Yaxiu and the others to safely cross this floor? *I'm sorry, Yaxiu.* Amidst the raining blood, the Black Crow brought his Grey Fox blade level before him, announcing with serene resolve: "Two paths lie before me. In one, I kill you, and then live on for the world's justice. "In the other, I die for my own!" Mercury Trojan's face turned livid. She spat coldly, "Then go die!" The long-restrained Black Feather sorcerers broke their hold and instantly unleashed their prepared miracles! The Black Crow kicked off the stone, blurring into an afterimage that crashed into a Black Feather sorcerer, using him as a meat shield to drive his charge forward. "Slay All Crows!" the Black Crow roared, plunging into their ranks to face sorcerers with the body of a mortal. "Slay all evil crows! Fill Hell to the brim!" Flames, frost, tempests, firearms, sword strikes, claws... Though the Black Crow was immune to illusory sorcery spirit effects, miracles that directly distorted reality to inflict physical trauma still tore into him. "Stop him!" "Kill him!" "He's dead!" Even as the Black Crow used supreme footwork to evade the worst of the onslaught, wounds accumulated across his body. Blood soaked his robes and ran down his mask. Yet he kept advancing. Virtually no sorcerer could stand before him; his Grey Fox blade carved through flesh and miracles like a knife through butter! "Tamashi Slay All Crows." A Black Feather sorcerer possessing a Sanctuary stepped into his path—the cold-faced youth. "I, Daoqiong, will remember you, mortal." "Out of my way!" The Grey Fox blade drove fiercely into the Sanctuary, but failed to harm Daoqiong in the slightest. Daoqiong leveled a Grey Fox firearm and fired a bolt of lightning. At the critical fraction of a second, the Black Crow shifted his stance, swapping places with a bystander, who was blasted into a cloud of bloody gore. Seizing that split-second gap, the Black Crow slipped past Daoqiong, using the other Black Feather sorcerers as cover to press his charge toward Mercury Trojan! Daoqiong's cold face warped with humiliation and rage. Abandoning precision aim, he discharged a shot into the entire zone! With a booming crash, countless blades erupted from the detonating projectile, impaling everyone in the area. Though other Black Feather sorcerers were caught in the blast, the strike critically wounded the Black Crow. Several jagged spikes drove deep into his back, wriggling through his flesh like mad insects. The Black Crow rolled across the ground, yet scrambled right back to his feet to continue his charge, slashing his Grey Fox blade into the Black Feather sorcerers! *Sorcerers truly are incredible.* *Harvey and Chikala aren't here. Did they stay above because they ran into formidable enemies?* *The Silver Lantern is so strong. Yaxiu, Igola, and Gwen will surely face a bitter fight down there.* *We are all fighting.* The Black Crow raised his arm to deflect a lethal strike from the side. The blade bit deep, carving down to the bone, but an instant later he shattered the sorcerer's sword with a backhand strike. Lifting his head, he spotted Mercury Trojan hiding behind her guard. *I, Tamashi Slay All Crows, Judgment Retainer of the Kill-All-Crows Cult,* *am about to carry out the final judgment of my life.* *Chexiu, Kalan, Anoyi, Yelu... Tanomu stands before me.* *It may be meaningless, it may be sheer self-gratification, but please lend me your strength to slay her once more.* *Then I can descend into Hell content.* *Brothers and sisters of Slay All Crows,* *witness Tamashi's first, and last, Flock of Crows Dance.* The Black Crow's movements suddenly grew elusive and bizarre. The Black Feather sorcerers could scarcely track his silhouette as he wove through their ranks. He danced across the battlefield, stirring a floral storm of blood in his wake! Mercury Trojan watched him calmly. She raised a hand, signaling the ordinary sorcerers to retreat, leaving only three standing before her. The three deployed their Sanctuaries, sheltering Mercury Trojan within. Each prepared a Sanctuary miracle, locking onto the charging dancer. "Go wait for me in Hell," Mercury Trojan said softly, "last Judgment Retainer of Slay All Crows." The last remnant of Slay All Crows. The last saint of Slay All Crows. The last hero of Slay All Crows! To show their respect, the Sanctuary sorcerers unleashed their ultimate miracles! Thunder, roaring fire, and a surging torrent roared toward the Black Crow from three directions! Nor were they alone; the remaining Black Feather sorcerers fired long-range attacks simultaneously, crafting openings for the Sanctuary sorcerers. Forced to parry and dodge the incoming barrages, the Black Crow found his path exposed directly before the Sanctuary miracles. *Whoosh!* He failed to block the first strike—a high-speed torrent of water. His armor shattered instantly, several ribs fractured, and he was hurled into midair, rendered helpless. The raging fire and lashing thunder followed on its heels, poised to obliterate him into dust. Perhaps due to adrenaline, time seemed to slow to a crawl, granting the Black Crow a fleeting pause to look back on his brief life. A strange thought crossed his mind: had he simply been terribly unlucky? He possessed a sliver of talent in martial arts, yet was rejected by the Void Realm, unable to become a sorcerer, unable even to read. His only home, the Kill-All-Crows Cult, had been destroyed. His best friend, Tanomu, had betrayed him. When he finally resolved to start anew, he had run into one misfortune after another. Even the land of Senluo was on the brink of ruin... Looking back at the very end, everything he had gained was lost, and every debt he owed went unpaid. There was nothing left but disappointment and regret. *Does the world... not like me?* *Boom! Boom!* Deafening explosions went off practically beside his ears. Yet it was only *practically*. The Black Crow hit the cold stone floor, then was swiftly caught in someone's arms. He opened his eyes to find Gwen supporting him, while a Sanctuary shielded them both, holding back the Black Feather sorcerers' ferocious miracles. "Whether the world likes you depends on whether your friends like you." Igola stood at the front, glancing back over his shoulder at the Black Crow. "If you have friends who like you, then the world likes you too."