Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 576: The Younger Brother

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!-

The sound of bullets biting into metal echoed endlessly in the corridor. Ashe turned sideways to face the enemy, minimizing his exposed area. His sword danced like a shield, fiercely protecting him amidst the storm of bullets!

After the previous Trials, Ashe had gained a bit of confidence. But as soon as the second day’s Trial began, he was hit with a harsh reality-

Phantom Annan!

A mobile gun sorcerer specializing in gunmanship!

Theoretically, without the assistance of spellforce or spirits, he had no ability to perform a counterattack. Otherwise, gun sorcerers wouldn’t have earned the reputation of being the “strongest offensive sorcerers below the Sanctuary.” Even three-winged sorcerers had to rely on the Sanctuary to withstand and ultimately end the dominance of gun sorcerers.

However, for some reason, although he couldn’t use his sorcerer powers in the underground Trial, his senses seemed to have been enhanced. Wind currents, scents, sight, hostility, sounds-all these factors combined in a mysterious way in his mind, forming a sharper intuition.

If he had to describe it, it was somewhat similar to the “Conceptual Secret Toxin.” The side effect of this toxin was that it occasionally allowed one to glimpse the truth of the world. Ordinary people could only see light reflections, but those poisoned by the concept could see traces of Miracles, such as the spiderweb-like Gospel that blotted out the sky.

Strangely, after so many days in Senlo, Ashe hadn’t seen any grand Miracles that used the entire Kingdom as their stage. Although he occasionally saw dazzling colors, they were merely the veils armed by various cults for the city.

Ashe’s current feeling was as if he had been afflicted with a permanent Conceptual Secret Toxin. The world was no longer just monotonous light, vibrations, scents, and flows. Instead, there was something more hidden, more wondrous, and more elusive…

Swoosh!

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A bullet grazed past the blade edge, skimming over his forehead and taking a chunk of flesh with it. Ashe looked at the phantom Purple Moth fifty steps away. She had fully extended her virtual wings, the purple light condensing into four Miracle guns. Combined with the two Assault Guns in her hands, she formed what could only be described as a hopeless barrage of bullets in this narrow corridor!

Miracle: Honor of the Dolan Family!

That was indeed its name, as it was Annan’s exclusive Miracle. This Miracle was based on the Gunmanship Sect, blending alchemy, illusion, and fire spells. The reason she could utilize her virtual wings was due to her silver blessing, “Burning Wings,” which allowed her to integrate spirits into her virtual wings, thus transforming them!

From this, it’s clear that Young Lady Annan is an incredibly extraordinary protagonist in a coming-of-age story. Her background aside, her talents and opportunities are on par with those of a chosen one. Even without the interference of Ashe and others, she could carve out a place for herself on the Future Ranking list.

When she’s an ally, even if she’s not a conventional leader, the work environment is quite comfortable.

But when she becomes an enemy, everything changes.

The dual guns of the phantom Purple Moth were already troublesome, but now, with full firepower unleashed, Ashe has no doubt that he’ll be torn apart like an apple pie in the barrage of bullets!

Just as the phantom Purple Moth was preparing to unleash a Miracle to set up her turret, the Observer suddenly leaped off the walls, rapidly closing in on the gun sorcerer’s restricted zone from above!

Without hesitation, the phantom Purple Moth raised her gun barrels, sealing off all his escape routes!

Bang bang bang bang bang-

The deafening gunshots echoed through the corridor, accumulating into a heart-wrenching roar of hell. The sheer assault on the eardrums alone was enough to disorient any sorcerer. Yet, facing the flood-level barrage, the Observer kicked off the walls, his movements alternating between fast and slow, leaping back and forth above like a butterfly in a storm, narrowly dodging the bullets!

At that moment, the phantom Purple Moth suddenly shifted her aim to Ashe.

While the Observer drew her attention for a brief moment, Ashe immediately slipped into the shadows, swiftly closing in on the enemy. His “Observer’s Visage” and “Listener’s Woe” seemed to still be effective. While they were useless in a one-on-one fight, with someone else drawing the enemy’s focus, he became an unnoticed bystander!

Bang bang bang!

Within seven steps, the gun was both accurate and fast. Ashe only managed to deflect half of the bullets, while the other half he tried to block with his arm. But how could flesh and blood stop steel?

However, Ashe never intended to stop the bullets with his body. As the bullets penetrated his flesh, causing cavitation effects and explosive fragmentation, his limbs burst into clouds of blood mist. With a swing of his arm, the blood sprayed toward the phantom Purple Moth’s eyes!

But it was futile. The terrifying kinetic energy of the bullets was enough to halt Ashe’s charge. He barely had time to throw his “Honey Sword,” but the phantom Purple Moth simply sidestepped, easily dodging his desperate move.

But Ashe wasn’t alone.

From above, a spinning figure suddenly descended, effortlessly weaving through the chaotic barrage caused by the loss of vision. The Observer landed, slicing through the phantom Purple Moth’s gun barrels, then thrust his long sword forward, cutting her throat.

The phantom Purple Moth collapsed to the ground, her eyes dimming, blood pooling around her. Two blazing flames flew out from her body, landing on Ashe and the Observer.

With a shudder, the bullets embedded in Ashe’s body were expelled, his wounds healed, his stamina restored, and even the cavities left by the bullets disappeared.

He sat up, examining his injuries with a puzzled expression.

“Were you so fearless because you were certain the Trial would reward you with healing?” the Observer asked calmly, wiping the blood from his sword blade with his elbow.

“Yes,” Ashe nodded. “After all, the first Trial yesterday had such a reward. There’s no reason the second one wouldn’t. And in that situation, since you created an opening, I had to charge in to support you.”

“What if there was no reward, or if the reward wasn’t enough to heal you, or if you were killed outright? What then?”

Ashe was taken aback, then shook his head. “It was an emergency. How could I have had time to think about that?”

The Observer said nothing more, sheathing his sword.

Ashe walked past the corpse of the phantom Purple Moth, glancing at the wound on her throat. “Thank you,” he said.

The Observer didn’t acknowledge him, instead breaking into a run down the corridor. Ashe followed closely.

From their experience the previous night, it was clear that as long as they didn’t reach the next hall, the Trial would continue. This meant that the longer they stayed in the corridor, the more battles they would face. Therefore, moving faster could reduce the number of fights.

However, unless one was a physical sorcerer, it was difficult to create a significant gap in physical strength. The designers of the Trial must have considered this factor, so moving slowly would definitely be a disadvantage, but moving quickly might not necessarily bring many benefits. In fact, it could lead to excessive stamina consumption from running, potentially causing them to fail the Trial midway.

“Have you noticed,” Ashe suddenly said, “that the ‘rewards’ today seem more substantial than yesterday’s?”

“The reward from the first Trial only healed our injuries and restored our stamina, but the reward from the second Trial seems to have enhanced our physical abilities as well. It’s not much, but without the interference of spellforce or spirits, I can definitely feel that my senses have become sharper.”

“Actually, I found it strange during the last battle. Although my Swordsmanship is at the Golden level, it shouldn’t have been enough to deflect bullets. Yet, in the Trial, not only were my senses enhanced, but I also vaguely sensed something beyond reality. That’s why I was able to position my sword blade in the bullet’s path before it was even fired.”

“My intuition wasn’t this sharp yesterday. Thinking back now, it must be because yesterday’s ‘reward’ took root within me. So, to what extent will today’s ‘reward’ nurture that seed?”

Ashe spoke for a while but received no response, so he curiously looked at the Observer.

After a moment of thought, he said, “Are you upset because I have girls who like me?”

The Observer glanced at him indifferently. Ashe patted the Observer’s shoulder and comforted him, “You look exactly like me, so surely someone will like you too! Even Harvey gets kissed by little girls. Are you saying you’re not as good as Harvey?”

“What do you think this Trial is trying to do? It sealed our spellforce, yet it’s making us stronger through the Trial…”

The Observer finally spoke, “You already have your own judgment. Why are you still seeking answers from me?”

“Because I need your affirmation of my judgment!” Ashe clenched his fist and said, “And if you think the same as me, doesn’t that mean I’m right?”

“Do you really need others’ affirmation that much?”

“Not from just anyone,” Ashe replied. “But you’re my brother.”

At that moment, even the Observer, who had navigated through the barrage of bullets with ease, crossed the Angel’s Graveyard, and faced the Divine Sovereign without fear, suddenly felt a string in his heart snap.

Ashe continued chattering, “Look, you were only born yesterday, younger than me, and weaker in ability. Clearly, you’re the younger brother, and I’m the older one. But in our family, we don’t really stick to formal titles. I just call our elder brother by his name, so you don’t have to call me ‘Brother Ashe.’ After all, it would be a bit embarrassing for a grown man like you to call me that…”

The Observer responded, “…Hmm.”

“But the main point isn’t about being the younger brother,” Ashe said. “It’s because you care about my safety, and naturally, I want my decisions to be affirmed by you.”

“Although I can’t guarantee that I won’t have to fight desperately in the next battle, I will cherish my life more,” Ashe looked at his Twin, “and trust your abilities more.”

This sounds so familiar, the Observer thought. He seemed to have said something similar to someone before. Who was it?

However, the focus wasn’t on who he said it to, but on how much truth and falsehood were hidden within those words.

“But there’s one thing I’m really curious about,” Ashe said. “The healing we receive from the Trial rewards isn’t like the reconstructive healing of ‘Hydrotherapy.’ It’s more like something I’ve heard of but can’t quite remember-“

The Observer interjected, “Bullets are removed, flesh and blood are restored, tissues are as good as new, as if everything has returned to the state before the injury.”

“That’s the effect of the Time Reversal series of spirits. It’s a healing method that involves reversing time.”