Mage Manual-Chapter 1462 - 1065: The Forgotten

Ever since entering Hell, Ash felt a faint sense of dissonance in his heart. He couldn’t sense any hostility from Death Mad, as if she was indeed wholeheartedly acting as his tour guide, showing him the sights of Hell, and guiding him to raid the landmarks into historical ruins.

Now Ash finally understood, there truly was no conflict of interest between Death Mad and him.

No wonder she specifically guided me to plunder Hell.

No wonder she was indifferent to my rapidly growing strength.

Because everything of mine would ultimately become their resources, and it’s all voluntary on my part.

In both emotion and reason, Ash must do his utmost to stop Uroboros’s devouring. If he couldn’t defeat this future monster, they would have no future to speak of. If sacrificing the heart could exchange for power, then what was there for Ash to hesitate?

But Ash sharply noticed a loophole, which was... is he really the only one who can stop Uroboros?

He wasn’t a Saint who took all responsibilities onto himself, except for returning to reality to give Sonia and the others a good morning kiss, there was nothing else in this world that was indispensable for him. Rather than striving on his own, he might as well blame others; this is the life realization Ash gained from his corporate slave career.

He was quite sure the Gods of Four Pillars and Supreme Star had already received news, and most likely the other Divine Lords also knew this world was on the brink of peril. Ash didn’t need to rush, he could calmly reassure the operators, maybe the Supreme and Divine Lords had already quietly defeated Uroboros unbeknownst to him, allowing Hell to descend upon the world again?

Friends, trust those Divine Lords who have lived for thousands of years! Those guys have enjoyed all earthly pleasures, witnessed the cycles of seasons, even facing death it should be their turn. You haven’t seen the witches appear together, haven’t tasted the rust lemon and orange flavor of the Silver Lamp again, haven’t taught the maid to be orderly and good-natured, haven’t personally removed the Sword Maiden’s wedding dress, why risk your life at such a young age?

Ash desperately found reasons for himself, working hard to convince himself to evade such grand yet tragic responsibilities. In the end, there was only one reason: he was afraid.

He was no longer the confused death row inmate from Shattered Lake Prison, because he had nothing, because there was no expectation, he wasn’t afraid of loss, not afraid of the abrupt end.

But now it’s different, he has so many expectations, the to-do list could be a hundred or a thousand lines... He wants to do embarrassing things with those girls, even if getting beaten by them afterward, he feels satisfied... What he most wants is for a miracle to occur, no one has to endure grievances, everyone can be happy... How could he waste his life on saving the world, such a silly thing?

"Ahead is the large force ’Soul Stone Tomb’," Death Mad said, "This base integrates the Magic Temple, including Youmo’s previous life’s Upper Temple. Therefore, the moment Youmo entered Hell, she immediately raided this base, effortlessly seizing what this group of demigods had built over three thousand years due to her connection with the temple. No one expected that one day the fallen demigod could return to Hell and reclaim the rent."

"She intentionally left the Magic Temple in the first level of Hell, right?" Although it was a question, Ash said it in a declarative tone, "We’ll go back later to see if she still remembers this matter."

Death Mad glanced at him: "You have a good relationship with her?"

"Not good."

"Not good, yet you kissed her deeply, played with her body? Don’t you know who she is?"

Ash’s lips quivered, he argued, "Those interactions were just deceitful tricks between us, I have never relaxed my guard against her...wait, why should I explain to you? This is none of your business." He grew firm as he continued to speak.

Death Mad’s expression turned cold, "Do as you please."

This time, she did not follow Ash into the Soul Stone Tomb, but stopped outside waiting, coldly staring at Ash’s back. Ash turned to glance at her, unable to understand why she was angry; if Sonia were mad, he could comprehend it, but Death Mad, why are you angry?

The demigod in the Soul Stone Tomb didn’t flee, various gemstones scattered across the ground, along with many Shadow Evil Dragon’s crystal cores. In the lower four layers of the Void Realm, Shadow Evil Dragons are almost lord-level creatures, which ordinary mages simply cannot contend with, even Legendary Holy Domain has to cautiously engage. But in Hell, Shadow Evil Dragon clans can only obediently serve as pets for demigod mages. This reminded Ash of some novels, where Earth’s experts ascend to the heavenly world only to become mining slaves, the stronger they mix the further they regress.

Regardless of mages or Void Realm creatures, setting foot into the Divine Domain is tantamount to going to Hell to suffer. Even the five-winged Prison Wings demigod never has a moment to relax; every year they must exert all efforts to battle calamities, living standards drop straight compared to Legendary mages. Ash can’t determine if Eternal Life is suffering, but in Hell, eternal life indeed means enduring hardship.

But fortunately, the Void Realm throws the Eternal Ones into Hell, otherwise mage civilization wouldn’t exist. Now the rampage of Legendary Holy Domain can corrupt an entire region, if demigods return to Earth, a land subsidence catastrophe would occur instantaneously, destroying any civilization.

Even if the Divine Lords and Demigods establish rules and regulations for restraint, it doesn’t work, if the time is long enough and the base large enough, there will always be demigods who suddenly become insane. Without saying more, if Ash weren’t suppressing, Vishi might already want to turn Dazzling Star into a hellish purgatory. In that dream, she doesn’t just want to be Ash’s master, but also the ruler of all beings.

Thinking of this point, Ash felt a bit irritated. He understood clearly Death Mad’s accusations were right... so he could only convince himself that every action was to suppress the Ghost Prophet.

Inside the Soul Stone Tomb, a bunch of Source Crystals and essence of knowledge were harvested, no tribulation. There are two Wonders, one is "Soul Reflection," allowing any unit to be attacked by its reflection’s soul, reflections can’t be eliminated unless the opposing unit is completely covered by light, stopping the reflection chase. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The other Wonder is "Soul Scream Sound Wave," emitting a crescent-shaped sound wave, every unit hearing it will have their soul scattered, sound waves penetrate all defenses, if an enemy’s defense Wonder doesn’t involve Soul Magic, it will be easily shattered.

Both are soul-focused, with shadow and sound technique as secondary Wonders. These two Wonders fit Vishi... fit my ass! Not giving them!

Ash shook his head, stuffing both Wonders into the Heavenly Kingdom of Souls.

No matter the future, defeating Uroboros may not be necessary; scavenging Hell certainly isn’t a wrong move. Even if Uroboros wasn’t around, he would still be the enemy of the world, with the Supreme Star still casting suspicious eyes on him. Growing stronger continues to be a necessity for his survival.

Moreover, there are people like the Sword Maiden waiting hungrily outside. Even if it’s just to help them become stronger, Ash has to strive to pick up the scraps. Interestingly enough, compared to cultivating himself, Ash finds more joy in seeing the operators grow stronger; there’s a particular pleasure in nurturing them.

"Sword Blade Storm, this can be given to the Sword Maiden."

"Time Lock, the Witch should find this useful..."

"Demon Form, seems like everyone could use it... let’s give it to the Witch."

"Refraction Protection, can it negate any magic attacks several times!? Has my Sword Barrier finally retired!?"

"Soul Pressure, directly suppresses the enemy’s soul, this..."

Following that, Ash and Death Mad combed through Hell like a fine-toothed comb, sweeping through several strongholds in succession, gathering Source Crystal Gems without counting. Few demigods, like the one from Ten Strings Manor who decisively retreated, were willing to abandon years of accumulated resources to fight to the death. Mainly because they were unaware that they were facing an eight-winged being that transcended dimensions... they believed they could still create miracles.

Even Ash felt he was being absurd—before entering Hell, he didn’t possess even a single Wonder; he was, at best, an enhanced Legendary Mage. Now, he not only condensed one Prison Wing, but also possessed more than a dozen Upper Wonders, each serving as a decisive trump card for a demigod organization. In terms of sheer paper strength, he could now rival seasoned demigods!

While other demigods might spend decades or centuries achieving this level of power, Ash had obtained it effortlessly. And this wasn’t the limit, as he hadn’t even finished scavenging the first layer of Hell.

After stowing another Wonder into the Heavenly Kingdom of Souls, Ash couldn’t help but sigh: "If Uroboros is satisfied just by devouring Hell, that might actually be quite nice..."

Death Mad chuckled disdainfully: "Are you saying, that you feel Uroboros brings quite a bit of benefit to you?"

Ash didn’t deny it. An empty Hell matched perfectly with his Heavenly Kingdom of Souls, just like a thief with a large sack discovering an unlocked treasury, perfectly crafted by nature. Ordinarily, every resource, every bit of strength in Hell must be fiercely fought for and defended; even weaker beings do not have the privilege to get stronger, as they cannot even withstand the annual calamities.

If Ash and his group entered Hell through the usual routes, regardless of their willingness, they would have to show their most brutal and fierce sides, stepping over enemies’ corpses inch by inch to reach the summit, or face being trampled into dust by other demigods.

This Hell lacks sulfur lakes, lacks seas of fire, lacks cauldrons of oil; some strongholds even boast pleasant scenery, yet all living things are in deep distress. Creatures of the Void Realm are enslaved by mages for life, not uncommon to be skinned or peeled; mages live in constant anxiety, unable to enjoy themselves, always cautious of other factions, barely surviving each year’s calamity.

Not as Hell, but surpassing Hell.

Now Ash doesn’t need to endure the suffering of those before him and still can pocket all Hell’s resources, claiming he isn’t grateful for such luck would definitely be a lie.

"Speaking of which," Death Mad held a cigarette in his mouth, folding his arms: "It should have appeared by now..."

"What?"

Ash blinked, then immediately noticed a large mass of white toothpaste foam appearing behind him.

Without any hesitation, Ash pointed at the foam, where his five-winged Source Power evaporated fiercely. Within the Heavenly Kingdom of Souls, a slanted, ethereal tower rumbled loudly, waking the Substitute Technique Spirit sleeping atop it to stumble down!

Wonder·Overturn!

The ground beneath the foam continuously caved in, engulfing the foam within, repeatedly collapsing like a blender aggressively pulping. The Wonder’s core essence of Overturn resided not just in collapse, but also in an incline—the affected unit continually remained in a state of imbalance, watching helplessly as the earth buried them!

Several seconds later, the ground was flattened, and Ash let out a long breath, asking: "What was that?"

"The Forgotten," Death Mad replied: "Doing that was useless against The Forgotten; it cannot be eliminated because you cannot kill an existence without a name."

"To eliminate it," she added, "you must wait for it to remember its name."

Boom!

The ground suddenly tore open as a blood-red dragon, covered in thorns, burst from beneath, emitting an anguished roar from its terrifying, grim mouth:

"I am... I am... Blood Thorn Dragon Hunter, Rugaoin!"

"All things with names!" His eyes glowed with fierce light, "must be forgotten!"