Sorcerer's Handbook-Chapter 591: The Truth of Cicada Transformation

Nightfall, Twinborn Palace.

As the sacred ground of the Twinborn Cult, the place was now cluttered with blackboards and clipboards. Harvey watched Igor maneuver between the blackboards, chalk in hand, scribbling and drawing, while the floor was littered with pages of laboratory data. Yet, the con artist moved with the grace of a high-society gentleman at a ball, stepping on vibrant petals meant to enhance the atmosphere.

The necromancer naturally felt at ease watching from the sidelines, after all, he didn’t possess the mind for gathering intelligence, and getting too close would only earn him a scolding.

But after watching Igor busy himself for several days, Harvey couldn’t help but speak up, “Hey.”

Igor ignored him.

“Your hair’s gotten long. How many days has it been since you last showered? Even Alice is tidier than you.”

Igor paused but still didn’t respond.

“I bet once Ashe is rescued, it’ll be your turn to pass out.”

Seeing that persuasion was futile, Harvey gave up. Caring for the living three times was already his limit. But then, Igor suddenly spoke, “Go call the Dark Serpent Twins over.”

Harvey didn’t move, but Alice leaped out of the coffin, transforming into a mist and leaving the palace. Over time, Harvey had become increasingly skilled at converting corpses into other types of necromantic troops, and he was close to unlocking the ultimate necromantic troops: the Dragon Lich and the Blood Corpse King.

Soon, the Dark Serpent Twins followed Alice into the palace and asked, “Do you need more materials brought over?”

“No,” Igor shook his head, “I have some questions for you… Where did I put it…?”

He glanced around, suddenly realizing his hair had grown long enough to obstruct his vision. He casually pushed it aside, grabbed an elastic band from the table, and tied up the messy golden locks behind him. Then, he crouched to search for the needed pages. The Dark Serpent Twins instinctively glanced at his exposed, pale nape, quickly realizing it was inappropriate and looked away, only to find themselves stealing another glance.

“Found it.” Igor picked up a sheet of paper from the floor and asked, “Although the Twinborn Cult doesn’t follow the Circle Cicada Demi-God, your sect’s philosophy is derived from the experimental results here, right?”

“Correct,” the Dark Serpent Twins nodded. “In the experiments of the Circle Cicada Demi-God, the concept of ‘Perfect Twinborn, Fate Spiral’ was proposed, meaning only the Fate Twins can combine to form a perfect fate, freeing themselves from suffering and transcending all things in the world.”

“That’s essentially correct,” Igor said, “but after carefully comparing the data from the Nature Cult and the experiments here, I’ve found some discrepancies.”

“The data mentions a crucial clue-the concept of Perfect Twinborn didn’t originate from the Circle Cicada Demi-God or its followers, but from-“

Igor turned to Harvey, “the Gospel.”

The necromancer looked puzzled, “Why are you looking at me? Did we ever encounter Perfect Twinborn in the Gospel before?”

“We didn’t witness it firsthand,” the Con Artist said, “but we’ve heard of it.”

“Many experimental records indicate that the Perfect Twinborn sought by the Circle Cicada Demi-God isn’t about both Fate Twins transcending together. Instead, it’s about transferring one person’s life, fate, will, and everything else to the other, allowing that person to achieve flawlessness-“

Harvey caught on, “The Ranking of the Unrelated!?”

In the depths of Nabistin’s Mermaid Palace, they had learned the secrets of the Ranking of the Unrelated from the First Sea Witch. Later, in Senlo, Ashe mentioned during a casual conversation that the reason the Yisuo royal family could ensure the First Gospel was always born into their lineage was due to the effect of the Ranking of the Unrelated, which stacked the fate of one princess onto another.

“But aren’t the followers of the Circle Cicada Demi-God trying to transform themselves into the Demi-God with intelligence?” Raven suddenly interjected, “What does that have to do with the Fate Twins?”

“The reason the Demi-God lacks intelligence is the same as why mortals cannot wield deities,” Igor explained. “The instinctive consciousness of the Demi-God and deities is enough to overwhelm the will of mortal mages.”

“But in the Gospel, someone used the method of Fate Stacking to allow a mortal, with the combined fate of two people, to barely control a deity. The Circle Cicada Cult likely took notice of this. However, the Fate Stacking in the Gospel Kingdom originated from the Divine Sovereign’s Miracle. To replicate it, they had to use mortal miracles as a substitute.”

“The Fate Stacking in the Gospel has no requirements for the recipient, but the higher the compatibility, the better the stacking effect. The example we know is that when a pair of sisters underwent Fate Stacking, one of them gained the stable ability to house a deity.”

“Since the Circle Cicada Cult couldn’t replicate divine intervention, their requirements for the recipient had to be even stricter. So, with the technology of the Gray Fox Divine Era, how did they find the two individuals with the highest compatibility?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to the Dark Serpent Twins in the palace.

“The Gray Fox mages found the optimal solution,” Igor said. “By creating a perfect custom Copy, they could attempt Fate Stacking.”

Cicada Transformation Hall.

Ashe sheathed Honey Sword.

Two Cicada Transformation Chambers, four people.

Someone had to remain in the hall as the sacrificial offering for the Trial Takers in the Cicada Transformation Chambers.

According to normal logic, one group should defeat the other, and the losing Trial Takers would remain in the hall as expendable resources, completely consumed by the victors.

Though cruel, Ashe had already passed the earlier trials and knew this Divine Fire Trial wasn’t a legitimate inheritance. He had mentally prepared himself for it.

However, the two Cicada Transformation Chambers were placed so far apart, and once one was activated, the other only had 30 seconds left to enter.

If both groups of Trial Takers were determined to enter the final trial together with their other halves, they would naturally have to fight to the death. The victorious Fate Twins could return fully rewarded, having survived the trial together.

But if even one person didn’t share this mindset and only cared about surviving the trial alone, the current situation would arise.

Silver Lantern had already entered the Cicada Transformation Chamber, leaving Ashe and the others with just over 20 seconds to enter the other chamber. And no matter what they did, only one spot remained for survival.

Only one person could survive alongside Silver Lantern.

At that very moment, Ashe sensed the attack from beside him. Even though he reacted swiftly, the Observer’s speed far exceeded his expectations-

Thud!

A mere impact to his side was enough to make Ashe gag, instantly sapping his strength and paralyzing his entire body. His vision even blurred, leaving him completely unable to control his movements. What was going on? He didn’t recall mastering such a combat technique…

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

In his daze, he felt himself being lifted and then thrown onto the cold ground.

When his vision cleared, Ashe turned his head with great effort and saw the Observer looking down at him from above.

“I told you from the very beginning,” he said, “take care of yourself.”

The Observer stepped out of the Cicada Transformation Chamber, took out the candy Ashe had given him, and flicked it toward the chamber’s activation button. The door closed.

“I won’t look after you anymore.”

Vesser watched this scene from a distance, not particularly surprised but feeling a bit of joy, perhaps even a hint of satisfaction.

By the time Ashe recovered, the countdown had just ended. He only managed to rush to the door, pressing his face against the glass as he stared intently at the Observer.

What did he want to say?

For once, the Observer was willing to listen, but in the next second, Ashe descended into the abyss with the Cicada Transformation Chamber, facing his fate alongside Vesser.

In life, many farewells happen without the chance to say goodbye.

“I thought you would seize this opportunity.”

In the vast underground hall, the voice of one of the two remaining figures echoed.

Yolan removed her fox mask, revealing a face etched with worry and cold detachment. “This is the best opportunity. Ashe has laid the groundwork for you, and you can play his role. With just one switch earlier, you could have achieved a perfect rebirth.”

“Though Death Maniac might throw a fit, you, who are adept at weighing gains, naturally understand what’s more important,” she said softly. “After all, compared to Ashe, you’re more rational, more powerful, more-“

“You don’t need to remind or tempt me like this,” the apocalypse observer said coldly. “I’m well aware that, just like you, I’m a demon covered in filth.”

“I won’t deny it either. At the very beginning, I did have such thoughts,” he admitted. “The Divine Fire Trial was my midterm exam for Ashe.”

“It didn’t surprise me. He’s still as disappointing as ever.”

“Too weak to need comfort.”

“Too kind to dare kill.”

“He even dares to trust people he’s just met.”

“He values friendship, family, and love. I used to think he just wanted to use love to dominate them, but now it seems it might be the other way around…”

“He even found a home here,” the observer said calmly. “A stray dog content with a doghouse.”

“Even though you say that,” Yolan replied, “aren’t you still quite pleased? Your staying is the best recognition of him.”

“Staying was always part of the original plan. I just didn’t want complications. Death Maniac is still a tough problem to solve,” the observer said, glancing down at his hands and shaking his head slightly. “And…”

“As an older brother, of course, I have to protect my younger brother as much as possible.”

“For the midterm exam, he passed.”

Yolan was seeing him say such words for the first time and couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, her lips curving into a smile.

But soon, her expression slowly changed. “How… is this… possible…?”

White mist began to rise from their bodies, not dispersing but instead condensing into snow-white ribbons, like… a floating bridal veil.

The observer stared intently at the anomaly in his body. He knew exactly what this was. It was the fusion Miracle of the Fate Twins, stacking one’s fate onto another. Among the divine Kingdoms, only the Gospel Kingdom and Senlo Kingdom had inherited this Miracle, but he had never witnessed the Miracle in action… almost never.

The Mirror Master instinctively reached out, as if to comfort the apocalypse observer. However, her hand turned into mist upon touching him. The observer didn’t look at her but closed his eyes until both of them completely dissipated into white mist.