Mage Manual-Chapter 96 - 89 Sword Maiden, Do You Dislike Me?

Chapter 96: Chapter 89 Sword Maiden, Do You Dislike Me?

Void Realm, on a certain Inheritance Island, fire raged across the land!

“Let the flames burn my battered body!”

The heavily armored Axe Mage let out a roar as flames engulfed his entire body, even his pupils turned to fire, and a Fiery Breath escaped his mouth. Boiling Magma flowed from the gaps in his armor!

Flowing flames ignited on the blade of his axe as he bellowed a horizontal sweep. Sonia immediately retreated to dodge, then he suddenly rolled to the left and lunged forward, transforming his axe into a sword shape in one fluid motion, thrusting fiercely at Ash who was attempting a sneak attack with his Heart Sword!

Ash quickly planted his sword into the ground, summoning the ‘Earth Sword’ and ‘Wind Barrier’ Technique Spirits to construct the Miracle— “Sword Wind Barrier”!

The golden sword body barrier enveloped Ash flawlessly!

...

Clang!

The Sword Wind Barrier emitted a piercing blast as it collided with the Sword, but until the flames of the Sword were completely grinded away, Ash didn’t retreat a step, and the barrier remained undamaged!

This defensive Miracle, fueled by the Two-winged Technique Spirit at its core, was virtually an impregnable fortress within the Sea of Knowledge!

Thwarted in his attack, the flames in the Axe Mage’s eyes still burned fiercely. He let out a low growl, and Magma spewed forth from the Sword, thrusting violently at the Sword Wind Barrier!

“Joy and anger, sorrow and pleasure, all fall to dust!”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

With each explosion, the Magma-spewing Sword struck the Sword Wind Barrier like a cannon, depleting Ash’s Magic Power like a waterfall. The luster of the Sword Wind Barrier began to dim, looking unsteady as if it were about to shatter any moment!

This was the Axe Mage’s attack Miracle!

“Sword Maiden!”

Following Ash’s call, Sonia finished her preparations, the tip of her wooden sword flashing with the gleam of steel as it sliced through the Axe Mage’s armor like butter!

At the same time, the wooden sword unleashed sharp Wave energy, turning into a series of expanding, spinning blade wheels that cut the Axe Mage into dozens of pieces!

With the acquisition of the ‘Sword,’ Sonia’s ‘Crack Wave Slash’ was finally complete. Because the Wave Motion Sword excelled in impact rather than slashing, and the Splitting Sword weakened its attack power to increase the area of attack, the previous ‘Crack Wave Slash’ seemed frightening but was actually lacking in damage.

But now, with the sharpness of the Sword, the Crack Wave Slash made up for its lack of attack power. Coupled with a large attack area and mid-to-short range, it became one of the most practical swordsmanship Miracles among One-winged Sword Masters!

The only problem was that Sonia had just obtained the Sword and wasn’t very proficient in combining it yet. She needed some time to adjust and prepare. She hadn’t found an opportunity to use it until now, since Ash had drawn the enmity, giving her enough casting time to utilize it.

Of course, whether she deliberately wanted to see Ash take a beating was something no one knew.

“Be merciful to all beings, as suffering abounds…”

With the final lament, the Axe Mage extinguished like a flame, leaving behind four Technique Spirits and a Mage’s Handbook.

But neither of them rushed to gather the spoils. Ash looked at Sonia with some confusion: “Why haven’t you said a word tonight? Is your throat sore?”

Since entering the Void Realm, the Sword Maiden had been very silent. Ash thought she was in a bad mood, but it was very unusual for her not to comment even after the battle.

Previously, she would first mention her own contributions to the battle, then point out Ash’s mistakes, making him feel like he contributed little and was full of gratitude towards her…

Wait a minute?

Thinking about it, was the Sword Maiden always using her words to suppress him, making him dependent on her?

Just as Ash’s corporate slave radar kicked in, Sonia shook her head, puffing up at Ash, then pointed to her own mouth.

Ash understood at once: “You mean, this is because the random Technique Spirit Summon Card took effect, and you’re in the summoning ritual, unable to speak?”

Sonia nodded.

“Then you can write. Whatever you want to say, just write it in the sand,” he said.

Realization dawned on Sonia. She clapped her hands enthusiastically and wrote a few words in the sand with her wooden sword.

‘Observer, I curse you, you little loudspeaker.’

Ash looked at Sonia, who gazed at the words on the sand and said, “It seems that not only can I not tell lies with my mouth, even my writing cannot go against my true feelings.”

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In Sonia’s explanation, where every five sentences included an insult, Ash quickly understood—she had randomly summoned ‘Sincerity,’ a summoning ritual of the Technique Spirit from the Spirit Faction, which was very simple and did not require the sweat of swordsmanship or the extensive learning time like other Magic Faction Techniques; it only required honesty without lies.

Frankly, Sonia’s luck wasn’t bad. Not only because a Technique Spirit from the Spirit Faction like ‘Sincerity’ was very rare, but also because this summoning ritual didn’t really affect most people.

Like Ash, he told the truth every day, but no one believed he was wrongfully accused as a Cult Leader.

For ordinary people, even if they had to tell the truth every day, they could just stay home as much as possible and remain silent when outside.

But only Sonia couldn’t afford to stay out of trouble—she was a figure of great interest at school, with countless eyes on her every move. It wasn’t that she sought trouble, but trouble found her daily. Some sought connections; some brought schemes; some were from within the school while others came from outside.

If Sonia had always been known as a cold and aloof figure, that would be one thing, but the problem was she had been the opposite. A well-behaved student, a proper young lady, seen as perfect both at social events and in the fencing hall, she had subtly been considered the “Sword Flower” of the first year.

Suddenly, her inability to lie made it seem like her persona had crumbled. Sonia appeared smug and arrogant, as if she no longer cared to maintain relationships!

Ash chuckled as he listened, which only angered Sonia more. “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m in trouble right now, and you should be helping me stop this ritual!”

“Sorry, but I haven’t received professional training. Seeing your misfortune is too amusing,” Ash snickered. “But if we stop the ritual, you won’t be able to summon ‘Sincerity’ on your own, nor will you be able to elevate the Spirit Faction to the Silver Realm. Do you really want that?”

Sonia hesitated, “If we continue the ritual, I’ll offend many people in the coming days. But their value compared with the Spirit Faction’s… the Spirit Faction is clearly more important.”

After she spoke, Sonia paused, stunned—was that really how she felt? Was she the sort of person who placed personal power above all else, willing to damage her relationships without hesitation?

“See, you said it yourself.”

“But at least help me pause it for a day! In a few days, I’ll be the host for the mixer, and I must lie then. If I don’t, I’ll offend many people!”

“I can’t do that,” Ash replied, spreading his hands. “Once I’ve arranged your schedule for the week, not even I can cancel it. At best, I can only add some special events; I can’t reduce your current commitments.”

“Useless! Only a weakling would control me by such despicable means!”

“You’re right,” Ash admitted with a shrug, “after all, it’s not me controlling you, but Aurora… a gift from my last life.”

Sonia had actually anticipated this; the disparity between the Observer’s ability to control her and his own combat power was too great, meaning that the Observer wasn’t using his ‘current’ abilities to control her.

If not now, then it must be the legacy left by him as a legendary power before his memory loss.

Perhaps that was why the Observer clung to her: he could not freely use that legacy, which had randomly chosen her, so he could only help her become stronger and wait for her to reciprocate once she reached a certain level of power.

Sonia’s earlier insult wasn’t spur of the moment. Since entering the Void Realm, she had been plotting to use the label ‘I can now only tell the truth’ to make slightly cutting remarks that would prompt the Observer to reveal more information without causing him offense.

‘Honesty’ could be a tool, too.

Just as Sonia was digesting the information revealed by Ash, he suddenly asked, “By the way, Sword Maiden, do you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you.”

No sooner had she spoken than Sonia clapped her hands to her mouth, her eyebrows nearly shooting up—she was truly angry this time.

“I’m warning you, if you take this opportunity to ask about the secrets in my heart,” she said earnestly, “I will resent you for a lifetime.”

“Sorry, my apologies, that’s my fault.” Ash quickly apologized three times. “You have the first pick of the spoils tonight… huh?”

In the midst of their conversation, the four Technique Spirits released by the axe Mage had somehow already climbed onto Ash, particularly an offensive cat-shaped One-winged Technique Spirit that kept rubbing up against his armpit, as if it was quite enamored with the scent.

Noticing Sonia’s puzzled look, Ash explained, “I used a Technique Spirit Stimulant Potion, which is stronger than the Joy Potion for Technique Spirits you drank, so they’re all clinging to me now.”

“Does this potion make Technique Spirits seek us out?”

“Not sure, but it does raise their affinity for us, so maybe?”

The four Technique Spirits were ‘Chopping Axe,’ ‘Burning,’ ‘Magma,’ and ‘Shattered Body.’ Chopping Axe is essential for an axe Mage, significantly improving the destructive power of axe and sword forms, and interestingly, it took on a feline form.

‘Burning’ and ‘Magma’ were Fire Technique Spirits, and together their Miracle nearly shattered Ash’s Sword Wind Barrier.

‘Shattered Body’ belonged to the Weak Faction, its specific effect being the greater the injury received, the stronger the body’s regeneration and resistance became, and it significantly numbed pain. So, the ‘Natural Miracle’ the axe Mage used was actually a common skill.

This battle also demonstrated that the Mage projections they encountered were becoming increasingly formidable, from the Gun Master who had a single Technique Spirit to the axe Mage who possessed four Technique Spirits and mastered two Miracles. The rapid growth of Magic Power led them deeper into the Sea of Knowledge through the Gate of Truth.

Unless one chose to avoid confrontation by lying flat, the Void Realm was always hot on a Mage’s heels.

Sonia flipped through the Mage’s Handbook and tossed it to Ash, who caught it and saw that it was a “Spoils Catalog”—it seemed the axe Mage had been a bandit in life?

No, Ash quickly dismissed that thought. The axe Mage was probably a mercenary with religious ties or a believer because most of the spoils were donated to the ‘Holy Temple of Tribulation’ mentioned inside.

The spoils, whether they were various resources donated to the temple, intelligent species converted into followers, Technique Spirits, or Miracle Techniques, were given to the temple for allocation. It was unclear whether the axe Mage had admirable morals or the temple’s rules were stringent, but the axe Mage almost never embezzled spoils, with one exception…

“Sword Maiden, take a look at this.”

“I’m not like you, indiscriminate like Meiwa,” Sonia said, spreading her hands. “You know I can’t lie.”

While Ash felt she was seizing the opportunity to insult him outright with him having no right to retaliate, he had no proof.

“It’s written here how to trigger a Vortex.”

“A Vortex, no wonder… to trigger a Vortex?”

Meeting Sonia’s eyes full of surprise, Ash nodded, “According to this, a Vortex is actually a man-made mechanism in the Void Realm!”