Chapter 520: Theres No Other Choice but to Send It!

Chapter 520: There's No Other Choice but to Send It!

Ashe shrugged. "You should have seen the layer of grime I just scrubbed off. I spent last night rolling around in the rain, fighting against Sacred Realm sorcerers. I was filthy and exhausted. Forget the Four Pillars Cult invading. Even if the Four Pillar Deities themselves came looking for trouble, I'd still take this bath!"

As much as Iger wanted to admit to enjoying the water, he spoke up, "If we had spent this time searching for an escape route—"

His words were cut short by a voice from behind. "Escape? How?"

Harvey put down his plate, burping contentedly. "Don't be fooled by the quiet atmosphere. Thirteen sorcerers stood guard outside, with one at the Sacred Realm level. If you went to take a piss, they'd probably send someone to hold your little hose for you. Where exactly do you expect to find the opening to escape?"

"I am a Mind Class sorcerer proficient in the Control Class," Iger said coldly. "I have never needed others to leave an opening for me. A fraudster never relies on someone forgetting to guard their wallet."

"How many people can you actually control, then?" Harvey asked indifferently. "Can you control a Sacred Realm sorcerer?"

He took another bite. "The Four Pillars Cult has most likely surrounded the Temple of Calamity Flame. Any existing escape route has already been sealed off."

"Ashe's suggestion was sound. Instead of exhausting ourselves trying to devise countermeasures, we should take a bath, recover our energy, and wait for fate to deliver a feast to our table."

"Fascinating." Iger gave a harsh laugh. "I used to be the only one who actually washed, while you treated preservation like your personal soap. Now all of a sudden you appreciate a warm soak?"

Iger glared at him. "As the Gospel's First, Ashe will definitely receive the highest level of attention. You are different. You clearly have the ability and the opportunity to search for an opening, yet you sit here using meaningless philosophy to dismiss my suggestion!"

"You're just too afraid of death," Harvey said with a shake of his head. "You were clearly not mentally prepared. Why did you come with us? As a fraudster, shouldn't you know better than to let regret tarnish your reputation?"

"It's you who craves death too much," Iger's voice dripped with mockery. "You're a necromancer, so I suppose I could relate. After all, who wouldn't want to soak in preservation fluid?"

He paused, lowering his tone. "Besides, I never intended to come. I only got dragged into this mess to save Anphel."

"Sorry." Ashe sank almost completely beneath the water. "This time, I dragged you two into this."

Both men froze, neither responding to his words.

"Just treat it as doing it for Anphel," Harvey said. "Instead of imagining an unscathed escape, think about how to fight our way out later."

"Fighting is necessary, but it isn't the objective. It's merely a means and a bargaining chip," Iger said. "If the Four Pillars Cult can truly annihilate the Temple of Calamity Flame, we probably won't escape anyway. That leaves us with one other option: surrender."

"Surrender?"

"If the Gospel believes I can build a Four Pillars Cult from nothing, what makes you think I can't integrate into this one?" Iger said, shifting his perspective. "When the opportunity arises, I might even usurp control. If you can't beat them, join them. It's perfectly reasonable."

He leaned back against the edge of the tub. "Even if we break through by force, we still need to demonstrate our value. Treat this as a job interview in a foreign kingdom."

"Whatever," Harvey said, lowering his eyelids. "Just discuss it with Ashe and decide."

Tension. Panic. Confusion.

Neither man admitted it, but negative emotions were taking their toll. One was a necromancer walking alongside death; the other, a Mind Class sorcerer trained to master his emotions. Yet neither could completely resist the shock of this unfamiliar environment.

They had finally grown accustomed to the Gospel Kingdom, only to be tossed into a strange foreign land. Anyone would become irritable under such circumstances. Even cats suffered stress reactions.

In hindsight, Annan capturing them and immediately stuffing them into a carriage filled with anesthetic mist actually seemed surprisingly considerate. They had been too exhausted to worry about their negative emotions.

Harvey and Iger were not truly in conflict; they had simply disliked each other for a long time. Using a familiar face as an outlet for mental pressure made every conversation reek of gunpowder. Complaining and shifting blame was just the fastest way to relieve stress.

Still, as the Rusty Crow and the Ghost King, they remained capable of quickly adjusting their mental states. By contrast, the third person sitting in the water seemed completely unconcerned about their predicament.

"Ashe, why do you seem so unbothered?" Iger asked. "Do you have a way to escape?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps some trump card Lys prepared for you?"

"No, no." Ashe waved his hands and smiled bitterly. "If I had something like that, I would have already taken you away. Why stay here?"

He leaned his head back against the stone wall, looking up at the steam rising toward the ceiling. "Let's just say I'm simply not worried."

"Putting it in a way that sounds emotionally intelligent, I've weathered too many storms. Putting it bluntly, fate has beaten me down so many times that I don't even have the energy left to complain."

Ashe spread his hands. "Being imprisoned, the Blood Moon Tribunal, escaping prison, fleeing the Blood Moon, being sold off by Annan, becoming Annan's employee, becoming a member of the Senheiser family, becoming Belldet's dog, assassinating a princess, becoming the Gospel's First... And that's only half of it.

"Our current predicament is indeed unsolvable, but come to think of it, was any of our past hardships ever easy? Even if I were just a Lala Fat, after being tempered this much, I should have evolved into a Fish-Slaying Dragon by now. Besides..."

"Besides what?"

Ashe stood up from the bath, wrapped a towel around his waist, and looked at them. "This might sound wrong... but I genuinely feel wonderful about dragging you two into this. A corpse-desecrating necromancer, and a heart-manipulating fraudster. Embarking on an unknown journey together with the two of you..."

The cult leader laughed. "(*￣▽￣) It's honestly incredibly reassuring."

"Look at it positively, we're eliminating evil from the world. Look at it negatively, if we all die together, at least someone will cushion the fall."

At that moment, Iger reached out and grabbed Ashe's ankle, pulling him straight back into the bath.

A huge splash erupted.

Ashe choked on the water, his curse cut short. The moment he surfaced, Harvey pushed him back down.

Now, the cult leader's patience had truly worn thin. Proficient in the Water Class as he was, did these two actually dare to challenge him to a fight in the water?

With the sudden, fierce grace of a Fish-Slaying Dragon plunging into the depths, Ashe dove beneath the surface, dragging them both down into the swirling abyss. There, within the depths of the bath, three sorcerers of the Sacred Realm unleashed their magic. Their battle raged so fiercely it felt as though it stretched to the very edge of the cosmos, grinding the Great Path itself into nothingness.

By the time half the bathwater had sloshed over the rim, the storm finally subsided. Exhausted, the trio wrapped themselves in towels and stepped out into the cool air.

As if Ashe's spirit had rubbed off on them, the furrowed brows of Iger and Harvey smoothed out, replaced by newfound confidence and composure.

Striking while the iron was hot, Ashe dropped a reassuring thought. "There's no need to be so nervous. The Temple of Calamity Flame must have an ace up its sleeve to stand against the Four Pillars Cult."

Iger asked, "What makes you so sure?"

"Because the power granted by the Gospel's First is insight, not brute force," Ashe replied with a calm grin. "Picture this. When a wild beast is chasing you down, what do you need more? A sturdy club to swing, or a handbook titled How to Tame Wild Beasts? Yet the Temple of Calamity Flame celebrated like kings when they summoned the handbook. That can only mean one thing."

Realization flashed in Iger's eyes as he connected the dots. "They already have the weapon to slay the beast. They simply lack the knowledge to wield it!"

***

Things turned out exactly as Ashe had predicted.

By the time they finished dressing and stepped out of the palace, the red-robed priest was already waiting for them outside.

"Gospel's First, the Divine Possession Ritual stands ready," the priest announced, bowing his head. "The people of Calamity Flame yearn for your grace, while the heretical villains tremble before your wrath."

Harvey stepped forward and asked, "What is this Divine Possession Ritual?"

"A sacred rite that entrusts the almighty force of a divine law," the red-robed priest declared. "The divine law of our Temple of Calamity Flame shall march alongside the Gospel's First."

"A divine law?" Iger paused, his eyes widening. "Do you mean to say you actually possess a Divine Spirit?"

The priest cast a glance toward Ashe. Finding no sign that Ashe intended to offer his own explanation, the priest continued. "It is not a true Divine Spirit, but a divine law standing merely one step away from godhood. Upon the Myriad Continent, divinity belongs to all. Every soul harbors the spark to become a Grand Law. A century ago, during the glorious Dawn of the Gods, this world witnessed eight hundred Grand Laws walking side by side in absolute harmony!"

The priest paused, his tone growing solemn. "Yet, the true force of a Grand Law remains beyond the reach of ordinary sorcerers, for they can only borrow its lingering radiance. To crush the Four Pillars heresy, we must unleash its ultimate strength."

Fervor burned brightly in the priest's eyes as he stared directly at Ashe. "Legend speaks that the Gospel's First holds the authority to command any divine law. Please follow me to complete the Divine Possession Ritual. Once it is done, you shall wield the unstoppable divine might of Calamity Flame!"

Ashe blinked in silence.

Beads of sweat started forming once again on the back he had so meticulously cleaned in the bath. He had never imagined that after finally escaping the corruption of the Divine Spirit, Gospel, he would still be dragged back into becoming a vessel.

Looking around, he saw the followers tightly packed in every direction. Beyond the palace walls, the distant echoes of battle rattled the air. The priest's desperate urgency was on full display.

Ashe had no room left to stall, nor any time to hesitate. This time, he truly had no choice but to accept his fate.