The Sorcerer's Handbook

While Harvey held off the Mercury youth, Quinna, Annan, and Pankey quickly reached a consensus to cease fighting.

Annan was far from incapable of reading the room. At this point, they had no hope of escape. A large group of hunters stood watching them like predators, leaving prey like them with only one viable option, which was to seek refuge under a hunter who preferred keeping them alive as assets rather than killing them outright. No matter how much Annan disliked Quinna, she had to admit that becoming Quinna's "plaything" was a far better fate than becoming a prisoner of the Red Hats or the other noble families.

The moment Quinna released her, Annan shouted at the top of her lungs, "Harvey, Ashe, surrender to the Senheiser family! We are now their spoils of war!"

Right then, the other three Sacred Realm sorcerers finally broke free from the constraints of the artificial River of Flowing Gold and arrived on the scene. Naturally, their priority was to join the dispute over the spoils.

"Hey, hey, does this mean we came all this way for nothing?"

"We can't just hand everything over to the Senheiser family. At the very least, Ashe Heath must be brought to justice."

"Archibald Harvey cannot be handed over to them either!"

The newcomers were Cliose, the Weeping Sand of Azura, the Sacred Realm sorcerer from the Kessriel family, and Aina, the Crimson Cicada Duchess from the Good Moonlight Agency.

Standing alongside the Funeral Agency squad, Quinna waved her hand, releasing the Soul-Sealing Bullet restraints on everyone. In truth, the only one still affected by the restraints was Ashe. He remained weak and helpless, letting out faint groans.

Meanwhile, the other four Sacred Realm sorcerers fanned out in a semicircle, turning their collective pressure on Quinna.

"If you hadn't caused so much trouble earlier, none of this would be happening," Quinna said coldly.

Annan snapped back without hesitation. "Bullshit! Even if I had surrendered the moment I saw you, do you really think they would have just stood by and let you take us? If anything, you should've let us go earlier, then none of this would've happened!"

Annan saw through the entire situation. This was a joint pursuit operation, which meant conflict over the division of spoils and irreconcilable clashes of interest were inevitable.

Deep down, the Sacred Realm sorcerers were more or less aware that Ashe and Harvey had likely deceived the Gospel to secure their places on the rankings, and that the Gospel's evaluation of them was probably flawed. Perhaps even their rankings themselves were false. However, one thing remained beyond doubt, and that was that the prophecy of a catastrophe within fifty years was entirely real.

Under these circumstances, anyone who held the "key to the future" was immensely valuable. Even if Ashe and Harvey were "counterfeit goods," simply securing them was a massive win. Otherwise, why would these powerhouses travel thousands of miles just to invade a private estate in Montphera? Out of goodwill?

Furthermore, Harvey might eventually inherit the Angel's legacy and command the ten major necromancer families, effectively becoming a sovereign king in the apocalyptic era foretold by the Gospel. Who wouldn't want to usurp that position?

Ashe was worth slightly less, but Cliose wanted him as leverage to improve her own ranking, and the other families clearly shared the sentiment. Having appeared on two separate rankings, Ashe was undeniably a central figure. His value might be lower than Harvey's, the future necromancer king, but only marginally so.

Annan couldn't escape either. She herself was ranked first on the Art Rankings, and as the leader of the Funeral Agency, everyone knew that Ashe and Harvey's manipulation of the rankings was closely tied to her. When Annan closed her right eye and activated her Eye of Truth and Calamity, she saw herself, Ashe, and Harvey all shrouded in a thick black mist, clearly indicating that they were bound by a shared, terrible misfortune.

Breaking the silence, the Mercury youth proposed, "Since the Sennheiser family was the first to capture them, you may choose one of the three key targets. The other families will take the remaining two, and then all the remaining secondary targets go to you as well. How about it?"

The Kessriel sorcerer added, "No matter who takes Archibald Harvey, his research on necromancy must be shared, not just with us, but with all the noble lines on the Family Rankings."

Cliose hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "No. Annan is neither a wanted criminal nor a future offender. You have no authority over her fate. Since she has chosen to side with the Senheiser family, she belongs to them now. Lady Quinna herself can handle any protection charges. Lady Quinna, you only need to choose between Heath and Harvey."

The Crimson Cicada Duchess, Aina, cast a deep glance at Cliose, then nodded in agreement. "I stand with Weeping Sand on this."

The expressions of both the Kessriel and Mercury sorcerers instantly darkened.

Annan wasn't as intrinsically valuable as the other two, but everyone had already deduced from the first two rankings that she was the absolute core figure behind deceiving the Gospel. If she were allowed to remain at large with the outlanders, the Woven Festival would undoubtedly continue to be disrupted. Under normal circumstances, they might have tolerated it. But with the survival of the Gospel at stake over the next fifty years, the Woven Festival was their most critical tool for observation. Annan could not be permitted to interfere any further.

More importantly, if the Senheiser family secured the combination of Annan and either of the two outsiders, their advantage would become overwhelming. It was equivalent to holding a guaranteed ticket to the future.

In a world approaching the apocalypse, resources were scarce. For a family, it was the difference between a slow decline and rising to found a thousand-year dynasty. Any growth on the Senheiser family's part would inevitably squeeze the survival space of everyone else.

The Kessriel and Mercury sorcerers exchanged rapid, silent calculations. But with Cliose and Aina subtly backing the Senheiser family, their hands were tied. Only five Sacred Realm sorcerers were present. The other families either lacked powerhouses of that caliber or had been unable to attend. With the balance of power tilted three against two, they were forced to stand by and watch the Senheiser family secure a total victory.

Quinna turned back, her gaze sweeping over Ashe as he shielded Lys behind him, before landing on the necromancer engulfed in emerald flames. Finally, she exchanged a knowing look with Pankey and her daughter, Annan.

"It seems I only have one option left," Quinna said coldly, adjusting the brim of her red hat.

Annan, covered in dust and grime, raised an eyebrow. "Correct... free fire!"

The moment the words left Annan's mouth, Quinna, Pankey, Harvey, and even Ashe launched a simultaneous assault against the four Sacred Realm sorcerers.

Frost whirled, deathly soul-binding chains struck, gunfire roared, and sword light flashed in a blinding cascade.

Miracle, Frost Barrage Gun Dance!

Miracle, The Eternal Coffin's Cold Rain Night!

Miracle, Soul-Burst Bullet!

Miracle, Sword of Rage!

"Quinna Senheiser, what do you think you're doing?!" the Kessriel Sacred Realm sorcerer roared while hastily deploying his Sacred Realm to defend against the onslaught.

Quinna replied arrogantly, "My intentions are simple. I want everything. All of them are mine. You think you get a share? Not a chance!"

Cliose's expression darkened. "Quinna, you're going too far!"

The Mercury youth laughed in pure fury. "We have four Sacred Realm sorcerers on our side, and you—"

"I have money!"

In the heart of the chaotic battle, Quinna summoned the Book of Gospel. Instantly, boundless energy surged into the members of the Funeral Agency. Gospel Force Fields materialized around them, completely neutralizing incoming damage. At the same time, their physical capabilities skyrocketed under a dozen different blessings like Cat's Elegance, Bull's Strength, and Eagle's Sharpness, boosting their combat power to its absolute limit through the sheer expenditure of Gospel Points.

In stark contrast, the Mercury youth and his allies were suddenly crippled by a wave of debuffs, including muscle soreness, blood platelet breakdown, and even the distracting phantom buzzing of mosquitoes. While these minor ailments meant little to Sacred Realm sorcerers on their own, the sheer, staggering weight of Quinna's financial power made them hesitate. They weren't just fighting a single Sacred Realm sorcerer. They were facing the bottomless reserves of a fully funded noble house.

Realizing the danger, the Sacred Realm sorcerers quickly shifted tactics, attempting to capture members of the Funeral Agency to break their formation.

Yet, after several brutal exchanges, they failed to seize a single hostage and were instead forced back.

Four Sacred Realm sorcerers were actively being suppressed by just a single peer and a handful of Two-Winged sorcerers.

Whoosh!

The Mercury youth turned back into a shadow and withdrew from the frontline.

He glanced down at his hands. His right hand was rotted nearly to the bone, while his left was frozen deep to the marrow. Even with his Sacred Realm active for protection, he still hadn't been able to withstand the raw power of the Two-Winged sorcerers' attacks.

Among the Funeral Agency squad, Annan and Ashe possessed negligible combat strength. The true threats to the Sacred Realm sorcerers were Pankey and Harvey.

"Frost-type Mana, Necromantic Mana..." The Mercury youth muttered, quickly healing his hands as he let out a bitter, disbelieving laugh. "Are today's Two-Winged sorcerers really this vicious?"

On the other side of the battlefield, Ashe also realized that he and Annan were essentially acting as background decoration. Seizing a brief opening in the fray, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are Pankey and Harvey so much stronger than us?"

Annan held Second Mistress Donna, doing her best to distract the Sacred Realm sorcerers. In between reloads, she shouted back, "Their Miracles have been infused with processed mana!"

"Processed mana?"

"Through certain specialized Miracles, raw mana can be refined into a form that aligns perfectly with a spirit's affinity. For example, processed Frost Mana can amplify Frost Class Miracles by a hundred percent and even unlock terrifying secondary effects."

"Does something that incredible really exist?!"

"Yes, but those Miracles usually come at an astronomical cost," Annan said, casting a glance at him. "And the learning threshold is absurdly high. Ordinary sorcerers simply can't master it."

It was precisely because Quinna had realized Harvey and Pankey both possessed the potential to fight above their rank that she had decisively initiated the battle. Otherwise, even with her immense wealth, she would never have been able to withstand a joint assault from four Sacred Realm sorcerers.

Boom!

While they were still talking, Quinna seized a fleeting opening and fired a devastating shot. A Soul-Burst Bullet instantly pierced through Aina's Sacred Realm, sending the elderly woman flying more than ten meters away.

Aina quickly suppressed her injuries by activating the Machina Spirit form she had received from the Family Rankings. Even so, she was done for. She could no longer continue fighting.

Already unable to win and now down a member, the Mercury youth and his allies withdrew without hesitation.

Quinna exhaled softly and opened her Book of Gospel. "I'll summon a hovercar with the Book of Gospel, and then we—"

"Evelyn, you have no heart," Annan suddenly murmured.

Quinna paused and looked up. The white mist above the courtyard had dispersed, and the elite sorcerers who had been trapped in the spatial inversion binding were now free. The sorcerers looked down, only to see the Sacred Realm masters already locked in chaotic combat, completely unaware of what had just happened.

The Mercury youth announced calmly, "The Senheiser family believes Ashe Heath, Archibald Harvey, Annan Dolan, and all other targets should be transferred under our control. We are currently engaged in a friendly negotiation."

Everyone quickly caught on. A tense, post-battle distribution meeting was underway. All members of the Six Emblems Families flew to Quinna's side, while the remaining Red Hats, agencies, and sorcerers from the other clans aligned themselves with the Mercury youth.

The situation flipped in an instant. Quinna had fewer than ten people on her side, while the Mercury youth commanded more than forty. Elite Two-Winged sorcerers could not interfere in a clash of Sacred Realm caliber, but the Mercury youth only needed to hold Quinna back for a brief moment. That would allow his elite squads a window to seize the captives and plunder the spoils.

Quinna understood this perfectly, but instead of backing down, she grew even more assertive. She said coldly, "Mercury, Cliose, do you really want them to interfere in a battle between Sacred Realm sorcerers? They will die."

Due to the sheer power of the Sacred Realm, clashes between sorcerers of this caliber were devastatingly lethal. Any lower-ranked sorcerer caught in the crossfire would face a horrific death. The only reason Ashe and the others had been able to safely "sit out" the earlier fight was because the Sacred Realm sorcerers had deliberately held back.

The battlefield fell into a tense stalemate. The Mercury faction held the numerical advantage, but it wasn't overwhelming. Aside from Quinna herself, Harvey and Pankey had proven they possessed combat power on par with the Sacred Realm. A full-scale war would result in losses so heavy that every single faction would feel the sting.

Just as everyone weighed their next move, the young butler suddenly offered a bitter smile. White smoke billowed from his body, and he rapidly shrank until he became a boy of about five years old.

The child looked down in utter confusion at his oversized butler uniform. He shook his massive sleeves, then glanced around nervously at the unfamiliar adults. His tender face quickly filled with fear, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Come here and have some chocolate," Lys said decisively. She stepped forward and took the child's hand. Seeing a girl only slightly older than himself, little Pankey managed to hold back his tears and obediently followed her to the rear.

Ashe stared blankly at Annan, pointing a finger at Pankey. Annan could only nod helplessly.

At that exact moment, Alice-Harvey suddenly coughed heavily. The green flames cloaking his body slowly extinguished as a wisp of white mist detached from Alice and slipped back into the coffin. Alice quickly slammed the lid shut.

Ashe muttered, "You..."

Alice said brightly, "I am Alice! Harvey needs to rest in the coffin. From now on, I am taking over!"

Ashe could no longer tell whether this was Harvey's split personality, a necromancer's bizarre eccentricity, or a side effect of the earlier Miracle, but it hardly mattered. The grave matter at hand was that they had just lost two Sacred Realm-level combatants in rapid succession.

Meanwhile, Crimson Cicada Duchess Aina had recovered her baseline strength and once again took her place among the opposing Sacred Realm sorcerers.

The atmosphere turned suffocatingly strange.

The Mercury youth coughed twice to break the silence, while Quinna rubbed her aching forehead.

In terms of both numbers and raw strength, the Senheiser family had fallen completely at a disadvantage. Even Quinna, powerful as she was, could not possibly carry the Funeral Agency through a siege by four Sacred Realm and dozens of elite sorcerers.

Exhausted, Annan walked over to Ashe, grabbing his arm and leaning against him heavily, as if she might collapse without his support.

Everyone had done their absolute best.

Originally, they should have been captured by Quinna, until Pankey stepped in. Later, the Mercury youth should have captured Ashe, but Harvey intervened at the critical moment. Everything up to this point had been an incredible chain of miracles and surprises, but now, the grim reality of their situation caught up to them at last.

Annan whispered into Ashe's ear, "We have no choice but to hand Harvey over. Don't say anything. I'll talk to Quinna."

"Miss, don't you have... a backup plan?"

Annan glanced at him and nodded subtly. "I do, but it may already be useless. And at this stage, ordinary plans won't cut it anymore. We can only rely on an actual miracle."

Right then, every single one of their Books of Gospel suddenly popped open, each revealing a glowing bookmark.

Hope flared in Ashe and the others. "So it's happening now?"

The Mercury youth's heart sank. Why now?

Quinna felt a wave of unease. Why does it have to be now?

Yet, no one could resist the temptation of the future, even at such a critical junction. With an intense mix of emotions, they opened the glowing bookmarks and looked at the title of the third rankings.

[Schemer Rankings]

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