Mage Manual

Chapter 1658 - 1219: The Final Battle

Death Mad left only a spoiler-like prophecy before continuing on the road ahead, completely ignoring the doubts in Ash’s heart. He still didn’t understand what form Death Mad existed in or where she was. If she could only stay in Hell, how did she know about the things happening between Ash, Sonia, and others in reality? If she wasn’t usually in Hell, how did she know what was going to happen there?

Ash wasn’t even sure whether Death Mad was an enemy or an ally. If she was an enemy, why was she so concerned about him and Sonia? If she was an ally, then she was a member of the End Times Five, whose ultimate goal was to seize the bodies of Ash and others for rebirth.

From the first time Shattered Lake Prison appeared before him, this enigmatic woman never allowed him to see her clearly... Even someone as cunning as Vishi or as ancient as Dazzling Star wasn’t as unfathomable. She always smoked leisurely, and the burning cigarette tips flew like fireflies in the distance beyond his sight.

"Death Mad," Ash asked curiously, "how old are you?"

A minute later, Ash, who was deeply trapped in the snow without the strength to fight back, swore this was the harshest beating he’d ever received in his lifetime. Just before the burning cigarette was about to touch his eyeball, the defiant Ash still lowered his proud head.

But you’re the Supreme of Magic; why would you care about such trivial matters? Isn’t that a bit childish... Such words Ash wouldn’t dare to voice. He followed obediently behind Death Mad, traveling across the snowy land of the Northern Country, casually asking, "Are we going to the mage’s outpost?"

"No." Death Mad shook her head. "Now that Fantasy Hell no longer has any mage outposts for you to plunder. Since a month ago, when the demigods of Black Descent Hell fled to Fantasy Hell, there has been a full mobilization, taking away all resources that could be moved and relocating all outposts, even leaving no Wonders at the outposts, gathering all personnel and materials to fight against The Forgotten."

Ash was surprised, "They... can really unite?"

It wasn’t that Ash looked down on the demigods of Hell, but personnel management isn’t the same as a Miracle; a miracle can take effect immediately, while personnel management requires time to meld all interested parties into a cohesive whole. Especially with such an alliance involving the redistribution of benefits, without absolute consensus and absolute authority, the alliance would fall into civil war before it was even formed.

If on earth, one could still use shortcuts like the Spirit Faction, in fact, most of the top leaders of the Five Nations have some background in the Spirit Faction. But if anyone dared to use a divine miracle to rule the demigods of Hell... if someone could do that, why hadn’t they done it before? Is it because after staying in Hell for too long, their hearts itch to grow a conscience?

After spending so much time in the mage world, Ash, this half-baked materialist, vaguely understood: Wise men can see the direction of history, great men can guide the tide of history, saints can stop the wheels of history. These three kinds of people do exist and even appear alternately, making history like sawing wood, sometimes going forward, sometimes backward, but overall still developing deeper. If something hasn’t even left the initial ripple, it means its time has not yet come.

Hell’s regime is just such a thing. Over thousands and tens of thousands of years, countless talented people have challenged it, only to fail without exception. How could such a regime emerge in just a month? Even the Black Descent Council is a deformed product formed based on the unique mechanisms of Black Descent Hell, but it is already the largest demigod alliance in Hell.

To be precise, the political atmosphere in the mage world is actually quite straightforward, because often the ruling class doesn’t need to consider complex interests and compromises. Miracles are not only a guarantee of violent power but also an assurance of the smooth implementation of laws, as seen from Blood Moon to Dazzling Star. For rulers, the entire nation is transparent. There’s no fog of war, no bureaucratic internal friction. If the policy is right, it will yield good results, requiring no profound political art.

Perhaps due to this inherent cultural atmosphere, mages only accept the rule of high-ranking mages, such as Angels submitting to the Divine Lord. In Hell, everyone is a demigod. If you want me to obey you, I might not be able to beat you, but can’t I at least run away? It’s not like I have to eat your food.

Sure enough, Death Mad replied, "Of course, they can’t unite just by themselves, but there’s guidance from four Divine Lords and the Supreme of Magic."

"The Divine Lords generally have external forces in Hell, mainly concentrating in Fantasy Hell. You can think of Fantasy Hell as the most potentially rich resource production area in the Void Realm, even more so than the Seven Heavens."

"Then does that mean the Divine Lords indirectly rule Hell?"

"You’re underestimating the demigods of Hell," Death Mad sneered. "Let alone other demigods, even the Divine Lord’s spokespersons there, do you think they’re loyal to the Heavenly Monarchs? Though Vishi is a scumbag, at least she has one universally appreciated thought: Better to be a stray dog in Hell than a lapdog in Heaven."

"Angels must hand over the Magic Temple to the Heavenly Kingdom. Although they can retrieve it during missions, once transferred, they lose forever the opportunity to convert the Magic Temple to Heaven, forever denying them the Six-yearned for wings. Every mage who steps into the Divine Domain is proud and aims for the pinnacle of magic; who would be willing to give up their future?"

"Representatives try to extract benefits from the Divine Lords, other demigods covet the Divine Lords’ outputs, and the Divine Lords want to maximize their gains... No one rules anyone; all three parties are self-serving. Sometimes representatives will deliberately let other forces attack their warehouses, wiping their own bad debts with one hand and demanding more compensation from the Divine Lords with the other. Such occurrences abound in Hell. Ask Vishi; she’s certainly done similar deeds before."

Ash understood: raising bandits for self-importance and letting fire dragons burn the warehouse, wouldn’t have expected Hell to be so earthly.

"The greatest significance of the representative forces is that once the Heavenly Divine Lords reach a consensus, they can quickly integrate and form the largest force sweeping through Hell," said Death Mad. "Earlier, I mentioned gathering all resources; for resources that can’t be taken and Wonders that can’t be relocated, do you think they would leave them behind?"

"No," Ash had a slight realization. "They can’t let anyone have second thoughts."

"More than that, it’s also the best opportunity for the alliance to establish its power," Death Mad said. "Every time they notify an outpost, they destroy the resources inside that can’t be taken. They notify and destroy all the way, sparing no wild resource points so that in the end, everyone must wholeheartedly follow them to construct defense lines for the final battle. Thus, at this moment, Fantasy Hell is at its emptiest, with no place for you to scavenge for leftovers."

"Didn’t a civil war break out?" Ash was somewhat surprised. "Is the alliance so strong that no one dares to speak up?"

"Relying solely on representative forces would indeed be barely possible, but this time the Ancient Kings of the Fifth Hell have also come down," Death Mad sneered. "Those ancient beings whose behinds have grown together with their chairs can no longer sit still."

"Ancient Kings?"

"Generally, only the oldest demigods reside in the Fifth Hell... A bunch of clustered ancients, they possess the most Divine Beings, control the most magic factions, and build the largest Wonders, yet they’ve lost the courage to advance further, like penned-in lard. However, their extensive resources and experience mean they’re referred to as Ancient Kings, which you could understand as an honorary consolation prize," Death Mad said. "But in situations where one needs to intimidate with force, they can exert their usefulness to the fullest."

It seems those Ancient Kings must have offended Death Mad before... Curiously, Ash asked, "Aren’t they a formidable force? Why do you look down on them so much?"

"Because not everyone grows stronger the older they get," Death Mad said. "Only the oldest Divine Lords like Dazzling Star grow stronger over time, with their pride becoming ever sharper with years passing. But Ancient Kings are a group of failed beings who gave up on reaching Heaven, clinging to the scraps of past glory, becoming fossils of Hell over the years."

"You might think demigods are eternal, but they’re not; even demigods have a lifespan," she said. "When a demigod resigns to fate, they’re already dead; what remains is mere repetition day after day. Perhaps they think they’re waiting or accumulating, but once their edge is dulled, even if the chance comes, would they dare to reach out?"

"Living too long can make one forget their original self, merely extending past inertia while pretending to be alive. In a way, a passionate visionary like Vishi is indeed a rare example."

Ash looked at Death Mad, feeling that she wasn’t so much critiquing the Ancient Kings as she was venting emotions.

"So are you saying," he said, "that not just the Fourth Hell, but even the combat power from the Fifth Hell has come down to join the battle? Is this the demigods of Hell’s... final battle?"

"Yes, if there’s to be a final battle, there’s no better tactical environment than Fantasy Hell," Death Mad said. "If we’re faster, we might even see the demigods of Hell perform one last time. If we’re slower..."

She gave Ash a meaningful look and said, "Perhaps you’ll be able to breathe easier?"

Ash was taken aback, silently following Death Mad without a word.