Mage Manual

"You think I’ll definitely lose to you, don’t you?" Ash retorted. "Why bother about my plans?"

"Because I believe in you." Dazzling Star clenched her fists, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Ash. "I believe you can definitely defeat me!"

"Are you going to go easy on me?"

"No way, I’m going to kill you mercilessly to survive!"

"So," Ash asked, "You can love me deeply while wanting to kill me?"

Dazzling Star blinked, a faint blush spreading across her face. She scratched her cheek a little shyly. "Ash, you’ve become so mature... you can even say such things..."

What’s with the blush!

Ash felt deeply powerless, whether Dazzling Star was intentional or not, her maiden behavior inherited from Filly really extinguished Ash’s battle intent. He feared he would never encounter a more absurd situation again—melding enemy and friend into one. He couldn’t be happy for Filly’s return, nor could he decisively hate Dazzling Star, full of turmoil and agony, every choice seemed wrong.

"But I think your question is quite odd," Dazzling Star said. "Aren’t you and the Sword Maiden in a love-hate relationship? I thought you were quite accustomed to it..."

"Isn’t it different?"

"It’s the same, just that I’m a bit clearer," Dazzling Star pressed her hands against her chest. "The entity named Filly loves you deeply, the entity named Dazzling Star pursues the ultimate magic, the former is emotion, the latter is ideal. When ideal and emotion conflict, ideal takes the upper hand, so now my feelings for you are just right. I can borrow your Void Wings without holding back against you."

Ash was almost smiling in frustration. "Your use of Filly is really just right."

"Thanks for the compliment," Dazzling Star said calmly. "And this doesn’t come without a cost, though Filly is just an insignificant part of me, this emotion is still my emotion... When I become the sole Mage and Master of Void Realm, I’ll try to resurrect you, let this feeling find its belonging."

Suddenly the sea of stars began to accelerate, the grand killing intent coming at Ash made his scalp tingle, yet his feelings grew more excited, his Void Wings spread freely, igniting the Source Power circuits. "Kill me then resurrect me? The Filly I know isn’t so twisted! But before the duel to the death, I have one more question."

"Speak."

"I only spent a few months with Filly, and our bond reached the extent of sharing Void Wings?" Ash was most puzzled by this question. "With them, it took quite a bit of time to reach this level."

Dazzling Star was silent for a moment, "Have you ever thought, ordinary girls might not be as troublesome as your lovers?"

"Huh?"

"You risked your life to rescue me from Vishi, brought me into the unimaginable world of Mages... Always encouraging me, helping me, never giving up on me, time and again creating miracles on the edge of death... You’re so devoted and gentle, always thinking about the Sword Maiden Witch... Although it has nothing to do with you, but you still want to save me and the Kingdom of Allstars at all costs... I still remember, when I finally battled the Demon on the train roof, you chased with a car behind, wishing you had wings to fly over and help me, at that moment I felt it was worth dying... How could our bond not be deep?"

Speaking, Dazzling Star shook her head, the sea of stars stopped accelerating, and the overwhelming killing intent pressing Ash also vanished.

Ash looked at her in surprise, Dazzling Star averted her gaze elsewhere, squeezing out a word from her mouth: "Seven days."

"I probably need seven days to set up the Void Realm Collapse technique." She said, "I give you seven days to think, either prepare for everything’s destruction, compete with me for the sole position; or obediently accept death, I can preserve your soul as much as possible for future resurrection."

It seems it’s not just me who is conflicted, Ash thought, suddenly finding it somewhat amusing.

Being swayed by Filly’s emotions, that’s understandable, but Dazzling Star also being shaken by the shadow girl’s thoughts... this time she really shot herself in the foot?

"Alright." Ash accepted Filly’s good intentions. "Then I’m going back."

"You’re going back?" Dazzling Star seemed a bit surprised. "Did you forget the World Snake will follow you? If you return, the snake will be reborn around you."

"It’s okay," Ash smiled. "Before I entered Level Seven of Void Realm, they made me swear never to bear everything alone again."

"This time," he said seriously, "I will challenge fate together with them."

Dazzling Star looked at him for a moment, suddenly gathering an extremely dazzling beam of light in her hand. "Forget it, you’d better die here—Gamma Burst Sword!"

Ash didn’t even know why he provoked her, being slashed by her blade igniting the sea of stars, armor abandoned, even his soul was heavily marked. Once he barely withstood it, Dazzling Star turned around and waved her hand, "Get lost before I change my mind."

Get lost then!

Right now he absolutely cannot win, Ash didn’t even throw out any harsh words, decisively took off. But he soon came back. "I have something to thank Dazzling Star for—when the Sword Maiden and others raised Heaven and unlocked Hell, thank you for not stopping them."

"I already regret it." Dazzling Star said, "It’s not just me, Filly thinks so too."

"Did you know I was in Hell?" Ash was a bit puzzled. "Even Divine Lord and others lost their memory, though if they didn’t, they’d probably stop it... only Sword Maiden and others remembered me through subtle clues... didn’t you lose your memory?"

"I did lose my memory."

"Then why did you allow them to unlock Hell? Wasn’t it sealed by you personally?"

"I lost my memory, but Filly didn’t forget."

Ash suddenly realized, all doubts resolved, he no longer lingered, quickly leaving Level Seven of Void Realm. In theory, as the Seven-winged Supreme, Ash should only stay in the sea of stars, like Divine Lord staying in Seven Heavens, but since Ash didn’t have the sixth Secret Wings, his soul’s Heavenly Kingdom has no Secret Realm, theoretically he’s still a five-winged Mage, so he can ambiguously cross Level Six of Hell, Seven Heavens, and the sea of stars, the barrier between Level Six and Level Seven of Void Realm did not stop him from coming and going.

In the vast sea of stars, only Supreme Star and Drama Poet are left.

"Though I don’t know many secrets, I at least remember when someone became a Mage." The Drama Poet in the Sun Cage said, "Filly should have merged with your soul to become a Half Mage only ten days ago—"

"You get lost too."

"Alrighty then!"

The Drama Poet took off his top hat and bowed politely, then jumped directly into the top hat, his body squeezing into the hat like a cat until it disappeared, and a few seconds later, a hand reached out of the hat and took the hat in too, the whole person disappeared completely.

Dazzling Star quietly watched the dazzling sea of stars, Ash’s Void Wings gradually dissipated, her expression returning to the usual tranquility, like a beam of moonlight shining on the lake surface.

"Filly, you’re truly remarkable."

PS: Time to sleep.