Mage Manual

Ever since coming into contact with Death Mad, Ash had a subtle sense of discomfort.

Later, as he fought alongside Youmo, Mirror Demon, and Black Demon, and had several days of heart-to-heart talks with them on the eve of the final battle, this sense of discomfort in Ash’s heart grew even stronger.

That is, the Bonds System’s behavior was completely incompatible with the description of the Final Observer they provided.

As a mage feared and revered by the four Evil, Mad, Arrogant, and Cruel Magic Demon Kings, the ultimate achievement he buried countless worlds and resources to create turned out to be a team-support secret technique that required building good relationships with others to borrow their power.

The choice of a lone wolf to play group support doesn’t even begin to describe the incongruity here. If one has to describe it, it’s like the main antagonist of a dynastic war epic developing a relationship-rating system found only in romantic comedy manga.

But upon closer thought, it makes sense. After all, the Final Observer alone couldn’t defeat Uroboros, and the five of them together also couldn’t. Naturally, they’d consider if adding their powers together could lead to qualitative change. Death Mad and the others thought along these lines as well.

In fact, the Bonds System entirely fulfilled their expectations. Except for a slight preference for the bond core (the magic experience of operators is unilaterally shared with the core), both sides of the bond are completely equal, with no hint of master-servant elements.

This is also a given. If the Observer had tried to insert some elements of enslavement, the four Demon Kings would never have accepted it. After all, their original plan was for Ash and the others to perfect the Bonds System, and then they would replace them, meaning this Bonds System was for their own use, and of course, they wouldn’t allow the Observer to meddle.

And only if they are equals can they have the capital to confront the Observer, because together they can transcend the Seven-winged. If the Observer dared to mess around, they could threaten by lowering the affinity.

Perhaps because of this, the Observer from the start never fantasized about enslaving them, making them forever his Void Wing pets.

He wanted to devour them.

"Probably only those with Fate Vision can see the Mage’s Handbook inside fully bonded operators." Ash gazed at Sonia’s chest, his eyes clear and pure, but for the first time Sonia felt an indescribable sense of panic under Ash’s gaze... not something even turning on the light at night could cause... it was as if he wasn’t looking at her, but at a button, a button that would make her lose everything.

"Although I don’t have other wonders of fate, I am Rose’s sense of touch, holding the authority of thought. I can directly cut off common bonds with my thought authority, and also reconnect them, regardless of time or space, but the Observer had previously cut my connections with others, leaving only the bonds with you four." Ash closed his eyes and tapped his fingers in the void a few times: "For example, now I can see the lines with Freyja, Siflin, Hanna, Tamasi, Felix... how come there’s Qinna and Dedarose too... wait, could these two lines be Igula and Harvey..."

Weiser propped her chin, looking at him quietly: "Do you want to restore the bonds with others? So the relationship of mutual sharing between us with you... is no longer the exclusive right of lovers?"

Diya was stunned, the little bear biscuit in her mouth suddenly tasted less sweet.

Vishi also squinted, loosening her mouth from Ash’s hand, but still holding his finger gently, as if ready to judge based on his answer.

Ash blinked, turning to look nervously at Sonia, his hesitant demeanor making Sonia annoyed. However, when she was about to speak, Ash reached out to cover her mouth, taking a deep breath before saying to everyone: "I’m sorry."

"I also don’t want to share our secrets with others, not even with Freyja and the others. Perhaps I might change my mind in the future, but at least right now, at this moment, you hold a different place in my heart than others — I only wish to share everything with you. But now that Dazzling Star has gained overwhelming combat power through the bonds, and with the future prospect of devouring the World Snake, I must gather more power... so, I must establish bonds with others."

Ash released his hand, wearing a look of heroic sacrifice, his eyes mainly focused on Sonia: "Alright, you can blame me now."

"Weren’t you just about to ask for my opinion?" Sonia stared directly at him, holding his hand, softly muttering: "I never said I wouldn’t support you."

"Whether you support or not, the decision is mine to make." Ash tilted his head: "You have no obligation to make decisions, but you have the right to blame me. This redemption coupon can be redeemed at any time, and then I will be obligated by guilt to unconditionally fulfill your wish."

"As if you wouldn’t fulfill my wishes unconditionally at other times." Sonia held his hand against her cheek, "If there ever comes a time where I must use a redemption coupon to make a wish to you, you would probably still act on your own and not listen to me, for example... survive."

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy, Vishi let go of Ash’s hand, noticing it was full of her saliva, and instinctively wiped it clean on her maid skirt.

"Continue talking about the Bonds System."

Ash gathered himself and continued:

"Ordinary bonds can be easily severed and reconnected, but once the bond relationship reaches a point where things like Void Wings can be shared — let’s tentatively call it ’exclusive bonds’, because only at this stage would the bonds present different features — it can never be severed again."

"But didn’t you with Vishi..." Weiser stopped midway as she realized: "You didn’t sever the bond with Vishi just now; you devoured everything of Vishi through the bond?"

"No," Ash shook his head, "I wasn’t devouring Vishi when taking her Mage’s Handbook. More accurately, the devouring ritual was already completed when our Bonds reached the exclusive level."

"In the vision of Fate, you and I are already unified owing to our exclusive Bonds, indistinguishable from each other. The reason we can freely share Void Wings is that in this world, the five mages known as ’Ash Heath’, ’Sonia Sevi’, ’Lissdia Yisu’, ’Youlan Weiser’, and ’Vishi’ no longer exist; there’s only one mage group with me as the main body."

"Our Void Wings, Technique Spirits, and Wonders are all communal assets, allowing us to share them with each other." Ash looked at Vishi, "I just took Vishi’s Mage’s Handbook, effectively stripping her identity in our group, but all her magical accomplishments belong to the collective, so all her power belongs to me—because I am the main body of the group."

"Vishi and others generating Mage’s Handbooks within their bodies is likely due to the Bonds System’s influence, since only a mage who is dying solidifies their life experiences into a Mage’s Handbook. The Observer probably prepared a Fate Wonder specifically for seizing Mage’s Handbooks; once the operators achieve exclusive Bonds, generating Mage’s Handbooks, he can seize them and transform the operators’ lifelong accumulations into his own."

"No wonder he’s from the end-times Evil Party." Vishi couldn’t resist a mocking smile, "Mage’s Handbooks were supposed to be a gift of inheritance from the ancients to modern times, but now they’re symbols of his plundering from other mages."

"Indeed, nothing represents a mage more than a Mage’s Handbook." Weiser smiled, "I’m also quite curious about what my Mage’s Handbook would be like."

Speaking of this, Ash couldn’t help but feel a trace of admiration for the Final Observer, this scheming conspirator: "In the Final Observer’s plan, he should reach exclusive Bonds with Death Mad and others, then seize their Mage’s Handbooks, gathering their powers into himself. Then he’ll continue wandering against the timeline, repeating this ritual countless times, like devouring the World Snake, until all mages are... completely devoured!"

In a moment of trance, Ash seemed to see a figure in a pitch-black coat.

More insane than Death Mad, more madcap than the Black Demon, more strategically astute than Mirror Demon, more cruel and brutal than the Black Demon... he was like the Savior Star embodying the last hope of end-times apocalypse, or the calamity source left by the last drop of malice exhausted from billions of beings.

How does he feel coming alone to this epoch on the brink of extinction?

What has he experienced from the Sea of Knowledge to the Seven Heavens?

He used to be sentimental, but gradually became indifferent.

He also had soft spots within, but ultimately his heart turned cold as iron.

He once complained about the unfairness of fate, but persisted time and again.

Bloodless and tearless, ruthless, ambitious, relentless to the death!

This is the Final Observer, a monstrous lotus blooming in despair, a mage more deserving of the title than anyone else!

’Final Observer Ash.’ Ash thought to himself, ’Good night.’

"Thus you can’t sever the Bonds with Dazzling Star."

Sonia summed up:

"Unless you can take Dazzling Star’s Mage’s Handbook, not only severing the Bond but even seizing everything from Dazzling Star. But the Mage’s Handbook is within Dazzling Star’s soul..."

"Hmm—" Weiser mused, "So if Ash could touch Dazzling Star’s chest, he could solve all the problems."

Diya blinked, "Though it’s a bit strange, why do I feel that... this doesn’t seem very hard to achieve?"

"Ash." Vishi took a deep breath and revealed a sweet smile, "If you give me Dazzling Star’s Supreme Tail Wing, I won’t mind what you just did."

"Why are you acting like I can really get Dazzling Star..." Ash looked speechless, "Don’t forget that Dazzling Star herself also has the vision of Fate; she probably sees her own Mage’s Handbook inside herself, how could she allow me to touch it?"

"Moreover, even if we could truly deal with Dazzling Star, devouring the World Snake is the real key. If we can’t solve devouring the World Snake, everything is just futile struggles."

"But the Drama Poet made it clear." Weiser calmly said, "To solve the devouring of the World Snake, the only method is the unification of the mage Concept, which means the extinction of all sentient beings, leaving only one mage, so that all becomes one, one becomes all, gathering all magic, replacing the Final Snake, reaching the Eight-winged Rank."

"No one can reach the end, only Eight-winged Eternal Life."