Chapter 360: Will It Succeed?

The lingering stench of blood hung heavy in the air. Professor Duncan’s death had caused the already oppressive atmosphere to plunge entirely into a freezing point.

Celia stood by Ansu’s side, gazing at the striking pool of crimson on the floor, her eyes filled with sorrow.

Ansu said nothing, only gently squeezing her ice-cold hand.

The two walked through the silent corridor, heading side by side toward the medical wing, where several elders who were also afflicted by the curse lay.

Celia suddenly spoke up, “Why was Professor Duncan the first to die?”

Ansu pondered for a moment before replying, “Perhaps physical strength determines the order of the curse’s onset? Out of everyone cursed, Professor Duncan’s strength was the weakest.”

Professor Duncan was a pure magitech scholar who spent his entire life in laboratories dealing with runes and schematics; his actual combat capability was only around the level of a low-tier mage.

“That’s possible,” Celia forced a weak smile. “I’m the strongest among us. Maybe I can pull through.”

Looking at the fatigue she couldn't hide in her eyes, Ansu smiled and said, “Of course. You’ll be fine.”

Inside the medical room, Elder Barnes had just woken up from his coma, but his complexion was terribly pale. His skin was covered in dense, blood-red bulges, almost identical to Professor Duncan’s state before his death.

Hearing footsteps, he strained to open his eyelids.

“I heard the commotion outside... Did Duncan die?”

Ansu let out a sigh. “Yes.”

Barnes’s gaze fell upon the two. “Acting Cult Leader, Hermit... is it going to be my turn soon?”

“Don’t think about that for now,” Ansu walked to the bedside, his tone steady. “We already have a plan. It’s not time to give up yet.”

A faint glimmer of light flickered in Barnes’s dim eyes.

Ansu scanned the other three elders in the ward. Every single one of them bore the shadow of death, their conditions equally terrible.

He turned to look at Celia, who nodded and unfolded the stack of manuscripts she had compiled.

“I contacted the secluded Elder Feline overnight and compiled two viable solutions.”

Celia distributed the manuscripts to the elders.

“The first is the necromancy spell 【Feign Death】, which can bypass conventional life detection. The second is the black magic 【Soul Separation】, which can strip consciousness from the physical body and transfer it into a special vessel, directly bypassing the curse’s anchor.”

Barnes tremblingly held the manuscript. He glanced at it and shook his head. “I’ll choose Feign Death. In my current state, it’s too late to learn a new, complex spell.”

Beside him, Elder Scott said in a deep voice, “Then the rest of us will try Soul Separation. Maybe we can actually deceive the God of Magic. This black magic shouldn't be too hard to pick up, right?”

Celia looked at the elders. “For mages of your caliber, it certainly shouldn't be difficult to learn.”

Duncan’s death was like a blade hanging over their heads, urging the elders to accelerate their learning.

The three elders raced against time to digest the manuscripts, and the experiment was set for noon that very day.

The principle of Soul Separation was not overly complex:

Elder Feline had traveled extensively for years. In his youth, he had extracted a toxin from a certain magical plant in the ruins of an ancient battlefield, which could serve as a medium to sever the connection between the soul and the physical body.

Combined with the mind-type black magic 【Soul Dominion】, they could completely strip the soul from the body without damaging the consciousness, guiding and transferring it into a specialized gemstone called the “Philosopher's Stone.”

The Philosopher's Stone was a crystallization of highly purified mana and alchemy, more than capable of hosting a complete soul. It could also transmit consciousness through faint mana fluctuations, allowing the soul trapped within to still perceive the outside world and communicate with others.

As for how the soul would return to its body later, or if there were any side effects...

That was not something to be considered at the moment. To survive at all was already a miracle.

Once all preparations were complete, Ansu and Celia retreated to a safe zone, quietly watching the elders who were now ready.

Elder Barnes strained to channel his mana, casting 【Feign Death】.

Within moments, his body lay motionless on the hospital bed. His breathing and heartbeat completely vanished, making him look no different from an actual corpse.

But both Ansu and Celia knew that his consciousness was still awake; he had merely lost control over his physical body.

Subsequently, Elder Scott and the other two elders activated the black magic 【Soul Separation】 one after another, following the magical formulas on the manuscripts.

Ten minutes later, the bodies of the three went limp one by one, completely devoid of vital signs.

Meanwhile, the three Philosopher's Stones placed side by side on the experimental table lit up with a warm, steady glow one after another—proof that the souls had been successfully housed.

Staring intently at the three gemstones, Ansu spoke in a low voice, “Can you hear me?”

A faint ripple of mana emanated from the surface of one of the gems, gently responding to his query.

It was Elder Scott’s consciousness. He was still alive.

Ansu turned to look at Celia. They exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of relief in each other's eyes.

The first step was a success!

All that was left to do now was wait.

Wait for death to arrive on schedule, and see if they could deceive the eyes of that 'God of Magic' this time.

The medical room fell so silent that only the faint hum of the instruments could be heard.

Ansu and Celia stared unblinkingly at the four elders, cold sweat drenching their palms.

Will it succeed?

...

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

The sudden change erupted without a single shred of warning.

The first to disintegrate was Elder Barnes’s physical body.

Identical to the tragic manner of Professor Duncan’s death, that withered body instantly exploded into fragments of flesh and blood, leaving behind only a pool of striking crimson that soaked the entire bed.

Ansu and Celia’s hearts tightened simultaneously as they whipped their heads to look at the three Philosopher's Stones on the experimental table.

The gemstones, which had been emitting a warm glow, were now vibrating violently, as if something were frantically slamming against the inner walls of the crystals.

Vaguely, agonizing shrieks echoed from deep within the gems.

Immediately after, web-like cracks instantly spiderwebbed across their entire surfaces. With a crisp shattering sound, they crumbled into countless shards.

The ward returned to a dead silence.

Gazing at the scattered mess on the floor, Celia’s lips trembled, squeezing out only a dry sentence:

“It seems... this trick doesn't work. We can't fool Him.”

Everyone afflicted by the curse was ultimately marching toward their destined death, one after another.

“I’ll think of another way. Don’t panic, there has to be a solution!” Celia was the first to speak. Rather than comforting Ansu, she seemed to be trying to stabilize herself.

She turned and left the ward, returning to the laboratory. She rapidly flipped through the mountain of old manuscripts, the tip of her pen scratching loudly against the paper.

“Let me think. There must be a way, there has to be another way...”

Cold sweat dripped down from her forehead, landing on the newly written formula and smudging the ink.

Ansu, in truth, still harbored a sliver of hope.

Celia’s strength was immense; even the God of Slaughter hadn't been able to do anything to her back then. Perhaps she could actually withstand this curse through sheer force.

Time dragged on second by second, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the early hours of the morning.

The magitech lamps in the laboratory cast a ghastly white light, and the manuscripts on the desk piled up layer upon layer.

Ansu had heavy dark circles under his eyes, and Celia’s eyes were bloodshot. The two of them barely paused for a moment, continuously deducing every possible scenario.

“Ansu! Look at this, I thought of another good method.”

She suddenly spoke, handing over one of the manuscripts. “I got the inspiration for this from space teleportation magic. If we...”

Ansu narrowed his eyes, his gaze quickly scanning the unfinished magical formula on the paper.

“I think... we can give it a try.”

Only, they no longer had any time.

Just as Celia was excitedly explaining her train of thought, her body suddenly stiffened.

That cold, immense, and indescribable sense of being watched—swirling with chaos and clamor—abruptly descended upon the depths of her soul.

It was her turn...

The moment this thought surfaced, she whipped her head up, her gaze locking tightly onto Ansu, who was right in front of her.

In that fleeting moment, her eyes were filled with sorrow and reluctance to let go.

She had been researching, continuously researching... yet when death truly arrived, she didn't even have the time to say a proper goodbye.

“Ansu, I will always—!”

Her final words could not be spoken.

In a mere instant, her body was completely crushed as if by an invisible, terrifyingly colossal force. With a loud bang, she exploded into a shower of fine flesh and blood fragments.

Warm blood, carrying a filthy black aura, splattered all over Ansu’s face.

Ansu stood frozen in place, his eyes slowly widening, as if he had even forgotten how to breathe.

The entire world fell silent.

...