The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

The scattered raindrops turned into a torrential downpour, sweeping across the entire empire.

In the cold wind, these torrential rains were like sharp knives, wantonly cutting people's bodies.

Countless people, unaware of what had happened, were torn to death by these angry water droplets.

The overwhelming black particles were utterly ineffective in stopping the torrential rain.

The entire sky regained its brightness at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Beams of light fell through the gaps in the black particles, bringing light to the empire.

The mountain apostles sensed the rage within the torrential rain.

But he didn't understand where this anger came from. By the time he realized it, his once-hardened anti-magic shell had already been eroded by the highly corrosive rain.

It turned into foul-smelling pus, soaking the ground, and eventually turned into a lump of rotten mud.

The other side, far away.

The puppeteer and the raven, still entangled with the apostle, suddenly felt the stare from Yan Fei in the depths of their souls lessen. Coupled with the relentless corrosive rain falling from above, they exchanged glances.

"run!"

"It's now!"

The puppeteer quickly summoned a spatial rift, and the raven withdrew its magic and crawled inside.

When the rift closed, the feeling of being watched closely by Yan Fei completely disappeared.

This was where the puppeteer's true form resided. Raven plopped down on the ground, panting heavily. The puppeteer, having severed the magic controlling the puppets, slumped to one side as well.

"I won't accept any more missions like this in the future!"

"If you're not careful, you could really die!"

The raven wasn't in much better shape. The danger of fighting an apostle is unimaginable to ordinary people.

A slight mishap could result in instant death.

"I just wonder if the guild leader will punish us when he finds out that we ran away without permission and even fought with the apostles."

The puppeteer waved his hand: "Punishment is punishment, then."

"Anyway, I don't plan to stay in the Secret Order any longer."

The raven's eyes widened: "You mean, you're going to...?"

“That’s right.” The puppeteer nodded. “I already found a new home a long time ago. I don’t have that strong a desire, and I’ve already gotten what I wanted. There’s no need for me to stay in the Secret Order.”

After speaking, the puppeteer looked at the raven.

"And you, Raven."

Do you want to stay here any longer?

The raven pondered for a long time.

If she remained in the monastery, she would likely face punishment from the superintendent. Although she hadn't experienced it herself, she had heard other members of the monastery talk about it.

It was an experience worse than death; just hearing others describe it sent chills down my spine and made my hair stand on end.

She didn't want to go through that kind of pain.

Moreover, she did indeed get what she wanted most.

It seems there won't be any further benefits to staying in the monastery.

After thinking it over, the raven shook its head with a wry smile.

"However, we will be wanted after we leave the Secret Order."

"By then, the four nations will not tolerate us, the Church of Basil will hunt us down, and even the Secret Order will send assassins."

"We'll really become wanted people by both the police and the underworld."

"There is probably no place for us in this world."

The puppeteer shrugged indifferently.

You're overthinking it.

"As long as you and I don't actively reveal our identities, no one will be able to track us down."

"When we joined the Secret Order, the Grand Master made us give up a portion of our lives to be made into a Life Crystal. I tampered with that crystal. It's impossible to trace my whereabouts through the crystal."

The raven was slightly surprised.

She had assumed that she was the only one who had tampered with the Life Crystal during its creation. Little did she know that the puppeteer had done the same.

“Raven.” The puppeteer sighed. “The only one you and I need to be wary of is Ryan.”

“Right now, the only one who can track us down with magic is Ryan. And that chilling flame... magic that can directly burn the soul, I’ve never even heard of it.”

After listening, the raven stroked its chin thoughtfully.

"Puppet master".

"Speaking of Ryan, I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"In the Secret Order, you are second to none in your study of magic. Besides you, the other person who likes to study magic is the Pied Piper."

“I want to ask you, we are now dual-attribute mages, but when we face Ryan, we can clearly feel the difference between him and you and me.”

"I can't describe this feeling in words."

"It's like his magic is fundamentally different from yours and mine."

"It was this difference that made us subdue Ryan the moment we met him, without even a chance to resist."

What are your thoughts on this?

The puppeteer squinted, recalling the magic books he had read and the magic-related knowledge he had received from the gods of the outer realms.

"Perhaps the magic we understand and use is not true magic."

"For a long time, we believed that we were the owners of the magic within us and could use it at will."

"But when I came into contact with Ryan, I sensed a mysterious power emanating from him. Especially his magic and magical abilities, which were completely different from what we possessed."

To put it simply, magic doesn't belong to us; we merely borrow it...

"Ryan is the true master of magic."

"He can manipulate magic at will, and that flame that can burn the soul is unlike any other attribute we have ever encountered."

"The conclusion drawn from this is also very simple."

Just as the puppeteer was about to state his conclusion, three figures emerged from the shadows.

Ash the android, Xia Ya...

And, a handsome young man with blond hair, the piper of Mernheim.

Upon noticing the uninvited guest, the raven and the puppeteer immediately tensed up. However, the piper simply waved his hand, signaling them not to get agitated.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just here to slack off too."

"I don't actually have that much loyalty to the president or the Secret Order."

The raven's eyes turned blood red: "What are you trying to say?"

The piper smiled faintly: "I want to betray the order with you and leave the Hermitage."

Chapter 278 Magic is the biggest lie

A torrential downpour, brimming with highly corrosive substances, fell over the empire for an entire day.

The black particles disappeared completely under the washout of the torrential rain.

The mountain apostle turned into a lump of mud.

The mud seeped into the soil, polluting large areas of the capital city.

For a very long time to come... ten years? twenty years? or fifty years? This place will become a veritable barren land, where no living thing can take root and flourish.

Fortunately, the corrosive effects of the torrential rain did not harm living things in the real world.

People were not corrupted into mud, but felt that there was an indescribable solemnity mixed in with the rain.

Of the three apostles, only the last one remains, the one who fought the puppeteer, the raven.

When people found him, the apostle's entire body was already in a state of severe decay.

It looked ferocious and terrifying.

People believed that he, like the Mountain Apostle, had been washed away by a torrential rain.

But in reality, his true cause of death was a melodious and ancient flute melody.

------

The Apostle turmoil caused incalculable losses to the Empire.

The capital was half destroyed, and the three main cities became victims of the sacrificial ritual.

Two members of the Thiers family tragically died during the sacrificial ceremony.

Tracy has disappeared, Bebian has disappeared, and Alvin has voluntarily withdrawn.

Of the seven sons who participated in the selection ceremony, only two remained.

Thiel Doyle, and Thiel Scáthach.

After the black particles and the apostle were killed, Doyle was the first to strike between the two.

First, they annexed the territories of Tracy and Bebian, and then launched a major attack on Magadan, the city of Alvin.

Lord Alvin has disappeared without a trace.

After conquering three main cities, Doyle became the most powerful lord in the Thiel family.

Not only did he possess the most formidable military strength, but the annexation of Irkutsk and Magadan also brought his grain reserves to an unprecedented level.

However, Scáthach has a very strong foundation.

In addition, Scáthach herself is a powerful mage, and during her battle with Doyle, the roles of offense and defense were reversed several times.