Chapter 323: Chapter 320: Martial... Soul Fusion, Activate
Original Rorschach was the vessel containing the power of the Shadow Land, while Red Robed Rorschach was the authority, combining the knowledge imparted by the Wise Man with the power to control the Shadow Land.
One was Force, wearing the Storage Ring; the other, Authority, holding the Magic Staff.
"We’re just missing the Dragonbone Cross..." Red Robed Rorschach gazed "lovingly" at Original Rorschach. "Who’s the big brother, and who’s the little brother?"
"Get lost!" Original Rorschach raised a hand and cast a spell to silence his other self, stripping him of the right to spew bad jokes.
He gathered his recent allies, along with the commander of the Gray Elf Cloak Team. "The most critical moment is upon us. I need everyone to be on high alert."
Original Rorschach first paced before the Minstrel, the Dwarf, and Little Coal Ball. "The Shadow Land is about to be destroyed, but of course, we can’t let innocent people die with it."
"Have the residents of the Core Area and the Semi-submerged Area leave the buildings and caves. Everyone out onto the streets. Singrev and Mouse Speaker, please handle the evacuation."
"Freddy, your dream is about to be realized all at once. Most of the people will return to the surface."
The Minstrel smiled and shook his head. "Actually, my number one dream was to retire in the Shadow Land. It’s the only place in Istani where money is useless, and you’re about to blow it up... But thank you, all the same."
Hearing the words "destroy the Shadow Land," Benedict wanted to speak again. Rorschach, anticipating his urgency, magically muted him before he could. After giving Singrev and Freddy their instructions for the evacuation, he turned to the Elven "Player" and the commander of the Gray Elf force:
"The destruction of the Shadow Land is inevitable, regardless of anyone’s will." ’Because this is the will of the Lord of Order...’ Rorschach finally understood why that great Divine Spirit had sent him to Istani back in the Holy Kingdom. It was all to handle a task for the old man, to help this Guardian finally retire.
Besides, the Elves’ Holy Land had already been tainted by Is and Mother Earth, and an Ancient Mage had wreaked havoc inside. It had lost all meaning.
Rorschach continued to instruct the members of the Rebel Army, "Now that the seal is broken, you can get through, but so can the Kingdom’s forces. There’s even a risk they’ll find the way to El Island. Therefore, it’s to your advantage that this passage is only open for a limited time. Otherwise, it will just make it easier for Istani to send more troops to El Island."
"Soon, the residents of the Shadow Land will return to Storm City. This will inevitably cause chaos, and they will serve as cover for your actions. What you choose to do is entirely up to you. No Divine Spirit’s will or power will sway you any longer."
"There is only one bottom line: do not cooperate with Mother Earth again. Otherwise, neither the Empire nor the Holy Kingdom will support you in the future. The only consensus between the two nations right now is probably the suppression of cults."
’Actually... that’s not necessarily true!’ ’Istani has been the "balancer of the continent" for so many years that the two nations probably wouldn’t pass up a chance for revenge. They wouldn’t care if it meant siding with a cult, as long as it would spite Istani.’
’But it didn’t matter now. As long as the Shadow Land—that festering sore between the Material and Symbolic Realms—was destroyed, it would be like plugging a leak. Mother Earth’s largest gateway for infiltrating the Material Realm, her greatest hidden danger, would be sealed.’
The Rebel Army had already seen the tragic state of their compatriots on the shipwrecks in the Semi-submerged Area. Filled with righteous indignation, at least these soldiers would resolutely oppose colluding with Mother Earth’s followers again.
With everything ready, it was finally time to discuss with Teacher Caroline how to get out of this godforsaken place, Istani. "After everything is done, and the people from the Shadow Land and the Gray Elves arrive in Storm City, they will definitely cause immense chaos. We can use that opportunity to leave. Either by using a Guild’s Teleportation Array or by slipping away on our own."
"During the fusion, I... we... will be quite vulnerable. We’ll need you to watch over us for a moment. After we combine, my power will reach its peak, but according to the old man... that peak state won’t last long."
"If Mother Earth doesn’t interfere while we’re destroying the Shadow Land, then I’ll be able to assist you with the Teleportation."
The current Rorschach was very confident. In Red Robed Rorschach’s words, both Rorschachs were now at the pinnacle of the Great Perfection stage for Middle Level Mages. After fusing and adding the authority over the Shadow Land, he would be even stronger than a Marquis at full power.
Caroline wasn’t mentally comparing power levels like Rorschach. She asked what preparations they had for the worst-case scenario. "If something were to happen..."
Rorschach pulled out a crumpled scroll. When Caroline unrolled it, she saw it was a Portable Communication Scroll.
"If there’s trouble, we immediately call for backup—call Master Kano." After speaking, both Rorschachs infused the scroll with the power of the Lord of Order. For a short time, the scroll’s signal would no longer need to be relayed through the Guild Communication System. Instead, it could take a shortcut through the churches of the Master of Light and Order, going from the most remote seaside chapel on the other side of the strait all the way to Valuva.
’This way, the one answering the call might not be Master Kano... But I can’t worry about that now.’
Red Robed Rorschach was finally unmuted. Caroline, acting as their guardian, raised an isolation barrier that enveloped the three of them.
"Let’s fuse! Si Xia Fist, Flood of Thoughts! Nianxia Sword, Never Forget! Rorschach Palm..."
SLAP!
Having reached the end of his patience, Original Rorschach slapped Red Robed Rorschach. After the crisp sound, his palm didn’t leave the other’s cheek, and the fusion of the two individuals officially began.
The parts of their souls that didn’t originally belong to Rorschach began to be repelled and squeezed out. But he couldn’t let the "soul filler" created by the Ancient Mage precipitate out yet, so Rorschach could only endure the intense pain and continue to contain it. This was the only way to temporarily use the power and knowledge that wasn’t his own.
And so, Caroline witnessed a horrifying scene. She saw the two figures begin to flicker and vibrate in sync, gradually merging. But the fusion process was not smooth. The faces that should have been overlapping flashed with different visages. There was an indiscernible body of pure energy, the face of the serious Rorschach, the face of the goofy, joke-cracking Rorschach, and one Caroline had never seen before—a face from the Far East.
’Could that Ancient Mage be a Wise Man from the Far East, trying to possess Rorschach?’
Caroline grew vigilant, but the situation didn’t allow her to take any further action. She could only watch and worry as Frenzied Energy and Magic Power surged violently within the barrier.
Normally, a defensive barrier is impacted from the outside—an Outer Pressure Barrier. But this time, the main impact came from Rorschach—he... they... were inside, creating a rare Inner Pressure Barrier, which placed much higher demands on Caroline to maintain the entire structure.
"Rorschach! Rorschach!" Caroline could only call out to him. In the Knight novels she read, resisting possession required constantly awakening the target’s memories. This made sense; in Necromancy, an active Soul had a better chance of passing a resistance check.
"It’s okay, Teacher... It’ll be over soon..."
Finally, Caroline’s barrier was shattered by a massive blast of energy. The "royal chariot" next to them completely fell apart.
However, Singrev and the others were in the Core Area helping with the evacuation. As the new King of the Shadow Land, the Dwarf’s words were now law; his commands made all the residents obediently cooperate.
And so, witnessed by many, a young Red Robed Mage once again slowly rose into the air. The moment he spoke, his voice drowned out all the Magic Horns: "Residents of the Shadow City, say farewell to this godforsaken place forever!"
