Chapter 185: Chapter 164: Assembly of Villains
Ash had never considered the possibility of failing to escape, since the Void Realm had decreed that he could flee from Blood Moon. However, he did consider the worst-case scenario of his escape journey—blending in with a group of unfamiliar adventurers, breaking into a foreign domain perhaps even worse than the Kingdom of Blood Moon, being treated as an enemy by the natives, perpetuating the excellent tradition of passively taking the blame, and transitioning from a “Cult Leader” to an “invader from the foreign domain,” thus leading a blissfully precarious free life…
He thought that the journey couldn’t get any worse than that.
And then reality slapped him hard in the face—don’t underestimate me, you layabout!
Ash still thought too small, still holding onto the fantasy that he could “blend in with a group of strange adventurers.” But now, who else could he be arm in arm with, their eyes flirty and teasing, full of mischief and even cunning enough to cheat a child out of their moon candy, if not Igula, the charming man?
And who was treating moon candy as a snack if not Harvey, the Necromancer?
As for the duo sitting opposite, it was none other than Lanna and Ronald!
The top five villains of the Shattered Lake Prison had reunited once more!
The feeling of these old companions, who once shared hardships and faced tough challenges, coming together again was lighting a fire in Ash!
That is to say, a fire of anger was being kindled.
“Don’t tell me you guys also chose to escape Blood Moon through the Void Realm?” Ash’s voice could hardly contain his anger, “You guys are local snakes, do you really have to flee with me so desperately!?”
Harvey was eating candy and spread his hands indifferently, “You’re supposed to be the leader of the Four Pillars God Sect; shouldn’t you be continuing your missionary work in Kaimon City, promoting the traditional culture of the Gods of Four Pillars? And yet you think of just walking away like that; you’re not being loyal!”
Lanna put away her nail file and glanced at Harvey, “Once you leave the Kingdom of Blood Moon, out of this core chip system, you’re no longer a mysterious and dreadful control master, you’re merely a Necromancer as mundane as a street rat. Is that really what you want?”
When his profession was mentioned, Harvey couldn’t hold back; he snorted coldly, “For all we know, on the other side of the passage could lie a great nation that venerates the Necromancy Faction, where corpses lie everywhere, and the living are freed from burdensome labors to focus on studies and the Void Realm; where the dead handle all of the social production, devoid of struggle, resources aplenty, and life is sublimated in death…”
“That’s as ridiculous as saying that one day we will all be turned on by fatty laalaa,” remarked Igula without mincing his words, “You might as well go work at an orphanage, maybe someone there will speak your language.”
“That made me hungry,” muttered Ronald, waving his hand at Ash, “What kind of laalaa do you like? I like the spicy ones.”
“I like the ones with salted egg yolk flavor… wait, no!” Ash covered his head in frustration, “Can’t you guys choose another time or another way? Do you have to pick the same time, the same method, and even the same row of seats as me?”
“The longer we stay in Blood Moon, the greater the danger,” Lanna pointed out, “Do you also think this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance? Besides, finding you here, I simply couldn’t miss it.”
Harvey: “We absolutely have to leave with Ash.”
They didn’t speak, instead all their gazes turned toward Igula. Igula was still smiling at Ash, his right hand pressing firmly on Ash’s shoulder, as if afraid his prey would escape.
Ash felt a chill, swallowed his saliva, cleared his throat, and spoke earnestly, “Actually, I’m not opposed to us taking action together. After all, we have the experience of teaming up for the prison break. Everyone’s background is known, which forms a basis for trust and cooperation. Working together would naturally lead to greater efficiency. But since we’re comrades with a common goal, we should sincerely coordinate and unite against the outside world, not hold each other back, and certainly not plot against our teammates. What do you guys think?”
“As expected of the Cult Leader, you really have a way with words.”
Igula also nodded repeatedly, looking very supportive, and then he held out three fingers, “So, dear Cult Leader, would you like to be responsible for attracting attention, or would you prefer to create an opportunity for me to escape, or do you want to be the bait?”
“Don’t make me choose such a cruel multiple-choice question! Besides, aren’t all three options the same!” Ash roared in a suppressed voice, “At least consider the biggest contribution I made in the escape plan and give me a way out!”
“Bullshit!” Harvey directly cursed, “It’s clear that I made the greatest contribution. If it wasn’t for me, how could you have controlled the Prison Guards?”
“Necromancer, I can’t pretend I didn’t hear that,” Lanna said calmly, “If I hadn’t cleared out the Hunters and sailors on the transport ship, how could the plan have gone so smoothly?”
“The escape route was my idea,” Ronald interjected, “If I hadn’t thoroughly investigated the area from Shattered Lake Prison to Kaimon City, how could we have possibly avoided all the surveillance cameras and arrived in Kaimon City without drawing any attention?”
“Hey, hey, hey, aren’t you guys a little confused about your roles?” Igula’s brow twitched madly, “I’m the one who formulated the prison break plan. If it weren’t for my brilliant mind, you’d all still be rotting in Shattered Lake! You’re just the hands and feet of the operation; I’m the brain that commands it. Would you put the credit due to your toenails above that of your brain?”
Outside there was a storm of bullets and contrasting elements of fiery flame and icy chill. Explosions erupted from time to time. Inside the tent, a verbal showdown ensued, this bunch of idiots actually arguing over who was the true MVP of the escape plan, completely oblivious to their situation. Ash despaired at his own journey of escape.
What was scarier was that Ash couldn’t flee from Igula’s clutches because the latter held a wish of his.
If Igula wished, he could even order Ash to go out and do a handstand while having diarrhea to attract attention. In fact, that pretty boy was likely brewing plans even more evil than that—such as ordering Ash to block Lanna, Ronald, and Harvey, causing a disturbance to buy time for the bad guy to escape.
If they encountered a crisis later on, Igula would definitely not hesitate to command Ash to become a “Taunting Companion” to draw the attention of others. That’s why Harvey, Lanna, and Ronald insisted on taking action with Ash—if they were going to have a “Taunting Companion,” it was better shared among all. After all, if Ash was to be sacrificed, why not cover for three former comrades as well?
“The Void Realm told me that I would definitely escape Blood Moon.”
The arguing in the tent abruptly stopped. Ash shook off Igula’s hand from his shoulder, looked around, and said calmly, “I participated in a Fate Q&A, and one of the questions was how I would escape the Kingdom of Blood Moon. That means the Void Realm believes I can definitely succeed.”
“If you want to act with me, I don’t mind, but I advise you to drop the idea of using me as a shield and seriously protect me.”
Ash declared with firm resolve, “I can afford to miss this chance. I can just wait for a second or third time, but you guys might not have that luxury.”