Chapter 1617 Corridor <TOC> Chapter 1619 Imprisoned
Translator: SumTLMan
The man stepped out of Azaz’s room and casually closed the door behind him before leisurely approaching them.
As the stranger drew nearer, a flicker of surprise crossed Azaz’s eyes.
Earlier, Sebastian had warned that someone might be in his room, and Azaz had initially thought he was referring to the woman who had confronted him earlier. But to his astonishment, the person emerging from his own room was… Angel.
Having spent a considerable amount of time in Sky Mechanical City, Azaz was no stranger to rumors about Angel. However, this was the first time he was laying eyes on him. What caught him off guard was the fact that Angel was coming out of his own room.
When Angel came into view, unsettling thoughts flashed across Azaz’s mind.
Angel was most famous for his alchemy skills, but he was essentially an illusionist. Azaz vividly remembered descending a floor only to find himself still on the fourth floor. Could this have been Angel’s illusionary work?
Azaz couldn’t help but recall the creaking sound of the door opening earlier.
Was it an auditory illusion?
Regardless of the accuracy of Azaz’s speculations, the peculiar occurrences he experienced must have been Angel’s handiwork, which implied that Angel and the woman obstructing his path were in cahoots.
Sweat began to form on Azaz’s palms. He had already found it exhausting to deal with the young woman; now, with Angel added to the equation, facing two formal wizards simultaneously seemed an insurmountable task.
Furthermore, Angel was a member of the Research Institute, and members of the Research Institute in Sky Mechanical City were afforded the highest privileges. Should Angel issue a single command, Azaz would find himself a pariah, with no place to call home in Sky Mechanical City.
Ironically, although it was the first day of the Month of Flowing Fire, Azaz felt as if he were enveloped in the biting cold of a harsh winter, a chill that pervaded him from the inside out.
“Facing two formal wizards, do you feel despair?” Sebastian’s voice reverberated in Azaz’s mind.
“My dear Miloris, don’t forget, I can be your support. As long as you agree to the conditions I’ve mentioned before, I’ll help you confront them.”
It’s highly likely that this is a crucial moment for Azaz, a fork in the road between life and death. In this instance, he hesitated.
Perhaps he could really agree to Sebastian’s proposal.
“You’ve clearly done nothing wrong, yet you’ve become the unscrupulous target of these people. Don’t you feel aggrieved?”
“In this loathsome world, no one will understand you — except for me. Only I will treat you well and help you become better. So, you should believe in me.”
Sebastian seemed to detect Azaz’s hesitation, intensifying the allure in his words.
“Do you think life is important, or is it that worthless will you insist on that holds more weight? Come into my embrace; between us exists a true alliance of mutual trust.” From the depths of darkness, the demon extended his arms, as if waiting for Azaz’s embrace. His originally crimson demon eyes shimmered with apparent warmth, but hidden beneath that warmth was treachery and deceit.
However, it must be said that this particular confession from the demon was more impassioned than any previous one.
He had even made various arrangements in anticipation of Azaz’s response.
What Sebastian didn’t expect was that the balance in Azaz’s heart, after wavering for a while, returned to its original point.
“No,” Azaz said very firmly, as if rendering all of Sebastian’s meticulously planned persuasions utterly futile.
“Why?” Sebastian’s voice turned somewhat cold. Even when faced with life-and-death stakes, was Azaz still clinging to that nebulous obsession?
Azaz did not respond. For a fleeting moment, there was hesitation in his eyes, but it gradually dissipated after Sebastian spoke. In particular, it was the sentence from Sebastian——”is it that worthless will you insist on that holds more weight”, that jolted Azaz awake.
Sebastian is, after all, just a demon. Perhaps for him, such persistence really is meaningless. But for Azaz, it’s different; this persistence serves as the foundation for his transcendence and lays the groundwork for his journey into the world of wizardry… it is his conviction!
If he can’t even hold onto his convictions, does he have the right to pursue the so-called truth?
“You are truly beyond help,” Sebastian scoffed. “Then just await your death.”
Azaz withdrew from his mental space, aware that life comes before convictions. All he’s doing now is waiting for an opportunity.
He knows that Angel leans toward the scholarly approach to wizardry. Could there be a glimmer of hope if he could explain himself clearly to him?
If he couldn’t explain… Azaz didn’t know what choice he would make. Perhaps he would be forced to alter his convictions, just like his late mentor had to.
As Angel slowly ambled over, Azaz opened his mouth, intending to explain himself. However, before he could utter a word, the young woman on the other side somberly said, “Angel, kill him for me!”
Just then, Angel happened to pass by Azaz.
He paused for a moment, directing his gaze at Azaz.
Initially, Azaz’s expression was one of alarm, but he quickly calmed himself and spoke with some difficulty, “I have not danced with demons.”
Angel looked at Azaz. Although Gloria had always claimed that the power of demons could obstruct the results of truth-detecting spells, sometimes the truth was plain to see, without the need for such spells.
The sincerity in Azaz’s eyes had been consistent, from the moment he first ascended the platform to the present. It remained unadulterated.
With an undertone of naive obstinacy, never concealed by the shadow of gloom.
Azaz was extremely tense, especially when Angel scrutinized him. He was mortally afraid that the next second, Angel would do just as the young girl had said — end his life right there and then.
Even though Angel’s gaze remained calm from beginning to end.
During those heart-pounding seconds, it might have been the most nerve-wracking moment of Azaz’s life. Whether a long time had passed or it was just a fleeting moment, Azaz did not see Angel make his move.
Angel merely glanced at him before sweeping past him, walking toward Gloria.
“As for him, you will make the decision later. Your situation is more serious than his,” Angel said after he passed Azaz. “However, like I said before, you might as well hear his explanation.”
Angel may have said it casually, but in that instant, a weight lifted off Azaz’s heart.
For a brief moment, he even considered seeking refuge in the arms of a demon. If there was no one in the world who trusted him, what value did his Steadfast Beliefs hold?
Yet Angel’s words made him abandon the thought. Even though Angel hadn’t explicitly said he trusted him, he had at least given him a chance.
…
Gloria did not respond to Angel’s words; she had no time for any superfluous matters right now.
The demon fire ceaselessly corroded her flesh.
She had encountered many kinds of demon fire before, but none had given her such a profound sense of invasion. Gloria even felt that if she were to let her guard down for even a second, the demon fire would break the balance and completely overwhelm her body.
As Gloria was exhausted from fending off the demon fire, Angel stepped in front of her.
“The fire of a Rune Fire Demon is not so easily banished… let me handle it,” he said.