Chapter 348: Your Warmth on the Hilt

"Should I say it's as expected…"

"Relying on myself alone, it's indeed difficult to control the entire tower."

The sky was gloomy.

The earth was silent.

The Wizard Tower made an emergency landing on a plain.

Smoke billowed from multiple breaches; it was tattered and looked extremely wretched.

Civil Engineering Golems emerged from within, carrying out repair work in an orderly fashion, while Xu Xi stood not far away, silently watching the tower's restoration.

As a mobile war fortress,

from the very beginning,

the Wizard Tower was not meant for single-person use.

With the strongest Tower Master as the core and the low-to-mid-tier wizards under his command performing their respective duties, that is the rational development model.

It was just that the current situation was special.

Other than Sevia, Xu Xi had no other available candidates.

"…I'm sorry, Lord Wizard."

"…It's because I'm too incompetent."

Sevia's expression was somewhat lonely. The Knight Sword she held had a jagged and broken edge, clearly looking as though it had just been through a great battle.

"Sevia, you don't need to apologize to me. You haven't done anything wrong."

The girl was so full of self-reproach.

She felt that the Wizard Tower was damaged because she wasn't good enough.

Xu Xi looked at the lightless world and comforted Sevia, telling her not to be sad. No one could have expected that this dark tide would be so turbulent.

It truly seemed endless.

The number of undead was so vast that the end couldn't be seen at a glance.

Even for a wizard, facing a natural disaster of this magnitude would leave them feeling powerless.

…

[After the repairs to the Tower of Salvation are finished, you once again control it to fly]

[At this moment in the Wizard World]

[Dangerous undead are everywhere]

[This is both a danger and an opportunity for you]

[Ordinary wizards find it difficult to defy the Law of the Netherworld, spending much time and effort only to barely retain a thin wisp of Soul Fire]

[But with the effect of your Soul Collector trait, you can easily retain many Soul Fires and take them for your own use]

[You continuously eliminate the undead]

[The excessive aura of Souls causes the weaker undead to begin fearing you]

[You notice that due to the high intensity of the battle against the dark tide, Sevia's weapon is close to shattering and is in a state where it can no longer be used]

[You crafted a brand new Magic Tool Longsword for Sevia]

Silver light flickered, sharp and eye-piercing.

The blade was heavy and slender.

It was engraved with amplification formulas.

On the clean and tidy floor, iron boots stepped forward as a pair of hands solemnly received the longsword.

Gripping the hilt, she easily lifted the heavy Mithril Longsword.

Under the reflection of the overhead lights, the blade was so clear and striking that it added a few more glints of brilliance to her sparkling green eyes.

"Lord Wizard, can I really accept this?"

"Of course, this was originally prepared for you, Sevia."

Xu Xi spoke.

He introduced the new sword's Enchantment Formulas to the girl,

so she could quickly get used to it.

At the end, Xu Xi evaluated his own work like this: "It's just barely acceptable. The Materials I have on hand are a bit insufficient. I'll make a better sword later."

"No, Lord Wizard, I think this sword is very good."

The blade was slid back into its scabbard.

She held it in her arms.

Her green eyes, with their interlacing shades, softened slightly.

She expressed her gratitude to Xu Xi: "Lord Wizard, I like it very, very much… I love it."

Because it was given by you, I can only love it.

No matter what it looks like, no matter its quality.

The answer is always that I like it.

Her skeletal fingers, separated by armor, lightly touched the surface of the hilt, slowly tightening and then slowly loosening.

In the process of tightening and relaxing, the Soul within the undead skeleton seemed to be purified as well.

It became somewhat joyful.

The Soul Fire flickered and rose slightly.

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Sevia shed the armor from her arms, revealing her pale skeletal hands.

She repeated the action of gripping the sword once more.

"Sevia, what are you…"

"Lord Wizard, if I grip the sword directly like this, it feels a bit comfortable…" the Hero said some incomprehensible things, claiming her hands felt very warm.

But an undead body shouldn't be able to feel heat or cold.

…

[You and the Hero continue forward]

[The fire support from the Wizard Tower greatly speeds up your collection of Soul Fire]

[To deal with the mysterious and powerful Seventh-Ring Wizard]

[You feel that there is still room for improvement in your current collection speed]

[You continuously experiment, modifying the Tower Spirit to give it faster and more intelligent processing efficiency]

[The Tower of Salvation flies very fast]

[Carrying you and Sevia, it leaves the remote and uninhabited wilderness. After many years, you step into the former realm of the living once again]

[You vaguely remember that a kingdom used to exist here]

[But you only see ruins]

[The dead are born from flesh and blood, skeletal fingers clutching stones, moving through the smoke-filled sea of fire in bizarrely deformed postures]

[Flames are rising]

[Souls are wailing]

[You see a true Hell]

The superimposed influence of the Black Sun's fall and the Undead Dark Tide

far exceeded Xu Xi's expectations.

If it could be said that when the fifth simulation first began, the living could still survive normally,

then in the current Wizard World, the living have no way out.

Before the two worlds collide and perish, a massive number of undead will wipe out everything, stripping the living of their only remaining survival space.

Killing the living, transforming the living, making the Souls who died in pain turn into the monsters they feared most.

"Rumble!!"

Above the kingdom perishing in the raging fire,

the Wizard Tower began to pour out its firepower.

The number of undead was so great that even without aiming, a large amount of Soul Fire could be harvested.

Xu Xi waved his Magic Wand, releasing a Third-Ring Great Sorcery that blasted the Bone Dragons attempting to ambush the Wizard Tower.

Sevia, meanwhile, acted as an escort.

Staying by Xu Xi's side.

The corner of her eye fell on the kingdom's fire; for every bit the flames rose, her grip on the sword would tighten a bit more.

Gradually, in that low, crimson scene of despair, a striking sword light tore through the darkness.

It was very strong.

And also very weak.

"Lord Wizard, I don't like… a world like this."

Her raspy voice was mixed with many emotions.

There was sadness, anger, and also a deep sense of unwillingess.

"I don't like it either," Xu Xi replied, his eyes reflecting the deep red firelight and countless pale skeletons.

Alternating heat and cold, a gale blew wildly.

The howling wind sounded like the wailing of the deceased.

…

…

[Simulation Year 17, you are 34 years old]

[You have gained a preliminary understanding of the Fourth-Ring advancement path]

[You and Sevia have spent the heaviest year]

[The world has not yet been completely destroyed]

[But the people living in the Wizard World can no longer see a hopeful tomorrow]

[You control the Tower of Salvation, going to one human kingdom after another, but what is presented before you are always deathly silent ruins]

[Broken walls and debris, hellfire burning]

[On the foul-smelling land, there are no longer any intact villages, towns, or nations; only a very few lucky ones are hiding in terror]

[You and the Hero saved some of them]

[When people discuss, they do not dare to call you by your name, and instead refer to you as "That Lord" in a respectful tone]