“Must be the villain?”

Ashe was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Raven explained, “I am a judgment warrior of the Raven Annihilation. Outsiders call us ‘Black Crows’ because we always present ourselves as villains.”

“Why?”

“Because evildoers don’t fear the good,” Raven replied. “A kind-hearted strongman, a rule-abiding good person, a sorcerer who loves animals and helps the weak… cannot intimidate those who seize every opportunity to commit evil.”

“So, we must be ugly, fierce, lawless, cruel, and even inhumane to make villains tremble at the sight of a Black Crow and panic at the mention of Raven Annihilation.”

Ashe hesitated, “Then-“

Raven seemed to anticipate his question and continued, “Within the Raven Annihilation Cult, besides the judgment warriors, there are blessing priests. Just as warriors are called ‘Black Crows,’ the priests are known as ‘White Crows.’ The basic setup of a Raven Annihilation team is one warrior and one priest. If the mission is more difficult, there might be multiple warriors and one priest.”

“The warriors handle the killing and destruction, while the priests are responsible for healing and comforting,” he said. “All the work of helping others is done by the White Crows.”

“The more fear the villains have for the Black Crows, the more joy the good feel at the sight of the White Crows. So White Crows cannot kill, and Black Crows cannot save, each complementing the other.”

“All the hatred and fear are borne by the Black Crows, and all the gratitude and love are carried by the White Crows.”

“Black Crow Announces Death, White Crow Announces Life-this is the rule of Raven Annihilation.”

Ashe said, “So that’s why you were so cold earlier?”

Raven nodded. “Moreover, the colder and more ruthless we Black Crows appear, the more the rescued will understand that our justice isn’t a given. Then, when they receive help from the White Crows, they’ll be even more grateful and cherish it.”

“A carrot and stick approach,” Igor mused. “A very basic psychological application.”

“One handles the facade, the other the substance,” Ashe said thoughtfully. “So you anticipated we would leave food behind?”

Raven nodded again. “When I used to team up with a White Crow, she took care of these matters. Now, teaming up with you, since you’re willing to perform the White Crow’s kindness, I’ll naturally continue to maintain the Black Crow’s malice.”

Ashe asked, “But won’t that just make people fear you, distance themselves from you, even hate you? Can you accept that?”

“Of course, when I became a judgment warrior and donned the mask, I was already prepared for this,” Raven’s distorted voice couldn’t hide his pride.

Igor suddenly asked, “Do those who become White Crows have this realization too?”

Raven looked at the Con Artist. “What are you trying to say?”

“I suppose you think the psychological burden of a Black Crow is much heavier than that of a White Crow, but that’s not the case,” Igor said. “You don’t need to help others, which means you’re far from life and death separations. White Crows have to clean up your mess. Those you accidentally hurt, those you didn’t save in time, those you saved but were later retaliated against… The difficulties you face are merely unfinished killings, while the White Crows face irreparable tragedies.”

“At least Black Crows can use the sacred martyrdom mindset to alleviate psychological pressure, but White Crows have no such excuse. They can only witness tragedy after tragedy unfold, yet still have to uphold your cult’s image, smiling to face tomorrow.”

“You’re not the only one in pain,” Igor said, looking ahead. “Others have feelings too.”

Watching Raven lower his head as if in a daze, Ashe sighed.

They had been pursuing the Silver Lantern within the Four Pillars Cult’s territory for over ten days.

During these days, Tamashi had noticeably reminisced about his past more frequently. Although he hadn’t mentioned who his White Crow partner was, everyone could guess it was the former Mercury Trojan Horse.

Ashe didn’t understand why he was reopening those painful memories. He had tried to interrupt him several times but was stopped by Igor.

“If you rip off the scab after a wound heals, it will never heal,” Igor explained to Ashe. “That crow isn’t just tearing off the scab; he’s deliberately enlarging the wound to remember the pain.”

Ashe finally understood Tamashi’s thinking.

After all, when they captured the Silver Lantern, they would face the Four Pillars Cult. This might be the best opportunity to assassinate the Mercury Trojan Horse, so Tamashi kept recalling the past’s beauty. This way, when he faced the Mercury Trojan Horse, he could strike more decisively and ruthlessly.

Because the initial encounter was so beautiful, the resentment now ran so deep.

The team had different attitudes towards Raven’s thoughts. Harvey was indifferent but supportive, as the necromancer’s attitude was, “What’s wrong with revenge being the whole of life?”

Igor, on the other hand, opposed it.

The Con Artist didn’t think Raven shouldn’t be immersed in revenge; he simply disliked Tamashi, something even Ashe could see.

Speaking of which, Ashe was also a bit confused. He didn’t know how the two had become adversaries…

As a Mental Sanctuary, Igor’s methods of manipulation were naturally exquisite. By carefully listening to Tamashi’s memories and pointing out inconsistencies, he could plunge Raven into deep confusion.

Under Igor’s guidance, Tamashi realized that his proud memories seemed to have long hidden contradictions and undercurrents. And he couldn’t find answers anymore because he was one of the last two remnants of Raven Annihilation.

Though Igor wasn’t well-intentioned, Ashe didn’t stop him.

Because after each moment of confusion, Raven would become more determined and sharper the next day. The Con Artist’s words were like a whetstone, making him sharper and more ferocious.

Every time Ashe exited the Virtual Realm and opened his eyes to see Raven, he worried whether Tamashi would mistake him for an evil raven due to emotional entanglements and cut him down.

Rumble!

After crossing the rugged mountains, Ashe and his team soon arrived at their destination-a massive pit suddenly appeared on the distant horizon. The closer they got, the more they realized the pit was boundless.

When they reached the edge, they saw that the pit contained a city in ruins. Skyscrapers, highways, decaying traffic chaos-all were clearly visible.

But most striking were the symbols and writings everywhere.

Every inch of wall, every patch of ground, every brick was covered in symbols and writings. Some could barely be discerned as letters, while others were almost self-created symbols, completely incomprehensible.

The entire city seemed tattooed, with no clean spot, making one wonder who had been so bored to deface the city with such effort.

“You’re late.”

The four turned to see a strange female sorcerer with golden and silver wings flying over from the pit.

“But you could say you’re right on time,” the Mercury Trojan Horse smiled, her eyes filled with unfathomable depth.

“The Silver Lantern is already under the control of the Four Pillars Cult.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay