Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

"Damn it, there are just too many of them!" Biden grunted in frustration as he cast one spell after another, reaping the lives of the undead thralls that threw themselves at him and his group.

After battling their way through over a dozen groups of Magi, they had finally arrived at their destination, the armory where Edward was said to be advancing. This particular chamber was one of many within the castle, built to store and supply practice weapons used by students for training in mana combat.

The group of five young Magi had almost arrived at the gates of the armory, but at the last possible moment… they were suddenly attacked by a horde of undead creatures.

And undead creatures could only be summoned by a Mana Vortex Rank necromancer or stronger. This was the first Mana Vortex Magus they were facing. Moreover, the cultist was also leading a group consisting of one Mana Liquefaction Magus and four Mana Foundation Magi.

Lisa had produced a thick barrier of vines around the group, shielding them from the mindless onslaught of the undead creatures. Meanwhile, Biden, Eleiney, Arthur, and Aiden cast long-range spells from within.

This was a very troublesome situation for them. Not only did they have to fight their way through the horde of zombies, but they also had to deal with the necromancer who summoned them.

As long as their summoner did not die, the undead would keep reanimating—of course, unless they were completely pulverized, that is. But that was easier said than done when the group was quite literally drowning under a tide of hundreds of zombies and skeletal soldiers.

The only thing protecting them was the dome of vines erected by Lisa, and further reinforced by Eleiney.

"Any ideas?" Eleiney said through gritted teeth as she pressed her palms against the interior of the vine dome, constantly supplying a steady stream of mana into it.

"Don't you have any artifacts given to you by the Dark King?!" Biden growled, destroying the heads of several zombies with his fire magic. "What kind of a mentor does that?"

Arthur and Aiden exchanged awkward glances. Eleiney, too, remained silent.

Adam had, in fact, not given them any precious artifacts. He had only given them mana extraction techniques, mana combat manuals, and a small artifact that helped during mindfulness. And then… he had sent them off to travel the lands.

Of course, the things he had given them were invaluable, and his teachings were even more priceless.

But no other powerful artifacts…

Arthur glanced at Biden and harrumphed in displeasure. "Shut the hell up! Mentor said that the body is the greatest treasure a Magus possesses. And don't you speak ill of our mentor! You've been getting on my nerves from the very beginning!"

"Yeah!" Aiden chimed in. "Where the hell are your artifacts?! Didn't Magus Turner provide you with any?"

"You sons of bitches," Biden growled. "Is this really the time for infighting?"

"You're one to talk!

"Bastard, you're the one who started it!"

Aiden and Arthur had had enough.

"Shut up! All three of you!" Lisa turned around and heavily reprimanded them, instantly causing the boys to shrink back. "Useless! The lot of you!"

She then turned to Eleiney and asked in a much softer tone, "Do you have any solutions? We can't remain passive for long."

Eleiney remained silent for a long time. Finally, she answered, "We have to face off against the horde of undead, and then the Magi hiding at the rear. Not to mention, there's a Mana Vortex Magus leading them."

She paused for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then, she said with slight hesitance, "Logically, we shouldn't even be fighting this battle, considering we're vastly outnumbered and outmatched. But…"

There was a lot depending on their shoulders. They could not back down. Not now.

Eleiney had thought of a drastic solution, but doing so would mean putting her in grave danger. Best case scenario, she would be completely incapacitated, and worst case scenario…

Ah, let's not think of the worst-case scenario yet, she thought to herself.

She tried to put herself in Adam's shoes and wondered what he'd do. A few moments later, she finally came to a decision. Her eyes flickered with resolve, and she said, "Alright, then. This is what we're going to do—"

But before she could lay out her plan of action…

The battlefield suddenly shifted.

Several figures clad in stone armor rushed through the corridor. They bypassed the vine dome, slaughtering the undead creatures with ease. Then, they cut a bloody path filled with dismembered corpses towards the intersection ahead where the armory was situated.

Soon, the sound of blades clashing against metal and explosions from spells echoed in this part of the castle. For a brief moment, the horde of zombies froze in their movements. Then, more than half of them rushed towards the summoner, while the rest continued to attack the vine barrier in a frenzy.

Inside the dome, the five young Magi were stunned by the sudden turn of events. They could barely see what was happening outside through the thick vines and the undead thralls. But they did see several figures exploding into a whirlwind of destruction as they cut through the horde.

"…What was that?!" After a long time, Biden blurted out in astonishment.

"I… don't know." Lisa shook her head in a daze.

Meanwhile, Adam's students felt like they saw familiar figures, but they couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"Whatever!" Arthur screamed! "I'm sick of hiding! Let's go out and kill some zombies!"

Lisa's entire demeanor changed. Then, she weaved a set of hand seals and pressed her palms to the ground. Immediately after that, the vines around the group squirmed, then shot towards the undead creatures. Some were impaled, while others were outright turned to rotten meat paste.

The dome slowly unfurled, and from within, the five young Magi burst forth, weapons drawn and spells crackling at the fingertips, ready to face the horde that had decreased significantly.

As the young Magi closed in on the cultists, they saw something quite spectacular. Knights made from stones fought valiantly as they took down the necromancer and his thralls. They fought without fear with only one objective constantly echoing in their heads…

Kill the intruders.

Scenes such as these were taking place everywhere inside the castle. The cultists, who thought breaking into Saratoga and burning it to the ground would be a good idea, would finally learn the might of the oldest Pillar of the Empire.

And that was not all.

As the battle raged on, the tides of battle began to shift in favor of Saratoga's Magi. The ancient stone corridors that were dry and scorched by fire and spells suddenly grew damp. Water trickled through the cracks in the floor and the walls, rising steadily.

And then, piercing through the chaos of battle, came a haunting melody… one that belonged to the dwellers of the depths. It was the song of the bewitching sirens.

The Terror of Marian Lake had made its move!