Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Adam's lungs felt like they were on fire. His body was bruised all over, and he struggled to even stand straight. Yet, the adrenaline pumping through his veins gave him the fuel required to outrun the damned centipede behind him.

He had been running for the last several minutes. The summit of the hill was getting closer and closer. But so was the centipede behind him. It had caught up to him on several occasions, forcing him to teleport and increase the distance between them.

No matter how many spells he hurled at the creature, nothing would get past its tough, metallic chitin. It truly had a superb defence for a Rank 4 creature. Adam couldn't help but wonder just how the four-armed creature had dismembered the insect so effortlessly.

Was the four-armed monster truly a Mana Core-level existence?

Or was it something even more powerful?

Adam shuddered to even think about it. He ran along the cliffside of the hill as he weaved a complex set of hand seals. Then, he pressed his palm against the cliff face and immediately teleported over a dozen meters away.

When the centipede arrived at that location, the cliffside suddenly trembled, then collapsed in a violent mudslide, burying the insect underneath all the snow, rocks, and earth.

But that only brought the youth a few seconds of time. The centipede emerged from the heavy snow and once again continued its pursuit.

"Damn it all!" Adam cursed inwardly.

He raised his head and noticed the summit getting closer. But what would happen once he reached the peak? For now, the reason he was heading there was to get as far away from Felix and the four-armed monster.

But what then?

With the centipede following closely behind him, would he even have enough time to cast a spell and open a portal to the material world?

He could fall off the top of the mountain, then conjure a portal while he was falling. But with how strange the laws of space worked in the spirit world, the act of forming a portal while in motion became exponentially harder, maybe even downright impossible.

But what other options did he have?

Adam gritted his teeth and increased his pace.

Faster! Faster! Faster! He roared inwardly.

And then… he heard the voice that he dreaded so much.

"Constantine! You won't escape me!"

Felix's furious howl broke through the cold of the night, thundering in Adam's ears. The youth shuddered, nearly falling to the ground. But instead, he ran even faster.

Bastard, why can't you just die?!

It would appear Felix had brought his battle to his way as well! Now, both the cultist and the four-armed monster were hurtling toward the hill's peak.

It's just one bad thing after another! Adam gritted his teeth, his heart fuming with rage.

Perhaps, he had never felt so much anger and hatred for the Cult of Bones and its cultists ever in his life. He really, really, hated them with every fiber of his being.

He skidded to a halt and turned around, gazing at the charging centipede with bloodshot eyes. And behind the insect, clashing in mid-air, came Felix and the four-armed monster, flying straight toward him.

His vision had long since grown blurry because of the overuse of the white lotus. It had also been tinted with crimson for some time now. He cast a cold gaze towards the abominable insect, then towards its summoner, and finally at the ruler of this damned hill.

Then, the lotus patterns in his eyes glowed with an incandescent light. The following moment, he disappeared. He blinked in and out of existence several times before he came crashing down on the hill's peak!

The moment his feet hit the ground, his knees gave out, and he collapsed. Another mouthful of blood spilled through his lips, every inch of his body wracked with agony.

But worse than the physical torment was the searing pain in his eyes. Several blood vessels had burst, flooding his vision with red and sending waves of anguish to his mind.

He coughed out another mouthful of blood, then forced himself to stand on his feet. He had made enough distance between himself and the centipede, but considering Felix could fly, there wasn't much time at all.

Adam quickly reestablished his connection with the Staff of Calamity and started weaving hand seals. But then… his body violently shuddered. A couple of more blood vessels in his eyes burst open. He collapsed to the ground once again, vomiting another mouthful of blood.

'Brother!!'

Valerian's pain-filled voice echoed inside his spirit sea.

"Not… now… Val," Adam muttered with great difficulty as he got to his feet once again.

For the first time, fear of death crept into his heart. All this while, he had been confident in surviving this ordeal. He was quite hopeful of his current situation. But now… he wasn't so sure anymore.

Doubt was the poison of hope.

He expanded his Sphere of Resonance once again, this time making sure to check for dangers underground.

The results made his blood run cold. The centipede was still a distant away from him, but Felix and the four-armed monster… they were almost upon him.

"No… I refuse... to die!" He gritted his teeth, speeding up the process of weaving the physical component of the spell.

But then… he stopped.

Out there, in the periphery of the Sphere of Resonance, he noticed something.

At the summit of the snow-laden hill stood a temple, half buried in frost and time. Its once-proud pillars had fractured, and the roof had partially caved in, letting snow drift into the hollow sanctum.

Ancient runes on the walls, worn and fading, peeked through the snow, hinting at the distant echoes of a long forgotten faith. A set of grand stone steps led up to the entrance, where a pair of towering doors stood.

Except… the doors were left ajar, and from the dark within, a ghostly gray fog slowly wafted out.

Adam hesitated for a split second before dashing towards the temple. Inside his spirit sea, Valerian screamed incessantly, warning him that something was terribly wrong, that a true horror resided within those ancient walls.

But the raven-haired youth paid the young dragon's warnings no heed. Driven by desperation, pain, or something far more sinister, he pressed on.

Several seconds later, Felix and the four-armed monster were the first to arrive at the cliff. But by that time, Adam had already climbed the stairs and arrived before the towering stone doors.

The inside of the temple was cloaked in darkness and thick, unnatural fog. Every fiber in Adam's being screamed at him to turn back and flee. His instincts roared in unison. If he entered, he would most certainly die.

But he didn't listen.

Adam took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Then, without another thought, he stepped through the doors of the ancient temple.

As soon as he entered, a distant, yet familiar voice whispered through the darkness:

"Welcome home, Adam."