Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!"

Immense panic flooded Adam's veins. When he reached for the mask, he didn't feel the cool sensation he was expecting. Instead, his fingers brushed against his blood-stained cheeks.

He sent a mental command to the Faceless Mask to separate from his face, but the mask did not listen. He ordered it again and again and again…

But the mask did not listen. It had seemingly gone into a slumber, but the faint whispers echoing in the far corners of his spirit sea told a different story.

"This is not funny!" Adam screamed in panic. "G-get off of my face, bastard!"

He pinched his cheeks, then clawed at his face. The mask did not come off. Instead, he ended up hurting himself.

Is it always going to be like this? He thought in apprehension.

Am I always going to hear those damned whispers?!

Damn it, at that point, I might really turn mad!

For a long time, he didn't know what to do. But gradually, he calmed down. He inhaled deeply, trying to placate his wildly beating heart.

Alright, calm down. Think. Don't react.

Almost a minute later, he finally managed to calm down to a certain extent. He ignored the faint whispers echoing inside his mind as he pondered his current predicament.

He thought of the knowledge he received about the Laughing God and the Faceless Mask.

The Laughing God wore the artifact as casually as one would wear clothes, slipping it on when required, and removing it just as easily when the joke had run its course...

To the Laughing God, the Faceless Mask wasn't a powerful artifact. It was just a toy…

One day, the Laughing God grew tired of his great game and went to the spirit world. When he returned, the artifact was no longer with him.

Adam's eyebrows furrowed, and he went into deep thought.

So, based on the knowledge from the runes, the wearer can definitely take off the mask. So why is it that I'm unable to?

…Could it be because I'm too weak?

Of course, I'm too weak to wield the mask! It's a divine artifact forged by a God, after all.

I think the same principles should apply to the lotus. I'm too weak to unlock its full potential as well. And although I've never tried to discard it… I have a feeling that I might be unable to.

Adam began to stroke his chin, his brows furrowing into a tight knot.

So does that mean I won't be able to take off the mask until I grow more powerful? Powerful enough to wear the artifact as casually as one would wear clothes… just like the Laughing God?

But this poses a big problem. If I'm unable to take off the mask, doesn't that mean… I'd constantly hear those whispers?

The raven-haired youth gulped nervously, his back drenched in a layer of cold sweat.

If it wasn't for the white lotus… what would have become of me? Would I have turned into a laughing madman? A victim of the Faceless Mask?

He trembled at the thought. He grew more and more certain that this divine artifact was never meant for the likes of him. He was far too pathetically weak to wear it. It was no wonder he started hearing the mad laughter and the ravings as soon as he put on the mask.

If not for the white lotus…

Adam grew more and more grateful for the Eternal Soul Lotus.

This also confirms my speculation about the lotus being able to suppress the mask's flaw. The Faceless Mask might be a divine artifact, forged by a God, but the lotus… it's a divine artifact rumored to be as old as the universe itself!

Its background is definitely deeper than the Laughing God or his Faceless Mask.

Thinking of that, Adam's face twisted into a dark scowl. If one was not powerful enough, then wielding the mask meant, at best, losing one's sanity, and at worst… death.

Bastard Laughing God!

Adam cursed inwardly. Soon, his expression turned somber. The Faceless Mask was no doubt a powerful divine artifact, meant to be wielded by someone of equal power. The Laughing God had forged it based on his desire to become unseen, after all.

Then, how powerful was the Laughing God? He wondered.

The thought sent goosebumps crawling across his skin.

Emperor Magus… at least!

At the same time, a crooked, nervous smile slowly spread across his face as he thought:

With this… I now have three powerful artifacts.

The Eternal Soul Lotus. The Staff of Calamity. The Faceless Mask.

With the mask's flaw being suppressed by the lotus out of the way, Adam began to study in great detail about its effects. He closed his eyes and tried to feel the dark silver mask that had seamlessly fused with his face. At once, he was able to glean a lot more information than the runes provided him.

The mask grants flawless shapeshifting, he thought to himself.

As a mere Mana Vortex Magus, I can't bring out its full potential. For now, I can mold my body and flesh and mimic my target's face, body, voice, scent, and most importantly, their mana signature.

But there are restrictions…

I cannot mimic the true appearance of a woman. Not that I was going to, anyway… Yeah, I wasn't! I can mimic thier face, but their… specific organs. Ehh... yeah, never mind.

There are restrictions on height and body mass as well. The target I wish to mimic can't be too contrasting in size from my original body. Ah, I think I can alter my height to about a foot.

And I cannot become too bulky, or too skinny.

Wishing to try it out, he immediately got to his feet. The first thing he did was decrease his height by a foot. Much to his surprise, the act of using the mask came as easily to him as breathing. And more importantly, the artifact consumed barely any mana at all.

His original height was slightly over seven feet, but now he was an entire foot shorter. Of course, the entire transformation altered his bone structure, and it hurt quite a lot. But by now, pain had become an old friend. So, the transformation took place without him batting an eyelid.

Adam experimented with the mask even more, making himself taller than his original height. He made himself bulkier, then turned himself into a lanky fellow.

After experimenting some more, he learned that he now possessed inhuman control over his body. He could shift the position of his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. In fact, he could even grow additional external organs like he had accidentally done earlier. Though he was unable to grow another pair of arms or legs.

Another thing he noticed was that he was able to accurately recall the appearance, mannerisms, and mana signature of everyone he knew. With that as the reference, he could alter his body and mimic theirs.

The Faceless Mask also allowed a great deal of protection from arcane detection. It had anti-divination enchantments carved into it. Although they paled in comparison to the protection provided by the lotus.

All in all, it was a wondrous artifact, granting its wearer magical abilities from the School of Alteration. Adam believed that as he grew stronger, he would unlock more of the mask's potential. Eventually, his shapeshifting targets would no longer be limited to humans. He could become anyone.

As for the flaw…

"Heh," Adam scoffed, but there were hints of fear lingering in his eyes.

The lotus would take care of that. Though he would always hear faint, barely audible whispers in his mind, it was a price he was willing to pay for wielding the divine artifact.

Adam scanned the underground chamber once again, ensuring he hadn't missed anything.

Then, he shapeshifted into his first target…

Felix of the Cult of Bones!