Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

A few minutes earlier in Market Quarter, a group of Magi stood before the thick, black pillar that lay on the ground. They gazed at this pillar with a mix of emotions. Some were angry, while others cried. Some were hopeful, while others were resigned.

"I… I saw it myself," said one of the Magi, a young woman, holding back her tears. "He… he fought that Mana Core Cultist all by himself. And when he realized he wouldn't be able to defeat him, he… he…"

She broke down into tears. After several long moments, she continued, "He took the Magus along with him. He sacrificed himself for us… for Ravenfell!"

Many Magi standing nearby had their eyes red from grief and anger. The Dark King had taken the Mana Core Magus from the Cult to the spirit world with him. Nearly an hour had passed, yet he hadn't returned.

They all thought that the Dark King had left with the enemy so that the latter would not wreak havoc in the city. If a Mana Core Magus were to run rampant with no one of equal strength to stop them, then there would have been heavy casualties.

A Mana Core Magus could only be stopped by a Mana Core Magus. That was the truth.

Yet, Adam had fearlessly stopped the enemy and even taken him into the depths of the spirit world to give the forces of Ravenfell a fighting chance.

"This is not the time to shed tears," a burly Magus stepped forward.

"Look around you," he said. "As long as the serpents continue to fight here with us, it means the Dark King is still alive there somewhere! Don't lose hope!"

"Yes! He's got to be alive!"

"How can the Dark King die so easily?!"

"Did you forget he excels in the School of Summoning?"

"Nothing will happen to him!"

"Yes, let's all have faith in him!"

Though half of the people gathered were optimistic about the Dark King's return, the other half thought it was hopeless.

After all, the spirit world was not a place one could return from just because one wanted to. It was a place of infinite mysteries and uncountable horrors. The chances of the Dark King returning from that mystical dimension were close to zero.

As for the continued existence of the serpents of the Coil… that just meant the Dark King was alive somewhere out there in the spirit world. And when he died, the link between him and the serpents would cease to exist, and then, all the serpents would return.

The burly man knew this, of course. Yet, he still lied to his men. He couldn't vanquish thier morale. The existence of the Dark King was vital to the Magi of Ravenfell.

He was hope personified.

"Gather your wits, all of youse!" He roared. "We still need to evacuate the residents to safety!"

Amidst the sea of misfortunes and mishaps, there was at least one piece of good news for the forces of Ravenfell.

The Prince of Acadia had managed to construct a vast underground tunnel, large enough for the city's mortal residents to evacuate safely beyond its walls.

This was a great relief for the city's forces, for before the construction of this mysterious tunnel, it had been certain that all four and a half million citizens of the city would perish. Now, however, it seemed that at least half of them would survive!

The emergence of this new tunnel was a boon for the residents of Ravenfell. The city, after all, had already turned into a battlefield, and it would undoubtedly turn worse as the battle entered the final stages.

Even the reinforced underground bunkers wouldn't be able to protect the citizens if the Mana Vortex Magi decided to go all out. And if a Mana Core Magus' battle happened to take place inside the city, or even if somewhere in the vicinity of the city, the consequences would be dire.

So, not all hope was lost. As the vast majority of the city's forces travelled to the Northern Quarter to prepare for the final showdown, the rest of them guided the residents of the city through the new tunnel and helped them evacuate far away from the dangers of the battle.

***

About ten miles east of Ravenfell, a large hole gaped in the earth. It looked almost as if some giant had taken a large bite out of the ground.

This was the far end of the vast tunnel… the one that stretched from underneath Ravenfell.

Currently, tens of thousand of mortals were making their way out of this large hole. Their clothes were tattered and their skins were covered in ash and soot. Their appearance was quite miserable. Yet, their eyes flickered with hope and liveliness.

They had escaped the ravages of war and safely made it away from Ravenfell. They all thought they would have died horrible deaths, yet when they least expected it, the bloodline of Acadia had guided them to safety.

Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered outside the large opening. Some were crying, while others were smiling with joy. Some were tiredly lying on the ground, while others were distributing food and rations.

The elders rested on the ground, utterfly grateful for having made it out alive. Whereas the little children ran around in joy, playing with their friends, seemingly oblivious of the hellscape they had escaped from.

At the center of it all was the Prince of Acadia, Cedric Acadia.

He had a solemn look on his face as he constantly barked out instructions. He had to ensure that the refugees were well protected. He couldn't let his guard down yet. He had to order his men and the Magi of Ravenfell, who had escorted them, to constantly check the perimeters. He had to constantly be on the lookout for any attacks from the Cult.

Needless to say, he was quite on edge. He had never faced anything like this before. In fact, he hadn't even planned to do this. At the beginning of the war, he had planned to flee. Yet here he was, taking care of hundreds of thousands of mortals, and even more emerging from the tunnel.

After dispatching a new group of Magi to scout the area ahead, Cedric turned to his guardian. "Yaka, do you recognize who that is?"

There were hints of wariness in his eyes as he asked that question.

The hunchedback old man stayed silent for a moment. Then, he turned towards the hill in the near distance. When his gaze fell upon the… creature… standing proudly atop it, staring in their direction, he shuddered.

"I… don't, your grace," he said. Then, he gulped involuntarily and added. "Let's be grateful that it is an ally."

Cedric turned his head towards the distant hill with a complicated look in his eyes. As he gazed at the mysterious creature, who turned out to be an ally, standing atop it, he felt a mixture of fear, reverence, and gratefullness.

While everyone thought that it was the Prince of Acadia who had carved the mysterious tunnel from Ravenfell to this place, nothing could be further from the truth.

In reality, it was that creature who had done it, effortlessly carving a wide passage to ensure the safety of Ravenfell's citizens.

The massive creature was no weaker than a Mana Core Magus! Its motives were unknown, yet there was no doubt that the citizens owed their safety to it.

It's body was cloaked in dark fur, and it's eyes were twin pools of darkness, ready to devour all they beheld.

This creature was a black wolf!