Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Daggett quickly approached Ravenfell from the west. As he soared through the clouds, he could already see the city burning in the distance. That brought a faint smile to his lips.

However, when his gaze shifted towards the farmlands west of the city, his expression grew solemn. A large chunk of that land had been enveloped in a cloud of darkness, and inside that tenebrous cloud, he could sense two Mana Core Magi fighting.

This darkness… It has to be Marcus Blackwood! He thought to himself as he slowly reduced his speed.

As he sensed the mana signature of the person Blackwood was fighting, his eyes narrowed.

So, the Elder is personally fighting Blackwood? Great! This is my chance to make up for my failure!

Just as he thought that, he launched towards the battle happening down below. But midway, he came to a sweeping halt.

It was because Elder Marden Benton had sent him a mental transmission!

'I must be the one to slay Blackwood. You head to the city and capture Adam. Felix has failed.'

Simple words, but ones that caused Daggett to be utterly shocked. It wasn't the first half of the message that surprised him—that much was understood. As the leader of the Cult's forces, he should be the one to defeat the enemy leader to send a loud and clear message. But it was the following words that he found himself unable to believe.

Felix has… failed?!

Daggett did not even know how to react. He turned toward the city in the near distance. Out there, in the Northern Quarter, a fierce battle was taking place between the Acadian Magi and the cultists. Surprisingly, there were a large number of otherworldly serpents as well.

He couldn't sense Felix's presence anywhere! For the first time since arriving on this continent, he started taking Adam seriously. All this while, he couldn't understand just why Elder Benton and the Cult Leader would hold the Dark King in such high regard, but now... he finally understood.

A Mana Vortex Magus slaying a Mana Core Magus was unheard of!

How did the boy manage to take out Felix?! He should have been able to escape, at the very least!

Daggett was so stunned by the news that he remained frozen in mid-air. It was only when Marden's cold voice echoed in his ears once again did he snapped out of his daze.

Capture Adam Constantine, or I will behead you myself, said the Elder of the Inner Circle.

Daggett's expression turned cold at those words. Yet, deep in his dark, lifeless eyes, there were hints of fear. For he knew… he knew that Benton was very much capable of doing what he said!

Without wasting another breath, he flew towards Ravenfell.

His target… Adam Constantine!

***

The armed forces of Ravenfell had seized the moment and attacked the enemies when Adam was amidst their forces, wreaking havoc. It was the perfect opportunity.

While Ravenfell's forces advanced with a steady battle formation, the Cult's formation was all over the place. Not only did they have to pay attention to the incoming army, but they also had to deal with Adam and Edward, who were like the harbingers of death and carnage.

Adam was as elusive as a fleeting memory, appearing in one place, dealing death, then disappearing. He would then reappear in another place, but this time with a different face. No one knew where he would attack from, and no one knew which face he would wear next.

His actions caused the cutlists to become distrustful of one another—an act that was very detrimental to them in the midst of a chaotic battle.

Edward's approach, on the other hand, was more simplistic. But that was not to say he was any easier to deal with. Lightning surrounded his body like a mantle, making it difficult for others to pierce through his defence. Furthermore, his physical speed was mind-boggling. The youth literally moved like lightning!

The two were more than enough to draw the attention of the vast majority of the cultists, while the armed forces of Ravenfell attacked them from the south.

And when the two sides finally collided… all hell broke loose!

In an instant, the battle formations were reduced to nothing but burdens. With tens of thousands of Magi wielding thousands of different types of magic, the battlefield became a chaotic plane of blood, steel, and spells.

Blood sprayed through the air, and corpses immediately started hitting the ground as the two massive forces clashed. Ravenfell's forces attacked with murderous fury. This was their bloody retaliation. This was how they would punish the vile cultists who dared invade their home.

Ravenfell was once a bustling city, one of the greatest metropolises in the Empire. But now, the land was ravaged by war. Fire and death permeated every nook and cranny of the city. The number of casualties among mortals and Magi was far too many to even count.

And the cause of it all was the damned Cult of Bones!

With all the powerful Magi of the city now gathered under the banner of the raven, and with the help of the Serpents of the Coil, the army of Ravenfell unleashed boundless wrath upon the cultists. It did not matter if they died. As long as they delivered judgment to their enemies, that was all that mattered.

The battle had quickly turned chaotic and barbaric, with Magi from both sides dying by the second. But this was what war brought… blood, grief, and stripping away of all civility.

Spells tore through the air like storms, shattering stone and flesh alike. The screams of the dying mixed with the roar of magic, until the very ground seemed to tremble beneath the bloody carnage.

And still neither side relented.

Somewhere on the battlefield, Adam's figure moved past his enemies like a spectral ghost. He had long since put away the Staff of Calamity. He had donned a pair of Grade 3 gauntlets—artifacts gifted to him by Sabrina Benton—and was mowing through the sea of enemies.

His hands were now his weapons, striking, twisting, and crushing with murderous precision. A throat collapsed beneath his fingers, a spine snapped with a flick of his wrist, a ribcage caved under a palm strike.

He moved through the crowd with a fluid, otherworldly rhythm. The Phantom Dance bloomed in violent delight! Each step was silent, each motion seamless, as if he were gliding between the living and the dead. Enemies fell before they could even register his touch.

Wherever he went, he left behind a trail of silence and corpses. He had improved his understanding of the Phantom Dance in the second trial of the tournament, and now he was consolidating that knowledge through the art of murder.

He subconsciously—and unwillingly— went into a state of trance, forgetting everything around him. Once again, he felt like he was on the cusp of truly understanding the essence of the Phantom Dance, but he was missing something… something very crucial.

Adam's mind gradually drifted towards the whispers of the Laughing God…

In his state of trance, he had this strange feeling.

He had this bizarre feeling that if he listened to those whispers, he would have a great opportunity to unravel a cosmic truth.

He just needed to pay attention to those whispers for a little while.

Just a little…

Surely, it wouldn't hurt…

Right?

The Eternal Soul Lotus hummed, suppressing the whispers of the Faceless Mask and bringing clarity to his mind. Adam's back was drenched in cold sweat as he realized what had just happened.

He stopped in his footsteps, gasping for air. His chest violently heaved up and down as he looked around with wide eyes. Everywhere he looked, all he saw were corpses. Blood flowed in streams, reaching up to his ankle.

Did… did I do all of this?

He clasped his head with a hand, trying to understand what was going on. In his state of trance, he seemed to have gone somewhere really dangerous.

What… happened? He wondered.

The Laughing God whispered, but the Eternal Soul Lotus instantly silenced the ravings.

That damned mask… Adam gritted his teeth in frustration.

He stumbled on his feet, his vision growing even more blurry.

Damn it… how many times did I use the lotus subconsciously?

He wanted nothing more than to lie down and finish a bottle of wine. But he couldn't. The battle was far from over.

Just as he was trying to gather his senses, he heard faint whispers in his mind. But once again, they were suppressed by the lotus.

Huh? What was that? He thought.

I think I'll be able to understand those ravings, if I…

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt. Adam then couldn't help but scoff, thinking to himself:

Am I crazy? Why would I want to listen to those ravings?

Instead of paying attention to what was going on inside his head, he should have paid more attention to the battlefield around him.

Because while he was questioning his sanity…

Daggett was already behind him!

And the Laughing God continued to whisper…