Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Corvid Quarter.

Standing atop the towering wall that separated this district from the rest of the city, Daniel glanced at the Magi with a solemn look on his face. His eyes flickered with resolve and determination.

But the rest of the Magi… they all trembled in fear.

There were twelve retainers from his own family, along with twelve more from the Black Legion led by Raidon. In total, there were only twenty-six of them present—one Mana Vortex Magus, and the rest at the Mana Liquefaction Rank.

These Magi couldn't stop their bodies from shuddering in fright. After all, Daniel had just told them what his plan was and what they had to do. Even someone as experienced as Raidon found his resolve wavering.

"M-my Lord, you… you seriously want us to…" A retainer from the Ranzenberg Family muttered in a trembling voice. But before he could finish his words, he dropped to his knees and emptied the contents of his stomach.

The people gathered around him were not appalled by that. In fact, many of them struggled to even stand straight, knowing what was in front of them.

Another Magus stepped forward, this one from the Black Legion, and said with tearful eyes, "You want us to… die?"

Daniel glanced at the man and said with a flat expression:

"Yes."

One of his retainers then took a step forward, his eyes gleaming with faint hope. "M-my Lord, there… there are over a million zombies out there. And there's just… twenty-six of us. How do you expect us to…"

"It must be done," Daniel answered with a stoic look on his face, interrupting the man.

Sensing the finality of his words, a lot of Magi broke down in tears. Truth be told, they even wanted to turn around and flee rather than comply with Daniel's orders. If they were going to die anyway, then why obey his orders?

However, none moved an inch.

"…Is there no other way?" Raidon finally spoke, his voice shaky.

Daniel looked the Captain of the Black Legion in the eye and slowly shook his head.

"No."

Their plan was simple. Raidon would lead all the men and charge headfirst into the sea of zombies, drawing thier attention. Meanwhile, Daniel, who was a practitioner of shadow magic, would slip past the zombies unnoticed and reach the heart of Corvid Quarter.

There lay his destination - a storage house. The chamber directly underneath that building led to the complex system of tunnels that ran beneath the city. There, Sabrina had left behind her secret arrangement to deal with the threat of this forgotten district.

So while Raidon and the rest rode to their deaths, Daniel was to enter the secret tunnel and insert the circular disk in the contraption left behind by Sabrina. In fact, one could argue that Daniel himself would be in the most danger.

But as things stood… just how many of these men were ready to face death?

How many of them were brave enough to look the grim reaper in the eye and welcome death's cold embrace?

Yet, they had to do it anyway. For if they didn't… not just Ravenfell, perhaps the entire Empire might be in grave danger.

A tense, frightening silence settled on these Magi. Finally, the expression on Daniel's face changed, and so did the air around him. His lips parted, and he began in a solemn voice:

"Look around you. Look into the eyes of the men who stand beside you. This may be the last time you see them. The truth is bitter… we are not riding to victory. No, we are riding to our deaths.

"The enemy's strength is overwhelming, their numbers are endless, and they are undying. And yet here we stand on this wall in order to face them. Why?"

Then, the aura around Daniel changed drastically. His eyes blazed with emotions that even he didn't know he had. He recalled the lifeless face of Sabrina as he gritted his teeth. Then, he swiftly raised a hand and roared:

"Because our deaths will still have meaning! Every step we take, every second we endure, every heartbeat we fight for gives our people beyond these walls a chance to live! A chance to hope! A chance to endure!"

Hearing his words filled with passion, the Magi were taken aback. Some felt their hearts beat faster, while others felt their body covered in goosebumps. They had never expected the stoic person before them to erupt with such strong and powerful words.

Daniel continued, "Do not fear the end! Death awaits us all! But here and now… we have the power to choose how we meet it! So raise your heads! Steel your hearts! When I sound the horn, we will all move as one!

"When history remembers this day, it will not remember our fear! No! It will remember our courage! It will remember that when death came for us, we did not turn away! We did not cower! We met it head-on! We must do this! For Ravenfell! For our loved ones!"

He took a deep breath, his mana flaring around him. Then, he gave out his final order:

"Now, my soldiers… ride with me! Let us ride into the jaws of death! This is where we make our final stand!"

For a moment, the men fell silent, stunned by what they heard. Then, deep within their hearts an ember ignited… growing, burning, flaring… until it blazed into an unshakable fire.

"OOOHHH!!"

The Magi raised their fists to their sky, weapons drawn as they roared in unison. They were still afraid. The fear still festered in their heart. But they overcame it.

That was courage.

And now, the time had finally come.

This was the origin of the tale…

The tale of twenty-six brave warriors of Ravenfell, who stood unshaken against an army a million and a half strong.

The tale of men fighting against an endless tide of the dead.

The tale of brave men who stood undaunted in the face of death and conquered their fears.

***

In the deathly stillness of Corvid Quarter, where a million and a half zombies stood motionless, all facing north, a single horn suddenly echoed through the stench of death and rot.

All the zombies stirred, their eyes gleaming with hunger and madness. They looked around, trying to find out where the sound was coming from.

Strangely enough, the sound of the horn came from every direction, all at once, weighing down on them, signalling their impending end.

And then…

Twenty-five brave warriors, mounted on armoured horses, rode forth from the base of the towering wall.

When the zombies caught sight of them, smelling flesh and blood, the horde went mad, surging into a tsunami of death as they stormed towards the Magi.

Leading these brave warriors, Raidon's eyes trembled when he saw the sheer scale of the horde before him. In moments, it would crash down upon him and his men. His teeth clenched in apprehension, and his body trembled in fear.

And yet…

He persevered!

With a sword in hand, he raised it high towards the skies and roared:

"My soldiers, ride with me! For Ravenfell!!"

The Magi's hearts blazed with courage as they screamed in unison:

"For Ravenfell!!"