Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Adam found himself falling. Again.

He never understood why every visit to the spirit world began with him plummeting endlessly. Why couldn't he just start on solid ground for once?

…Whatever.

The youth couldn't be bothered about it at the moment. Even though he was falling through colors and symbols, he could at least take this moment to rest.

Although some mana still remained in his reserves, his strength and stamina, however… had long since depleted. So he could use this time to recuperate, hoping that not too much time would have passed in Ravenfell by the time he returned.

As for the six Rank 4 undead knights?

Heh. Good riddance.

Adam couldn't help but reveal a faint smirk.

The moment all of them had entered the spirit world, Gerald's spell had naturally come undone. As a result, the spherical chain had ceased to be, and the undead knights inside found themselves plummeting into the unknown.

Of course, the first thing Adam did was move away from them, ensuring that none would be able to catch him. They couldn't have either way. Because, unlike him, the undead knights did not know how to traverse the spirit world.

This form of exile… Adam had come up with this idea while fighting Felix. So whenever he faced a powerful enemy in the future, too strong to defeat or escape, he could at least banish them into the depths of the spirit world.

Neat trick, thought the youth as he slowly drifted to unconsciousness.

But right at that moment, a frantic voice echoed inside his spirit sea.

'Brother, don't fall asleep! We need to return home! Wake up! Brother, wake up!'

And then, Adam's murky, blood-stained eyes snapped open.

His heart started beating wildly, thinking about the grave mistake he was just about to commit. He slapped himself awake, but the fear still lingered in his heart.

If he had fallen asleep just then… who knew? He could have woken up a century later!

The raven-haired youth scanned his surroundings, searching for any landmass nearby he could fly towards. In his current state, forming a portal back to the material world was nearly impossible. He needed a proper foothold first.

But when he looked around, his blood turned cold. His lips curled into a bitter smile.

That was the thing…

He could no longer look around. His sight had finally failed him.

After using the lotus to drag the undead knights into the spirit world and exile them here, his vision had deteriorated beyond repair.

Earlier, he had at least been able to see blurred shapes, hazy silhouettes… enough to say that he could still see.

But now... there was nothing.

Not darkness. Just nothing.

He only felt fear for a fleeting moment before heaving a long, helpless sigh.

Why am I even surprised? He wondered.

I had already expected this outcome. I used the lotus… way too much. It's a miracle that my eyes are still intact after all that.

But it's fine now…

The biggest threat has been dealt with.

With the undead knights no longer bothering them, Old Man and the rest will easily take care of the remaining cultists. Then, they can provide assistance to the Headmaster.

Yes… it's all fine now.

I just need to return to Ravenfell, and then…

I can finally rest.

Myriad colors, countless horrors, and forbidden symbols passed him by in a blur as he continued to plummet into the depths… or was it the heights?… of the spirit world. He could no longer tell.

It was pointless to extend his Sphere of Resonance to sense his surroundings at the moment. Everything around him was moving at such irregular speed—too fast or too slow—that trying to sense it would only overwhelm him in a flood of distorted signals.

One had to remember that time and space worked in bizarre ways in this mysterious realm.

Just as he was about to call forth Valerian to help him search for any nearby landmass, Adam suddenly broke through the surface of a vast waterbody, plunging straight into its depths.

The impact slammed against his back, and he felt like his spinal cord was greatly damaged. He struggled to even breathe—not that he could breathe underwater, anyway.

Suppressing the searing pain in his spine, he gritted his teeth and expanded his Sphere of Resonance to get an idea of his new surroundings.

He was submerging into a vast… lake? Or perhaps, it was an ocean. He didn't know. Though whatever it was, he was certain that it was deep. Very, very deep.

Extending his Sphere of Resonance to its limits, he could faintly tell that there was light shining somewhere above him. And below him, there was nothing but an all-consuming darkness.

And in that darkness… Adam 'saw' a giant lifeform.

In the dark depths, a gigantic eye stared at him unblinking. This eye was bigger than anything he had ever seen before. Perhaps, its size was comparable to one of the districts in Ravenfell!

Surrounding the titanic eye was a swarm of thick, slimy tentacles, each lined with ridges and barbs. Some coiled together, while others swayed independently. However, there was one thing common about most of these tentacles…

They were all reaching towards Adam!

Whatever this lifeform was, it was far bigger and powerful than anything the youth had ever confronted. At least, one thing was certain. This tentacled abomination was stronger than the Formless Fog, whom Adam had believed to be at the Mana Seed Rank.

Fuck!

Adam cursed inwardly, cursing his misfortune.

Can my luck get any worse? Trespassing in the domain of a Transcendent entity... What has my life even come to?

Faint divine light gleamed in the depths of his turbid eyes. And just as the first of the tentacles was about to reach him, Adam disappeared from his spot, reappearing tens of meters away.

The tentacled monster was slightly startled. Movement should have been difficult, if not outright impossible, in these black waters. Yet, the tiny insect of a human was able to move somehow.

It then changed tactics.

In the blink of an eye, and before Adam could teleport away again, thousands of tentacles lashed out, forming a massive cage around the youth, preventing any sort of teleportation.

Then, in the next heartbeat, before Adam could even produce half a thought, the living prison closed in, the tendrils binding him and dragging him down to the lightless abyss.

Adam shuddered in horror as one tentacle coiled tightly around him, completely locking away his ability to teleport. Then, somewhere in the heart of the swarm of tentacles, a monstrous maw, revealing layers and layers of razor-sharp teeth, became visible.

The last thing Adam knew was the sensation of being pulled into the giant maw.

And even as he was swallowed by the Transcendent abomination…

The Laughing God continued to whisper.