Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

A thousand ravens engulfed the bloodthirsty Marden in a storm of dark feathers and sharp talons, dragging him through the night sky.

Then, with a thunderous boom that echoed across the ravaged city, the murder of ravens slammed him into the earth far away from the retreating Acadian Magi.

Instantly, a large crater was formed somewhere along the edges of the Northern Quarter. This impact was far bigger and more devastating than any of the ones before. In an instant, the surrounding crumbled buildings were reduced to dust.

The ravens merged back together into the form of the Headmaster of Saratoga. And when the dust settled, a terrifying scene came into view.

Blackwood's silver longsword was driven clean through Marden's chest, who was lying on the ground in a miserable manner. Yet, at the same time, Marden's poisoned black blade had found its mark as well… buried deep in Blackwood's chest.

The elderly Magus's face was deathly pale, with ominous purple veins crawling under his skin. He coughed out a mouthful of blood straight at Marden's face, growling in anger:

"You wretched traitor!"

Marden grimaced in agony. In the last possible moment, he had shifted just enough for the longsword to miss his heart. Even though his wounds would be healed eventually, it still put him through a world of pain.

Yet, despite that, he had a victorious smile on his face as he said, "Ease your anger, Headmaster. Struggle too much, and the poison in your veins will only burn faster."

Weaving a swift hand seal, he waved a hand and willed the blood pooled beneath him to surge upwards, forming a forest of razor-sharp pikes that shot towards Blackwood.

Left with no other option, the Headmaster immediately tore his sword free from the enemy's chest and hurriedly retreated. Once at a safe distance, he collapsed to one knee and started hacking up mouthfuls of blood.

The poison ravaged him from within. This was a very cruel and treacherous type of toxin that gnawed at his very mind. Blackwood found his thoughts becoming sluggish, and his vision becoming dim. Every passing moment made it harder to hold onto a single thread of clarity, let alone a proper decision.

Yet, he endured.

The Lord of Ravenfell was a mighty Mana Core Magus, one of the most powerful beings on this continent. Even if this poison was an insidious one, it would never hold him back from murdering the traitor before him.

Blackwood slowly rose to his feet, his expression darkening. His eyes gleamed with a cold light as he gazed at Marden. "This poison won't stop me from killing you. I hope you know that."

The Elder of the Cult rose to his feet, the grievous injuries to his body healing at a rapid pace. Still, he looked extremely miserable. His strength, stamina, and even mana had greatly depleted from battling the Headmaster the entire night.

Even he knew that he was no match for the powerful Headmaster of Saratoga. The only reason he had survived until now was because of his potent healing magic. And then, there was the poison eating away at Blackwood's strength.

But so what if he relied on underhanded tactics? In the end, he would be the one to stand tall, and Blackwood would be the one lying broken at his feet.

He knew it, for he had prepared for this moment more thoroughly than anyone could have possibly imagined.

Victory was but a matter of time.

"You cannot beat me, Headmaster."

Marden's lips formed a confident smile.

"Because you are bound by chains and I… am free."

Even as he said those last words, the ghostly silhouettes of the Benton Family gathered around him, haunting him for the unforgivable sins he had committed against them.

Their existence, whether real or imagined, only deepened Marden's conviction, and perhaps… his descent into madness.

He raised his black blade, which was on the verge of breaking apart, and pointed it at the Headmaster. "Let's finish this. Right here. Right now."

Before he had even finished his words, he shot towards Blackwood, blood, madness, and power swirling into a mantle of insanity around him. His lips curled into a wide grin as he saw Blackwood charge forward in what seemed to be their final clash.

But only a second later…

Marden pivoted his body and hurled the black blade straight at Blackwood!

Caught off guard, the Headmaster was forced to block. The projectile's speed left him no room to dodge.

CLANG!

The instant their swords met, the black blade shattered into countless shards, releasing a surge of toxic miasma that was involuntarily absorbed by Blackwood. Staggering on his feet, he braced himself, expecting Marden's follow-up strike.

But the attack never came.

Instead, Marden had already shot eastward… towards the gathering of Ravenfell's surviving Magi.

Ignoring the toxin wreaking havoc on his nervous system, Blackwood gnashed his teeth in fury and immediately pursued the traitor. But he was still too slow, too late to catch up to him.

He was not Marden's target. He had never been.

Under Blackwood's petrified gaze, Marden arrived in the skies above the Harbor Quarter, where all the Magi who had survived the Battle of Ravenfell had gathered.

Then, the traitor's hands blurred as he weaved the physical component for his next grand spell. In the next instant, a thousand tiny blood-red portals tore open across the night sky, dotting the heavens like a sea of crimson stars.

The Magi below froze in horror. From each portal, crimson weapons began to emerge, blades, spears, swords, axes, all dripping with blood. Then, in the next heartbeat, a thousand weapons rained down upon them like divine judgment, blotting out the night sky.

Rank 4 Spell: Sanguine Armory!

In the face of such a powerful spell cast by a mighty Mana Core Magus, what could the weaker Magi down below even do?

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

It was all useless.

Many of them dropped their weapons and collapsed on their knees, weeping uncontrollably. They had endured an entire night of battle, only to face death in such a cruel fashion in the hands of a Mana Core Magus.

A few still raised their defenses, clinging to every last bit of defiance in their final moments—Edward being one of them.

But it was all futile.

Against the overwhelming might of a Mana Core Magus, they did not stand a chance.

High in the air, Marden laughed maniacally as he willed the thousand weapons to reap the lives of the helpless Magi below. But behind the mask of insanity... a cold and calculating light gleamed in his eyes.

And when he saw a large shadow swiftly move past him and towards the Harbor Quarter, his lips curled into a smirk.

Then, he whispered to himself:

"It's time."

On the ground, just as the surviving Magi braced for the crimson weapons to tear them apart, an immense shadow suddenly swept across the battlefield, blotting out the blood rain of death.

And when these Magi realized what had happened… they were thunderstruck!

The Lord of Ravenfell, the Headmaster of Saratoga, Marcus Blackwood, stood tall in the air above them, his hands outstretched as if to embrace the entire world itself.

His eyes blazed with unyielding resolve as he roared to the heavens, summoning a thousand ravens to collide against the thousand blood-forged weapons.

In a thunderous clash that split the skies apart, shadows met blood, both annihilating each other in midair.

The residents of the city down below were quick to realize that the ravens shielding them were the same ever-present birds that had always watched over Ravenfell!

And they continued to do so even today…

In the skies above them, Blackwood's mana depleted rapidly, and the poison in his body flared to life. Blood continued to drip from his nose, yet he defiantly protected his people from the enemy.

Until all the blood weapons were taken care of, he would not yield.

And slowly, inevitably… the storm of blood weapons began to wane.

The Magi on the ground erupted in cheers, their voices piercing the night. Eager to provide any type of support they could, they unleashed a volley of magical projectiles at the blood rain. In an instant, the darkness above them exploded into a dazzling display of magical fireworks.

And within that burst of magic… something insidious was stirring.

***

Up north, in the mountain range, after recovering from the shock of seeing Adam appear out of nowhere and then swiftly take the undead knights with him to the spirit world, Gerald turned to Berger and said in a grim voice:

"The battle is not over. We need to kill the last two cultists immediately!"

Berger's gaze remained fixed on the spot where, just moments ago, a massive sphere of chains had trapped the undead knights within.

He was still worrying about Adam's safety, so he didn't bother about what the old man was saying… until something he said caused his blood to turn cold.

"Where is the Silent King? I sent him to aid you. Where is he?"

Berger's heart trembled, and he spoke in a shaky voice:

"What… what are you talking about? I never saw him!"

Gerald frowned intensely. But then, as if realizing something, a chill ran down his spine. He abruptly turned his head south as he muttered in a trembling voice:

"N-no… it can't be…"

***

Above the skies of the Harbor Quarter, Blackwood still persisted, his arms raised high as he valiantly protected the Magi below. His ravens grew sparse in number, but so did the blood-forged weapons.

Just a little more… and he could finally drag Marden away to a different battlefield.

Just a little more… and he would be able to save his people.

Just a little more…

STAB!

Marcus coughed a mouthful of blood, his body shuddering in excruciating pain. He slowly lowered his gaze… only to see a poison-coated blade driven straight through his heart, protruding from his chest.

Time came to a standstill, and the people on the ground, who were cheering just a moment ago, suddenly found their eyes wide with sheer disbelief and horror.

From the shadows behind Blackwood, a hunched figure clad in black suddenly materialized, plunging a dagger deep into his back.

At the same time, higher up in the sky above them, Marden snatched a blood-forged sword from a nearby portal. It was the last of his weapons, the rest having been destroyed by the ravens.

Clutching it tightly, he turned into a flash of crimson light and instantly arrived before the Lord of Ravenfell.

With a cold, cruel smile on his face, Marden silently drove the blade into Blackwood's heart.

Then, he leaned forward and whispered into his ear:

"I told you, didn't I? You are bound by chains. And that is why… you lost."