Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

A long time ago, when Headmaster Blackwood first recognized Adam's prodigious talent, he did not feel pride… he felt pity.

Back then, his thoughts were these:

In a world where you can advance no further than the Mana Core Rank, your brilliance will one day dim and eventually die out.

Oh, the tragedy of Magi like us who tread the path of arcana. We are but comets, blazing brilliantly for a moment, only to fade into oblivion the next.

Two blades had pierced his heart—one from the front, the other from the back.

As Blackwood felt the final vestiges of his life slowly seeping away, he raised his gaze and looked at the stars.

His gaze was distant, and there were traces of regret in the depths of his dark eyes as he thought to himself:

I wonder what it would have been like… to break through the Mana Core Rank and step into the next realm.

I wonder what it would have been like… to experience the myriad wonders of this universe…

In the end, I, too, was such a comet…

I blazed fiercely.

I lit the skies of Ravenfell.

And now…

I fade away.

He slowly exhaled his final breath as his grip around the silver longsword gradually loosened, and a second later, the Grade 4 artifact slipped from his grasp and fell down.

But before the blade could hit the ground, a small shadowy silhouette emerged and seized the longsword's hilt in its talons.

It was a raven.

Blackwood's final summon.

The bird flapped its wings once, steadying itself in the air, as though unwilling to let the weapon fall into evil hands. In its beady, gleaming eyes reflected the echo of Blackwood's dying magic.

Before Marden could even attempt to seize the precious artifact, the raven flapped its wings once more, then disappeared into the darkness.

The cultist's eyes narrowed. He could tell that the bird had flown northward. Though he had wanted to acquire that powerful sword, he knew it would be unwise for him to pursue the raven, especially when there were still a few more things he needed to do.

However, unbeknownst to him and everyone else, a raven had flown southward as well...

Marden then turned to look at the elderly Magus before him, his eyes flickering with conflicting emotions. There were a lot of things he wanted to say to the man, but none escaped his lips. In the end, he simply said:

"Rest now… Headmaster."

Then, he pulled his blade free from the man's heart. At the same time, a subtle gesture was enough for the Silent King to withdraw his dagger as well.

Freed of the weapons that held him upright in the air, Blackwood's body began to sink. He silently fell from the skies, but his gaze, however… never faltered.

It remained fixed upon the distant stars, the eternal cosmos he had always reached for.

But now… that light was gone. His eyes had already dimmed.

With a soft thud, his body fell to the ground.

Thus ended the life of the great Mana Core Magus, the third Headmaster of Saratoga Castle, the Lord of Ravenfell, the man whose ravens once darkened the city.

Marcus Blackwood… was no more.

In the near distance, the Magi, who had survived the Battle of Ravenfell, watched everything unfold with utter despair. Especially the Magi of the city, they could not stop their tears from flowing. Many collapsed to their knees and broke down, while others simply stared in sheer disbelief.

The great pillar of Ravenfell and Saratoga, the man who had borne their weight for centuries, was gone.

Just like that… before their very eyes, a legend had fallen.

However, none of them dared to move. They did not even dare to breathe loudly. All of them were frozen in unprecedented fear. Terror gripped every inch of their beings.

The lifeless body of Marcus Blackwood lay on the ground before them.

And yet, high above, those who had struck him down hovered with utter indifference, their cold gazes sweeping over the crowd like a death sentence waiting to be carried out.

The Silent King wiped the blood off his dagger, then asked in a voice that sounded neither male nor female:

"What about them? Shall I get rid of them for you?"

Marden cast his gaze at the petrified Magi below him. Then, he turned to look at the infamous assassin, his gaze cold and unreadable.

The Silent King was one of his many trump cards he had prepared for the Battle of Ravenfell. His decision to hire the assassin was a secret he had guarded tightly, unknown even to the other Mana Core Magi of the Cult.

"Get rid of them?" Marden murmured, his brown eyes flickering with bloodlust and madness.

His lips slowly curled into a cruel smile as he envisioned all these people below dying a vicious death. But the very next moment, he suppressed the madness in him, his eyes now gleaming with a cold and calculating light.

"No… no need," he said. "If we kill them all, then who is going to spread the word? No… I need them alive, so they can forget."

So they can… forget? The Silent King's eyes narrowed, finding that final statement perplexing.

But, in the end, he simply shrugged. He didn't care what his employer wanted to do. He had completed what he had been generously paid for, so now his work was done.

"If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave," said the Mana Core assassin.

"There is one more thing," Marden murmured.

In that instant, a cold light flashed in the Silent King's eyes, and his grip around the dagger tightened ever so slightly.

"What is it?"

Marden looked at the assassin's action with a hint of amusement in his eyes. He couldn't help but mutter in ridicule, "If I wanted you dead… you'd be dead already."

A cold aura radiated from the Silent King. It seemed he was ready to pounce on the cultist any moment now.

"Rest assured, I still have need of your services," said Marden with a light chuckle.

The Silent King gestured to continue.

"I've sent one of my dogs to the Southern Federation to pursue a target," Marden began, his tone casual, almost mocking.

"That dog… what was his name? Ah, yes, Ballard. I've sent him away to deal with this woman, and have also given him the means to contact your guild."

"You want me to kill this woman then?" The Silent King probed.

Marden couldn't help but scoff. "Kill her? No, of course, not."

His eyes gleamed with a cruel light. "I want you to capture her. She is going to serve as a very valuable hostage."

With that said, he handed the assassin a small bead containing a drop of Ballard's blood—that he had secretly taken from him—and a storage ring filled to the brim with gold coins.

"The bead will lead you to him, and the ring is your advance payment," Marden said with a flat voice. "The rest will be paid when you deliver the woman to me."

The Silent King put away both items, not even bothering to check the contents of the ring. He already knew how powerful and wealthy the organization behind the cultist was. After all, he had received an extravagant sum of money to participate in the Battle of Ravenfell.

"What about your dog?" he asked.

Marden waved his hand casually. "Do with him as you please. His sole purpose was to lead us to the woman."

"Understood." The Silent King nodded.

"Now, off you go. You know where to find me."

The assassin's body dissipated into shadows. As his form slowly vanished, his strange voice echoed in the air:

"It was a pleasure doing business with you."

With that said, he was gone.

Now, only Marden remained, floating high in the sky, indifferent, untouchable. Below him, the crowd stood frozen in shock and terror.

He paid them no mind. Instead, his gaze turned north as he drew out two crystal balls, each one swirling with faint, ghostly wisps.

"Axar and Ramsey, eh?" He murmured, his tone filled with disdain.

The next moment, he shattered the crystal balls in his hand, then spat his words like venom:

"Useless vermin. At least in your death, you will serve some purpose."

Finally, he turned south, his gaze falling upon Corvid Quarter. His lips gradually curled up into a triumphant smirk.

"And now…" he said softly, his voice carrying across the ravaged city of Ravenfell like a death knell.

"The final nail in the coffin."