Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

In the skies above Harbor Quarter, Marden Benton floated with an indifferent look on his face. Though there were hints of madness in his brown eyes, there was also a sharp gleam in them with traces of vile and cunning.

Below, the Magi, who had survived the Battle of Ravenfell, stood frozen in absolute terror. The lifeless body of the former Headmaster of Saratoga lay motionless on the ground before them, yet none of them dared to come forward.

They did not even dare to breathe too loudly, let alone make any sudden movements. They were, after all, in the presence of a highly dangerous Mana Core Magus, who had not only fooled everyone in the city and orchestrated this great battle but had also been the one to slay the mighty Marcus Blackwood.

All these surviving Magi could do was silently sob as hatred and anger filled their hearts. Marden, of course, couldn't care less about them. To him, they were no different from insects. However, they still served a purpose. Or else, he would have long since killed them.

After shattering the crystal orbs that housed the ghostly wisps tethered to Axar and Ramsey's souls, he effectively rewrote their wills, forcing them into self-detonation.

This is what Marden meant earlier when he claimed that being a necromancer in the Cult of Bones was a dangerous bargain. To become a necromancer meant handing the Cult Leader direct dominion over their soul.

The two crystal orbs containing the ghostly wisps were proof enough. That was why Marden had gone through such a diabolical ritual involving his own kin to sever the Cult Leader's hold over him.

Although the Cult Leader's influence still lingered, at the very least, he could no longer force Marden's hand as the latter just had with Axar and Ramsey.

And as for why Marden would go to such unfathomable lengths to break the shackles binding him to the Cult Leader… that would remain a mystery.

But from his actions, one truth became undeniable… the Cult Leader regarded every member of the Cult, even the mighty Mana Core Magi, as nothing more than slaves bound to his will.

Perhaps only the Inner Circle held true closeness to him.

Or perhaps… no one did.

Just thinking about the Cult Leader's claws, which had nearly closed around the planet, and the bloody price he had paid for his freedom, caused Marden's expression to darken.

He shifted his attention to the matters at hand. As he gazed in the direction of the mountain range north of the city, he spat coldly, "Useless vermin. At least in your death, you will serve some purpose."

Then, he turned to the south, his gaze falling upon Corvid Quarter.

If Maden was being honest, he really had not expected his Mana Core Magi to die like flies. This was after taking into consideration that they heavily outnumbered the enemy with the help of their undead knights.

And yet, as things stood, there were only two of them left. At least, with Marden forcing them to self-detonate, the two would be able to drag a couple of the enemy Magi into the Underworld. He wasn't hoping for much. After all, it was very difficult to kill a Mana Core Magus.

As he gazed at Corvid Quarter, however, his expression brightened a little.

"And now… the final nail in the coffin."

He retrieved an ivory bone flute from his inner robes. At first glance, it looked nothing more than an ordinary instrument. But in truth, it was a Grade 4 Artifact, its eerily melodious notes capable of commanding a legion of zombies into doing its wielder's bidding.

Marden slowly raised the flute to his lips. At last, one of the Cult's long-sought goals was about to be realized. The Battle of Ravenfell had been nothing more than a strategic opening, orchestrated to accomplish three goals.

The first was the destruction of Saratoga Castle and Ravenfell. Though only half of it had been achieved, the consequences remained just as the Cult had intended - a vicious blow to the great Acadian Empire.

The second was the capture of Adam Constantine. The Cult Leader had ordered Marden to directly apprehend him. Yet, there was also a contingency, an insidious plan prepared in advance, in case capturing Adam proved to be difficult, as had always been the case in the past.

And finally, the most dreadful of them all was to turn the million and a half residents of the Corvid Quarter into mindless undead and command them to spread their disease inland. A decade of preparation had led to this moment, and soon the northeast of the Ulier Continent would be reduced to a vast death zone.

The ivory bone flute pressed softly against Marden's lips. He slowly inhaled, his eyes gleaming with triumph. And just when he was about to blow into the instrument and command the undead to finally make a move…

He abruptly turned to the north, just in time to see four colossal metal gates descending from the skies. Marden's eyes narrowed at that development. But what happened next, caused his heart to turn cold.

The world erupted in a blinding flash that lit up the night sky. However, much to Marden's shock, instead of the blast spreading in all directions, it was funnelled towards the heavens.

From where he floated, he could see a pillar of incandescent red pillar of light reaching skyward, then vanishing beyond the clouds. Everyone in Harbor Quarter was shocked out of their minds.

And then came the aftermath of Axar and Ramsey's self-detonation…

The earth quaked violently from the pressure of the shockwaves. The entire Northern District was reduced to rubble, the homes that still remained standing by some miracle now crumbled like sandcastles, and the fires violently raged everywhere one looked.

The Magi gathered on the ground, in Harbor Quarter, were swept off their feet. Even the docked ships rocked violently against the piers. Such was the sheer intensity of the shockwaves. All of them looked northward, drawn to the brilliant crimson pillar that pierced the heavens like a spear, tearing open the night sky.

Marden's expression turned unsightly. He couldn't help but glance at the enormous pillar of fire for a few moments, unable to tear himself away.

And those fleeting moments… whether by sheer fortune or divine intervention… was all the time Daniel needed to slay the undead abomination and activate the contraption left behind by Sabrina Benton!

Marden turned his gaze away from the pillar of light, cursing under his breath. Then, once more, he raised the bone flute to his lips. But just as he was about to play, a second explosion erupted, far larger and far more violent than the previous one.

BOOOOMMM!!!!!

The entire Corvid Quarter was up in flames!!

Marden watched with wide eyes as the ground convulsed as if the very earth was tearing apart. One after another, the barrels buried underneath the district detonated in a chain of thunderous blasts, and the entire district collapsed inwards with a deafening roar.

Buildings crumbled, swallowed into the gaping tunnels below, before a violent inferno erupted upwards. Flames burst into the sky like a colossal wave, followed by a towering mushroom cloud that split the sky.

For a moment, night was banished and the darkness burned away as the city was bathed in a blinding, fiery glow, as though dawn itself had been forged from the fire.

As for the million and a half zombies… they were no more, reduced to nothing but drifting ashes carried away by the flames.

"Im-Impossible!!" Marden was thunderstruck!

It wasn't the explosion, nor the annihilation of Corvid Quarter, that left him shaken. No, it was far deeper than that.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down the side of his forehead, and he thought to himself in sheer disbelief:

Just who could possibly see through the magic of the Forgotten Rune?!