Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Adam's mind shattered.

A soul-rending agony assaulted his spirit sea, consuming him in torment beyond anything he had ever endured.

Above, the sky quaked violently, splitting apart with jagged cracks that stretched from horizon to horizon. The once-tranquil waters below churned in upheaval, massive waves rising like mountains before crashing down with cataclysmic force.

And at the center of it all… the Eternal Soul Lotus lay afloat on the turbulent waves, its pristine white petals unfurling. A wave of energy rippled outward in all directions as the divine artifact did its best to calm the raging spirit sea.

However, the damage done this time was too much. Far too much.

Adam had severely overused the lotus throughout the battle, and his last attack took a heavy toll on his mind, body, and soul.

The white lotus hummed, sending out another powerful wave of energy in all directions. For a brief moment, it seemed that Adam's spirit sea would be utterly decimated.

But then… the apocalyptic storm began to calm down. Slowly but surely.

The damage, however, had already been done. Jagged cracks still scarred the sky of his spirit sea, stretching endlessly overhead, and the waters below continued to churn like a raging ocean.

Yet, for now… the destruction had halted. The chaos was no longer spreading. Adam's spirit sea had stabilized… but only barely.

And then… something unexpected happened.

The Eternal White Lotus hummed softly, then slowly sank into the depths of the spirit sea. It would remain there, tending to Adam's soul, repairing his fractured mind in silence… until its work was complete.

Out in the real world, Adam writhed on the ground, consumed by excruciating pain. He clutched at his hair, tearing it from his scalp, his body convulsing violently.

Yet the agony showed no mercy.

And his eyes… they had completely ruptured, the optic nerves shredded, leaving only two dark, hollow, and bloodied sockets.

He cried until he could cry no more.

He screamed until his throat grew hoarse, until no sound could escape.

And all the while, that wide, exaggerated grin never left his face.

Marden, on the other hand, was faring no better. How could he? After all, Adam had hit him with a soul-attack!

Soul attack techniques were incredibly rare. Rarer still were methods to defend against such attacks. Marden had never expected the youth to possess such a diabolical skill. More importantly, he didn't have any defences against such attacks.

So, all he could do was writh in unbearable pain. Moreover, his mind was already in a very precarious state, haunted by the ghostly silhouettes of his dead family gnawing at his sanity. Adam's insidious attack had dealt deeper wounds into his soul, leaving him momentarily defenseless.

This would have been the perfect opportunity to kill Marden. Alas, all the Mana Core Magi were in the north, and the rest of the surviving Magi were simply too weak and frozen in terror to come near Marden and Adam's battlefield.

Even Adam could have ended the traitor's life with a single stab to the heart. Marden would have had no chance to stop him.

But Adam was dealing with a far more insidious problem. How could he act under such a burden?

"Bastard… you dare…" Marden's eyes were bloodshot, his expression full of dark malice.

He slowly rose to his feet, a crimson blade made from his own blood materializing in his hand.

"I don't care," he growled. "I don't care anymore! Bastard, I'm going to finish you right here, right now!!"

In that moment, Marden didn't care about following the Cult Leader's orders. He did not care about his own machinations. In that moment, all he wanted to do was end Adam's life.

Bearing the agonizing pain in his soul, he dragged his body across the battlefield. A few meters away from him, Adam was still convulsing violently on the ground, clutching at his head.

When Marden's gaze fell on Adam's hollow eyes and the ominous grin on his face, he felt a sudden chill crawl down his spine. Something about the youth had changed… and he didn't know what.

In that moment of hesitation, the world around him was suddenly bathed in an incandescent blue light.

Thunder!!

Edward turned into a streak of lightning and delivered a brutal kick to the cultist's torso, hurtling him through the air.

Marden tumbled across the ground before finally coming to a halt. He grimaced in unbearable pain. No, it wasn't Edward's blow that hurt him. In fact, he had even blocked his surprise attack. That much was nothing for him.

But Adam's soul attack… that was different. It clung to his spirit sea like seething, burning chains, gnawing at his very essence and drowning him in ceaseless, unbearable torment.

He shifted his attention towards Adam. Before him, a tall and burly figure with dark hair and blue eyes stood with a solemn look on his face, shielding Adam behind him.

"You think you can stop me?" Marden growled, his eyes bloodshot and gleaming with anger and madness. "Fine, I'll kill all of you…"

Towards the end, his words trailed off. More and more figures had arrived on the battlefield, forming a protective perimeter around Adam. Most were warriors from the Black Legion, warriors who would sooner die than allow their Lord Commander to fall before their eyes.

Marden's expression turned increasingly ugly. As more and more people started to arrive, the bloodlust in his eyes gradually calmed down, replaced by cold and calculating reasoning.

Yet, the injury to his soul lingered, weighing down on him heavily. His face contorted into a dark grimace as he struggled to endure the pain. But with each passing second, the pain only deepened.

Right at that moment…

A gentle gust of wind blew by, causing Marden to shudder. His body moved on its own, and through sheer instinct, he raised the crimson sword in a defensive stance.

Clang!!

The Fourth Headmaster of Saratoga Castle, the new Lord of Ravenfell, Nylian Feno, arrived on the battlefield, his silver longsword crashing down on Marden with unbridled hatred and fury.

His eyes were wide and bloodshot, tears streaking down his face. He gnashed his teeth with seething rage and muttered:

"You are the one who killed my Mentor?"

Marden's hands trembled as he prevented Nylian's sword from slicing his neck. Suppressing the pain in his soul, he glanced at the weapon in Nylian's hand. Then, he answered in a low voice:

"I see… so you're the new Headmaster then."

Nylain roared as he hurled himself at Marden with reckless abandon. Sword light split the air, and in a single moment, countless attacks erupted from both Magi, turning the battlefield into a raging typhoon of blood, wind, and steel.

When the two separated from one another, both came out with several hideous, sharp cuts on their bodies. The only difference was… Marden's wounds were healing, and Nylian's weren't.

In fact, the injuries from the previous hellish battle had caught up to the new Headmaster. Nylian was forced to collapse on one knee and cough up a mouthful of blood. He supported himself with the silver longsword as he cast a hateful glance at Marden.

"Mark my words," he said. "I will fucking kill you!"

Marden, however, simply smiled in return. He took to the air, making enough distance between himself and the Mana Core elf. This time, he also ensured to check his surroundings properly. There were still a few more Mana Core enemies out there.

"I must thank you," said Marden as he gazed at the elf. "If it wasn't for you, I would have drowned in my own bloodlust. So, Nylian… my gratitude."

The truth of the matter was, Marden was heavily injured—both physically and mentally. Adam had nearly killed him, and Nylian, too, had come very close. If he stayed any longer, chances were… he would be slain.

The Battle of Ravenfell was over.

Marden chose to retreat wisely. He might have failed to achieve the Cult's goals, but he hadn't failed entirely.

In fact, one could argue… he hadn't failed at all.

His lips curled into a cold smile as he cast his gaze towards Adam, who was still convulsing violently on the ground.

Marden's eyes gleamed with a treacherous light as he conjured a broken tablet. It looked like a cracked stone fragment, etched with highly complex and mysterious runes. Some runes glowed faintly, while others were erased... as if history itself had buried them.

He channeled mana into the stone tablet, following which, it crumbled into sand and scattered by the wind. A faint ripple of energy spread outward, barely visible, yet vast enough to engulf everyone across the surrounding lands.

The Forgotten Rune… had been unleashed!

Marden's lips parted, and he coldly said, his words carried away by the wind:

"Well then, Adam, it is now time for me to leave. I shall see you... on the other side of the world."

With that said, he turned into a crimson streak of light and disappeared beyond the clouds. Strangely enough, no one stopped him. No one even moved.

As the first rays of the morning sun drove the darkness away, an eerie silence settled on the battlefield.

Adam continued to writh in agony, fighting with all his will to suppress the soul-rending pain.

His only solace was that he was surrounded by loved ones and loyal comrades, that he was now safe and sound, that he could now finally rest…

Or so he thought.