Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2748: Hideout

Beneath the streets of Dawnstar City was a sprawling labyrinth—a chaos of crumbling tunnels, half-collapsed chambers, and ancient formations left behind by forgotten empires. Over the centuries, smugglers, slavers, and assassins had all carved their marks into its depths. In such a lawless city, this maze had become the perfect refuge for those who thrived in the dark. And now, it belonged to one of the most dangerous syndicates of them all—the Midnight Brotherhood.

Within one of the larger chambers, a group of cloaked magus gathered. Tonight, the Brotherhood was entertaining a special guest. A man in a luxurious black-and-gold robe, face hidden behind an ornate silver mask, was being escorted through the hall by two guards until he reached a dimly lit meeting room. Inside, four figures awaited him—the highest-ranking brothers currently present.

”Hmm...” the masked man’s voice echoed with dry amusement as he surveyed the room. ”So this is what remains of the great Midnight Brotherhood. Only four of you came to greet me?”

From among the seated figures, the eldest—a broad-shouldered man with a short white beard and eyes hardened by decades of killing—rose and bowed slightly. ”Second Brother bought two of us to cleaned up the job at Ligaur planet” he said. ”Two others are meeting a new client outside the city”

The masked guest chuckled and stepped further inside. Without waiting for an invitation, he sat in the best seat available, crossing one leg over the other with casual arrogance. ”A new client, you say? Hmph. I told you—if you keep following my guidance, your little Brotherhood will rise above street-level contracts. Prosperity is within reach.”

He turned his head slightly toward the scarred man seated near the wall, whose face looked melted from fire or acid. ”And what of your brother, Khadeth? Did he succeed in retrieving the woman?”

The disfigured man grunted. ”He will.”

The masked man leaned forward, tone suddenly sharper. ”He better. Our connection must remain secret. If she talks—”

”She won’t... She’s only a Magus Realm wench. My brother will handle her soon.”

The masked man’s expression softened behind the porcelain. ”Good... very good.”

At that moment, the eldest brother cleared his throat. ”Actually, that is part of what I wished to discuss tonight.”

The masked man arched an eyebrow. ”Oh? Speak.”

”The Brotherhood has always operated by a rule,” the eldest said slowly. ”We never stay in one place for more than a few months. But we’ve been sitting under Dawnstar for three years now. I think it’s time we—”

”What?!” the masked man’s voice cut through like a whip. ”You wish to quit now? Hide back to shadows like cowards?”

The sudden outburst sent a ripple of tension through the room. The other two younger brothers; the ninth and the tenth standing near, exchanged annoyed glances but kept silent.

The man continued, voice dripping with scorn. ”Do you know how much effort I’ve spent nurturing you worms into something useful? And now you want to throw it all away?”

The eldest, remained unshaken. ”We are a shadow organization... Remaining in the open for too long makes us vulnerable. Too many jobs have already led back to us. Too many people whisper our name”

Their argument was interrupted when the chamber doors burst open. A hooded magus subordinate stumbled in, panting.

Before he could speak, the disfigured brother, instantly lashed out. ”Can’t you see we’re having an important meeting here?!!, fool!!”

The intruder dropped to one knee, trembling. ”Forgive me, third Elder Khodeth—it’s about the new client. They came... to buy a prisoner.”

Khodeth’s expression twisted in irritation. With a flick of his hand, invisible force seized the messenger by the throat, lifting him off the ground. ”A prisoner? Can’t Saren and Brollak handle such a trivial matter?! What a nonsense?!”

The messenger clawed at his throat, gasping. ”I—I wouldn’t have come, Elder, but... they said... they want to trade a prisoner for your brother. They... they have the Centipede!”

Khodeth froze. For an instant, the room fell silent, every gaze fixed on him. Then, his expression hardened. ”That idiot brother of mine!!””

Without another word, he threw the man aside and stormed out, boots echoing down the stone corridor. The door slammed shut behind him, and for a few seconds, silence lingered again.

”That is about that woman isn’t it?! This is a mess!!” Said the masked man.

The eldest sighed and turned back to the masked magus. ”You see? This is precisely why I wish to pull back. We are stretched thin. Reckless. Give us ten... perhaps twenty years to vanish, and we will return stronger”

The masked man’s voice turned cold. ”You’re serious, aren’t you? This isn’t about money, then.” He leaned forward, his mask gleaming in the torchlight. ”No, no... that won’t do. You can’t just walk away now. The entire sector is within our reach—soon even Centauri will be within our grasp. You can’t leave now!”

The other two brothers—the Ninth and Tenth of the order—exchanged uneasy looks but said nothing.

Before the masked man could press further, a piercing alarm echoed through the underground chambers—a sharp, pulsing wail reverberating through the walls. The protective runes flickered crimson.

The eldest rose from his seat. ”The alarm...”

”It seems... that our messenger was tailed.” The ninth brother said grimly, ”

”Of course he was,” the tenth muttered. ”That fool probably led them straight here.”

The eldest raised a hand to calm them. ”No need to panic. Let’s see for ourselves.” He retrieved a black crystal from his sleeve, and a shimmering projection formed in the air—an illusionary image of the tunnels outside.

After a brief scan, he exhaled. ”Just a single intruder. One Cosmos realm rat!”

He gestured toward his two brothers. ”You two handle it”

The two bowed slightly. ”Yes, brother.”

As they turned to leave, the masked man also rose from his seat. ”You’re letting them go alone?”

The eldest gave a thin smile. ”We have dozens of magus, an entire web of traps and wards. Even three Cosmos experts would bleed to reach this hall. Whoever came down here... is as good as dead.”

The masked man was unconvinced, but he had other priorities—to make sure the Brotherhood to remain on course. He needed to secure their cooperation; letting the Midnight Brotherhood walk away was not an option.

Just as they expected, after a few minutes of tense discussion, the commotion outside seemed to have subsided.

The eldest smiled, pleased. ”You see? Handled” He rose from his chair. ”Come, let’s see which fool thought to trespass upon our home.”

The masked man followed as they exited the meeting hall, their steps echoing through the stone corridor. The air smelled faintly of burnt ozone—residual magic from a fight and defensive runes had been triggered moments ago.

He pushed the chamber doors open—and froze.

The torches in the corridor had gone out. Only faint blue runes glimmered across the floor, illuminating the scene before them. Two of their brothers; ninth and tenth lay sprawled on the ground, unmoved.

Standing over them was a single man, tall and calm.

The eldest face twisted in shock and rage. ”Who the hell are you?!”

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