Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2751: Trade

A few minutes earlier, several miles away, another confrontation brewed.

The scarred-faced grand magus, Khadeth, third brother of the Brotherhood, stormed into the clearing, his crimson robes trailing dark mist in his wake. His single good eye burned with fury the moment it landed on the young woman with silver hair—Shinta—and the glittering, violet centipede wrapped gently around her forearm.

”That’s not yours! Give it back!!” Khadeth roared, voice cracking through the stone walls like a thunderclap. ”and... Where is my stupid brother!?”

Shinta didn’t flinch. Her poise was calm, deceptively soft, as though she were merely entertaining a tantrum from a child. Inside, however, her heart drummed with restrained purpose.

Another one of the Brotherhood elders... good.

She had managed to draw out the one she needed—the one who could get her closer to saving her poisoned aunt, Annara.

”I came to trade your brother for one of your prisoners,” Shinta said evenly, her silver eyes unwavering. ”And as for this little one...” she stroked the violet centipede’s smooth shell, its faint bioluminescent glow pulsating with life, ”...we both know you stole it from the Insect Race. I might overlook that—if you give me the cure.”

Khadeth’s lip curled into a sneer.

”With such confidence... which faction do you belong to?”

”Does it matter?” Shinta replied, her voice cold, dismissive.

The man chuckled darkly, flexing his hands. ”No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

He reached into his robe and pulled out a small ceramic bottle, pale white, sealed with black wax. ”I can’t release the prisoners—not right away,” he said with mock patience. ”But I have the cure. Right here.”

”I’ll need to verify it,” Shinta uttered firmly.

”Of course,” Khadeth smirked, then suddenly hurled the bottle toward her. ”Then take it! But if you try anything—I’ll slaughter every prisoner in this base!”

The bottle landed in Shinta’s fingers.

Beside her, Vic tensed. ”Let me do it,” he urged, voice sharp.

Shinta shook her head lightly. ”You silly... Could you even tell if it’s real?”

Vic crossed his arms. ”No. But if it’s poison, we’ll know soon enough.”

A smile crossed her lips, but she didn’t give the bottle to Vic; instead she decisively broke the seal and pulled out the stopper.

A rush of sickly-sweet fragrance spilled out. Within moments her expression faltered. Her breath hitched—then she collapsed, clutching her throat as violet veins spidered along her skin.

”Shinta!” Vic cried, horror flooding his voice. He turned to Khadeth, fury overtaking reason. ”You—YOU VILLAIN!!”

Khadeth laughed, his two brothers Salen and Brooran join him. ”Hahaha, you naive bunch! Now your little princess is in our hands. If you want the cure, give that creature back—NOW!”

But his laughter abruptly died.

Shinta stood.

She brushed dust from her pants, her lips curled in amusement. The color had returned to her cheeks, and her silver eyes gleamed with mocking calm.

”I only pulled a prank for him” she said sweetly. ”But why did the three of you laugh as well? You look more foolish than your poison.”

The brothers froze.

”Y-you... how?” Khadeth sputtered, ”No magus could withstand the Violet Death!”

Shinta tilted her head, her silver hair glinting faintly under the dim light. ”Because you and your brother are just a lazy bunch! Don’t you have any other poison? We already cracked this one.”

Her words dripped with mockery, yet her tone was calm, almost playful.

Then, her gaze hardened. ”I suppose your brother was right... You care more about that creature than your own kin. So I’ll give you one last chance—This creature for both the cure and the prisoner”

The scarred Grand Magus’s face twisted in fury. ”Enough!” he roared, calling out to his two brothers and the surrounding magus. Dark auras flared to life as dozens of figures prepared their spells, the air crackling with imminent violence.

Shinta only smiled. ”Ooh... you prefer to fight? ...Tell me, aren’t you even a little worried this precious creature of yours might get hurt?”

Khadeth sneered. ”You should know by now how valuable that centipede is. You wouldn’t dare harm it.”

”True,” she said gently. ”But are you sure you know what kind of danger you’re in right now?”

The scarred Grand Magus frowned, suspicion crossing his scarred features. ”What are you doing? Why are you stalling?”

At that moment, the dark cape figure behind Shinta, Emery’s dark avatar leaned close, his voice low.

”We’ve found her. There’s no need to fight—it’s time to leave.”

Shinta gave a sidelong glance, shaking her head subtly. ”No,” she whispered. ”Not yet. Not when the other centipede is still in front of us.” Her eyes darted toward the second violet creature coiled protectively near the enemy. Then she turned to her allies. ”Senior Kae... lend me your strength.”

The golden-haired grand magus Kayelin inclined her head. ”As you wish” she said softly. Her aura began to rise, threads of golden light weaving around her like sunlit vines ready to strike.

At that moment, the ground trembled—a deep rumble that shook the earth and sent waves of panic through the nearby slums, followed by a distant explosion.

Khadeth’s head snapped toward the sound. His instincts screamed danger. That came from the main base... it’s under attack?!

For a heartbeat, disbelief flashed across his scarred face. Then fury took over. His aura surged like wildfire as he raised his voice in a roar that shook the air ”Attack them!”

Fayenor, the fey-deer half-blood, moved first. His two cosmos realm blazed like emerald stars, and from his back burst two colossal spectral arms wreathed in forest light. They struck the ground with the force of an earthquake, tearing apart the dirt path and sending shockwaves through the nearby slum huts. His targets—Salen and Brooran, the fifth and eighth brothers—barely managed to raise their barriers before the impact sent them skidding backward, walls splintering in their wake.

”Wrong choice Fools!!” The scarred grand magus spat. With a sweep of his arms, a tide of violet poison mist surged outward, devouring grass and shanties as it rolled toward Shinta’s group. The stench of rot filled the air.

Kayelin stepped forward, unshaken. Her staff flared with life energy, and a wave of green light spread from her feet, turning the poisoned earth back to living soil. The miasma hissed and broke apart as flowers bloomed in its path.

”Damn pests!” he cursed, forming a shield of toxic vapor—but vines burst from the ground, binding his ankles.

While the grand magus clashed in the air, Shinta faced the swarm of enemy magus closing in from all sides. Emery’s dark avatars flickered through the fray—appearing and vanishing in rapid succession—each movement followed by a silent burst of void energy as another foe fell to the ground.

Those who managed to slip past were met by Vic’s defense. With a firm gesture, he summoned a massive spectral carapace, a tortoise-shaped barrier of shimmering light that surrounded them three. Explosions and curses struck against it, but the shell only pulsed, its runes glowing brighter with each impact.

Amid the chaos, Shinta didn’t lift a finger. She simply stood still, a faint smile curling on her lips as she analyzed every movement of the battle.