Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1738 One Strike

”Theyʼll still take a few days to reach the borders,” said a Union Magus as he gazed at the map on the table.

”Yes, but the winged devils?” another one asked, nervousness evident in his voice. ”They should reach our battlefield quicker.”

”Indeed.” A Magus nodded in acknowledgment. ”Itʼs going to be difficult for Mana Vortex Magi and weaker to fight—”

His words were abruptly cut off when he felt a sharp pain radiate from his chest. The Magus lowered his head, his eyes gleaming with shock and fear.

He saw a curved dagger jut out from his chest. Blood stained his robes and continued to spread outward. And then, with a sickening crack, the dagger twisted viciously.

That was the last thing he saw before pain engulfed him, followed by eternal darkness.

”Rami!” Another Mana Core Magus roared in anguish as he watched his long-time friend die before his very eyes.

When Ramiʼs lifeless body collapsed to the ground, a shadowy creature with slightly pointed ears emerged behind him. The creature licked the blood off the dagger with great delight.

When the Magus laid eyes on this dark-skinned creature, only one word echoed in his mind:

Devil!

Then he felt a jolt of pain in his neck, followed by a gush of warmth, and finally, an ominous chill.

The Magusʼs throat was viciously slit open, his head nearly severed from his neck.

He grabbed the gaping injury, but blood continued to spill from the gaps in his fingers. He gurgled from his mouth, desperately trying to draw breath. But it was all futile. His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, his body trembling as pain and fear gripped his being.

Another shadowkin appeared behind that man, his eyes cold and ruthless. He looked toward a different Union Magus, who seemed to be stunned by what had just transpired.

”Heh.” The shadowkin snorted in ridicule and hurled his dagger straight at that man.

At the edge of death, the manʼs instincts kicked in, and he quickly activated his defensive artifact. A Mana Shield appeared before him, effectively blocking the dagger.

But the very next moment, sharp needles coated with poison shot out from the Magusʼs own shadow and buried themselves deep into the back of his skull.

The flow of mana within him was disturbed, and the artifact quickly deactivated. Another shadowkin stepped forward silently and drove his dagger into the manʼs neck.

Then more death followed.

One by one, all the Mana Core Magi in the eastern camp had met their ends. Such was the ruthless precision of the infernal assassins - the shadowkins.

”Are the Magi of this world all so… weak?” One of the devils asked with an arched brow as he wiped the blood off his dagger.

”Heh, what did you expect?” said another shadowkin with a sneer.

”So, what now?”

”Should we… retreat?”

The shadowkin slipped into silence for a few moments. Rekan had told them to deal with all the Mana Core Magi in the command tent and retreat. But their targets had died quite…easily. They couldnʼt help but wonder if their leaderʼs caution was warranted in the first place.

”Orders are orders,” said a shadowkin with a grim look in his eyes. He dissolved into shadow and disappeared.

The other devils glanced at one another before disappearing as well.

The eastern campʼs command tent was permeated with the stench of death. The Mana Core Magi lay lifelessly on the ground, blood pooling underneath them. Not one of them had managed to survive the assassination attempts. The shadowkins were just that good.

It wasnʼt until a few minutes later, when a messenger stepped into the tent with a report, that he found the carnage inside.

His scream cut through the atmosphere, and soon, warning bells rang thunderously across the eastern camp.

***

Standing at the edge of the central camp, Goro Tsuitsui and the Beggar of Clouds, Hong, suddenly turned toward the eastern camp after the loud bells started ringing.

”My, oh, my,” Hong muttered in a solemn voice. ”Looks like the Ghost of Hoshigane was right.”

Goro frowned and turned to the old beggar. ”Ghost of Hoshigane? Ao?”

Hong looked at him and snorted. ”Youʼre quite stupid for someone who claims to be the smartest man in Yen-Lu.”

Then he turned around and flew toward the command tent of the eastern camp. ”Letʼs go investigate.”

”Hey, wait!” Goro quickly followed behind him.

***

The same warning bells cut through the air of the western camp.

Chaos followed. Soldiers rushed through the streets, fear spreading as the alarm echoed in every direction.

Blackfire Balthazar and Blossom Blade, Bai Tianji, descended from the air and landed near the command tent. The stench of blood made them frown slightly.

Several Mana Vortex and Mana Liquefaction Magi stood outside the tent. Some were sobbing, while others were retching on the ground.

When the men saw the two Mana Core Magi appear, they broke down in tears. They were unable to believe what theyʼd seen inside the tent. One moment, the atmosphere was calm and stable, and the next, everything had spiraled into utter chaos.

The two Mana Core Magi entered the tent, and the scene that greeted them made their expressions turn dark.

Blossom Blade crouched beside a bloody corpse and examined the wound. Then he turned toward Blackfire and muttered in a low voice:

”One strike.”

Balthazar nodded grimly. Every Mana Core Magus stationed in the western camp had been assassinated by experts. Judging by the panic ensuing in the eastern camp, he believed that things there werenʼt much different.

And that begged the question…

Why did the assassins not strike the Magi in the central camp?

He then turned toward the table at the center and found that Adamʼs notes regarding the devils were gone. The assassins had taken nothing else, not even the artifacts from the corpses.

”Damn it!” Balthazar cursed aloud.

Suddenly, a loud trumpet blared across the Union Magiʼs camps. This one was different than the warning bells that had sounded in the eastern and western camps earlier.

This one meant only one thing…

Balthazar and Bai Tianji quickly exited the command tent and took to the skies. In the distance, they saw the three enemy camps getting into formation.

The enemy was about to attack!