Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1764 Shadow Medium

”Come on! Come on! Come on!”

Inside the cave, Adam furiously wrote down notes about his analysis of the Shadowmuirʼs natural laws.

When he ran out of parchment, he scribbled on the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. By now, the cave was filled with strange symbols, mysterious runes, and mind-boggling mathematical equations.

And yet… he just couldnʼt find the answers.

From time to time, heʼd hear the sound of movement and feral growls from outside the cave. But he didnʼt respond. He knew the creatures outside were Shadows — beings that heʼd rather avoid than fight.

Fortunately, the runic formation heʼd laid down in the cave was an improved version of what heʼd used in the town earlier. As such, no creatures were able to notice his presence inside the cave. In fact, to the outside world, the cave did not even exist.

When the situation outside calmed down, he would pace back and forth inside the cave, trying to rack his mind to find a solution.

He had analyzed most of the laws governing this realm — a fact that was highly praiseworthy given how little time he had spent here.

The natural laws of this world mirrored the material world in many ways, but everything here was twisted, inverted. Common logic would never have been enough to understand it.

To comprehend this dimension, he had to abandon conventional thinking and keep an open mind. But there was still something missing. The final piece of the puzzle. A crucial piece, something that would help him connect this sunless realm to the spirit world.

”What is it?” He murmured as he slid down the wall and sat down helplessly. ”Just what is it?”

It had been a while since he had been pressured to this extent. He had almost forgotten how it felt. The weight on this shoulder. The fact that if he failed, everything would crumble down. All his planning would go to waste. Just like that.

But it was also during times of crisis like these that the Dark King shone the brightest.

”A medium,” he muttered under his breath. ”A medium needs to exist for travel between the material world and the Shadowmuir to even be possible. Just like how the spirit world becomes the medium for teleportation between two places in the material world to occur.”

As he was thinking of various possibilities, he suddenly realized that he had overlooked something very simple. It had been right there in front of his eyes, but due to its sheer simplicity, he had subconsciously ignored it.

His gaze fell upon the shadow cast by his figure.

Although the cave was pitch-black, thanks to his enhanced vision, he could see everything vividly. Even his own shadow.

Adamʼs brows furrowed slightly as he recalled the way Rekan and the other shadowkins had pulled him into the Shadowmuir.

His pupils constricted, and he shot to his feet.

”Shadow… medium?”

He rushed to the part of the cave filled with all kinds of strange numbers and characters. He traced his finger along a certain section, murmuring to himself, ”But it canʼt just be any shadow.”

The youth was certain he couldnʼt use his own shadow as a medium to get out of this dimension.

And he didnʼt have to.

He waved his hand, and the corpses of Rekan and the other shadowkins shot out of his ring. Rekanʼs corpse was the only one intact. Well… relatively.

Adamʼs piercing gaze locked onto the shadows cast by the devilsʼ corpses.

When realization settled onto him, his lips curled upward, and he couldnʼt help but laugh. And so, he laughed and laughed and laughed.

”Of course! Of course!” He walked to the center of the cave and erased all the notes he had inscribed on the ground. ”Iʼm so stupid…”

He then began forming a new runic formation on the ground, one that would most likely help him get out of this shadowed realm!

***

Back in the material world, on the vast battlefield, a tense and suffocating pressure had descended upon the Unionʼs command tent.

The Mana Core Magi had just received word about the incoming devil army. Although they had expected it, the news couldnʼt have come at a worse time. The Union soldiers had just fought a gruesome battle. Almost all of them were heavily injured. Their mana reserves had depleted. And most importantly…

The Dark King was missing.

If one ignored Adamʼs disappearance, the Union army would still be able to fight the Empire army the following day. After all, not only had the enemy force been almost reduced by half, but the surviving soldiers were also similarly injured and low on mana.

However, it was a completely different matter for the Union army to face the devils under such conditions. They simply did not possess the strength to sustain a full-scale war against an army that was in peak condition!

Not to mention, just the existence of otherworldly devils inflicted terror in the hearts of these old and experienced Mana Core Magi.

A Union Magus was about to break down in complete panic, but the Hermit swiped his hand and spoke in a dignified voice. His tone was heavy and commanding, unlike what he usually sounded.

”Not a word.”

He scanned everyoneʼs faces. Those about to break into an uproar immediately shrank back. While the rest gazed back at him with utterly grim expressions.

At last, the Hermitʼs gaze settled on the messenger, causing him to shudder.

”How many?”

The messenger gulped. ”The scouts were too far away, so we donʼt have an exact number. B-But… we believe itʼs over three hundred thousand!”

A collective gasp echoed in the tent.

”Very well.” The Hermit nodded calmly. ”Leave.”

After the messenger departed, the Shadow Sectʼs leader tapped his staff on the ground and erected a formless barrier around the tent.

The other Magi were dubious of his actions, but none of them said a word. They were still trying to digest the fact that the devils had come with such great numbers.

After the Hermit ensured that the room was sealed from scrying eyes, he turned to Anna and said, ”Princess, you are the one here closest to Adam.”

Anna calmly nodded, though the flicker in her eyes betrayed her inner anxiety.

The Hermit asked in a slow and deliberate tone, ”What do you know about Operation Constantine?”

Annaʼs brows creased together. ”Iʼve heard Adam mention it once, maybe twice. But he... never got into details.”

”I see.” The Hermit nodded.

Then he looked around the tent and asked, ”What about the rest?”

The Magi exchanged uneasy glances, wondering why this matter was even important when a vast infernal army was fast approaching.

But none of them knew about Operation Constantine.

None except one…

”I know some of the details,” Shaw Jidu said in a low voice. ”I have been in close contact with Adamʼs teacher, Councilor Glynhorn, and because of that, Iʼve been privy to some of the finer points regarding the matter.”

”Good. Walk with me to the communication tent.” The Hermit nodded.

”The time has come.”