Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1881 Black Swarm

The sheer size of the dark mass was staggering.

It resembled a tsunami of dark wings, so vast that it swallowed the mist and darkened everything in its path.

The relentless beating of countless wings was accompanied by piercing, bestial screeches that sent chills down oneʼs spine and made the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end.

Genevieve found herself frozen in shock and fear once again.

This time, however, she snapped out of it barely half a second later. Seeing no hope of outrunning the approaching swarm, she immediately reached for her defensive artifact.

But before she could activate it, her vision spun, and the world lurched around her.

It took her a moment to realize what had happened.

Adam had swept her into his arms.

She didnʼt even have the luxury to feel embarrassed. The deafening storm of wings was almost upon them.

Adam was so close to her. She had never been this close to him before.

”The spiders,” he said curtly as he lowered his stance, tyrannical mana swirling around his legs.

Genevieve snapped out of her daze. ”You canʼt hope to outrun—”

”The spiders, Genevieve!” Adam cut her off. ”Leave the rest to me!”

The black swarm was almost upon them.

Genevieve gave a quick nod and immediately closed her eyes, linking her senses to the spiders once again.

At the same instant, Adam exploded into motion.

Boom!

The ground beneath his feet shattered as he launched forward like a cannonball.

Genevieveʼs eyes flew open. The world around her blurred into streaks of gray. She couldnʼt help but stare in utter disbelief.

How?!

Such speed shouldnʼt have been possible for a Mana Core Magus. Even [Haste] couldnʼt produce anything like this. But she quickly remembered Adamʼs instruction.

The spiders!

Pushing aside her shock, she focused on the constructs and began guiding him through the mist.

”Left!”

Adam changed directions without slowing in the slightest. If anything, his speed continued to increase as the seconds ticked by.

”Straight… now right!”

They gradually pulled away from the black swarm.

Genevieve kept her senses split between the two spider constructs, constantly adjusting their course.

”Left!”

”A little more!”

”Now straight ahead!”

Adam followed every instruction without hesitation, his pace never faltering. For what felt like an eternity, they simply ran through the endless mist.

Then one of the spiders spotted something.

A massive silhouette loomed ahead of it, barely visible through the hazy mist.

”There!” Genevieve exclaimed, pointing in a certain direction. ”Head toward it!”

Adam immediately changed direction. He gritted his teeth, hope flickering in his chest. He didnʼt know for how long he had been running. All he knew was that he couldnʼt stop.

The danger radiating from the dark mass behind them wasnʼt something he wanted to experience.

Genevieveʼs spiders were Grade 1 artifacts. If they were destroyed by the thing following them, then it was safe to assume it would also tear through any defenses they covered themselves with.

And so he ran with all his might.

At last, he could take cover.

Several minutes later, they finally reached the object the spider had spotted.

Genevieveʼs hopes vanished.

It wasnʼt a ruin or a cave. It was nothing more than a gigantic boulder, standing alone in the middle of the ruined battlefield.

”There isnʼt anywhere to hide!”

Without missing a beat, she shifted her attention to the second spider. ”This way!”

Adam pivoted again, kicking up dirt and shattering stone as he accelerated.

Behind them, the tsunami of black wings surged through the mist. The screeches were so close now that Genevieve could distinguish individual cries.

”Theyʼre catching up!” Valerian cried.

The swarm crashed through the fog only moments later, swallowing the distance they had fought so hard to gain. It was upon them again.

Genevieve acted immediately. She activated one of her artifact rings. A translucent mana barrier sprang into existence around them.

Adam did not have the heart to tell her that it would be useless. He silently continued his relentless sprint across the barren wasteland, and the spider scouted the way ahead, looking for a place to hide.

Valerian, peeking behind Adamʼs shoulder, squinted his eyes and took a look at the dark mass that had been following them.

”Bats!” he exclaimed.

”Of course!” Adam spat in between ragged breaths.

The swarm of bats continued to close the distance, drawing nearer with each passing second.

They were no ordinary bats. They were far larger than any natural species, each one armed with long, razor-sharp talons. Their jaws were unnaturally wide, lined with jagged fangs more suited to predators than scavengers.

Bloodshot eyes burned with insatiable hunger as countless pairs locked onto the fleeing trio.

They looked less like animals and more like… monsters.

A long time passed. The spider continued to scour for safe zones in the mist. The trio desperately trailed behind the spider. And the swarm of bats ravenously closed the distance between them.

Until finally, the spider spotted something again!

Genevieve guided Adam in that direction, desperately hoping that the spider had found something worthwhile.

And it had.

The second spider came to a halt.

”I found something!” Genevieve shouted.

Through its eyes, she saw the outline of a ruined structure emerging from the mist. Its walls had long since collapsed, and broken pillars leaned at odd angles, barely holding the place together. Time had reduced most of the building to rubble.

But one thing remained intact.

The entrance.

Or what was left of it, anyway. The shattered doorway opened into a steep passage leading down into darkness.

Genevieveʼs eyes lit up, and she willed the spider to enter through the passage and scout the way ahead.

”Adam! There, underground!”

At last, they had found a way in.

With Genevieve in his arms, Adam shot through the broken entrance and disappeared into the darkness below. He slid down the crumbling passage.

Behind them, the relentless storm of flapping wings and shrill screeches grew fainter and fainter.

Genevieve glanced back. The swarm circled above the ruined entrance, but none of the monstrous bats dared descend into the darkness. She couldnʼt help but let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Then her expression froze.

Her link with the spider… It was gone.

The construct had been destroyed! Again!

Someone was waiting for them in the darkness ahead…