Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

The strand of raven-black hair clinging to Rowan’s tunic suddenly came to life.

It shot forward, separating itself from the fabric, and transformed into a bright magic circle, shielding Rowan and his family from the undead knight’s sword strike.

CLANG!

The pair of green orbs inside the knight’s visor flickered for a moment.

His attack was effortlessly stopped… not by the magic circle, but rather the terrifying being that emerged from it.

A portal leading to the vast unknown had formed within the magic circle. From it, a serpentine creature with ominous black scales emerged.

At the moment, the undead knight’s great sword had been caught in the razor-sharp jaws of the serpent.

The black snake’s topaz eyes gleamed with a predatory light, and the next moment, it ruthlessly snapped the knight’s sword into countless pieces.

HIISSSS!!

The black serpent shot out of the portal, coiling around the knight’s torso and limbs in the blink of an eye.

It was about twenty meters long and almost a meter in diameter, yet its speed belied its enormous size and weight.

The black serpent also had strength equivalent to a Mana Vortex Magus!

However… it was not the only creature to step out of the portal.

A few moments later, more and more hissing sounds were produced from the dark depths of the portal.

Then, dozens of serpents—big and small—slithered out of it, each and every one of them at the Mana Liquefaction-level.

One of those less powerful serpents turned around and its cold, predatory gaze landed on Rowan and his family, who were frozen in utter shock and horror.

The middle-aged butler was still oblivious to what was happening around him. He was expecting the sword of the undead knight to kill him and his family, but none of that happened.

Instead, he heard the sound of countless serpents that caused his blood to turn cold. He closed his eyes, tightly embracing his family and waiting for his death in horror.

The snake bared its fangs, its eyes flickering with hunger and bloodlust. Just before it was about to attack the family of four, the black serpent’s cold voice echoed in the narrow pass.

”Those humansssss… not food,” it said in snaketongue.

”Ssssscent of the ssssumoner… they bear.”

It cast its cold topaz eyes at Rowan and his family, gazing at them without any emotions whatsoever.

”Deliciousssss they look… but harm them you cannot.”

The black serpent then turned its scaly head to the undead creature it had restrained, its topaz eyes gleaming with intelligence.

”Thissssss one, however…”

It exerted strength through its body, causing the dark, weathered armor to creak and groan under the pressure.

Moments later, with a resounding thud, it crushed both the armor and the undead trapped within.

Slowly, it loosened its grip around the knight, allowing the other snakes to slither through the gaps and begin their feast.

”Come, little onesssssss… devour whatever is left of this vile creature,” it said, its tone carrying the promise of death.

The Mana Liquefaction-level serpents drowned the undead knight in a storm of fangs and poison.

Unlike their material world counterparts, who typically swallowed their prey whole, the serpents of the Coil tore into their victims with ruthless precision, devouring everything in their path.

The acid in their stomach was so potent that it could dissolve even the hardest of metals.

And so, when the snakes were done with the undead knight, nothing remained of it… not even a shard of its weathered armor.

Under the leadership of the Mana Vortex-level black serpent, the swarm of snakes slithered past Rowan and his family, their scales hissing softly against the ground.

The black serpent’s topaz eyes gleamed with avarice as it turned its gaze toward the distant battlefield.

”Ssssseveral prey I senssssse,” it said, its forked tongue flicking through the air with anticipation.

”Ssssssatiate my hunger… I musssssssst!”

Meanwhile, Rowan couldn’t stop his body from trembling uncontrollably. His family fared even worse, clutching one another, barely holding back their sobs.

He had thought being in the presence of the undead knight was terrifying enough, but the chorus of hissing from the dozens of serpents slithering past, scales rasping against the stone beside him, made him feel as though he had descended into the deepest, darkest pit of a serpentine abyss.

When he realized that the sounds of serpents had faded into the distance, leaving him and his family untouched, Rowan finally mustered the courage to open his eyes.

The narrow pass was eerily quiet now, save for the faint echo of slithering far ahead. All that remained were the deep, winding tracks gouged into the earth by the serpents’ passage.

A single, incredulous thought emerged in his mind, one he hardly dared to believe.

Slowly, he turned his head to look behind him.

Then, his eyes widened.

The undead knight was gone!

That could only mean one thing…

Did those snakes… eat him? He thought in shock.

How… No, more importantly, why did they leave me and my family untouched?

Then, another thought emerged.

It was a rumor about his Master, one of many, that he had heard floating around in Ravenfell, a tale he had never dared to believe until now.

With a look of disbelief etched on his face, Rowan looked at the serpentine tracks and softly muttered:

”Serpents of the Dark King…”

Suddenly, his wife raised her head, looking at him with hopeful eyes. ”W-what… Rowan, what is happening?”

After ensuring that no threat lingered and they were safe, Rowan turned to look at his dear wife, his expression softening.

His gaze then shifted to his children, his eyes glistening with boundless emotions.

He pulled them into a tight embrace and whispered, ”It’s alright now… it’s alright. Everything’s alright! My master, he… he protected us…”

They had endured a harrowing ordeal… ambushed by Mana Vortex Magi, fleeing through the narrow pass with death at their heels, only to be cornered by a monstrous undead knight.

In those bleak moments, they had lost all hope of seeing another sunrise.

And yet, salvation had come.

After sharing a brief but heartfelt moment, Carla turned to Rowan, her eyes wide with urgency. ”We need to hurry and leave! We… we might not get another chance like this!”

Rowan instinctively nodded, but then his gaze dropped, his teeth sinking into his lower lip.

He looked torn and conflicted.

”Rowan… what is it?” Carla asked gently, brushing her palm against his cheek.

The middle-aged man clasped her hand in both of his, holding it tightly. ”We can’t leave now.”

His brown eyes gleamed with conviction as he looked into hers. ”Lady Anna, she… she’s still out there.”

He took a deep breath and spoke in a steady voice despite the storm raging inside of him:

”I promised Master I’d serve Lady Anna as faithfully as I’ve served him. So, I cannot… I will not abandon her again!”