Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

On the battlefield, the air suddenly shifted.

Cold, ominous, and deathly.

A wave of terrifying, otherworldly aura descended upon the battlefield, so suffocating and alien that Ballard and Zashi started to tremble in horror.

Ballard stopped tending to his wounds and slowly raised his head, his terrified gaze drawn to the source of the otherworldly presence - Anna.

No, to be more precise, it was the strand of raven-black hair writhing amidst the sea of crimson like a… snake!

What is that thing?! Another artifact?!

Hayes Ballard thought in horror. His back was drenched in cold sweat, and he found himself involuntarily retreating.

Out of all the artifacts Anna or her companions had ever wielded, this one… the one resembling a mere strand of hair radiated the most dangerous aura by far.

Even Zashi, who was on his way to finish off Ada and Hayes, abruptly turned around and gazed in Anna’s direction with pure terror etched on his face.

”Ballard,” he called out, his voice barely a whisper. ”Just… what is that thing?”

Strangely enough, neither of them tried to get close to the source of their unease. They felt something terrible would happen if they neared Anna.

Suddenly… they felt that their earlier suspicions had come true.

That this was a trap laid by the Dark King, after all!

Realizing that, their hearts were gripped by an intense foreboding feeling. And as if to further confirm their suspicions, they heard the sound of rumbling originating from the narrow pass.

And what they saw caused their hearts to turn cold.

HIIISSSSSS!!

Close to a hundred serpents, all of whom had strength equivalent to Mana Liquefaction Magi, surged from the depths of the shadowy pass, led by a Mana Vortex-level black serpent!

Ballard and Zashi hurriedly retreated, the former screaming in panic, ”Quickly recall your Rank 3 undead creatures to our side.”

He paused for a moment, seeing the dozens of snakes slowly surrounding Anna, as if… protecting her.

”And summon every other undead creature you have,” he added with a dark expression on his face.

The undead knight that had been pummeling Kasper with his warhammer suddenly froze in his actions. It turned towards its summoner, then, without wasting a moment, it dashed towards him.

Zashi had his eyes closed as he tried to call back his other Rank 3 undead creature, whom he’d sent to scout above the cliffs. He only had two of these servants who had strength equivalent to his.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open in astonishment.

He looked at the serpents that were still emerging from the pass, then his gaze shifted beyond them, seemingly piercing through the shadowy depths.

”It’s gone…” he murmured, his murky eyes flickering with shock and fear.

”What?!” Ballard exclaimed, panic etched all over his face. ”What’s gone?!”

”The other Rank 3 undead… I can’t sense it anymore…” Zashi’s gaze was drawn to the twenty-meter-long black serpent with topaz eyes.

It has to be that serpent!

He thought with indignation. It took a lot of time and resources to raise an undead creature that was at the level of a Mana Vortex Magus. Zashi was filled with hatred towards these serpents that had killed his powerful servant!

The following moment, another wave of energy rippled outward with Anna at the center.

Under the Ballard and Zashi’s stunned gazes, the raven-black strand of hair separated from the crimson-haired princess and hovered in the air above her.

Then, the incredibly fine runes Adam had etched onto it earlier suddenly flared with blinding light, coalescing into a massive, radiant magic circle.

A portal to the Coil of Eternity tore open in the air, and from its depths, nearly a hundred Mana Liquefaction-rank serpents slithered forth.

At their head was a colossal gray snake whose presence pulsed with the overwhelming aura of the mighty Mana Vortex Rank!

After the gray snake was summoned to the material world, the portal vanished. And the strand of Adam’s raven-black hair had dissipated into nothingness, having already served its purpose.

The gray snake scanned its surroundings with its fierce crimson eyes. Its gaze then landed on the unconscious Anna beside her.

”Sssssscent of the sssssumoner,” it hissed in snaketongue. ”What a pity…”

It seemed that it really wanted to feast on Anna, but the terms of the summoning contract prevented him from doing so.

The black serpent with topaz eyes slithered around the crimson-haired princess and arrived beside the gray serpent.

”They carry the ssssssscent as well,” it said, its gaze locked onto Ada and Daryl.

”That one assssssss well,” said the gray serpent, gesturing towards Kasper’s unconscious body in the distance.

It shook its head every so slightly, ”Sssssuch a pity…”

The black serpent shared his sentiment. Its topaz gaze then shifted to Hayes, Zashi, and the undead knight, who had retreated several tens of meters.

Its topaz eyes flickered with hunger and cruelty. ”But not them…”

”Yessssss…” The gray serpent forked its tongue in anticipation. ”That is the priceeee…”

”Of the ssssssumoning,” the black serpent finished its companion’s words.

The serpents of the Dark King numbered around two hundred Mana Liquefaction-level beasts, led by two formidable serpents at the Mana Vortex Rank.

They were a terrifying fighting force!

Meanwhile, the other side had two Mana Vortex Magi and one undead knight of equivalent strength.

Furthermore, Zashi would be able to summon about a hundred more undead creatures, their strength varying between the Mana Foundation Rank and the Mana Liquefaction Rank.

The tides of battle had shifted once again!

Without wasting another breath, Zashi weaved a complex set of hand seals in under two seconds before slamming his palms to the ground.

Rank 3 Spell: Summon Undead!

The ground within a thirty-meter radius around him was engulfed in an ominous, deathly darkness. Moments later, all manner of undead—skeletal figures, wraiths, zombies, and flesh golems—emerged from the gloom, each one turning to face the small army of serpents.

And just as the undead emerged from the darkness…

The two Mana Vortex-level serpents reared their heads, their eyes flashing with feral intent. With a unified cry that echoed like a warhorn across the battlefield, they gave the command to strike.

HIIISSSSSS!!

Their signal triggered a coordinated response, and hundreds of serpents surged forward in perfect unison, fangs bared and venom boiling.

Just as the waves of undead creatures and the serpents of the Coil collided in a violent clash, a strange, magical change began to stir in Anna’s body.

Deep within her core, a melody ignited, like a spark catching flame in the dark.

And then she heard it…

A song.