Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Zashi wasn’t immediately notified of his servant’s death. He hadn’t been paying attention to his battlefield.

After all, he was busy evading the venomous fangs of the Mana Vortex-level gray serpent before him.

Ducking to evade a vicious tail strike, the crooked Magus quickly weaved a set of complex hand seals and cast his magic.

Rank 3 Spell: Frost Grove!

A grove of ice spikes emerged from the ground, spreading straight towards the gray serpent. Meanwhile, Zashi took this moment to retreat a few steps and catch his breath.

The frozen spikes crashed against the gray serpent, yet they weren’t able to lay even a scratch on its adamantine scales.

Zashi’s expression darkened even further, witnessing that.

No matter which Rank 3 spells he cast on his opponent, nothing seemed to bypass its defenses. This was already the third Rank 3 spell he’d cast, yet the result was still the same.

If things continued this way, sooner or later, the scales would tip and he’d be the one crushed beneath them.

The gray serpent’s eyes flashed with a light of ridicule as he shattered the dozens of frozen spikes effortlessly under his weight. It forked its tongue in anticipation and slithered towards the necromancer.

No matter how many Rank 3 spells were hurled at the serpent, none would get past its defenses.

After all, that was exactly what Adam had in mind when he had made his preparations before sending Anna away.

He knew that it was very likely that his enemies would attack her and her entourage.

So that’s why he ensured that the serpents he called forth from the Coil specialized in one thing and one thing only…

Defense.

That’s why these two Mana Vortex-level serpents were so much smaller compared to the one Adam had summoned in Blackshore.

These two serpents had thick defenses and could outlast their enemies despite tanking numerous attacks from them.

Not to mention, their venom was also extremely potent and horrifying. So it wasn’t like they didn’t have any means to attack. Their bodies were sturdier than Grade 3 artifacts, making them the perfect protectors.

Suddenly, the gray serpent reared its head, its glossy gray scales gleaming with malice under the midday sun. Its jaw slowly unhinged, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs slick with a toxic sheen.

The moment Zashi witnessed this scene, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Casting a hastening spell, he quickly retreated as fast as he could.

With a rattling hiss, the gray serpent inhaled deeply, its ribcage expanding unnaturally wide, before exhaling with explosive force.

From the depths of his maw spewed forth a torrent of venomous gas like a billowing purple cloud. It churned like boiling mist, hissing as it touched the ground, wilting the grass and eating into stone.

Wherever it spread, the air turned foul and heavy. Even the undead creatures who happened to be nearby couldn’t help but falter as they were corroded by the acrid miasma.

The battlefield was quickly swallowed in the choking purple fog, blinding and suffocating all who stood in its path.

Noticing that Zashi was standing at the periphery of the venomous fog, the gray serpent’s crimson eyes glowed with cruel satisfaction.

Its forked tongue flicked out, and it hissed, ”Fear… I ssssssssmell…”

Zashi’s expression darkened, and he couldn’t help but scowl. The poison was harmful even to him who regularly dealt with toxins, rot, and death.

It was already difficult to battle the serpent, and now, with the addition of this toxin gas, he had to be even more vigilant. He couldn’t let the poisonous fog come in contact with his skin. That would be troublesome.

So if he wanted to battle the serpent, he would have to constantly protect himself with a layer of mana, preventing the poison from entering his body.

He didn’t know what exactly would happen if he came in contact with the poison, but seeing how even his undead minions, creatures that felt no pain and feared no death, withered and collapsed in its presence, it could only mean one thing.

Zashi’s eyes narrowed, and he started to entertain the idea of escaping this place. His battle with the gray serpent remained unsolved, and there was no telling how long it would drag on.

As more time passed, his undead horde would gradually be devoured by the army of serpents that were all at the Mana Liquefaction Rank.

The battlefield was growing more chaotic by the second, and the odds were starting to shift out of his favor.

What if more enemies are lying in ambush?

He thought to himself gravely.

No, I must escape this—

Suddenly, he noticed something… or rather, the lack of something.

Abruptly, Zashi snapped his head towards the distant battlefield where his undead knight should have been.

But that area was empty.

A cold chill ran down his spine.

And worse… he could no longer feel the master-servant connection. The link had been severed.

The Rank 3 undead knight was gone.

Impossible… those dozen serpents were able to kill my knight?!

This powerful servant was supposed to support him in battle after he took care of those weaker snakes. But now that the knight was dead, everything changed.

It didn’t matter how the undead knight had died. He didn’t care.

All that mattered was for him to escape. The situation was beyond salvageable.

Suddenly, Zashi’s eyes narrowed. He sensed several mana projectiles hurling towards him from behind.

Though considerably weaker, they were fast and aimed with precision.

Without hesitation, he dodged to the side. He dared not move forward. The venomous gas hanging thick in the air made that path extremely dangerous.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Half a dozen arrows swirling with wind magic embedded themselves into the ground where he had just been standing.

The necromancer turned, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. There, he saw Daryl, barely standing and holding a longbow in his trembling hands.

His face was pale, drenched in sweat, and his chest heaved with exhaustion.

After missing his shot, he slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

”Well… I tried…” he muttered.

But there was no trace of regret on his face. Only a smirk.

Zashi’s heart sank.

Something was wrong.

And a moment later… he understood why.

The direction he had dodged into... that was exactly where Daryl had wanted him to go.

Because standing in that direction, bruised, bloodied, and barely holding himself together was an old man burning with rage… a man Zashi had left for dead.

Kasper York!

The concealment artifact on him deactivated in a shimmer of faint light. In the very next heartbeat, Kasper launched forward like a charging bull, his entire body augmented in the last dregs of his mana.

”My fuckin’ turn!”

With a roar of raw fury and indignation, he tackled the necromancer with all his strength.

Zashi felt the air knocked out of his lungs. The world spun around him. A haze of purple gas clouded his vision. For a moment, he couldn’t tell which way was up.

And by the time he regained his senses… it was already too late.

The gray serpent was already before him, its deathly maw stretched wide in anticipation.

SNAP!

The jaws came down.