Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Anna’s face was pale as she stood victorious after her final clash with Hayes Ballard.

A Mana Liquefaction Magus defeating a Mana Vortex Magus was not an unprecedented feat. The last person to do so had been none other than her younger brother, the Dark King.

However, the crimson-haired princess knew very well that the reason she had been able to defeat Ballard had not been entirely due to her skills alone.

First, Hayes Ballard had expended a tremendous amount of mana in his battle against the Mana Vortex-level black serpent.

Then, he was caught off guard by the sudden barrage of explosions in the narrow pass, leaving him injured and disoriented.

This made him believe that Rowan and his family, mere mortals, had managed to harm him. This very thought wounded his pride as a scion of the Ballard Family, filling him with rage.

And in that brief moment when emotions clouded his judgment, Anna struck and beheaded him.

And although she had succeeded, it came at a great cost.

Not even an ounce of strength remained in her body, and her mana reserves had completely depleted. To make matters worse, she had a ghastly wound on her right shoulder and collarbone.

When she heard Ballard’s head hit the ground, she finally allowed herself a breath of relief. Her grip around her sword slackened, and it clattered to the ground.

Then, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed face-first, losing consciousness almost instantly.

Blood spewed from her deep wound, instantly dyeing the ground crimson and forming a small puddle beneath her.

It was only then that Rowan snapped out of his shock. Everything had happened so quickly that he barely had any time to react.

First, Hayes Ballard appeared in the pass out of nowehere, threatening to kill him and his family. Then, without warning, he was bombarded by potions of explosions. Finally, Anna emerged before them and, with swift precision, decapitated the Ravenfell aristocrat.

It was only when Anna fell to the ground that Rowan came to his senses.

His pupils dilated, and he screamed in panic, ”Lady Anna!!”

The middle-aged butler hurriedly got to his feet and rushed towards the fallen princess. On his way, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the decapitated head of Hayes Ballard.

He felt something churning inside of him. He then stopped in his footsteps, bent over, and emptied his stomach.

The man had never seen such a brutal and bloody scene in his life, after all.

His gaze was involuntarily drawn to the head once again, causing his eyes to narrow. He had a feeling that he had seen this man somewhere, but couldn’t quite put a finger on where exactly.

Putting that thought away, he rushed towards Anna. What he saw made his heart sink. The princess was bleeding heavily, her breaths shallow and uneven.

”No, no, no…” Tears streamed down his face as he continued mumbling, ”You cannot die! You cannot die!”

He gently turned her over, but the sight of the deep wound carved across her collarbone nearly made him retch again.

Swallowing his nausea, he pulled off his outer robe and pressed it firmly against the wound, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

”Carla, quickly come here!” He screamed without turning around.

His wife snapped out of her stupor, her gaze shifting to Rowan and Anna. Her body trembled when she saw the headless body of the Magus in the near distance.

”Don’t look, don’t look…” She covered her children’s eyes and led them past the corpse.

Then, she made them sit facing the terracotta walls of the pass before tending to Anna. While the children silently sobbed, she and Rowan did their best to stop the princess from bleeding out.

Unbeknownst to them, a tiny orb of light emerged from Hayes Ballard’s corpse. It circled the air above him, seemingly looking for something... or rather, someone.

The instant later, the barely visible orb of light lunged at the unconscious crimson-haired princess and embedded itself within her, branding her forever!

In their state of panic, Rowan and Carla failed to notice the phenomenon at all.

Suddenly…

The ground rumbled. Moments later, the air filled with the chilling sound of countless hisses.

Rowan shuddered. He slowly raised his head, gazing in the direction of the battlefield. What he saw turned his blood cold...

Countless serpents, led by the same black serpent he had seen earlier, were surging in his direction.

He couldn’t help but instantly assume the worst possible scenario. As a mortal, he instinctively associated serpents with danger, death, and… deceit.

Now that Anna lay unconscious, he couldn’t help but wonder if these serpents would do the unthinkable.

He gritted his teeth, fear flashing in his eyes.

Despite the terror clawing at his chest, he snatched up Anna’s sword and rose to his feet. Positioning himself in front of the fallen princess, he held the blade out with trembling hands, facing the oncoming swarm.

”S-stay away!” He shouted, his voice shaking as he tried to appear as threatening as possible.

The Mana Vortex-level black serpent at the forefront felt quite amused seeing the human’s actions.

A mere mortal waving his sword at a Mana Vortex-level serpent of the Coil?

Was it bravery or simple naivety?

The black serpent cast a brief glance at Rowan, dismissing him with utter indifference, before slithering past and devouring Ballard’s corpse—decapitated head and all.

The terms of the summoning contract had been fulfilled.

Their purpose in the material world was complete.

Under Rowan’s astonished—and deeply relieved—gaze, a massive portal to the Spirit World materialized in the narrow pass, swirling with otherworldly energy.

Then, all the beasts slithered into it, traveling to the mystical land of the serpents.

And before Rowan knew it… all of them had gone, leaving behind him and his family, and the princess.

Snapping back to his senses, Rowan thought to himself solemnly, If these snakes have retreated, could it mean that the battle was over?

He couldn’t tell for sure. There was only one way to find out.

The man’s brown eyes flickered with resolve as he turned to his wife and spoke in an urgent tone, ”Carla, keep applying pressure to the wound. I… I’ll be right back.”

”No!” Carla blurted out. ”It’s not safe out there! Don’t go! Please...”

Rowan’s gaze softened. ”I’ll be alright. I have to make sure that the others are safe. After that… we’ll all leave this place together. I promise you.”

Carla’s lips quivered. It seemed like there were a lot of things she wanted to say. But in the end, she simply nodded.

Rowan turned around and made his way out of the pass, heading toward the battlefield.

Master…

He thought to himself, his heart swelling with a bittersweet ache.

I’ll take care of Lady Anna. I won’t let anything happen to her.

I promise you...