Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

The sharp blade of an arrowhead silently emerged from the crimson canopy of the Sanguine Forest.

The hand grasping the groove at the rear end of the arrow shifted its trajectory, aiming at a shadowy silhouette prowling in the underbrush of the cursed woods.

Thwock!

One shot. One kill.

The blood beast twitched for several moments before meeting its end, blood pooling underneath it.

Another arrow was nocked. The archer shifted the trajectory once again, aiming at one of the blood beasts approaching the fresh corpse of their fallen.

Thwock!

Another shot. Another kill.

As more and more blood beasts were drawn by the scent of blood, the archer hiding in the canopy of the trees nocked one arrow after another, sending the abominations to their maker.

As time passed by, the corpses of the blood beasts accumulated. Blood flowed in streams, dyeing the dark earth the same color as the leaves of the trees.

Thwock!

Death… from afar.

Finally, the archer’s quiver was depleted. In front of him, dozens of blood beasts lay dead. A satisfied expression appeared on his face as he slowly came into view.

The grey light of the mystical skies of the secret plane filtered through the crimson canopy, gently landing on his face.

Silky blond hair cascaded down his shoulders, tied by a white strip of cotton, and his green pupils burned like a pair of emerald stars. Tall, handsome, and dashing, he resembled a human in nearly every way, save for one striking detail - his pointed ears.

Daneli leapt off the highest branch of the tree and gracefully landed on the ground. Putting his bow and empty quiver away, he conjured a sharp dagger and crouched beside the dozens of blood-beast corpses.

Wearing an indifferent expression on his face, he began slicing through the grotesque flesh, retrieving the blood cores with methodical precision.

He had cleared this part of the Sanguine Forest and was certain that there wouldn’t be any unexpected visitors.

But there was…

His ears perked up, eyes narrowing. In an instant, he spun around and hurled the bloodied dagger with vicious accuracy in a certain direction—the source where he had heard the faint rustle in the leaves.

Something—or rather, someone—had stepped where it shouldn’t have.

Daneli’s eyes narrowed even further. The familiar sound of metal piercing through flesh and blood spurting out never reached his ears. In fact, no sound reached his ears.

It was almost as if the dagger had… vanished.

And then, two shadowy figures made their presence known, emerging from behind the trunk of a distant tree.

Daneli’s eyes narrowed.

Other participants? He wondered.

The newcomers stepped forward, cautiously approaching the elf.

”Brother Daneli, it’s me,” said the one standing at the forefront—a young woman with brown hair and pale blue eyes.

Daneli’s eyebrows arched in surprise. ”Eleiney? What’re you doing here?”

Then, his eyes narrowed once again as he couldn’t help but be surprised. A young man with coppery-red hair and light freckles dotting his face was standing behind Eleiney.

But his appearance wasn’t what surprised the elf. It was the fact that the young human was holding a dagger in his hand, casually playing with it.

…The same dagger that the elf had just hurled a few moments ago.

The force behind the dagger was enough to pierce through the body of a Mana Liquefaction-level blood beast.

Yet, the coppery-red-haired youth had effortlessly grabbed the dagger and was now playing with it like it was some toy.

Before Eleiney could speak another word, Daneli brought an index finger to his lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet.

Then, he led them to the top branches of a nearby tree. Following that, he sprinkled some dust around them, finally relaxing a little.

A moment later, dozens of more blood beasts arrived at the exact spot they had been earlier.

Ignoring them, Daneli cast Mind Whisper and gazed at Eleiney, his comrade from the Twilgiht Brotherhood.

’Who is he?’

That was the first thing he asked her.

Eleiney turned to Merlin, then back at the elf.

’This is Merlin Mathias,’ she said through Mind Whisper.

Daneli’s eyes narrowed as he observed the young man. A moment later, Merlin handed him the dagger with a smile.

The elf lingered for a moment before silently putting away his dagger.

He shifted his attention back to Eleiney and asked, ’How did you find me?’

Eleiney gestured towards Merlin and truthfully answered, ’With his help.’

Daneli frowned. He knew that the forest altered the senses of intruders, so it was very difficult for the contestants to move around.

That was why he’d been hunting very close to his party’s camp, afraid he’d get lost and separated from them.

But now… he learned that this mysterious young human was able to traverse through these cursed woods. Needless to say, he was quite astonished.

’How were you able to do it?’ He turned to Merlin and asked in a very solemn tone.

Merlin grinned from ear to ear and gave the most obvious, yet the most ridiculous answer:

’Magic!’

Daneli’s lips twitched. Before he could press the madman for answers, Elieney interrupted him.

’Brother Daneli,’ she said a mental transmission. ’We have a proposition for you.’

The elf lingered on the crazy Magus for a few moments, wondering how messed up he was in the head. Then, he turned to Eleieny and communicated with an inquisitive gaze.

’I’m listening.’

’We were able to locate the center of the secret plane, which also happens to be the region just beyond this third layer,’ she said in a solemn tone, instantly gripping the elf’s attention.

’My party and Edward’s party… we’ve decided to challenge the monster that resides in the heart of these cursed woods.’

She took a deep breath, then finally added, ’So, what do you think? Will you and your party be willing to join us? Together, we can conquer this secret plane.’

Daneli’s brows furrowed into a tight knot, his green eyes flickering with a series of conflicting emotions.

Several thoughts appeared inside his mind, swirling into a typhoon of confusion and disbelief.

How did they manage to reach the center of the secret plane without getting lost?

Why are they so confident in dealing with that monster?

Just what are they planning?

What about the dangers involved?

Is it worth it?

Finally, his green eyes flashed with conviction, and he asked one simple question:

’How confident are you in defeating the monster?’

Eleiney did not answer. Instead, she turned to the madman crouching beside her.

The elf’s eyes narrowed. He patiently looked at the coppery-red-haired youth, waiting for an answer.

Merlin did not answer, however.

His lips curled into an exaggerated grin.

That was the only response Daneli got: a grin laced with madness.

It was comical… yet filled with sheer confidence.