Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Capítulo 1333: Psychological Warfare

Inner City, Yongdu.

War had always been about one thing: the seizure of land and the resources it held.

Clans rise and fell over fertile valleys, mineral-rich mountains, and strategic passes. Armies marched not for glory but for dominance, control over trade routes, mana-rich regions, and territories that could strengthen a clan for generations to come.

“But this conflict between the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Arakuro Clan is no longer about land,” Goro murmured with a thoughtful look on his face as he read the intel reports of the ongoing war.

In the background, the children of the Tsuitsui—those that were at the Mana Vortex Rank—were going through hellish training, guided by none other than Adam.

“Auhh!” Adam whacked one of Goro’s younger brothers who was resting, urging him to continue training.

Standing beside him, Goro was deeply studying the scroll in his hand. He continued, “This Heavenly Demon… it seems he isn’t fighting for borders or mines or even mana-rich lands. He’s fighting for something far more dangerous.”

Terror.

Adam’s lips curled into a wicked smile. Drowning the ravings of the Faceless Mask echoing inside his head, he thought to himself:

Lands can be reclaimed.

Resources can be replenished.

But once fear infiltrates the heart of soldiers, it spreads like a plague.

It had already been a month since the war between the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and the Arakuro Clan had begun.

The rest of the organizations on either side hadn’t fully engaged in battle yet, instead choosing to see how the war between the Heavenly Demon and Kurozane Arakuro played out.

For now, it was just intense skirmishes at the borders. However, in the past month, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had attacked half a dozen of Arakuro’s border outposts.

The Magi in said outposts were slaughtered and then impaled on wooden pikes. Moreover, in every outpost, the same message was carved in the blood of the Arakuro Magi:

Blame Kurozane Arakuro for bringing this calamity upon your clan.

The Magi from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult did not take over the conquered border outposts. They simply looted it and returned to where they came from.

This sort of strategy was unconventional, to say the least. After all, by right of conquest, those border strongholds as well as the surrounding regions belonged to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Once they occupied it, they would have expanded the borders of their own regions.

Yet they did not…

“What is the Heavenly Demon thinking?” Goro murmured.

Adam burst into a fit of laughter.

Goro ignored him, for he was long used to it by now.

Adam thought to himself, Oh, I know that guy better than anyone. I know exactly what he’s thinking!

The Heavenly Demon understood that true warfare was waged not only with blades and spells, but with the mind. To him, killing soldiers was far less important than breaking the spirit of the clan that commanded them.

If fear, doubt, and mistrust took root, then even the strongest army would crumple long before the Heavenly Demon’s forces even arrived. That is why his methods appeared gruesome to the world.

They were crafted to strike directly at the psychology of his enemies.

The abandoned border strongholds, the impaled corpses, the messages painted in blood… they were not random acts of brutality. They were deliberate statements.

An empty outpost suggested that resistance was futile, for even its defenders died without leaving a mark.

The bodies impaled on pikes served as a display of superiority, forcing the Arakuro Magi to confront the terrifying possibility that their clan’s power meant nothing in the face of the Heavenly Demon.

But the most devastating weapon was doubt.

By leaving behind the bloody message blaming Kurozane Arakuro, the Heavenly Demon shifted fear inwards, forcing the Arakuro Magi to question their own Patriarch’s decisions.

A seed of resentment had begun to grow, making the Arakuro Magi wonder:

Is this suffering the fault of our enemies… or our own leader?

Once that question began to take form, unity would gradually fracture. Soldiers would begin to hesitate and second-guess every order they received. The morale of the clan would collapse faster than its walls, and the Heavenly Demon knew this better than anyone.

In the end, his goal is simple, Adam thought to himself, grinning exaggeratedly.

To make the Arakuro Clan fight itself. If their trust in leadership erodes, if fear dictates their actions, then victory becomes effortless.

This is the essence of his psychological warfare, and the reason his name inspires dread.

Adam’s grin gradually faded away. But this is the Arakuro Clan we’re talking about, a prosperous clan that has stood at the summit of the Yen-Lu hierarchy for generations.

Will they be so easily swayed by the enemy? No, I doubt it. The Clan consists entirely of family members. No outsiders. Their unity is rock solid. Their camaraderie will be able to stand this test.

Oh, Heavenly Demon, you need to be a little more creative.

His lips curled once again, and he laughed.

Show me what you got!

***

A group of a hundred Arakuro Magi led by a few Mana Vortex Magi rode their horses as they travelled the expansive grassy plains.

The sun was beginning to set, dyeing the sky in a ghostly red. Earlier that day, they had received divination results that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would strike Kokumotsu Town, a strategic location whose grain warehouses supplied the entire region.

If the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were to attack this town, then it would deal a great blow to the Arakuro Clan.

To begin with, the morale was low in the clan due to six of their border outposts being ransacked and their Magi impaled like mere beasts by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

The Arakuro Clan had to strike back.

They had to.

Thanks to Lady Chiyo’s divination, they were able to find out about the Cult’s heinous plan beforehand. This time, they would surely get back at the Cult for what they’d done to all those Magi at the border strongholds.

However, even before they reached Kokumotsu Town, they realized that they were already too late.

Even from a distance, they could see the town swallowed by flames…