Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Capítulo 1334: Piece of Art

Ryugan Arakuro, a Mana Vortex Magus and the de facto leader of this squadron of Magi, watched from a distance as plumes of smoke and fire reached towards heaven.

It was certain that Kokumotsu Town had already been raided by the Magi from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. All the grain warehouses that were crucial for the food supply of this specific region had been destroyed.

But what about the town’s residents? There were at least thousands of them!

Realizing that, Ryugan urged his horse to gallop forward. “Ready your weapons! Follow me!”

The other Magi in the group did not hesitate. They were ready to die for their Clan. For the Heavenly Demon, they had nothing but sheer animosity. Even if the man was hiding in Kokumotsu Town, they’d still charge in barvely.

It didn’t take them long to reach the vicinity of Kokumotsu Town. But what they witnessed there caused them to be utterly puzzled. Thousands of figures stood outside the walls of the city, gazing at the flames destroying their homes with hollow eyes.

They… they’re alive? Ryugan thought to himself in shock.

He was certain that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would deal with the residents of this town. After all, in the six border strongholds that had already fallen, the Arakuro Clan didn’t find any trace of mortals—not even corpses.

They naturally assumed that the mortals had been killed. But upon seeing the residents of the Kokumotsu Town standing outside the town walls, the Arakuro Magi didn’t know what was going on.

“Oi, what happened here?!” One of the Magi alighted from his horse and approached a mortal man. “Oi, snap out of it! What the hell happened?!”

This mortal, a farmer, still felt his heart tremble in horror after what he’d witnessed. “The demons… they came to our town… burned it down… then made us all watch… they made us watch… watch… blood… blood… BLOOD AHHHH!!”

Towards the end, the man completely broke down. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his head and screaming in fear.

The Magus who interrogated him was beyond horrified. Just what must the farmer have gone through to have such a strong reaction?

After a thorough investigation, the Arakuro Magi learnt that none of the town’s residents were harmed or were missing.

They all said the same thing: the demons made us watch.

And they all pointed to the main entrance of the town, their eyes hollow.

“They all said the same thing?” Ryugan frowned.

“Yes, Elder.” A young Magus nodded, his face riddled with terror.

“They said the demons made them watch. They wouldn’t say anything beyond that. But whatever it is that they saw… it has shaken them to their cores. The men, the women, the children, and the elderly, they’re all the same. They’re all frightened.”

Ryugan’s face darkened. He shifted his gaze towards the main gate of Kokumotsu Town. He couldn’t see clearly, however. A moment later, he ordered:

“Tsubasa, take some men and scout the perimeter, and make sure we’re not going to be ambushed. Kagetsu, you take some of our men and tend to the residents.”

“Yes, Elder!”

Soon, all the horrified residents of the Kokumotsu Town were fed and given water. They were taken further away from the burning town. About half an hour later, the scouts had confirmed that there were no more enemies around.

Only then did Ryugan give the order to march forward.

And soon… they started to see Arakuro Magi impaled along both sides of the road, their corpses lining the path like a grotesque procession leading up to the town’s main gate.

Each corpse had been positioned deliberately, as if pointing the way towards Kokumotsu Town’s blazing heart. The closer they drew, the thicker the stench of blood and smoke became, mingling into a suffocating haze that pressed down on their chests.

Some of the younger Magi struggled to keep their emotions steady. Others clenched their fists as they silently cried.

And when the group of Magi arrived before the town gates, they were terrified.

They finally saw what the Heavenly Demon had done to the Kokumotsu Town…

He had turned it into an altar of terror!

An archway stood before the town gates…

It was an unholy archway made not from wood or stone, but from the butchered remains of the Arakuro Magi that were stationed in the town!

Their severed arms and legs had been neatly removed. Their decapitated heads were arranged in perfect rows along the ground beneath the structure, each one facing upwards, glassy eyes fixed in eternal pain and horror.

The torsos, stripped of limbs and drained of warmth, had been stacked and fitted together with impossible meticulousness. Ribcages interlocked like grotesque bricks, forming a perfect arch.

Blood dripped from the exposed bones, pattering softly on the ground below, forming dark puddles that steamed in the heat of the burning town beyond.

The craftsmanship was chilling.

This was not the brutality of a rampaging beast.

This was a piece of art.

A bloody, macabre, and dark piece of art meant to inspire terror in the hearts of those who laid eyes upon it!

A cold wind passed through the grisly structure, making the loose strands of hair and torn flesh sway like grass.

The Arakuro Magi’s eyes trembled. Some felt bile clawing up their throats. Others felt their knees weaken, the sight drilling into the deepest parts of their mind. Even the horses felt extremely uneasy, refusing to enter past the bloody archway.

The sight of his butchered brethren reflected in Ryugan’s eyes. He couldn’t peel away his gaze from the macabre archway.

How could anyone conceive something so vile?

How could a mind harbor such boundless cruelty and malice?

How could someone regard human lives as nothing more than props, mere decorations for the battlefield?

“E-Elder?”

Someone called out to him.

Ryugan snapped out of his daze, his heart pounding wildly. “…Yes, what?”

The Magus asked with tears streaming down his face. “What… what should we do?”

Ryugan remained silent for a long time. He shifted his attention back to the gruesome archway, to the frozen, tormented expressions of his own kin… faces he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life.

His lips parted at last, and what escaped was something he never imagined himself saying:

“I… don’t know…”