Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1225: Behind the Curtains

Stepping into the river, Adam found the water rising to his waist as the current pressed against him.

In his hands, he carried bundles of plants tied together by hemp threads. For the past few days, he had been experimenting with various herbs found in the vicinity of Feypore.

Finally, he gathered a few and made some adjustments to its very essence through the expert use of herbalism. The plants found on this island were potent to begin with, but after his experiments... they’d become even more deadly.

With a wide grin plastered across his hideous face, he took a dip and submerged under water. One by one, he planted the plants into the muddy soil at the bottom, weighing them down with stones so they would not drift away.

After planting all the bundles, he quickly got out of the river. Sitting by the banks, he counted to a hundred, his lips curling unnaturally.

Underwater, the flowers on the plants started to unfurl unnaturally, releasing a constant stream of toxins. The flow carried the poison downstream, completely invisible as it spread towards the lost city of Feypore.

Sooner or later, the wolves would come to the river to drink. The poison would not kill them outright. No, it would patiently bide its time. It would gradually settle into their bodies, sapping their strength day by day.

The more they drank from the river, the deeper this insidious poison would reach. Their movements would slow, their bodies would ache, and the packs that had once so fiercely protected the city would begin to weaken.

Of course, by the time any of these beasts even realized that they might have been poisoned, it would have already been too late...

***

Over a week later, the vast majority of the wolves in Feypore already had the toxins running through their veins.

Of course, they didn’t know anything about it. But they were slowly starting to weaken. But not the three alphas, though. It would take a lot more than poison to take them down.

And that was what Adam was working on...

He dragged a carcass of a powerful Mana Vortex-level stag to a clearing near the giant bear’s cave. He then knelt down beside it, retrieved a small pouch, and sprinkled a fine, dark powder over the exposed flesh.

The scent of it mixed with the blood created a strangely sweet and sharp sensation. It took all of Adam’s willpower not to dig into the flesh all by himself. After he was done ’preparing’ the meal, he placed the corpse on the ground, letting it be visible where the bear was sure to find it.

From a distance, he watched the giant bear emerge, its pelt still covered with fresh scars from the recent battle with the three alphas. The beast sniffed the air and soon approached the stag. Without wasting another moment, it dug into the meat.

The mysterious dark powder clung to its mouth and tongue, seeping into its system. Within half an hour, its behavior shifted. Its eating action became frantic, its breath grew heavy, and its eyes gleamed with restlessness.

It couldn’t help but circle the clearing, searching for even more of that addicted taste despite eating the stag clean.

Adam silently stepped away. He sprinkled the same black powder in regular intervals, creating a barely visible trail that stretched towards the ruins of Feypore. He made sure that each patch was strong enough to hold the bear’s attention, but spaced just enough to keep the beast moving forward.

By the time he was finished, he was far ahead, leaving behind a trail that would eventually lead the restless, powder-addicted bear straight into the wolves’ domain.

***

The following day, Adam carried the griffin eggs wrapped in cloth and travelled east of the ancient ruins. One by one, he placed them in the open, either on patches of grass and stone or in clearings where the light from above could fall directly.

He made sure not to hide them. They had to be seen.

After placing them on the ground, he raised his foot and, with an exaggerated grin on his face, viciously stomped on the egg.

”...Please, forgive me,” he murmured.

Then, he sprinkled some wolf fur around the shattered eggs and also created fake paw marks in the surroundings. Of course, he didn’t forget to erase his own traces.

Adam continued laying the trail, leading deeper and deeper towards the ruined city of Feypore. Each broken egg was like a beacon, aimed to drag the fury of the winged beasts.

By the time he had finished, the trail was set.

He had created a line of grief and rage, pointing the griffins straight towards the wolves’ territory.

***

For nearly two months, Adam had observed his enemies from the shadows. He tracked their movements, their strengths, and their weaknesses.

The wolves, the griffins, and the bear. Each was a formidable opponent. But Adam had no intention of facing them directly. Instead, he set out to make them fight one another.

The first step was poisoning the river. The wolves, bound to the ruined city, drank from the tainted water day after day. Once united and mighty, now they were significantly weakened.

Next came the giant bear. Adam laced animal corpses with a potent powder that stirred such intense cravings that the bear could not resist. Once hooked, it would follow any trace of that mysterious substance.

Finally, the griffins. This part of the plan hurt Adam the most. He wasn’t used to taking innocent lives. But considering what was at stake here, he reluctantly did what he had to do.

Piece by piece, his plan was set into motion.

The weakened wolves now stood at the center of a bloody storm they could not escape. From one side came the giant bear, relentless in its pursuit of the powder that Adam had gotten it addicted to. From the skies descended a small army of griffins led by an enraged Mana Core-level creature.

As for the wolves... they were sickened, yet desperate. The three mighty alphas emerged from their dens, ready to defend their territory.

In the lost city of Feypore, the stage was set.

The battle of the great beasts was about to begin!