Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1248: First Step

Adam left Ichigane Town under the pale glow of the twin moons.

The streets were empty, lamps burning low, their lights flickering against the wet stone. A cold wind blew through the narrow alleys, carrying the smell of sake and smoke from the closed taverns.

His leather boots echoed against the ground as he walked by shuttered shops and silent doorways. From time to time, crazed fits of laughter would spill out from him uncontrollably, making the already eerie night even more ominous.

Somewhere behind him in the distance, a floorboard creaked. From an upstairs window, a curtain abruptly shifted. At the edge of the street, two men leaned against a post, pretending not to look.

Adam’s lips curled into a wide, excited grin. He didn’t turn around. He continued to walk. Of course, he had already sensed countless people with unkind intentions. The air felt heavy and suffocating, carrying a quiet tension.

By the time he reached the town gate, the noise of the place had fallen away completely, leaving only the sound of his own footsteps and the faint sense that danger hadn’t stayed far behind.

The youth inhaled slowly and deeply, then... burst into a manic fit of laughter.

His crazed laughter echoed far and wide, making all those who heard it shudder in fear. Something about his laughter felt deeply disturbing to them. The voice, the tone, it carried a sense of madness that threatened to seep into their bones.

”So many of you are here,” said the madman, seemingly conversing with no one. ”I’m almost flattered.”

Adam strapped the mimic tightly around his shoulders, eliciting a faint yelp out of the little guy. ”Gege...”

”Relax,” he said. ”It’s going to be alright.”

Still, no one dared to step forward. The adventurers and mercenaries were waiting for someone to make the first move. As soon as the first person moved, all hell would break loose, and Adam would be engulfed in a tide of violence.

But before that happened, Adam chose to make the first move himself.

”Ah, Hisashi is a good fellow,” he said with a chuckle. ”He asked me not to make a mess inside the town or anywhere near it. So I suppose I shall choose a suitable graveyard for all of youse far away from this place...”

His final words still echoed in the air, but he had long since vanished... like a ghost.

Adam’s speed was so spectacular that even the Mana Vortex Magi hiding nearby couldn’t sense his movements. That, coupled with the Stealth Cloak, made him a true specter in the dark of the night.

”There!”

Suddenly, a voice filled with urgency echoed in the surroundings. A swordsman appeared, wearing robes and a bamboo hat, known locally as a kasa. This was a powerful warrior at the Mana Vortex Rank.

He pointed in a certain direction where dust was rising into the air, leaving behind a faint trail for those with keen senses to follow.

That was the direction Adam had escaped in.

”Everyone, quick!”

”Follow the outsider!”

”We kill him tonight!”

”Death to the outsider!”

”Take everything he has!”

In but a few moments, a cacophony of curses emerged, and Magi close to a hundred emerged from hiding. The vast majority of them were Mana Liquefaction Magi, while the rest were Mana Vortex Magi. Only a few of them, bold enough to join this hunt, were at the Mana Foundation Rank.

As soon as Adam’s fleeing figure was spotted, all of these adventurers and mercenaries utilized their movement techniques and started pursuing the madman.

Tonight was going to be a night of blood.

***

Over the past week, many Magi who had visited the Jade Lantern Inn had learned about the outsider, who had come from a faraway land, carrying treasures with him.

No one knew how the rumors of Adam carrying vast treasures began, but it was a fact that now most of these adventureres knew it. These wandering warriors were greedy by nature. Add to that fact the aversion these people had for outsiders made Adam the perfect target.

Of course, the madman was aware of the rumors circulating in the town. Countless adventurers visited Ichigane every day, but there weren’t any outsiders among them. Adam knew that, either way, he would have caught a lot of attention. Besides, Hisashi had also warned him.

But he did not care.

”Hahaha!” He laughed out loud, coming to a halt in the middle of a grassy plain. ”I do not care. I do not care one bit!”

He clutched his head and roared to the skies.

The grass swayed under the night breeze, silver under the moonlight. The air was cool, calm, almost still. Then, one by one, shadowy figures appeared across the field.

Figures emerged from every direction, their robes shifting in the wind. Dozens turned to over a hundred, a silent and deadly ring of Magi closing in around him. Their presence weighed heavily in the surroundings.

Adam stood in the center, a wide, maniacal grin on his face. The night sky stretched wide and clear above him, stars glinting like distant spectators.

This was where it would begin... the first step to a legend no one would forget.

The youth raised his hand and turned to Selene and Luna. Then, he recited a beautiful poem:

”I walked through blood, and called it duty.

”I lost my name, and called it strength.

”Madness followed, but I kept walking.

”Now the road ends, the rest is silence.”

For a few moments, no one spoke. Everyone could feel the tense, suffocating air weighing down on the plains.

And then, a towering figure with a muscular build stepped forward. He wore gauntlets that covered his entire arms, and the aura he exuded was strong and overbearing. Clearly, this man was a Mana Vortex Magus.

”I am Hisato Arakane of the Demon Fist Sect,” said the burly man, a dangerous grin on his face. ”Surrender now, outsider. Or face the wrath of my fists.”

Adam turned to him, grinning widely under the kitsune mask. Of course, he couldn’t understand a word the burly man said. What he did next, however, transcended the language barrier and made everyone know his intentions.

With a sharp noise that rang through the grassy plain, the Blades of Fulgrim appeared in Adam’s hands.

It was time to fight.