Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1648 Careful Planning

Surprisingly, the battle ended as quickly as it began.

Given that the enemy numbers were over a hundred, with a dozen of them

being at the Mana Vortex Rank, it seemed obvious that the battle would stretch on for a long time.

But no. Through careful planning and devious traps that were laid out

beforehand, Ulric and his men were able to deal with the enemies in a matter of minutes.

What remained was silence, broken only by the crackle of fire.

A line of corpses stretched along the road, mortals and Magi alike. Some lay where they had fallen, others twisted near shattered wagons. The supply carts burned slowly, flames eating through wood and cloth, sending dark smoke into the night sky.

The road itself was scarred. Deep ruts, scorch marks, and scattered debris marked where the convoy had once moved in order.

Ulric stood at the front, his men behind him. They rarely stared at the aftermath of the battle before them. Instead, they gazed at their generalʼs back.

The firelight flickered across their faces. The heat pushed outward, carrying the smell of ash and blood as they looked on in disbelief.

They couldnʼt believe how easy it had been for them. In fact, some of the men couldnʼt help but wonder if the enemies were a little too weak. After all, theyʼd died just as quickly.

But these men knew the truth. It had something to do with the potion that Ulric had made, no, he had commanded them to drink.

A Magus stepped forward and spoke with slight unease, ”General, that... that potion... was it an antidote?”

”Antidote would be a very conservative term for it,” Ulric said without turning around, his tone flippant as ever. ”Itʼs more like a... neutralizing agent.”

He turned and faced his men and added, ”Iʼd scattered some powder on this road, on this exact spot beforehand. Itʼs the pollen of a special kind of plant that Iʼve been growing. It dulls the senses. Even Mana Vortex Magi like us are highly susceptible to it.”

Ulric turned back around, the reflection of the flames dancing in his gray eyes. ”After that, it was an easy game. However, this reactive powder does need an activation spell. Oh, and also, the effects of the powder increase when it comes in contact with fire.”

The Magi felt a chill crawl down their spine. One of them couldnʼt help but gulp and then ask, ”Are you a Herbalist?”

Ulric frowned and turned around. ”Herbalist?” he sneeered. ”Of course, not. Do you have any idea how much you have to study for that?”

”So then... this powder...” the Magus murmured.

Ulric waved his hand. ”I just know the method to grow the plant and extract the pollen from it. Retrieving the powder is simple, but planting is not. Anyway...”

His expression turned grim as he added, ”We need to leave this place before more enemies are drawn here.”

The Magi working under Ulric exchanged slightly uneasy glances. They finally understood why the man had been so confident in not requiring any men to work under him.

With arcane skill and physical prowess like his, not to mention this strange powdery substance that works the same way some enchantment magic spells work, it was no doubt he would be able to single-handedly take down a small army.

They began to realize what the Dark King saw in Ulric.

A monster.

The Magi quickly cleaned their tracks and finally left the place. Their mission was far from over. And it would be quite some time before they boarded the Red Wind again.

They moved with the same discipline they had fought. The fires were still burning when they disappeared into the woods.

Ahead of them lay many roads, more caravans, and more chances to cut deeper into enemy supply lines.

***

Over the next several weeks, Ulric and his men kept moving.

They struck one supply caravan after another, never staying in the same place for long. Wagons were destroyed, escorts and guards slaughtered, and whatever they found was burned to ashes.

Grain depots and warehouses didnʼt last either. They went up in flames, one by one, leaving nothing behind for the enemies in the armies on the eastern

battlefront.

They were beyond surprised at how accurate the intel on the enemies had been. Every route, every caravan, every weak point, it all matched the one they found on the ground. Nothing was off. Nothing was missing.

They didnʼt question where t came from, who had gathered it, or how it had been obtained. They didnʼt bother. All that mattered was that it was accurate. And that it made their work easier.

When it came to attacking, they made no distinction between Magi and mortals. Of course, that didnʼt mean they raided the towns and villages of innocent civilians.

No. The men of the Dark King werenʼt savages.

If someone was part of the war effort, then they were treated as an enemy. Drivers, workers, and handlers, none of them were spared if they stood in the

way.

This was war.

It didnʼt just stop at caravans, though. Roads were torn apart. Key passes were buried under rockfalls, cutting off entire routes through the mountains. Bridges were set on fire or brought down completely, forcing long and dangerous detours.

Ulric and his band of men steadily dismantled the enemyʼs supply network in the eastern-most part of the continent.

Several battles were fought across different regions, each one demanding men, weapons, and steady supplies.

But on the easternmost front, things were different.

Because of Ulric and his men, supplies never reached the army on time. Caravans vanished, depots burned, and roads were cut off. What should have been a steady flow of resources turned into nothing.

The effects showed quickly as the weeks passed by. First, rations ran low, and then they ran out. Soldiers grew weaker, and discipline started to slowly slip. Units that should have held their ground started to break under pressure. Even the powerful Mana Core Magi couldnʼt compensate for empty stores and exhausted troops.

But Ulric and his menʼs victories were never meant to last.

As the two-month window was about to draw to a close, the pattern of attacks

finally caught up with him. The enemy traced the destruction, followed the gap in their supply lines, and finally managed to narrow it down.

At last, they found him. And this time, they hadnʼt dispatched just any Magus to

deal with him.

They sent a Mana Core Magus...