Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1734 Thread of Reason

Marden knew his time had come.

The Cult Leaderʼs cold killing intent had locked onto him, and there was no place to run. He had done everything in his power to guide the events to this point in time.

And now... he had fulfilled his role.

His expression, strangely enough, was that of relief.

I have served my purpose, he thought to himself.

I leave the rest to you.

It was a short life, but I did the best I could.

My only regret is that... I never got to see the wonders of the Greater Universe.

Oh, how beautiful the distant stars must be.

The ghosts of the Benton Family standing behind him seemed to rejoice at this moment. The men, the women, the elderly, and the children displayed a dark, gleeful expression on their faces.

Marden turned ever so slightly and looked at them.

You all must be eager to see what comes next, eh? He thought.

Well... I hope my actions have redeemed-

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he felt a terrifying and suffocating aura press down on him.

He turned around and saw the lich tower over him, looking at him coldly with his spectral green eyes. ”Thereʼs no denying it now, Marden.” The lich slowly raised his hand. ”You were the only one with access to the portalsʼ runic formations.”

Marden said nothing. He had accepted his fate. He had fulfilled his duty, and there was nothing left for him to do, except... die.

The lichʼs hand turned into a shadowy blur, and it plunged into Mardenʼs chest.

Hot blood splashed across the walls behind. But not a single word escaped Mardenʼs lips. ”Till the very end, you continue to defy me!” The lichʼs voice turned colder, his aura flaring.

At the last moment, Marden had leaned to the side by sheer instinct. It was just enough for the lich to miss his heart and stab his lung instead.

Although the Blood Lordʼs mind might have turned highly unstable after the heinous ritual in Benton Manor in Ravenfell, and after absorbing the blood and life essence of countless Magi in Indus, his body still reacted faster than his mind could process.

Although he had accepted death, his instincts still fought in defiance.

As blood spewed from his mouth and his face twisted into a grimace, he gazed at the lichʼs terrifying visage. He had never seen the Cult Leader so furious before.

Despite strengthening himself through blood magic, Marden was still weaker than the lich. If he couldnʼt put up a fight, then the least he could do was viciously mock him before he died.

His lips parted, and just when he was about to speak, a familiar figure appeared in front of him. Mardenʼs eyes slowly widened. ”Great master, please!” Leland Haynam spoke with emotion. ”It seems you wish to die as well,” the lichʼs gaze shifted to the Stone Lord. ”Master, he is incapable of defying your will,” Leland quickly said, his back drenched in cold sweat. ”All of us are! With the imprint youʼve left on our souls, there is no way we can betray you! My Lord, please think this through! Weʼve already lost Winter and Flame. We cannot afford to lose another Elder, especially when weʼre so close to achieving your goal. And...”

His gaze shifted to the devils coming out of the portal. Some had stopped at the edge of the chamber, watching the lich attack Marden with gleeful expressions. ”We cannot put our faith entirely on those... devils,” Marden continued, his expression turning solemn. ”At the end of the day, the only people you can trust are still us.”

The lich remained silent for a few moments, the green orbs in his socket flickering erratically.

The Beyond... The Beyond... The Beyond...

Those words kept repeating inside his crazed mind.

The orbs in his eyes finally settled into something cold and ruthless. He yanked his bony hand out of Mardenʼs chest, then flicked it to the side, casting off the blood.

Suddenly, the lichʼs other hand shot toward Leland. His cold finger clasped tightly around the Stone Lordʼs neck and hoisted him in the air. ”You...” the Cult Leader coldly murmured. ”Youʼve betrayed me as well, havenʼt you? Was it you? Were you the one who hampered with the portals?” Lelandʼs face turned pale as he gasped for air. ”My... Lord... this is... exactly... what the enemy wants!”

The Wind Lord, Alain Grey, who was watching the fallout from the sidelines, felt that he needed to step in. Or else, the half-mad lich would end up butchering every last one of the Elders, including himself! ”My Lord! Heʼs right!” Alain quickly stepped forward and knelt on the ground. ”This is the enemyʼs doing. It has to be. Theyʼve sown discord in our ranks, made us suspect one another. If you kill him, the enemy wins!”

The lichʼs head snapped toward Alain, his oppressive aura pressing down on the latter.

The Beyond... The Beyond... The Beyond...

The voice in the Cult Leaderʼs head told him to kill all these traitors. Kill every last one of them. But a thread of reason deep in his mind prevented him from doing so.

Alain gritted his teeth and said, ”It has to be the Dark Kingʼs doing! It has to be! Please... my lord, please trust us! We cannot betray you! We are incapable of it!”

Marden, who was focusing on healing his chest injury, watched everything unfold with a slightly stunned expression. He, who was fully prepared to die, suddenly found a second wind.

His eyes gleamed with cunning, and he said in a solemn voice, ”I could never betray you, my lord, I could never! Youʼve tested my loyalty time and time again. I killed my kin with my own hands! You must trust me, master. You must trust the three of us! Or else... the Dark King wins.” ”Then how do you explain the matter with the portals?” The lich turned to him and said coldly. His grip loosened, and he released Lelandʼs neck, letting him drop.

Marden gulped subconsciously. ”Iʼm not certain, but... it has to be related to the Dark King” he said in a grim voice. ”And there is only one way to find out.”

Right at that moment, a cackling sound echoed from behind them.

A Mana Core-level devil stood in front of a group of a dozen lesser devils. ”Oh, what do we have here?” he spoke in Infernac. ”Looks like the traitors of this world are tearing each other apart!”

Hearing his words, the surrounding devils laughed in amusement.

The Cult Leader slowly turned around, his gaze locking onto the devil who had just spoken. He outstretched his arm and muttered a single word: ”Helm.”

Leland quickly rose to his feet and obediently offered the obsidian helmet.

The lich put on the great helm. Through the slit in the visor, green flames danced steadily.

Then he raised his gauntleted hand and flicked a finger.

Splat!

The Mana Core-level devilʼs laugh cut off mid-breath. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.

His body... was missing its head.

The other devils, who had been laughing with the headless devil, suddenly froze.

The lich raised his other gauntleted hand and made a small, casual swipe.

Slash!

The dozen Mana Vortex-level devils dropped to the ground, their heads cleanly severed.

A heavy silence filled the chamber.

The other devils who had just witnessed their brethren helplessly slaughtered felt a cold chill creeping down their spines.

Then the lichʼs cold words echoed in their ears. ”Go on. Laugh.”