Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 2010 After Death

The throne room had been reduced to a battlefield.

The ancient stone floor was cracked and littered with shattered glass and debris. Blood stained the ground, walls, and broken pillars.

Luca sat silently on the stairs leading to the throne, his body drenched in blood. His clothes were torn, and numerous wounds covered his body. He was breathing heavily, utterly spent after the brutal battle.

At the center of the throne room lay the Last Knight.

The undying warrior no longer moved. Its armor had been completely torn away during the battle, piece by piece, until Luca had finally found an opening and dealt the killing blow — a decisive, obliterating kick to the head.

The ancient knight had fallen for good. Luca had won. But the price had been considerable. He barely had the strength to even stand.

A figure soundlessly appeared beside him.

The Paladin turned his head slightly and glanced at the young man in black and white robes. The colors complemented his raven hair, with the patch of bone-white crowning the head.

”Now you look like a proper Magus,” Luca said weakly, though he couldnʼt help but reveal a little smirk.

Adam scoffed. ”You look like youʼre on your last breath. Any final wishes?”

Luca couldnʼt help but chuckle. But he immediately grimaced from pain.

”Can you move?” Adamʼs expression turned serious.

”Aye.” Luca nodded slowly. ”Need a moment to catch my breath.”

Adam studied his companionʼs wounds carefully. He was inwardly surprised to see that there were no major injuries. Except for the deep bruises on the flesh, there was nothing serious. The only problem was the deep exhaustion enveloping him tightly.

”You sturdy bastard,” he commented lightly. ”How was it? Gotten used to your newfound strength?”

Luca nodded. He cast a complicated gaze toward the unmoving, headless body of the knight and said, ”Did you know, Constantine? From the beginning of the battle, he never used any weapon against me. Only because I didnʼt wield a weapon…”

He paused for a moment, his lips curling into a bitter smile.

”The man was honourable even after death.”

Adamʼs gaze shifted between the knightʼs corpse and Luca, who sat with bloodshot eyes.

Heʼs barely hanging on to consciousness, he thought with a light frown.

This is going to be a little difficult.

He turned to a particular direction, sensing that a group of people had already burst through the castleʼs main doors and were rapidly approaching the throne room.

The party was being led by someone at the Templar Paladin Rank!

Doesnʼt seem like a friendly one, too, he thought with narrowed eyes.

”Hey, Luca,” Adam called out, his eyes still locked onto the entrance of the throne room. ”I hope youʼre carrying healing potions with you. I sure as hell donʼt have any medicinal ingredients on me.”

Silence.

The corners of Adamʼs lips twitched. He turned his attention back to Luca and found that the man had already been knocked out cold.

”Hey, hey, arenʼt you getting a little too comfortable passing out in front of someone you barely know?”

He was met with silence again.

”Dragonshit!” he hissed through gritted teeth.

Neither he nor Luca could afford to reveal their true appearances to the people of the City Hall. The upper echelons of the City Hall were in league with the vampires, after all.

If the truth came to light that they had somehow survived, there was no telling what might happen to Sandra, who had gone to great lengths to arrange their escape.

Not that Adam particularly cared about Sandraʼs well-being. He hardly knew the vampire.

Still, ”remaining dead” had its advantages.

Change of plans!

Adam willed the Faceless Mask to work its magic.

The skin on his face began to twist and distort, as though countless tiny tendrils were squirming beneath it. At the same time, the patch of bone-white hair atop his head gradually darkened until it became completely black.

Bang!

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room flew open.

A group of five entered the throne room. Everyone except their leader froze at the sight of the chaos that had unfolded within.

The ancient chamber had been reduced to ruins. The stone floor was cracked, broken pillars lay scattered across the ground, and shattered glass covered nearly every corner. Blood stained the battlefield.

Their gazes fell upon the red-armored knight lying motionless in the throne room. Their expressions changed instantly to those of shock and disbelief.

The Last Knight, one of the three great monsters of the city, was dead!

Meanwhile, the leaderʼs attention remained fixed on the figure standing beside Lucaʼs unconscious body.

The man appeared to be older than the injured Paladin. He had dark hair and grey eyes and a beard that gave him an air of maturity. His appearance bore an uncanny resemblance to Luca.

If Lucaʼs face had not been so bloodied and battered, the two of them would have looked remarkably alike.

The leader of the party, the Templar Paladin, took a step forward and roared: ”Did you do this?! Have you any idea what youʼve—”

His words got cut off when suddenly, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. The man froze in shock.

One minute Adam was on the other side of the throne, and the next, he was already standing right next to him!

Adamʼs cold grey eyes stared at the Templar Paladin. His lips parted, and he spoke in a voice that did not belong to him:

”Lower your voice, fool.”

The Templar Paladin, one of the councilors of the City Hall, was utterly dumbfounded. His trembling eyes looked toward Adam, but they did not find him.

What?

The manʼs back was drenched in cold sweat. He turned his attention back to the other side of the throne room, and his eyes widened.

Adam hadnʼt even moved from his spot beside Luca.

Then what did I…

Behind him, the other adventurers were looking at him with perplexed expressions, wondering why he had suddenly gone so still.

It was only then that the Templar Paladin realized what had just happened.

Illusion!

”To answer your question,” Adam said calmly. ”It was my little brother who defeated this knight.”

The adventurersʼ eyes widened at the confirmation. Meanwhile, their leader was shocked for a different reason entirely.

”As for your other question,” Adam continued speaking with a face that did not belong to him. ”Why donʼt you enlighten me?”