Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

While the group of cultists standing at the estate entrance was constantly bombarding the barrier, Adam had already led the contestants to the main manor.

The manor was completely empty, devoid of any people. Adam had already paid his maids and servants a sizeable amount of gold and ordered them to leave the city before the final trial of the tournament began.

Now, whether or not they remained in the city, Adam did not know—and frankly, he did not care. He had already done his best to keep them away from harm. He wouldn't go out of his way to protect them if they were still present in the city. He had far bigger problems.

He led the group to the underground level where his laboratory was located. Inside, nestled somewhere between wooden shelves containing wine barrels, was the portal that led directly to the underground vault in Saratoga.

The Headmaster had instructed Adam to guide the contestants to his underground vault, where they would be safe. And it was indeed the safest place for them to be.

But now, several complications had arisen.

Firstly, and most importantly, the cultists were trying to break through the mana barrier surrounding his estate, and soon they would undoubtedly succeed.

Second, the portal was small and could only allow one person to teleport at a time—two if Adam infused considerably more mana into the teleportation portal. But that might become dangerous for the travelers.

That brings us to the third point… the portal required Adam's mana to activate in the first place. The Rank 4 Spell: Dimensional Door inscribed on the portal was tied to his mana signature, and as such, no one other than him could get it up and running.

It was going to be a very time-consuming process. At the same time, Adam also had to ensure that the cultists did not disturb the teleportation process, which was going to be highly difficult.

Arriving at the underground laboratory, Adam led the long line of group towards the corner of the chamber where the teleportation circle was located.

Strangely enough, the laboratory was completely empty, and so was the rest of the manor.

Well, of course it was! Adam would never leave behind his valuables even if the world were coming to an end.

The raven-haired youth weaved a set of simple hand seals and placed one foot on the portal. Then, he channeled his mana, infusing the circle with fuel to facilitate the teleportation.

As the large runic circle lit up with a resplendent light, he soon began helping the contestants step on the portal and teleport away.

His students were the first to leave.

Despite being under the effects of Compel, they felt extremely reluctant to part with their Mentor. But of course, Adam lied to them with a reassuring smile, telling them he would join them shortly.

Then, his friends stepped onto the portal. Daneli and Edward, too, were reluctant to leave. Especially, Edward… he was even showing subtle signs of resisting the Rank 3 Spell from the School of Enchantment.

But he was quickly pushed onto the portal, where the incandescent light enveloped him and teleported him out of the place.

However, before leaving, though… Adam made sure to release the serpent's seal he had placed on his mana channels.

Soon, one by one, the contestants stepped on the portal and were safely teleported away. But at the same time, countless cracks started to appear on the section of the barrier near the estate's entrance.

The Mana Vortex Magi were concentrating their joint attacks on that singular patch of barrier, after all. Slowly but surely, the invisible barrier was breaking apart.

Gradually, the cracks in the barrier widened, branching out and connecting like a web, forming jagged, spider-like fissures that spread across its surface.

The Mana Vortex Magus leading the cultists grinned from ear to ear as we saw the cracks becoming bigger and bigger.

Just one more…

One more attack and the cultists would succeed in breaching the defenses of the Constantine Estate!

But they weren't the only ones attacking.

The Magus raised his head, eyes narrowing as he gazed at the sky directly above the estate. There, he spotted a small, black dot hurtling downward at unimaginable speed.

It grew larger with every passing second, rushing toward the barrier like a harbinger of devastation.

The Magus laughed out loud. "Come on, you bastards! Just one more hit and then we can lay waste to the Dark King's home!"

"OHHH!!"

The Magi cheered with a crazed look in their eyes. Each of them began preparing for the final spell that would allow them to shatter the mana barrier.

And at the same time, the black dot in the sky above began to take shape with each passing moment, until its features were finally visible.

Emerging from the skies like a nightmare born of darkness and decay, the beast's massive body resembled that of a lion, except it had six muscular legs. Its entire form was cloaked in pitch-black feathers, giving it a ghostly appearance.

The creature had two serpentine necks, and at the end of each neck, a snake-like head with piercing emerald eyes and dripping fangs opened its maw.

The Twin Pheras!

And riding atop this mighty Mana Vortex-level beast was a cultist who himself stood at the peak of the Mana Vortex Rank!

Both parties were only moments away from breaking through the mana barrier—the Twin Pheras and its rider hurtling down from the sky, and the large group of Magi unleashing relentless force from the ground below.

Inside the underground laboratory, Adam sensed everything unfold through his Sphere of Resonance. An extremely dark expression shadowed his face.

He was still working on teleporting the contestants to safety, but so far… barely a fourth of them had managed to escape.

Time was slipping through his fingers, and the barrier wouldn't last much longer.

Damn it!

He cursed inwardly.

The Black Legion and Ravenfell's armed forces are busy fighting the Cult's army that has infiltrated the city. The members of the Brotherhood are fending off against the bastards at sea.

Despite planning extensively for the battle against the Cult, they had still managed to catch them off guard. Now, everyone was busy fighting their own battles.

The crux of the problem was that the cultists had used the sewer complex and had made it their staging ground to wage war against the city. This caught everyone off guard.

It was as if… the Cult had found a way to bypass Ravenfell's security without alerting anyone—even the Lord Marshall.

Adam had a dark scowl on his face as he thought to himself, I think it's still manageable if I teleport back and forth.

If I use the lotus, I can still ensure these people's safety—

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when Professor Whitaker called out to him.

"Adam, do you know what your trouble is, dear boy?"

"Huh?" The raven-haired youth turned to look at the elderly woman, who was looking back at him with a gentle smile.

"You always think it's you against the world. You've carried everything on your shoulders, never once asking for help. Even with allies beside you, you charge ahead as if you're utterly alone."

Adam opened his mouth to say something, but no words escaped his lips. Then, he closed his mouth. He… didn't know how to retort.

Professor Whitaker placed a hand on his shoulder and said warmly, "You must learn to trust others, my child."

With that said, she winked at him and walked away.

"Professor! Where are you going?!" Adam blurted out, his eyes flickering with concern.

"Hoho, where do you think?" The elderly woman chuckled. "I'm going to buy us some time until the children have teleported away."

"But…" Adam gritted his teeth. "There are a lot of Mana Vortex Magi out there!"

Professor Whitaker stopped, turned slightly to face Adam, and said softly, "You underestimate me, dear boy."

Her emerald eyes flashed with a peculiar light as she added:

"There's a reason the Headmaster appointed me as the Department Head of the School of Summoning."

She paused, her lips curling into a confident smirk.

"It's because I'm strong."

A brilliant magic circle lit up under her feet, followed by the sound of lightning. And then…

She disappeared.