Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe - Chapter 920

Chapter 920: Finality (Super Gift Bonus)
“I’ll die fighting if it’s the last thing I do.”

Anna’s cold words rang through the battlefield. The grim determination burning in her eyes was enough to make Ballard’s smile gradually vanish.

He looked at her with a deep scowl on his face and flatly muttered, “We can’t have you dead now, can we?”

The blond Magus lingered for a moment before adding, “That would defeat the whole purpose.”

Anna frowned. “What purpose? Just… who are you people?”

“Gaaahhhh!”

Before Ballard could answer, a sharp cry filled with pain pierced through the air.

Hearing that familiar voice, Anna’s heart was gripped by nervousness.

She immediately turned towards her protector, only to see the undead knight, who at some point had arrived beside him, slamming its onyx warhammer on the old man’s chest.

The sound of bones creaking, along with Kasper’s blood-curdling screams, filled the air.

With his arms severely injured, he was unable to cast any spells at the moment. Thus, he was rendered utterly useless.

The only thing preventing the undead knight from hammering him into a bloody pulp was the layer of thick mana that he had coated around his aged body.

“Kasper, no!!” Anna screamed.

Suddenly, her heart was gripped by terror when she noticed Hayes Ballard disappear from his spot. With his speed augmented by a wind-magic spell, the man arrived before her in the blink of an eye.

Anna’s expression turned ferocious. Without wasting a breath, she poured all her strength and mana into the blade of her sword, causing the flames covering it to flare with brilliance.

Then, she thrust the sword straight at her opponent’s chest.

Hayes Ballard, ever vigilant of the Grade 3 artifact, had already cast an ice-magic spell on his hands, turning them into icy claws.

With fluid movement, he swatted Anna’s sword-wielding hand to the side, changing the trajectory of the sword thrust. Then, he effortlessly grabbed that wrist.

Once again, the amulet around the crimson-haired princess’s neck came to life, instantly materializing a thin layer of mana around her body.

It would seem that this mysterious artifact would only be activated when an attack landed, or was about to land, on her body.

Funneling a great amount of mana into his hand, Hayes Ballard, with slight effort, shattered the mana shield around Anna’s wrist.

Then, he thrust his other hand forward and viciously grabbed Anna’s throat.

Once again, a thin layer of defensive mana shimmered around her neck. But then again, Ballard applied force, shattering it.

The amulet around her neck flickered for a moment before breaking apart.

CRACK!

That wasn’t the sound of the amulet shattering…

No, that was the sound of the bones in Anna’s wrist snapping. The princess let out a scream, a mix of pain and helplessness, and her grip on her sword faltered.

The blade slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground.

Soon, her voice was silenced as Hayes Ballard tightened his grip around her neck.

Seeing her face turn pale, a cruel grin formed on the man’s face. “This is just the beginning. The torture I’m going to inflict upon you—”

But his words got caught in his throat when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

Lowering his head, he was stunned to see that Anna had stabbed him with a dagger!

“Heh.” A weak smirk found its way to Anna’s lips as she stared at the man with her ruby eyes that were blazing with unyielding resolve.

Hayes Ballard’s eyes turned bloodshot from rage. His grip around Anna’s neck tightened even more, and he ruthlessly slammed her to the ground.

“Whore!” He spat through gritted teeth.

Taking a step back, he took out the small dagger lodged halfway inside his stomach. He grimaced in pain as his eyes fell on the runes etched into its blade.

“Another damn Grade 3 artifact!”

As he poured another Potion of Healing on his fresh wound, he shifted his gaze towards the crimson-haired princess, his eyes flickering with hatred.

Seeing her head bleeding profusely and forming a small puddle on the ground, he cursed under his breath, “Damn it, I almost killed her.”

Ada and Daryl were knocked out cold.

Kasper was desperately struggling to cling to life under the furious onslaught of the undead knight.

Zashi made his way to Ballard, leaving Kasper to his undead knight. He was confident that his servant would be able to kill the old man effortlessly now.

Glancing at Anna lying on the ground, he couldn’t help but frown. “Did you kill her?”

“No, she’s alive,” Ballard flatly muttered.

Zashi confirmed that she was indeed breathing. He then looked around with vigilance and said, “This took us longer than expected. We need to leave immediately.”

Hayes Ballard silently nodded as he tended to the wound on his stomach.

The crooked cultist turned towards Ada and Daryl, his eyes flashing with an ominous light. He then started walking in their direction as he brandished his twin daggers.

“I’ll go finish them off. Get ready to move,” he said.

Blood pooled underneath Anna’s head, deepening her crimson hair to an even darker shade. Her breathing was shallow, and the world around her blurred into a haze.

Adam…

She thought bitterly.

I wish I could have witnessed the splendor of the Greater Universe with you…

Just as the last vestiges of consciousness began to slip away, a drop of Anna’s blood came in contact with a single strand of hair, one starkly different from the rest.

Unlike the usual crimson…

This strand was raven-black!

And then… something magical happened.

The air shifted, and a wave of terrifying, otherworldly aura descended upon the battlefield, so suffocating and alien that Ballard and Zashi started to tremble in horror.

***

Back inside the narrow pass, Rowan felt his life flashing before his eyes.

The moment his gaze landed on the armored knight before him, he knew that he and his family would not be able to make it out alive.

The man… the creature before him was strange. It did not breathe, it did not seem like a living being at all.

It simply stared at them in silence, its ominous, glowing green eyes the only visible thing through the gap in its visor.

Despite being overwhelmed by panic and fear, he still stood firmly before his family, arms stretched wide. Behind him, his wife hugged their children tightly, all of them wailing in terror.

Their cries echoed in Rowan’s ears, causing tears to stream down incessantly.

When the armored knight took a step forward and brandished his great sword, Rowan’s heart was gripped by utter terror. His knees almost gave in as his body trembled.

Yet, he stood his ground.

He had to protect his family.

“S-stay away!” He screamed at the top of his lungs.

But the undead knight did not listen. It slowly raised its great sword as he took another step forward.

“I-I said… s-stay away!” He screamed even louder.

But his words fell on deaf ears.

The knight took another step forward, its sword ready to strike.

Rowan’s teeth started clattering in fear, his heart pounding so violently it felt as if it might burst from the torrent of emotions surging within him.

Knowing that he was only a moment away from death, Rowan hurriedly turned around and tightly embraced his family.

“C-close your eyes… everything’s going to be okay now… I promise.” He tried to appear as calm as he could.

The shadow of the undead knight loomed over them from behind.

Rowan held his family close, his voice trembling with warmth and… finality.

“I love you… more than anything…”

And in his head, the image of a single person surfaced.

Master…

The undead knight finally swung his sword.

But at that very moment, a ripple of energy swept past them, emanating from the battlefield where the Magi clashed.

As if triggered by a chain reaction, a strand of raven-black hair, magically clinging to Rowan’s tunic at the exact spot where Adam had patted him before they parted, suddenly stirred to life.

And then it happened…

HIIIISSSSSSSS!!