Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

540  Frost Grove

Stratford was bombarded by a flurry of attacks. Although he knew that two out of the three Adams in front of him were mere illusions, he was having great difficulty trying to ascertain who the real one was.

This boy… his expertise in illusion magic has truly surpassed anything I have ever seen! Despite two of them being illusions, their attacks feel so real!

The sense of touch, smell, sight, and sound feels real! Everything feels so real!

Is this the true terror of illusion magic?!

The werewolf thought in alarm as he continued to tank all of Adams' attacks. Every time he counterattacked and dealt the youth a critical blow, the latter's body would turn into shadows!

Suddenly two Adams caught each of Stratford's hands, restraining him on the spot. While the third Adam appeared before him like a ghost.

He placed both hands in front of the werewolf. One palm was facing him, while the other palm was placed below the first palm and facing upward.

Adam gathered a large amount of mana into his hands, intensifying the poison generated from the gauntlets.

Then, he spun both his hands in a clockwise direction.

Hand of Doom: Poison Style!

BILLOWING STRIKE!!

BOOM!!!

The entire area around Stratford caved in as a visible vortex of dark purple-colored poison engulfed his upper body.

When the dust settled, much to Adam's shock and dismay, Stratford was still standing on his feet!

When he had used the same technique against the patriarch of the Howlett Family, who was a Rank 2 werewolf, his entire upper body was reduced to mere blood stains.

However, Stratford was a much more powerful existence!

He was a mighty Rank 3 - Mana Vortex Magus who also had the physiology of a werewolf. This gave him shocking regenerative capabilities.

Damn it! Adam couldn't help but curse inwardly in frustration.

I need to finish him in one move or he's going to keep regenerating forever! I can't afford to wait for the wolfsbane to immobilize him…

His expression turned solemn and his abyss-like eyes shone with extreme ruthlessness.

Damn it! There's only one way…

I have to try that out!

Right at that moment, Stratford grabbed the youth's arms with lightning-fast speed.

"Are you done?" He asked coldly.

The injury that he had just received from Adam's technique regenerated at a visible speed, causing the youth to be astonished.

Although the physical injuries healed, more poison had infiltrated Stratford's body from the previous attack.

But the werewolf did not care!

He felt greatly humiliated that he was reduced to such a state by a mere Rank 2 Magus. Now, even if he had to pay a steep price, he would make sure to kill Adam.

Rank 3 Spell: Frost Grove! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Intense warning bells started ringing inside Adam's mind, warning him of the great danger to come.

The youth harrumphed and activated the white lotus once again, intending to teleport away through the Spirit World.

SPLURT!

But the arteries inside his eyes burst open, leading to retinal hemorrhage. A significant amount of blood gushed out from his eyes, preventing him from teleporting.

"AAAGGHHH!!!" Adam screamed in agony.

He had ended up overusing the legendary artifact nestling inside his spirit sea. Now, he had to bear the brunt of it.

Moreover, because Stratford was holding onto both his arms, he was now rendered completely useless. He couldn't execute the physical component required to cast Foggy Steps.

He could not escape!

The youth's screams were cut short when dozens upon dozens of spikes made entirely of ice emerged from the ground.

They shot up toward the sky, impaling Adam as well as his duplicates!

Adam's eyes rolled over as several thick spikes pierced his legs, stomach, chest, and arms. Only through sheer instincts was he able to avoid getting stabbed in his vital points.

The frost spikes pierced his body and unfurled into trees, their leaves dyed the shade of blood.

All around Stratford, dozens of these ice trees grew magically, forming a beautiful grove.

"You really thought… you could stand a chance against the might of a Rank 3 Magus?" Stratford weakly said, gasping for air.

Unable to sustain the spell any longer, he canceled it, causing Adam to lifelessly fall to the ground. His body was riddled with holes the size of an average adult human's arm.

Seeing the raven-haired youth drowning in a puddle of his own blood, Stratford revealed a victorious smile as he fell to his knees.

He violently coughed, spewing blood along with poison.

There's too much wolfsbane in my system… I need to get rid of it quickly! Fortunately, hundreds of my descendants are still alive…

I've to find them and drain them of their blood… I'll recover in no time... Yes, this is just a minor setback…

But first, I need to kill this boy!

His crimson eyes flashed with hatred and cruelty as he raised his head and looked at the unconscious Adam.

He weakly reached out with his hand and grabbed the youth's neck. Then, he got to his feet and raised Adam to his shoulder level.

"You fought bravely, Magus. I will remember you."

Adam, despite being a mere Mana Liquefaction Magus, had reduced Stratford to a state where he was nearly on death's door.

Even if he had wolfsbane, it was no small matter to deal with a werewolf who was a Rank 3 Magus!

After all, if an ant were given a sword, would it be able to defeat an elephant?

The answer was clear.

Stratford greatly admired the youth's tenacity and his prowess. Not only had the latter foiled the schemes that had taken him several centuries to plan, but he was also able to land a great physical blow on him.

However, in the end, Adam still lost. Such was the great gap between a Mana Liquefaction Magus and a Mana Vortex Magus.

The next moment, the werewolf's eyes flashed with a cold light as he launched his other hand, planning to pierce the youth's heart.

But at the last moment, Adam's black pupils abruptly focused.

The last thing that Stratford saw was a pair of white lotuses and then everything went dark!

***