Chapter 1760 Shadowmuir's Magic

In the twisted reflection of the town, a giant orb suddenly bloomed in the public square.

It quickly expanded, engulfing several roads and buildings in the perimeter before finally coming to a halt. It did not swell further, but it did become darker and denser.

The Desolate Wheel was a close to mid-range offensive technique. The more mana the user of the Astral Tyrant Manual poured into the attack, the more area it covered.

Adam had been able to draw all of his enemies to a small area. And so, he didn't need the Desolate Wheel to encompass the entire town. Instead, he put more effort into strengthening the small region around him, ensuring that his enemies were thoroughly obliterated.

The technique did not last for more than two seconds. The giant energy orb disappeared just as abruptly as it had appeared. And when it receded, it finally showed the sheer destruction it had left behind.

Adam, his face slightly pale, gently landed on the ground, his tattered robe fluttering gently behind him. His chest heaved up and down, slowly and steadily, as he finally took in his surroundings with cold, calm eyes.

Although the previous attack hadn't consumed a considerable amount of mana, he still had to expend quite a good chunk of it. Moreover, he also had to sustain the illusion for a long time. Not to mention, he had to make it sound, appear, and feel very real. Or else, his enemies wouldn't have been fooled.

Thankfully, his eyes no longer bled profusely from overusing the Lotus. That was a change Adam happily welcomed. Although his head still hurt. It felt as if someone had pierced a thousand needles into his brain. But pain was an old friend. It wasn't something he couldn't manage.

As he concluded the tally, he confirmed that all the remaining shadowkins had perished — all but Rekan, who had disappeared. Parts of their bodies were missing, and the parts that were visible were full of ghastly injuries received from trying to endure the chaos within the Desolate Wheel.

Then there was the Shadow…

Adam's eyes narrowed as he walked toward the dark mass of shadow. It continued to phase in and out as the appendages in its body desperately reached out toward the obelisk.

The half-broken stone pillar that the Shadow had been so intensely protecting was also destroyed. Well, most of it, anyway.

Adam's gaze flashed with a peculiar light as it locked onto the thick black rod that had once been encased within the obelisk. It still remained standing. Utterly unharmed. The Desolate Wheel had delivered not even the faintest crack on its stygian surface.

How very fascinating, thought the raven-haired youth, his interest truly piqued.

He shifted his attention back to the Shadow. It was a surprise that it managed to survive the Desolate Wheel. But then again, it had the ability to turn its body incorporeal.

Adam pointed his index and middle fingers at the writhing mass of shadow and cast Magic Missile in rapid succession.

"Let's see how much longer you can turn intangible," his words coldly echoed in the deep crater that had now replaced the square.

Some of the Magic Missiles phased right through the Shadow, but others managed to deal damage to it. Heavy damage. Just like that, the Shadow continued to sustain injuries one after another. It had been rendered completely immobile from Adam's earlier tyrannical attack.

Now, only one fate awaited it.

Fatality.

Almost a minute and dozens of Magic Missiles later, the Shadow finally perished. Adam had wanted to collect its corpse for study later. But surprisingly, after the Shadow died, its body dissipated into black wisps and dissipated into its surroundings.

"Huh." Adam's expression was impassive.

He remained standing in his spot for a few moments. Then he looked around, shrugging. "You sure you're not going to attack now?"

No reply came.

"This is the perfect opportunity, buddy," Adam taunted with a mischievous smile. "I promise you, I've lowered my guard. Look, I'm so harmless."

Still, no reply came.

Adam shook his head and snorted in ridicule. "As expected of an assassin," he muttered under his breath.

He didn't even know if Rekan was actually hiding out there somewhere, waiting for the perfect moment to attack, or if he had left the Shadowmuir altogether. It was this sense of the unknown that made him worry.

What he did know was that the shadowkin leader had managed to survive the Desolate Wheel by being able to identify the attack's immense threat to his life beforehand. Though Adam believed he wasn't entirely unharmed.

With Rekan now missing, the raven-haired youth didn't want to have to constantly look over his shoulder, wondering when the assassin's attack might arrive.

Not to mention, not only did he have to check what the strange black rod was about, but he also had to spend a lot of time trying to find a connection to the spirit world.

If Rekan attacked during a critical time…

Adam's eyes turned cold. For a faint moment, the madness he had endured in Mabi reflected in his tenebrous pupils. The corner of his lips slowly curled upward.

"Heh, fine." He shook his head helplessly. "Have it your way."

At last, he turned his attention to the black rod embedded in the ground. The fact that it had managed to endure one of the most powerful techniques of the Hand of Doom spoke volumes about it.

He couldn't help but wonder what kind of sturdy material the thick rod was made of. He wondered what its origins were. He pondered several things as he made his way toward it.

The Shadow protected it so fiercely while it was still alive, he thought to himself as he took firm, steady steps toward the mysterious object.

It was willing to overcome its cowardice and fight with its life on the line to protect this rod. Just what the hell is this thing? Why would the creature go so far?

Finally, Adam arrived before the rod. He made sure to keep the Sphere of Resonance activated at all times. He honed in his senses, trying to study the object before him.

It was a pitch-black that seemed to devour all color. The rod was slightly taller than Adam was, and it was thick and looked rough. Moreover, it seemed to be made of some kind of mysterious metal, perhaps local to the Shadowmuir.

Adam had no clue what the material used to make it was. To him, it seemed to be nothing more than a heap of iron. But in that ugly piece of metal, he saw… potential.

He stroked his chin and closed his eyes slightly. To be able to endure a powerful attack from me… it's got to be at least a Mana Core-grade material, he mused to himself.

And the fact that the Shadow had died protecting it made the rod even more special. Then there was also this enigmatic property it radiated. Adam didn't quite know what it was. But if he had to guess, then it had to be something related to dark magic.

Obviously. He scoffed.

He made sure not to look around, his gaze glued only to the rod in front of him. He inhaled deeply a couple of times, then reached out for the object with his right hand.

His Sphere of Resonance worked on overdrive as his hand reached toward the rod. At last, his fingers touched the dark surface and curled around it until he firmly held it in his hand.

For a moment, nothing happened. He tilted his head, wondering if he had imagined the mysterious vibes emanating from the rod.

But right at that moment…

Adam's eyes turned wide open, and his pupils shrank. He felt as if a powerful jolt of lightning had struck him, rooting him to the place. His body shuddered violently, and then, something shocking happened.

A tide of darkness burst forth from the rod, flowing into Adam's right hand. It was slow, but it was consistent in its advance. As the youth's figure continued to shudder, the black tide crept up his wrist, his forearm, his shoulder, until finally, it had spread to his torso.

And right at that moment, the shadows nearby stirred, and a figure finally emerged from them!

"As I thought," Rekan coldly muttered. "That thing… it has somehow managed to absorb the essence of the magic permeating the Shadowmuir. No wonder the Shadow was so attached to it. The creature probably used it to strengthen itself."

He calmly walked toward Adam. Watching him scream silently and shudder in agony as the black tide spread through his neck and reached his face, Rekan felt great satisfaction.

"And now, you're being tainted by it," he added as he stepped right beside Adam. "It would have been nice to see you become one of us. But honestly…"

His words turned cold as he retrieved his daggers. "You've killed comrades that I've known for centuries. They were... my friends. So I'm going to avenge them and kill you right here, right now."

With that said, he drove the daggers forward with ruthless killing intent!

STAB!!!

Rekan's eyes slowly widened at what he was witnessing.

At the last possible moment, Adam had moved his free hand to intercept one of the strikes. As a result, a dagger had pierced straight through his palm. But he didn't let go. With that same bloodied hand, he clamped down on Rekan's fist.

As for the second dagger… Adam had shifted his body just enough to prevent it from piercing his throat. The dagger was now embedded deep into his jugular vein, and hot blood gushed out of the gaping injury like a fountain.

But Adam didn't scream at all. He did not even wince.

Instead, he laughed.

"Kill me?" He spoke like a man possessed. "You sure about that?"

"Im-Impossible!!" Rekan was filled with wild disbelief. "How are you still—"

"Oh, this?" Adam grinned from ear to ear as the black tide creeping across his skin slowly started to recede.

But instead of retreating back toward the rod, the darkness was being devoured… consumed by something deep within him!

"I learned about this a while ago," he added as he jumped and locked his legs around Rekan's waist in a crushing hold. "You see, my body's a little strange."

Then he calmly let go of the rod with his other hand and, with the same grin on his face, yanked the dagger out of his neck. Even more blood gushed out from his wound.

For the first time, Rekan's eyes trembled with horror. Pure shock locked his body in place, robbing him of the chance to use any life-saving technique.

And that was all the time Adam needed.

His right hand turned into a blur as he drove Rekan's own dagger down again and again and again. He plunged the blade without pause into the devil's neck, his throat, his mouth, his nose, his eyes, his skull, any opening he could find.

By the time Rekan's lifeless body fell to the ground, his face was barely a face anymore.

The Dark King rose triumphantly, his body covered in blood, and all his enemies slain.

It was impossible for a Magus from the Outer Universe to defeat over a dozen Mana Core-level devils tempered in the Eternal War.

It was impossible for them to resist the taint of Shadowmuir's magic by relying solely on themselves.

Such feats were beyond any Magus born and raised in the Outer Universe.

With the sole exception of Adam Constantine.

Wrote this while on the train ride back home. Too tired (and lazy) to write two chaps. So this one's a long one. Enjoy :)