Fury.

Unprecedented, infinite, blazing fury.

Marcus wanted to dig his fingers into the man's head and viciously shatter his skull, killing him in the most agonizing way possible.

But the damn mask was getting in the way.

The Headmaster exerted great strength into his grip and flew into the air. Meanwhile, Marden, stunned by the sudden violent reaction, tried his best to break free—to no avail.

In but a second or two, the pair had already flown past the city and arrived at the farmlands to the south of the city walls.

With a vengeful scowl etched on his weathered face, Marcus infused his hand with mana and hurtled the heinous murderer to the ground. That very action of his produced a sonic boom, causing the air to violently ripple outwards.

And then… with a thundering crash, Marden struck the farmlands, carving a massive crater and causing the surrounding ground to cave inward.

Marcus Blackwood slowly descended onto the ground, his dark cape billowing behind him. Though his face appeared cold and indifferent, there was a storm of fire and anger burning in his eyes.

The aura around him was so vast, so overbearing, and so wrathful that the very air around him started to distort. It was as if the very world was reacting to his emotions, to his mana, to his existence.

This was the wrath of a Mana Core Magus!

As his feet touched the ground, he lowered his head to look at the shattered pieces of the wooden mask in his palm. He clenched his fist, reducing the pieces to dust. Then, he shifted his gaze toward the Elder of the Inner Circle, who was gracelessly climbing out of the crater.

He called me… Headmaster, he thought, a terrible foreboding feeling welling up inside his heart.

Meanwhile, the Elder gradually rose to his feet and straightened his back. He brushed his hair back, then finally looked at Marcus with a crazed smile.

"That was a Rank 4 artifact, you know," said he, his tone laced with slight surprise. "It was bestowed upon me by the Cult Leader, yet you… you so easily destroyed it. As expected of the Lord of Ravenfell, I suppose."

When Marcus finally saw who the heinous perpetrator was, his pupils shrank. Though he did not show it on his face, he was utterly stunned.

"…Marden?"

"Yes, Headmaster, it is I." Marden grinned. "Surprised?"

"You…" Marcus was at a complete loss for words. He could not even begin to fathom the man's objectives and what him being a cultist meant.

The Cult's presence in the underbelly of Ravenfell, how they were able to bypass the city's strict security, and how they were able to completely catch everyone off guard… it all started to make sense.

Sabrina was the Lord Commander of Ravenfell. She was the sole person responsible for the safety and security of the city. She knew the ins and outs of every nook and cranny of the city like the back of her hand.

She was given such great responsibility and had access to deep secrets because she was wholly trusted by Marcus and everyone else on the Council, for that matter.

But if the leader of the Cult's forces also had access to those secrets…

Then, it would all make sense. It was because Marden was privy to everything Sabrina knew! He may even have manipulated her from the shadows from the very beginning.

A furious storm raged inside the Headmaster's cold heart. "You would kill your mother just so you could sneak your men into the city?"

The smile on Marden's face slowly vanished, replaced by something far more sinister.

"Just so I could sneak my men?" He asked, his voice dripping with malice. "Do not reduce her death to something so trivial, Headmaster!"

"Then why?" The mana around Marcus surged, and suddenly the world seemed a little bit darker.

Marden remained silent for a few moments, then broke into a wide grin. "Mother's death served a glorious purpose. So did Brother's… and everyone else's."

He paused for a moment, slowly raising his arms wide.

"You see, Headmaster, although it was Saratoga that introduced me to the arcane path, it was the Cult that showed me what it means to be a Magus. But my background was a little… questionable. So I had to slaughter my own people to prove to the Cult Leader where my loyalty truly lies - to him and his grand plan for this world."

Marcus intently observed the light of madness in Marden's eyes. He did not want to ask about the bloody ritual that the murderer had conducted with the corpses of his family members. It did not matter anymore.

As the darkness surged around him, his shadow started to take shape. It started to grow deeper, darker, forming a connection to a distant place with unknown horrors.

His eyes flickered with emotions as he whispered, "She was like a daughter to me. And you killed her just so you could prove yourself to your wretched master?"

"Do not reduce her death to something that trivial!" Marden roared, his eyes bloodshot. "I told you! I told you it was for a glorious purpose!"

Marcus frowned. Seeing the light of madness in Marden's eyes growing deeper with each passing second, he muttered, "Familicide is a heavy sin to bear. I see that it is already weighing on you heavily."

"Why would it?" Marden said with a slight tilt of the head. His voice sounded almost… innocent.

He turned his head every so slightly, glancing at the silhouettes of men, women, the elderly, and the children all gathered behind him. His eyes flickered with madness, and he whispered:

"They're all here with me…"

By the time he had turned back around to face his enemy, Marcus had already disappeared. What he saw instead was a tide of darkness that quickly engulfed him.

And from that darkness, the Headmaster's cold, murderous voice echoed in Marden's ears:

"I will give you the most harrowing death, Marden. And after that… I will rend your soul for all eternity."

***

Constantine Estate, Uptown Quarter.

The sheer number of enemies drowning him was unlike anything Adam had ever faced in his life. Even the war between the races of the Southern Federation and the orcs of the Murky Mountains paled in comparison.

In this battle, he learned something very crucial. The enemy would never give him enough time to cast spells. Casting spells was time-consuming, after all. Even though it took a few seconds, that much time was enough for the cadence of battle to completely change.

Adam could only rely on his mana combat techniques and his weapons for the most part.

And something else he never thought he'd have to use in battle…

Herbalism.

He was going to take this craft meant to save lives and twist it into a tool to gift death to his enemies.

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