Adam had forgotten how many people he had killed at this point. Time seemed to be moving at a snail's pace. The stench of blood constantly assaulted his nostrils, and the corpses continued to pile up everywhere he appeared.

All he could tell was that the death toll of the Mana Foundation and the Mana Liquefaction Magi was significantly more than that of the Mana Vortex Magi.

Who the hell even sends Mana Foundation Magi for such a battle, he thought grimly as he appeared from the darkness, slit a cultist's throat, then once again disappeared.

They were nothing but disposable body bags. And so were Mana Liquefaction Magi, if he was being honest. In a battle where Mana Core Magi were involved, being anything weaker than a Mana Vortex Magus meant death.

That was why he had sent his friends and students away to Saratoga, and that was why he constantly reprimanded Little Val to remain quite within the safe confines of his spirit sea.

Damn it! What the hell is happening?!

I can't go on like this for longer…

I need to take drastic measures.

He hid amidst the rubble of his broken home, concealed from everyone's senses by layers of illusion spells. The youth scanned his estate that had turned into a battlefield, his heart turning cold.

Corpses everywhere.

Corpses of humans and undead creatures.

Moreover, the fact that none of the armed forces of Ravenfell, the Black Legion included, had come to lend him a hand meant that the situation they were facing was extremely dire.

What are Raidon and the men going through right now?

Are they even… alive?

Adam gritted his teeth, still unable to quite believe how the battle that they had planned so long and meticulously for had turned out.

All their planning had dissolved like snowflakes under the furious light of the sun.

Could these cultists have used that thing that they used in Hannes City and Blackshore? Adam thought to himself, a hint of nervousness flickering in his eyes.

Damn it, nothing makes sense anymore!

"Form a tight perimeter around the estate," Leeroy barked out orders, surrounded by powerful Mana Vortex-level undead creatures.

"Erect the barriers! Nothing gets out of this place! Move in groups of three! Hurry! Hurry!"

His tone seemed desperate, and there was barely suppressed fear in it.

How could it not?

It had been a little over an hour, yet over a dozen Mana Vortex Magi had already been killed. And the number of Mana Liquefaction and Mana Foundation Magi that had died was countless.

All of them were butchered by one single man.

The Dark King.

Now, even with close to fifty Mana Vortex Magi within the estate, Leeroy still felt unsure about his chances of apprehending the raven-haired youth.

And there was another thing. All kinds of divination spells to locate the Dark King turned out to be utterly useless. No matter what they did, they just couldn't scry his position.

On the other side, Adam felt increasingly unsure about his ability to slaughter all these cultists on his estate, so he could give his allies room to breathe.

If things were already so bad here, he didn't dare to think how the others were faring.

With the Mana Core Magi engaged in their own battles, it all came down to how the Mana Vortex Magi of each side performed.

And from the look of things… the Mana Vortex Magi of the Cult far outnumbered the Mana Vortex Magi of Ravenfell.

Damn it all!

Adam would have loved to unleash the serpents of war on these cultists, but doing so would burn through his mana reserves. Moreover, he did not want to play that card so early in the battle.

From the way things were going, this was proving to be a very long battle. He had to efficiently use his mana and call upon the serpents when the time was right.

I never thought I'd have to worry about mana consumption, he thought to himself bitterly as he saw the cultists erect a formless barrier around the estate.

Though cultists were still pouring into the barrier, none could leave. It was a one-way barrier. It seemed they were hellbound on their objective to capture him no matter the cost.

Only if I could kill all these bastards without mana…

Without mana…

At the moment, something clicked inside his mind as he gazed at the new barrier surrounding his estate, people coming in, but none being able to leave.

Without mana… one-way barrier…

His eyes narrowed.

It was a gamble, but one he was willing to bet on.

Then, without wasting any moment, he shot to his feet and rushed to a new hiding spot. He couldn't stay at the same place for more than a few seconds. Cultists were swarming every inch of the estate, after all.

But now, he had a plan to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!

This time, he did not kill any cultists he passed by. Instead, he took this time to consume one potion after another, applying ointment all over his skin, and stuffing his ears and nose with medicinal wax. He also circled his estate several times.

Finally, after he had made his preparations… he cancelled his concealment spells.

Suddenly, appearing out of nowhere, he caught the cultists off guard.

"We found him!"

"The Dark King!"

"He's here!"

"Everyone, he's here!"

At once, a thunderous clamour descended in the estate, and a heavy, fearful atmosphere pervaded the surroundings.

Leeroy and the rest of the Mana Vortex Magi rushed towards Adam, but instead of attacking him, they all surrounded him from a distance. None of them dared to attack.

They were still wary of him, after all.

Putting on a brave front, Leeroy grinned maliciously, "Dark King, are you finally ready to give up?"

Adam patiently waited for all the cultists to gather around him.

He did not reply. His mouth was stuffed with a mess of chewed-up leaves. He coldly glanced at the leader of this force, Leeroy, and calmly shook his index finger.

Then, he nonchalantly went on to seal his eyes shut with an amber-colored wax.

Leeroy frowned. When he noticed Adam's skin was smeared with some kind of ointment and the facial orifices sealed with some kind of strange wax, a terrifying feeling gripped his heart, and only one thought echoed in his mind:

Why did the Dark King suddenly show himself?

By the time realization struck him, it was already late.

Dozens of explosions erupted around the estate, but these weren't the flashy, fiery blasts one might expect. There was no firepower behind them.

Instead, dozens of barrels filled with dark purple liquid burst open, releasing a pungent, shadowy miasma that spread throughout the estate.

At once, the air grew thick with a toxic mist.

And soon… it reaped its first victim.

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