Earth's Greatest Magus

Everyone watched with bated breath as the fight between a peak Full Moon magus and a Grand Magus half-blood unfolded in front of their eyes. But of course, the wolf packs that weren't part of the Corvin faction, including Emery, quickly distanced themselves so they wouldn't accidentally get hit by the aftermath of the fight.

In contrast to Tidus, who fought relying on battle art techniques and explosive strength bestowed by his transformation, Fantasme was a Grand Magus who focused on spellcasting.

Transforming to her bloodline form, she proceeded to split herself into three figures with distinct physical appearances.

The first avatar had purplish fur covering her entire body and seemed to be Fantasme's close combat specialist as she darted towards Tidus brandishing two sabers conjured through a spell. Following right behind was the second Fantasme's avatar.

This one had more pinkish fur, an enchanted bow had been drawn by her hands as she shot a volley of destructive arrows at the rugged man from mid-range. Her presence in the battlefield quickly suppressed Tidus' movements and provided support for the first avatar.

The last Fantasme's avatar, who had bluish fur, was the true firepower of the three. She clearly demonstrated how an experienced magician would fight by releasing a multitude of purplish rays capable of locking onto their target without pause.

Each avatar possessed power comparable to a Full Moon magus, so it was no wonder when all three of them working together managed to keep Tidus at bay. Everyone could see how the rebel leader was handled to the point he seemed unable to do anything about it.

"Give up, Tidus! This is the end of the line for you!"

Tidus let out a deafening roar in response, and what happened next startled Emery and the others spectating the fight.

The dark lightning that enveloped the rebel leader's body raged violently as it drastically increased its strength again. The fight stabilized with Tidus now able to match all three Fantasmse.

Even though it was clear the man was in excruciating pain, he kept going and charged at his opponent like an unstoppable beast. Caught off guard, Fantasme lost any initiative she had and even started to get overwhelmed.

Several minutes had passed and the grand magus was still not able to stop the rampaging Tidus.

To think a Full Moon magus could match up to a grand magus, was an awe-inspiring sight for everyone who witnessed the battle.

As he watched the fierce fight, Emery couldn't help but be reminded of a certain figure. One who possessed similar strength and combat prowess as Tidus the Chain Breaker.

"I-Izta… Senior Izta… that's the name."

Another small fragment of his memory came back to him, of a figure he admired and lost.

It was at this time that Annara's familiar lying on Emery's shoulder suddenly flew away and a faint smile appeared on his face as it meant the relocation of the refugees had been completed.

Emery glanced at the ongoing battle, before accessing his [One Mind], calling out the two members of his pack and telling them to proceed with the plan.

It wasn't long before thick plumes of smoke filled the air and one of the people present shouted the cause.

"The forest is on fire!"

Nonetheless, only those below the magus realm started to get restless with the coming disaster. As for those who were magus, even as the blazing flame rapidly spread and engulfed a large portion of the forest, they ignored it as if it didn't exist.

Other than the inconvenience of their view being obscured by the smoke, their attention was completely focused on the ongoing battle. After all, they were immortal and mere smoke and flames did not worry them in the least.

Unbeknownst to anyone but Emery, the sight of the smoke made the rebel leader heave a sigh of relief. Even though pain gnawed every part of his body, the man felt at peace, because he knew this smoke was a signal telling that his men had safely escaped.

On the other hand, after they had inhaled the smoke for a while, the wolf packs suddenly felt something was wrong with their bodies. Their faces turned dark when they realized what it was.

"Poison! It's poisonous smoke!"

The frantic shout immediately caused some magus to cast spells to neutralize the smoke. After clearing their surrounding area, some went to check on the condition of their pack members, while others went in the direction of the fire to check who had tried to screw them.

Emery remained calm as he knew they would find nothing. In fact, the culprits – Andrei and Tatyana – had already snuck away amidst the chaos. They were currently standing behind Emery, acting as if they had been poisoned as well.

What the two dispersed through the smoke was a high grade Numbing poison, one of Emery's latest upgraded toxins recipes. It was far from enough to kill any of the warriors in the area, but it managed to sow chaos within their ranks.

This was the opportunity Emery created for the rebel leader, the cue for the latter to escape.

But in the next second, his face changed as he felt a group of people rapidly approaching in this direction. Moments later, they finally arrived and Emery immediately scowled at the sight of them.

The newcomers were the reinforcement that Ashi of the Blue Moon had mentioned. Numbering more than three dozen figures with a grand magus in their midst; the Ironcrest came led directly by its Patriarch, Crytex Ironcrest.

The arrival of this group could only mean the end of the rebel leader, as there was no way Tidus would be able to escape from two grand magus, let alone with his critically injured condition.

In the meantime, Jason Corvin, who had been nervously watching the fight, seemed to have finally regained his confidence as he quickly greeted Ironcrest.

"Uncle Crytex, your timing is perfect!"

The bearded middle-aged man had now transformed into his bloodline form, causing his skin to be covered in metal-like furs as he quickly readied himself to enter the fray. Knowing this was the last chance for him to escape, Tidus roared loudly as he used his innate ability, destroying one of the Fantasme avatars before turning and running into the forest.

Unfortunately, it seemed he was too late. He was quickly surrounded by many Ironcrest magus who were surprisingly able to stop Tidus' advance.

Feeling suspicious of such bizarre behavior, Emery gathered his focus and confirmed his suspicions.

All of those magus had conspicuous marks on their necks, indicating they were slave magus. They were all forced to do the Ironcrest Patriarch's bidding, this time becoming a meat shield to hold Tidus down.

Upon seeing such a sight, Crytex laughed as he said, "Hahaha, looks like I don't even need to fight you myself."

The man then ordered the dozens of his slave magus to attack Tidus. What Emery and the others witnessed unfold was nothing short of despicable.

Tidus, in spite of blood covering all parts of his body, still tried his best to stay on his feet, dodging and blocking the attacks that were thrown his way. Most importantly, he didn't fight back even once.

Seeing the man make such a decision, Emery truly didn't know what to say.

Why would he do something like that?

The act of sacrifice once again sparked something within Emery's mind, a memory about the same Senior who had sacrificed his life for others. The scene caused voices to appear in his mind, telling him to help the man.

"No! There is nothing I can do without risking myself. No!"

While Emery was occupied with the thoughts in his mind, the Ironcrest Patriarch was laughing as he watched Tidus getting beaten up. He seemed to have no intention of putting a stop to the despicable act, wanting to leave it as is just for the sake of seeing how long Tidus would be able to last.

The sight further made Emery emotional, his urge was telling him to jump and help.

But then, to his surprise, one of the wolf packs present, from those who participated through the Wolf Guild, dashed towards the fight. No one seemed to know what their goal was before they heard their screams.

"Senior Tidus! Run! We will stay and hold them back here!"

The unexpected development shocked Emery. To think there were other groups willing to help the rebels like him. After all, for them to do this would obviously be detrimental, with the least punishment being getting kicked out of the Wolf Guild.

However, those actions only made Tidus stop his struggle. Unwilling to see more lives sacrificed for their sake, he decided to surrender.

In the end, the Corvin was able to capture Tidus the Chain Breaker.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x