The group of Magi from the Arakuro Clan arrived at the battlefield where Adam had slaughtered the hundred Magi.
It had already been a couple of weeks since the incident had taken place. As such, all the corpses had been eaten away by scavengers and looted by bandits.
Nothing remained except for the vast blackened crater that covered most of the battlefield.
Covering his nose to drive the vicious stench away, Takezo couldn’t help but grimace in frustration.
"Just what kind of attack would leave such a big mark?" he asked. "It’s not powerful enough to be considered a Rank 4 Spell, but it doesn’t seem to be at the range of a Rank 3 Spell as well. It seems... sowhere in between?"
One of the other Magi voiced out his opinion, "Could it be a combined spell?"
"That could likely be the case." Takezo nodded.
He then turned to the elderly man at the front and asked, "Uncle, what do you think?"
Masahiro remained silent, his sharp gaze scanning the battlefield. He retrieved the Soulmark Lantern and saw that the red orb within was pointing north. It ant that the murderer was in that direction.
"We will investigate the battlefield, then head north," he said as he alighted from his horse.
One by one, the rest of the Magi from the Arakuro Clan got down from their horses and began investigating the battlefield. They had solemn expressions on their faces, and their looks grew darker the more they studied the battlefield.
After about thirty minutes, they gathered at the edge of the battlefield. All of them had grim looks on their faces. It was evident that they had co to the sa conclusion, and it was sothing that deeply disturbed them.
Takezo was the first one to speak, "This... this can’t be true, can it?"
Masahiro had a deep frown on his face. "This seems to be the work of a single person."
Even without the use of divination spells, these n could recreate the battle scene with just their senses alone. These were all battle-hardened and experienced n, after all.
One of the Magi stepped forward and said in a solemn voice, "There are traces of bladed weapons. I believe they are artifacts with the fire enchantnt."
Everyone simultaneously nodded.
Takezo turned to the blackened crater beside them and said in a low voice, "And that seems to be a result of a spell, I think..."
"It’s hard to tell." Masahiro shook his head. "It’s been too long since the battle here concluded. There isn’t any mana residue or material component residue either. So we can’t be sure."
"Are you saying... that is the result of a mana combat technique?!" Takezo was stunned.
"I’m saying we cannot be certain," said the elderly man. "But what we can be certain about is that this is the work of one man and not a group."
He turned north, his old face twisting into a scowl. "And that man is sowhere up there."
"Do you think he’s gravely injured from the battle?" A Magus asked, his voice low.
"We’d better hope he is," Masahiro said in a somber tone. "Or else the six of us will only be walking to our demise."
At once, a suffocating silence descended among the group. If a small army of a hundred Magi was slaughtered by the murderer, then what hope did this group of Arakuro Magi have?
Masahiro’s expression hardened, and he ordered his n, "Prepare to move!"
***
A week later, the group of Magi reached the frigid expanse of the northern mountains. The air was thin and biting, each breath forming mist that vanished into the howling winds.
Jagged peaks lood in the distance, their snow-covered slopes glinting faintly beneath the sun. After careful scouting, not once but countless tis, the Arakuro Magi arrived before the entrance of a cave sowhere in the middle of a mountain.
It hadn’t taken them long to reach the murderer’s hideout, but it did take them a lot of ti to scout the road ahead, constantly on alert for any ambushes. They also had to look out for traps the culprit might have set.
This was a highly dangerous Magus, after all—soone who had single-handedly slaughtered a hundred Magi.
But their vigilance had been in vain. Not only were there no traps, but there were also no sneak attacks from the murderer. For a mont, the group couldn’t help but wonder if they had co to the wrong place.
However, the Soulmark Lantern could not be wrong. It pointed them to the cave. So that could only an one thing...
Tensei Arakuro’s murderer had to be in an extrely grave state at the mont.
Still, the Arakuro Magi did not let their guards down. They brandished their katanas and got ready to move. Standing at the forefront, Masahiro Arakuro gave his n the signal and then entered.
The cave stretched deep into the mountain, and it took them so ti to reach its inner recesses, where the air grew still and surprisingly warm, sheltered from the biting winds that howled outside.
Finally, the group’s gaze landed on the silhouette of a person. This man sat unmoving on the ground with his back against the wall. He had an arm missing, and there was a puddle of blood underneath him.
Masahiro gnashed his teeth in rage and quickly broke into a sprint. The rest of the Magi followed suit. A few monts later, they arrived before the seated figure.
"Damn you!!" Takezo roared in frustration. "Fucking bastard!!"
The Magi gathered around the one-ard man, their expression dark and full of rage. Masahiro crouched on the ground as he coldly stared at the unmoving man.
Then his gaze fell upon the man’s stomach, where a short sword was buried deep, staining his garnts a dark crimson.
"This coward committed suicide!!" Takezo scread in anger. "How dare he?!"
"He knew that the Arakuro Clan would send people after him, so he took the easier way out," said another man, his gaze full of anger and contempt. "And it looks like it hasn’t been long since he died."
anwhile, Masahiro’s eyes narrowed as his gaze landed on a notebook tucked in deep within the man’s robes. He pulled it free and flipped it open.
One page was filled with a string of characters in the local language, while the next page illustrated the drawing of a man...
A man wearing a kitsune mask.
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