"Lunatic!"
Max cursed and raised an earth wall to block the shadow pythons lunging toward him. Around him, the other Adepts scrambled, releasing spells of every element to shield themselves.
Adam only smirked. "Not bad. As expected of Magus lapdogs."
Veins bulged on the Adepts' foreheads, fury twisting their faces. Being mocked as lapdogs was always a sore spot used by the independent Adept captains to look down on those who submitted to Magus.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" one shouted. None of them understood Adam's madness. They had no grievances with him. Wasn't he afraid of drawing the Magus' wrath?
"It doesn't matter what his motives are. Let's get him!" Max roared.
He cast earth spears that shot from the ground, while the others hurled fire, water, and wind spells.
Adam raised his own earth wall. Their spells crashed against it, shattering stone, but the barrier gave him enough space to retreat.
Max gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his forehead as he forced more mana out. Another wall erupted behind Adam, then two more flanked him from both sides, trapping him.
"Now! He has nowhere else to go!" Max shouted.
The Adepts unleashed their most devastating spells—fire blasts, water bombs, and wind blades.
But Adam only narrowed his eyes. Shadows coiled around his body, forming bat-like wings. He shot into the air just as the attacks struck, leaving the ground in ruins.
"Where is he?"
Dust and debris clouded the battlefield, hiding him.
"Up!"
They looked skyward just in time to see Adam hovering above, wings spread wide, his arm raised.
Shadows around him were shaped into dozens of weapons—swords, spears, and arrows. He hurled them down like rain.
The Adepts panicked, throwing up defenses: earth walls, water prisons, fire barriers, and wind domains. But most shattered instantly. His weapons were sharper, infused with mana strong enough to pierce through everything.
Screams filled the air as shadow weapons tore into flesh.
Max staggered back, clutching his shoulder where a shadow arrow had pierced him. Fortunately, he added another defense layer, or else he'd be seriously injured like the others.
Adam landed lightly and looked at the survivors in surprise. "Oh? You're all still alive. Good job. But this is the end."
The shadows twisted again, forming giant pythons with dagger‑like fangs. They slithered forward in zigzag patterns, confusing the wounded Adepts who scrambled and fled.
The pythons tracked them like prey, then struck, biting their bodies and shredding them apart.
"No! Please!"
"Damn you!"
"Captain will avenge us!"
"You're done for!"
Their screams turned from pleas to despair, then silence.
Max trembled. He was the only one left alive, but there was no joy in surviving. Watching comrades he had known for years torn apart left him frozen, wondering about his end.
"Monster…" he whispered.
Adam landed a few feet away. "Not bad ability, right?"
"Why are you doing this?" Max rasped, fear choking his voice. He tried his best to look furious, but terror froze his body.
"Why?" Adam looked up at the sky, his voice calm. "Did you enjoy your last raid?"
"What?" Max muttered, confused.
"I asked if you enjoyed your last raid."
A shadow needle pierced his knee, forcing him to collapse to the ground.
"I see… So you came for revenge." Max gritted his teeth, realization dawning. He finally understood why this monster attacked them. Adam was from that island reduced to ruins after the Magus clash.
Adam grabbed his head, voice low and venomous. "Do you know what kind of pain you inflicted on me?"
Small shadow needles emerged, sliding into Max's open mouth.
"Don't worry. I'll let you experience one tenth of that heart‑wrenching pain."
Max tried to close his mouth, but the needles forced their way in, choking his scream. His eyes bulged, tears streaming as they tore through him from within. In seconds, his body convulsed, then fell limp to the ground.
Adam released his grip but showed no joy in revenge.
"There's still more."
He gathered the corpses, shoved them into his inventory, and cleaned the battlefield until no trace of combat remained.
"Hope they don't notice anything immediately."
His decision to kill the Adepts of different pirate groups wasn't born of impulse or hatred. It was the most logical choice he could make after four days of thinking.
The Faraday twins had proven trustworthy by leading everyone to the dungeon and providing opportunities. All the pirate Magus had agreed to share the burden of the academies' targeting, forming an unspoken alliance. None would break it, for betrayal would harm them all and invite retaliation.
"If I attacked the twins, the others would think I was coveting the artifact and surround me." Adam's gaze hardened. "Since conflict is inevitable, better to inflict damage now before the final battle."
To him, angering the Magus didn't matter. The moment they sided with the twins, they had already become his enemies.
When Adam returned to the coast, he found pirates lighting fires, already drunk and celebrating.
"Sir!" A few sober ones scrambled over, recognizing him as one of the Adepts who had left with the group.
"Any trouble in the dungeon, sir?" asked a one‑eyed pirate.
"No." Adam shook his head. "The Magus decided to leave a few Adepts behind to guard the ships, in case academy Magi passed by."
"So, the others…"
"They were slow, so I left them behind." Adam's tone was calm, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Gather everyone. I have an important announcement on behalf of the Magus."
The pirates gathered quickly, some stumbling from drink, others curious at the mention of a Magus order.
Adam looked at the hundreds of scum around him and smirked.
"The Magus had ordered you… to die."
Before the words could sink in, shadows erupted from his body. Dozens of whips, jagged like chainsaw blades, lashed out in every direction.
The drunken pirates barely had time to scream. Flesh tore, limbs flew, and corpses fell. Those who tried to run were dragged back by shadow pythons and shredded.
Blood sprayed across the barren coast, mixing with the firelight. The smell of iron drowned out the stench of smoke and alcohol.
The carnage was so overwhelming that Adam was forced to close his eyes. Even though he hated these scum, he still wasn't mentally prepared to massacre hundreds of people.
"Get used to it," he advised himself. "Magus are a race who conquer planets. There will be hundreds of similar situations in my future. Don't waver."
After making sure none survived, Adam boarded the ships and began burning them.
He hurled fireballs at the sails and into the alcohol‑soaked cabins, letting the flames consume everything.
"A trapped target is an easy target!"
After destroying all the ships aside from a small boat, he headed toward the dungeon's direction and found a high ground where the gate was visible.
"It's just you and me now!"
He pulled a sniper rifle from his inventory and aimed at the gate.
"Adepts can stay in the dungeon for only four hours, while Magus can remain the whole day… I'll get rid of the Adepts first."