Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2708: Parting Ways

All preparations were finally in place. The chaos of the raid had passed, the battle-scarred fleet had reorganized, and one by one the ships returned to the hands of their rightful captains. Engineers patched hulls, navigators recharted their courses, and crews loaded supplies for the long journey ahead. Their destination was a supposed safe zone, a quiet corner of the cosmos.

The plan seemed simple enough. But when word spread that Emery and the Azure Kraken would not be accompanying them, the calm cracked like glass.

At first, the murmurs were hushed, carried across private channels between captains. But soon enough, voices rose in open protest. Fear made men bold. One grizzled captain spat his frustrations over the comms: "Safer under the Blue Skulls, we were!"

The sentiment caught like fire. The captains began to clamor for the same thing—that Emery and the Kraken escort the entire fleet until they reached the safety of their hidden refuge.

"Those ungrateful bunch!" Livi spat, she stood at Emery’s side, her sharp eyes flashing with indignation.

Varrek folded his arms. "Pay them no heed, Captain" he advised. "Such is the fate of sheep. Without strength, all they can do is cry for a shepherd."

Emery listened in silence, his expression unreadable. He cared little for the captains’ panic. Their fear was natural, but he already had a solution.

"They won’t be left defenseless". His gaze turned toward Shatter. "You and your men will accompany them."

The words landed like a hammer.

"Me?!" Shatter’s voice cracked an octave higher, his expression contorting into alarm. His recent experiences had left him reluctant to shoulder any more responsibility. "No, no, no—don’t dump this on me! I’ve had enough danger for three lifetimes!"

Anzi crossed his arms and scoffed. "Don’t be stupid! This is the perfect chance. If we accept, we’ll have a solid reason to leave the frontline. We might even escape the military’s punishment this way."

"Hah! Still act like an expert, aren’t you?" Shatter barked back.

"I am no expert" Anzi replied coolly. "But I am smarter than you."

"What—! You arrogant—#$%@! I said no more dangerous missions!"

The two were nose to nose in seconds, exchanging curses and insults that echoed through the chamber. The sharp contrast between their quarreling now and their heartfelt reunion just hours earlier made Minerva stifle a laugh. Emery smiled faintly. Beneath the banter and bickering, he saw genuine care—an unspoken bond between them.

Before the quarrel could escalate further, Minerva herself approached Emery. "Would you consider sparing several magus realm riders to accompany us? Their presence would ease many fears."

Emery shook his head, the answer immediate. "No. A handful of Magus will not change their odds. I have something else in mind."

To everyone’s surprise, a small figure leapt onto Emery’s shoulder with nimble grace, its metal joints clicking softly as it landed. Gasps rippled across the deck as the crew laid eyes on the creature—a bronze monkey-like construct, its polished frame etched with runes that pulsed faintly with cosmic light.

"He will be more than enough to protect you," Emery said.

Shatter frowned, unimpressed. "That? Really? This ugly little puppet—"

He didn’t get the chance to finish.

With a blur of motion, the bronze figure vanished from Emery’s shoulder. In the blink of an eye, it reappeared perched on Shatter’s own, its weight solid, its presence overwhelming. A wave of cosmic pressure surged from the construct, slamming down onto the deck like a tidal wave.

Shatter staggered, his knees buckling under the crushing aura. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes went wide. "...Grand... magus..."

"Allow me to introduce," Emery said calmly, "Grand Magus Vayarel."

Hearing Emery explain Vayarel’s identity as a three Cosmos Grand Magus made Shatter’s face turn pale. "I–I apologize, Elder... I didn’t know..."

The construct turned its head, the faint glow of intelligence in its eyes. "Nevermind. I will lead you all to your destination."

Emery had already discussed this with Vayarel beforehand. Now that they had arrived in the Magus Universe, his true destination lay in the Beta Quadrant, where the Golden City was located. Fortunately, the fleet’s safe zone happened to be along the way. Thus, Vayarel agreed to escort them there before continuing onward with another warp-drive ship to the Golden City.

With a Grand Magus as their guardian, even the most anxious captains could no longer protest.

Emery inclined his head toward the bronze construct. His tone laced with gratitude. "Thank you, Senior. For all your help, and guidance."

Vayarel’s gem-like eyes gleamed faintly. "As to you..."

They held a silent exchange of respect. Vayarel had been with Emery for more than a decade, guiding him, teaching him, challenging him. Though their relationship mirrored that of master and disciple, the grand magus never allowed Emery to bow his head as such. They shared a realm now. Instead of master and student, they stood as senior and junior.

"I will be expecting to see you in the Golden City."

"Of course," Emery replied.

Vayarel wasted no time. With calm authority, he summoned everyone to prepare for departure. Yet Shatter lingered, hesitating before stepping closer to Emery. His expression was uncharacteristically solemn.

"Brother Emery," Shatter began, bowing his head slightly. "I am so grateful... so much that I even wish to dedicate my life to following you.... But, unfortunately, I am a prince of my faction. My hands are tied. ...Still, if you ever need anything—anything at all—seek me out. I swear I will call upon all the resources of my faction to aid you."

Emery blinked, startled by the declaration. The Cross Faction was a renowned grade-three power. For Shatter to make such a promise was no small matter. Before Emery could respond, however, Anzi cut in with a derisive snort.

"Don’t believe him. He’s just an unwanted prince with little real authority."

The jab hit its mark. Shatter’s face darkened, and in an instant the two were back at it again, trading barbs and insults as though their earlier gratitude had never existed. After a minute of bickering, Anzi grudgingly added,

"...But yes. At the very least, he’s sincere. If you ever need help, both of us will stand by you."

With that reluctant concession, the two turned and left the command deck, still muttering curses under their breath.

Only one figure remained. Minerva.

The beautiful Magus approached slowly, her eyes soft. "It feels like only yesterday that I saw a struggling boy with a mere C-aptitude, barely able to keep pace with his peer. And now... look at you" She shook her head, wonder flickering in her gaze. "I don’t think there has ever been another student like you in the history of the academy."

Before Emery could respond, Minerva stepped forward and embraced him. Her arms were firm, protective, like a teacher unwilling to let her student march into danger. Her voice lowered to a whisper against his ear.

"There will be more difficult challenges ahead. I hope you can stay safe."

She pulled back, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I can tell... I will be hearing spectacular news of you.... Farewell, Emery."

Moments later, Azure Kraken stirred. Its colossal frame turned away from the gathered fleets, parting from them as it charted its own course toward a different destination.