Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1904 Next Step

Where did a mortal go after death?

The question had plagued scholars since time immemorial.

Even after continuous discussions and studies carried over tens of thousands of years, no one truly knew what happened to a soul in the afterlife.

There had been no consensus.

Some believed that souls of the departed were reborn in another vessel, their memories of the previous life completely erased. A clean slate, so to speak. Others claimed that upon death, the soul traveled to the spirit world.

But that raised several more questions.

Who or what decided that a particular soul would reincarnate? Where they would reincarnate? Was it all random?

If a soul did travel to the spirit world after death, then what happened to a spirit world creature upon death? Where did they travel?

Even Adam didn't know for certain. Despite having absorbed several memories from the Lotus, the concept of the afterlife was an enigma.

But what he did know — or rather, believed — was this:

A soul was never truly destroyed. It merely changed states. Bodies decayed, memories faded, but the essence of the soul endured. Like a flame passed from one candle to another, the Spark cannot be extinguished. Only transformed.

As the wielder of the Eternal Soul Lotus, he could personally confirm that the statement held true.

The Will of the soul, containing the personality and individuality, could be erased.

The Vessel of the soul, containing memories and experiences, could be absorbed.

But the Spark, one that comprised the spiritual energy that tied the soul to the body, could never be destroyed.

Of all the souls of the experts Adam had devoured through the Lotus, their Sparks never ceased to be. They were absorbed by him, and endured through him.

Adam sighed, looking up at the crimson moon.

The mysteries of the soul, he wondered with a faint smile.

These were secrets that had evaded even the most powerful, most hallowed of existences in this universe. For someone like Adam, who was only a Mana Core Magus, to ponder such things was ridiculous. Laughable, even.

But he did have the experiences and memories of some of the great experts of this universe. So his train of thought did carry a kernel of truth, though he could never truly confirm it.

Not unless he died, and then lived.

He let out a like chuckle at that thought.

Then his thoughts drifted to the Underworld. If the murals he'd witnessed there held any genuineness, then that plane was the divine kingdom of the Goddess of Death.

The undead that She ruled over, were they also mortals at one point in time?

How are undead beings born in Her divine kingdom?

Just where did those countless souls come from?

Adam had so many questions, but had answers to none. In quiet times like these, he liked to ponder such mysteries.

A long time later, he shifted his gaze away from the moon and turned his attention inward.

His core was thrumming with energy, and the mana within it excitedly swirled with purity and tyranny.

Not being able to advance for decades back in Tron had allowed Adam to consolidate his mana core to an exceptional degree. His foundations were solid — they always had been, for he made sure of it.

His physical strength was equivalent to the peak of the Cavalier Paladin rank. And he had long since reached the apex of the Mana Core Rank, while he was still in Tron. As for his soul… well, it was equivalent to the soul of a newly advanced Mana Seed Magus.

All things considered, Adam was more than prepared to take the next step and advance into the realm of the Mana Seed Rank.

However, due to his not-so-favourable circumstances, he was unable to focus on his advancement since settling down in Davos.

Now, once again, he felt the urgency to take the next step on the path of arcana.

Sandra's arrival and words weighed heavily on him. He still didn't know what her endgame was. What he did know was that she was most likely a Mana Seed Magus. He had no way of confirming it, unless he fought her or witnessed her power, but he was quite sure he wasn't wrong.

If Sandra was already so powerful, then how much more powerful would the vampire king be?

Adam had to be ready for what was to come.

The entire process of advancement, according to his estimations, would not take more than a couple of months for him. After all, he had to be very careful in his attempt. Even the smallest of mistakes could prove deadly. The process of shrinking the core until it formed a seed was not an easy one.

Judging by how perilous this secret plane was and how little he knew about these lands, Adam surmised that it would take more than a few months to make his preparations to advance to the Mana Seed Rank.

Just as he was studying his mana core, he heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching him from behind. He already knew who it was. He pulled back his senses away from the ethereal mana core.

"Sleep well?" He asked with a light smile.

"Mhm." Genevieve nodded.

She sat beside Adam and turned to the moon.

She remained silent for a long time. At last, she asked in a slightly puzzled tone:

"May I ask you something?"

"Ask away."

Genevieve deliberated for a moment before saying, "Why did you do that? I mean… why did you choose to put yourself in harm's way and create an opportunity for us to escape?"

Adam arched a brow, mildly amused by that question.

Genevieve continued, "From what I've come to understand, you are prideful and greedy. You even called yourself a coward. Yet you didn't hesitate to put yourself in danger to save the rest of the team. That's hardly what a coward would do."

She turned to Adam and deeply gazed at him.

"So why did you do it?"

Adam looked ahead, his expression calm.

"It's simple," he said.

"I did it because I could."

Genevieve frowned. "That's it?"

Adam shrugged. "What else? I don't have any grand reason. I risked it simply because I knew I'd survive."

There was an arrogant undertone in those words, but they were the truth.

"And what if you knew you wouldn't?" Genevieve's frown deepened. "Would you still risk your life?"

Adam laughed.

"Of course, not!" he said.

"I would turn around and run like the coward I am."

That's all for today.