Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe-Chapter 1620: Crimson Light

Beneath the ruined royal palace lay a dim underground chamber.

The atmosphere here was dripping with the stench of blood, rot, and iron.

Marden Benton, wearing a loose black robe, stepped into the darkness. A crazed aura radiated from his body as his footsteps echoed faintly against the damp stone floor.

He had just dismissed the Magi who had delivered the report. It had taken nearly all his willpower not to tear them apart on the spot and bathe in their blood.

"Ugh..." Marden groaned, his hand clutching his forehead.

As the years passed by, it got more and more difficult for him to keep the madness at bay. And he also had to worry about his growing lust for blood.

Eventually, there would come a time when his willpower would become futile against the corrosive clutches of insanity. Until that moment came, he had to somehow endure.

"Ah, the smell of blood," he said as a moan escaped his lips.

He suddenly stopped in his footsteps and turned around, glaring.

"Stop it!" he hissed. "How many times do I have to tell you..."

There was no one behind him. Or at least, no one that others could see.

But he could. The ghostly silhouettes of the Benton Family still haunted him to this day.

Marden sneered. "Shut up if you don’t know!"

The Blood Lord turned back around and headed deeper into the deathly room.

At the center of the chamber lay a large pool of blood. The surface of the crimson liquid rippled gently as thin streams of blood continued to drip into it from above.

As Marden lifted his gaze, the source became clear.

And it brought a beautiful smile to his face.

Dozens of figures hung from the ceiling. Iron hooks had been driven through their spines, suspending their bodies in the air.

Even though so many years had passed, they still remained alive. Albeit... barely.

Their blood slowly drained from them, dripping steadily into the pool below. The constant rhythm of falling droplets echoed through the shamber, feeding the grotesque reservoir at its center.

"Oh, the sound of music," Marden gently murmured as he removed his clothes.

He then entered the bloody pool, naked. He bathed in it with a satisfying smile on his face. The droplets echoed like a ghastly melody in his ears.

A pained groan echoed in the chamber.

And it didn’t come from the Blood Lord.

Marden, who had been whistling a merry tune as he bathed in the blood of the men and women he had slain, suddenly frowned.

He raised his head, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.

"How dare you disturb my peace!"

Then he weaved a simple hand seal.

The silence in the chamber was broken by the sound of chains jangling. From the darkness above, a figure slowly descended from the ceiling.

Dozens of thin hooks were embedded into his naked flesh. Some pierced through his legs, others dug into his stomach, while several cruelly tore through the skin on his face.

Each hook was attached to a chain that lowered him slowly toward the ground. His body swayed slightly as he descended.

At last, the figure barely touched the surface of the blood pool, crimson ripples spreading outward as he came to a stop before Marden.

The man lifted his head weakly and gazed at the Blood Lord with sheer terror. There was desperation in his eyes, as if he were begging... begging to be killed.

Marden gently stroked the man’s hair and whispered.

"What’s the matter, Vasuran?" He asked in a soft voice. "Does it hurt?

This man was none other than Devraj Vasuran, the prince of the former Indus royal family.

In the past, he and Marden had secretly schemed in the shadows to stage a coup that would allow Devraj to become the new ruler of Indus.

But in the end...

Marden betrayed him.

"Just a little more, my dear friend," Marden whispered, his voice a deathly lullaby.

"The runic formation will ensure that you, your family, and the Magi who swore loyalty to you don’t die. As the blood continues to drip, your body will slowly heal. More blood from you. More blood for me. Isn’t that ingenious?"

Vasuran groaned, tears streaming down the side of his face.

"This is the new spell that I’ve perfected," Marden said excitedly. "Look!"

The Blood Lord raised his hands and began forming a series of complex seals. His fingers moved with precision, one seal flowing into the next smoothly.

As the final seal took shape, the pool of blood began to rumble. Sanguine ripples spread violently across its surface.

Then the blood began to move...

Streams of scarlet essence rose from the pool and flowed into Marden, coiling through the air before sinking into his body. The energy seeped through his skin like living mist, feeding into his veins.

His muscles tightened. His breath deepened. And his eyes... blazed with power and madness!

With every passing moment, the essence of the blood strengthened him, enhancing every aspect of his physical form. Newfound strength, speed, and raw vitality coursed through his body.

Marden opened his eyes. They gleamed with a brilliant crimson light.

He ran a hand through his wet hair and coldly gazed at Devraj.

"The only problem with this spell is... I’m unable to filter out the toxins," he murmured. "Just like my mind, my body is also slowly getting poisoned. This is the price of power, my friend. Do you understand?"

No answer came from the prince.

Marden’s eyes narrowed. He grabbed the hooks embedded in Devraj’s face and yanked them viciously. The chains above clattered violently as the prince’s body jerked in unbearable pain.

"I asked you something!" Marden roared. "Answer me!"

A moment later, he shrugged helplessly. "Well, you won’t understand anyway."

He glanced at Devraj, whose torn flesh hung loosely from the hooks in his face, and said softly:

"The madness has warped my sense of morality. I can no longer differentiate between right and wrong. And this new spell has given me great power, but at the cost of immense bloodlust. In my mind, there is only one objective. And I must see it through."

Marden clenched his hand, a maniacal grin spreading across his face.

"For the great war to come," he murmured. "I must gain even more power... no matter the cost."