Chapter 526 |
Adam lifted his head and looked at him.
The senior official also knew his answer wouldn’t satisfy Adam, so he quickly added, “They’re extremely cautious, and they’re not afraid of death. Once they realize we’re onto them, they immediately commit suicide. As for the ordinary people—they don’t know anything about their origins.”
Adam tapped his fingers on the table, his tone displeased. “Since when did the Mage World have an extraordinary system we can’t even recognize? You can’t catch them—and you don’t even know what they belong to?”
The senior official wasn’t unable to explain—it was just that what he’d seen and guessed seemed so absurd that he simply decided to show a video instead.
The footage itself was nothing special—just an ordinary search and siege operation. But at the end of the video, the mysterious man’s suicide revealed a flaw—exposing a trace of his energy signature.
“This is… ancient magic? Are they Anti-Mages?”
Adam had every reason to be surprised. After the Council decided to establish the Academy Continent, all the Anti-Mage islands left roaming outside were eradicated, their members completely slaughtered. Of course, since the Mage World was vast, it was inevitable that a few fish would slip through the net. But those survivors had long since become rats, hiding and barely clinging to life—who gave them the courage to stir up trouble again?
———
“They obviously wouldn’t have such courage on their own, but it’s not impossible that someone’s supporting them,” said Wendy, who descended directly onto the Academy Continent in response to Adam’s inquiry. She sneered, “Some people, when pressed too hard, will live quietly like proper folk—but others won’t. They become resentful, deranged even—always looking for trouble, even at the cost of their lives.”
Wendy nodded. “Yes. Everyone outside was wiped out. A few infiltrated the Mage Continent, but after some time, we stopped the purge. We thought no one would bother learning ancient magic anymore—they’d lost all grounds for survival.”
“And now?”
“It’s got something to do with the Free Faction, no doubt. But I think they only kept a few remnants by chance. Expecting these useless rats to cause us real trouble—the Free Faction isn’t that stupid. If anything, they’re probably more anxious than we are.”
Adam nodded. The relationship between the Holy Tower Faction and the Free Faction was currently delicate, with the balance leaning toward the Holy Tower. The Free Faction wanted peace to focus on its own growth—they wouldn’t do anything so foolish as to provoke the Holy Tower’s ire.
“In that case, let’s wait and see. War isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it’ll at least remind mortals of their place.”
Wendy chuckled. “Only the mortals?”
Adam didn’t respond.
“You’re getting worse and worse,” she teased.
———
And Adam acted exactly as he thought.
He shut down all public infrastructure across the Academy Continent, sold large quantities of low-grade weapons, and tripled their prices.
He sealed off the entire continent, forbidding any mage outside the Academy Department from entering during this period.
He issued strict decrees forbidding any corporate or mage faction from interfering in mortal wars. If any mage was discovered taking part in battle privately—they were to be killed on sight.
All assaults on the Academy would be met with no mercy. Any discovered were to be executed immediately, even at risk of collateral damage. As for students within the academies—anyone who dared leave to participate in the war would be considered voluntarily expelled and permanently barred from reinstatement. Anyone caught inciting students to join would have their entire bloodline exterminated.
These measures were primarily meant to isolate the lurking Anti-Mages like rats in the dark. But after these orders were issued, the war temporarily calmed—until the accumulated hatred reignited a few months later, sparking an even larger conflict.
———
In truth, the matter had nothing to do with the Free Faction’s higher leadership—it was just the reckless actions of a few individuals, so minor that even they had nearly forgotten leaving behind such contingencies.
They were furious now, realizing the Anti-Mages were bringing them trouble.
“Have you caught them yet?” asked Clark, a Super Dimensional Mage among the Free Faction. He was immensely powerful—stronger, even, than all the Anti-Mages under his protection combined. Back then, he had casually spared a small group of Anti-Mages, giving them meager supplies and a tiny area to live in, then never thought about them again. He’d merely ordered a few towers to stay in touch, occasionally sending them dirty work. But now—those same rats had turned around and bitten him.
“No, they’ve already severed all contact with the towers. The Academy Continent is too large, and they’re far too good at hiding. It’s nearly impossible to find them.”
Clark roared, “Then find a way! Are you all useless? What about their families back in their habitat? Kill them! If they don’t stop, wipe them all out!”
“They took away all formally ranked members before the betrayal. The rest were slaughtered by their own hands.”
Clark took several deep breaths, barely calming himself. “Then where did they get the courage for this? What about resources? Where are they getting their resources?”
His subordinate replied helplessly, “The resources we gave them were based on headcount. Now that they’ve killed most of their members, they have a surplus. Also, their past missions went well—the towers rewarded them generously, so…”
Clark exploded. “Trash! Trash! Trash! These rats are blackmailing me! They’re threatening a great Super Dimensional Mage! They’re provoking the entire Free Faction!”
Clark wasn’t lacking in intelligence—it was painfully clear what was happening. The entire Free Faction leadership had no desire to stir up more friction with the Holy Tower. The Anti-Mages dared to act precisely because they knew this—they were betting on the Free Faction’s hesitation, thinking, If you don’t help me, I’ll drag you down with me.
The method was crude—but effective. If they exposed him, Clark would be in deep trouble. Three centuries ago, this would’ve meant nothing. But now, it was different. The best outcome would be him paying a steep price to compensate the Holy Tower. The worst—he’d be thrown out as a scapegoat.
What made Clark even more helpless was that Adam’s decrees seemed aimed directly at him. The ban on formal mages entering the battlefield meant his own men couldn’t act freely. And if the Holy Tower discovered these Anti-Mages, they would undoubtedly betray him to save themselves.
Would the Holy Tower let that chance go?
Clark asked himself—and knew the answer: absolutely not.
“For now, keep your heads down. Stop all little tricks.”
His subordinates quickly nodded.
Clark added coldly, “And… if they come to you—don’t kill them. Bring them to me.”
His subordinate stiffened, a chill running down his spine. Without daring to speak another word, he quickly left.