Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2887: Promise

The destruction of his virtual body had cost him a considerable amount of palace points, yet the exhilarating duel with Zach made the expense worthwhile. The battle had pushed him further than any of the seventy duels that came before it. Even though the fight ended in a draw, Emery felt satisfied with the result.

When he logged back into the Virtual Palace, a new notification immediately appeared before him.

[Congratulations. You are now ranked within the Top 500 of Stage 5.]

[Reward: 2000 Palace Points]

Emery paused in surprise. The message was unexpected, but the explanation quickly became clear. His seventy victories had accumulated enough ranking points to push him into the official leaderboard. With the reward added to his balance, the fifty palace points he had spent regenerating his destroyed virtual body suddenly seemed insignificant.

After checking the updated rankings for a moment, Emery sent a message to Zach suggesting they meet nearby. The two soon gathered at a quiet tea pavilion that overlooked one of the floating gardens within the Virtual Palace. The serene environment provided a stark contrast to the violent battlefield they had just left behind.

Typhon refused to accompany them. The hybrid openly admitted his dislike toward dragon halfbloods and chose instead to wait outside the establishment with crossed arms, watching the entrance with clear irritation.

Inside the pavilion, Zach glanced toward the door and chuckled lightly.

”That’s Senior Little Cloud, right?” he said. ”I can’t believe they assigned someone like him to protect you.”

Emery raised an eyebrow.

”You know him?”

Zach nodded slowly.

”The Union assigns bodyguards to all elite members. I received one as well, although mine is just a common three-cosmos cultivator. Typhon, on the other hand, is clearly different. He’s an elite.”

He leaned back slightly in his chair, amusement flickering across his expression.

”It seems your status is even higher than mine now.”

Emery shook his head with a faint smile, though he said nothing in response.

The conversation soon drifted back toward their duel. To Emery’s surprise, Zach admitted something rather unexpected.

”You are the winner of today’s duel” the dragon prince said frankly. ”If you had fought with a proper weapon, I doubt I could have kept up.”

Zach offered the 1000 palace point wager toward Emery.

”Take it.”

Emery immediately refused. To him, the result of the duel was already settled. While Zach’s reasoning was understandable, Emery believed that preparation itself was part of a cultivator’s strength. Weapons, planning, and readiness were all elements that determined victory in battle. For that reason, he considered the draw final and saw no reason to accept the wager.

In fact, the outcome only gave both of them more motivation for their next encounter.

The two shared a quiet laugh as they continued drinking their tea. The rivalry that once defined their relationship during their academy years had softened considerably. What remained now was not hostility, but mutual respect. They sat together as equals—two cultivators walking different paths yet aiming for the same destination.

The pinnacle of the Magus world.

As they talked, Zach explained more about the Cosmic Bridge rankings. According to him, Stage 5 still contained many talented fighters, but most of the truly terrifying two-cosmos geniuses had already advanced to Stage 6.

”The top positions in Stage 5 are mostly filled with powerful three-cosmos cultivators,” Zach explained. ”They’re strong, but many of them lack the potential to climb much higher.”

Zach clearly had no intention of staying in that category.

His ambition was to reach the next stage and challenge the true prodigies of the alliance.

”Let’s see which of us breaks into Stage 6 first,” Zach said with a confident grin.

Emery nodded.

The words were spoken lightly, yet both understood it as a promise.

Their conversation soon came to an end. Zach had to return to the frontline battlefields where his duties awaited him.

As he stood up to leave, Emery gave him a nod.

”Until we meet again.”

With that, the dragon prince departed.

After watching him leave, Emery logged out of the Virtual Palace and returned to his real body aboard the spacecraft. Three days had passed since the journey began, and the ship had already entered the Alpha Quadrant.

Their destination was Earth.

As soon as they reached the outer defensive perimeter of the planet, another complication arose. The Nephilim guardians responsible for protecting Earth’s lower realm detected Typhon’s presence and refused him entry. The hybrid lacked the proper authorization required to descend onto the planet, but Emery knew the real reason. The Nephilim were concerned that Typhon’s presence might jeopardize their mission.

The situation escalated quickly.

Grand Magus Yohan of the Nephilim confronted Typhon directly, and for a moment it seemed the two powerful cultivators might actually fight.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed before the conflict could escalate further. After a brief negotiation, a compromise was reached. Typhon would remain stationed at the Moon Base, close enough to monitor Emery’s safety while still respecting the Nephilim’s jurisdiction over Earth.

With the matter resolved, Emery finally descended to the planet’s surface.

He returned home.

Britannia.

More specifically—the Fey Forest.

Word of his arrival spread quickly through the surrounding village. Before long, a large gathering formed near the forest entrance as villagers, forest guardians, and curious children came to welcome him back. Morgana stood among them.

The celebration that followed was lively and warm. Lanterns were hung between ancient trees, casting golden light across the forest clearing while tables filled with food and drink were prepared in Emery’s honor. Music and laughter replaced the quiet stillness that normally surrounded the shrine, turning the peaceful forest into something resembling a festival.

Yet Emery’s return had a deeper purpose than simple nostalgia.

Ever since gaining new insight into Gaia’s power through his light avatar, he had felt an increasing desire to return to this place.

To reconnect.

After the celebration ended, Emery quietly walked toward the ancient shrine at the heart of the forest. Sitting down in a lotus position before the sacred tree, he closed his eyes and focused his senses.

Moments later, a gentle resonance formed.

The presence of Gaia intertwined with the power of the Elysian Tree within his domain, sending waves of warm, refreshing energy through his body. The soothing force eased the lingering exhaustion left behind by his intense battles and slowly restored his vitality.

The shrine’s natural energy proved remarkably beneficial for his recovery. Feeling no urgency to leave, Emery decided to postpone his planned visit to Dawnstar. Since the journey between the two locations required only a single day of travel, there was no reason to rush.

For now, rest and reflection were more valuable.

As Emery meditated beneath the ancient tree, his mind revisited every moment of the seventy duels he had fought within the Virtual Palace. Each victory, each mistake, and each weakness was carefully examined, allowing new insights to slowly form within his consciousness.

All of it would prove useful.

Especially with the upcoming Virtual Palace auction.

Days passed and the appointed time finally arrived, Emery opened his eyes and logged back into the Virtual Palace once more.

Today, he had a promised date with Klea.