Earth's Greatest Magus

Time was of the essence, and the moment the mission assignments were finalized, the entire station moved with renewed urgency.

Before deployment, every participant received a standardized emergency kit prepared by the Magus Alliance.

Inside were five crimson pills known as parasite repellants. Each pill could protect a cultivator from infection for approximately forty-eight hours.

The second item was a special incense candle sealed within a silver container. Once lit, the smoke produced by the candle could force hidden parasites already incubating within a host to react violently, exposing infected individuals almost immediately.

The final item was the most valuable.

Purification talismans.

Thin white gold talismans engraved with complex patterns capable of weakening or destroying scourge parasites directly. Depending on the infection stage and condition of the host, the effectiveness varied greatly. In early stages, the talisman could completely save the victim. In later stages, it merely slowed the corruption process.

Once preparations were complete, Alliance officers began directing each group toward their deployment ships.

Originally, Emery had no intention of allowing Fjolnir and the Voidwolf crew to become directly involved in the operation. However, after seeing that they had been assigned to Group One—the reinforcement force sent toward one of the relatively safer yellow-level cities—he decided to change his mind.

Fjolnir himself looked rather confident with the assignment.

Morgana, however, was visibly displeased. She was particularly annoyed about being assigned to a different group from Emery and only barely accepted the arrangement after being reminded that with Khaos domain, they would remained connected.

Through Khaos,, Emery would still be able to communicate with her instantly if necessary. More importantly, the link allowed him to partially observe the planetary situation through Morgana’s perspective if things escalated.

Although Group Five was assigned to a remote city with a medium-level threat, Emery still reminded her to be careful.

“Send me a message if you get into trouble.”

Then he sent her a private mental message.

The warning was not baseless.

They were fighting parasites capable of taking over cultivators body and mind entirely.

After they separate, Emery head toward his assigned destination. It was a hangar connected directly to the Proxima faction flagship.

Walking through the station’s metallic corridors, he eventually arrived before a colossal silver-and-blue warship floating beyond the docking platform.

Across the hull were the symbol of the Proxima faction. A towering frozen mountain encircled by rings of stars. Near the front hull, glowing silver letters revealed the ship’s name.

The Frost Dominion.

The flagship of Proxima faction, the jewel of Centauri city. .

The moment he stepped fully into the Frost Dominion, the docking bridge behind him immediately began retracting while the massive flagship slowly detached from the space station.

It seemed Emery was the last person to board.

Through the large observation windows lining the hangar corridor, Emery could see the Pritz gradually drifting farther away as dozens of other ships simultaneously departed alongside it.

Then he heard footsteps approaching.

Turning around, Emery found a familiar man waiting for him near the entrance corridor.

Golden hair neatly tied behind his back, silver-and-blue armor polished flawlessly, and the unmistakable crest of the Centauri Royal Guard engraved across his chestplate.

“Lambert.”

The knight immediately gave a respectful bow.

“Lord Emery, please proceed this way.”

Emery knew the man well.

They had first met over forty years ago during the Celestial Expedition, back when Lambert was the most promising young kings guard serving under the Proxima faction. Since then, the two had maintained close contact, especially as the Earth faction gradually expanded its influence throughout the Alpha Quadrant.

Over the decades, Lambert had become one of Earth faction most reliable connections within the Proxima faction.

As Lambert guided him deeper into the flagship, Emery casually asked,

“You’re part of Group Nine too?”

Lambert answered with a slight chuckle. “Me… no. I’m only here to guard my lord.”

Emery gave a faint smile, knowing the man was simply being modest.

Lambert had become one of the rising stars of the Proxima faction and currently served as one of the three vice commanders of the Kingsguard. Beneath the refined armor, Emery could sense dense spiritual pressure flowing steadily throughout the man’s body.

Two Cosmos Grand Magus realm.

Achieving such progress within forty years was extraordinary even among upper-realm elites.

This man’s talent was no less impressive than Eeshoo’s.

“I’m not joking,” Lambert added, lowering his voice slightly. “I’ve already seen a few of the people selected for Group Nine.”

His expression grew more complicated.

“They’re all monsters.”

Emery narrowed his eyes before replying dryly,

“…I’m in Group Nine.”

Lambert immediately smiled.

“My point exactly.”

Soon, they finally arrived before a massive metallic door engraved with countless formation runes.

The command center.

The doors slowly opened.

As Emery stepped inside, he immediately felt the atmosphere change.

Unlike the crowded station hall earlier, the room itself was surprisingly quiet.

The command center was enormous, shaped like a circular war chamber with layered crystal screens floating throughout the air displaying planetary maps, fleet movements, and combat calculations. At the center of the room stood a massive holographic projection of Baeldum itself, slowly rotating while multiple red warning markers flickered across its continents.

There were fewer than thirty people present in total including the ship crew.

Supreme Lord Dunadan stood near the center platform with his arms behind his back, his enormous figure resembling an unmoving mountain beneath the cold blue lights of the chamber.

Beside him stood the other selected members of Group Nine.

Nine terrifying figures gathered together within a single room.

The moment Emery entered the command center, several of the powerful figures inside immediately turned their attention toward him.

Invisible spiritual senses swept across his body without restraint.

Some of the gathered experts showed faint surprise seemingly recognizing him. Others merely observed him calmly, their expressions unreadable.

A few carried faint traces of mockery.

To them, a recently advanced Second Cosmos Grand Magus simply did not seem qualified to stand among the terrifying figures gathered within this room.

Emery ignored the reactions calmly while his own senses quietly observed the surroundings.

Lieutenant General Anderson, the Magus Alliance officer leading the operation began operating a floating crystal console, “Under normal circumstances, I would prefer the members of this unit to familiarize themselves with each other’s strengths and capabilities first.”

The crystal screens shifted rapidly as streams of information flowed throughout the chamber.

“Unfortunately,” he continued heavily, “this is not a normal situation.”

He pressed several runes across the console.

Immediately, every bracelet within the room blinked simultaneously.

“I have just transmitted the complete mission briefing,” Anderson said, “along with some brief profiles regarding all ten members of this operation.”

Some immediately began reviewing the information directly from their bracelets.

As for Emery, he allowed VIA to process the data directly into his consciousness at extraordinary speed.

The first profile naturally belonged to Supreme Lord Dunadan.

Leader of the Proxima faction.

Known across the quadrant as the Frostpeak Sovereign.

Supreme Realm

A terrifying physique cultivator whose mastery over the Ice Domain had reached astonishing levels. The second figure was Duke Damien Alabaster.

Founder of the Alabaster Spirit Sect.

Third-layer Three Cosmos Spirit Champion.

One of the most renowned spirit masters within the Alpha Quadrant.

Then came the Star Tower Lord.

Other name: Lord Kei.

Third-layer Three Cosmos realm.

Master of an extremely rare dual Fire-Light Domain.

Even the brief description emphasized his overwhelming destructive power.

The dark-clothed sword woman was introduced next.

Leader of the Grade Three faction Black Edge Pavilion.

Three Cosmos Second Layer, Sword Demoness.

The middle-aged priest in white robes was Saint James, an archbishop from the Azazel Nephilim Church stationed within Sector 13.

Three Cosmos First Layer.

Master of Holy Law.

Another figure wore robes so dark they seemed to absorb surrounding light entirely. His eyes glowed blood-red while much of his background remained heavily restricted.

Name: Ura.

Former mercenary. Current grand elder of a Grade Three faction.

Three Cosmos First Layer.

Specialization: concealment and dark arts.

Then came the blonde tribal woman.

Ayla.

Barely over 1.6 meters tall, dressed in leather clothing decorated with beast bones and monster fangs. Despite her small frame, Emery could sense monstrous physical strength hidden within her body.

Leader of the beastmaster tribe known as the Bone Fang Clan.

Three Cosmos First Layer.

Domain specialization: enslavement.

Another member was a renowned formation master from Sector 13.

Master Arctus.

Three Cosmos First Layer.

Specialization: large-scale combat formations, and talisman master.

Finally—

The only other Second Cosmos expert besides Emery.

A middle-aged man with a perfectly styled mustache wearing elegant formal attire while holding a black cane beneath one arm. With his dark hat, polished shoes, and upright posture, he looked more like a nobleman attending a royal banquet than someone preparing for battle.

Hubert.

Alias: Mr. Fortune.

Abilities: Unknown.

The lack of information alone made the man more unsettling.

After reviewing the lineup, even Emery could not help feeling slightly stunned.

This was undoubtedly the strongest combat unit gathered within the entire sector 13.

Only now did he fully understand why Lambert referred to them as monsters.

After finishing the personnel profiles, Emery finally opened the classified mission briefing itself.

The moment the image appeared, his pupils contracted slightly.

A massive abomination filled the screen.

A colossal tentacled creature covered in thick purple miasma, its distorted flesh constantly pulsing while countless glowing eyes stared in every direction. Merely looking at the image caused faint discomfort to rise within the mind.

Emery recognized it instantly.

The same horrifying creature he encountered during his journey home seven years ago.

The abomination that destroyed an entire outpost within seconds.

At the same moment, Lieutenant General Anderson projected the identical image across the center chamber.

“This,” he said grimly, “is the source of the Baeldum infection.”

The room became noticeably quieter.