Dark Magus Returns
chapter-697

Raze opened his eyes from his cultivation, focusing on restoring both his magic and his Qi. He had been switching between the two, channeling them equally. He had a reason for doing this. In his current state, he wasn't better than those they were fighting against using just his magic alone or just his Pagan warrior powers. The only way he could reach their level was by combining the two, rather than focusing on one art. So even if he could only fight for a shorter amount of time, he would take this over just focusing on one. Now, right in front of him, there was a chance to speed up his progress.

He looked up at Rayna, who had already turned around, hiding her slightly red, flushed cheeks. Having people to help him wasn't something he was used to.

'It took a lot for me to go through with this plan in the first place, to trust that the Crimson Crane would come by my side and fight.

'I'm not their leader, like Alba was, and even though she is trying to use me...was it worth going against the Dark Faction for?'

Out of everyone, at least Raze could understand the Crimson Crane. What he couldn't understand was Rayna's actions.

'She has no reason to help me; she had no reason to be here other than to commit to the fake marriage. Yet she came here to fight and now has given me a gift like this. She's a good woman, but one who would be better off with someone else.'

Regardless, Raze placed both of his hands on Wendart, who was on the ground in front of him, and started the extraction technique.

The veins on his hands were showing, and the energy was flowing through him. It had been a long time since he had used the extraction technique on someone and wasn't in such a rush.

When in the middle of battle, he used it as a way to continue fighting, so there was a lot of waste when he absorbed the energy of those he took.

Now, he closed his eyes and could focus it, going through the pores of his fingertips and heading straight and directly into his Dantian.

He was taking every last bit of life force and wasn't letting any of it go to waste.

As Wendart could feel his energy being drained away from him, he opened his eyes and stared directly into the white-haired young man.

"You have no idea what you are doing, or who you're up against," Wendart managed to speak, but he was too hurt, and the energy being drained from him was too much to do anything to Raze to try and stop what was happening.

Wendart continued to look into Raze's eyes, which didn't flinch in taking his life.

"The one who will win this is the one whose ambition is stronger. You and your friends are fighting to survive, but Murkel has a far greater ambition that drives him—to rule all of Pagna and reach the Divine Realm... you won't be able to beat him with your petty ambition."

When Raze looked down, he could see Wendart's skin and muscle structure start to shrivel up. This is when he knew a person's lifespan was at an end.

Using the extraction technique for a short while would simply take the Qi in one's Dantian; it was only when going past this stage once emptied that it would take a person's life force.

Which was why taking part of Rayna's would be fine as well.

Still, after hearing these words, just for a moment, Raze slowed down the extraction technique and looked directly at Wendart.

"You have no idea what my goals are. You have no idea what I would do to achieve them," Raze stated. "Murkel simply wants to rule Pagna and get to the Divine Realm.

"For my goal, I won't stop at anything—the Light Faction, the Demonic Faction, the Dark Faction. If all of them are in the path, blocking me from getting my revenge, then I will take out each one of them.

"If my enemies run and hide in that Divine Realm, then I will bring the Divine Realm to my feet and crush every single one of them. This world of Pagna is simply in my way!"

The extraction technique was in full force, absorbing more of Wendart, taking the very last bit of his life. While listening to all the words spoken by Raze, Wendart looked directly into his eyes and could see an ambition that went beyond the Dark Faction leader.

"Maybe...I was wrong after all." These were the last words spoken by Wendart.

Rayna, who was standing close to the two of them to protect Raze from anything that would come at him, had heard everything.

'Raze, you are holding a large amount of anger. I could feel it through your words. At your age, just what happened to you? This is no normal anger that would appear just from a simple revenge that would occur if one's family died.

'Although those are strong feelings, these are stronger, and it almost feels like it's a buildup of resentment over several years.'

By absorbing Wendart, although it didn't cause Raze's Qi to expand and make him any stronger or closer to increasing his stage, it did refill his Qi completely, so there was no need for him to use Rayna's Qi.

"Do you need me?" Rayna asked.

"If you could continue protecting me, that will be for the best," Raze said as he went to change his position to now concentrating on the Dark Faction's cultivation technique.

Now he would need to absorb the Dark Magic into his core. As he was doing this, the lingering dark mist appeared from Wendart's body.

It was a mist that was only visible to mages with a Dark Core, as one of the requirements to increase one's affinity with Dark Magic was causing the death of others.

The special trait of the cursed ring that Raze had created was going to work, now combined with the special single ring that he had obtained.

The magic was fading in and had entered his ring and went straight to his Mana core. At that point, Raze could feel his mana core pulsate, along with his heart.

A burst of magic had gone through him. He could feel it spreading and swirling around.

'Is this what I think it is?' Raze thought.

Closing his eyes, he had to focus on it one more time, and when he felt the rings that would equate to stars forming and swirling around his heart, he could feel it.

'It is. Right now, my heart—no, my mana core—is forming another star. I'm going from a 4-star mage and turning into a 5-star mage. Going to another star, might take a little longer and more Dark Magic, as Raze didn't quite expect this, and he could feel it was on the cusp of breaking through but he needed to do this.

'This might be exactly what I need to have the strength to defeat the others.'

"I might take a bit longer, but I promise you that I will defeat the Dark Faction!" Raze claimed, giving his order as he focused on himself.