Earth's Greatest Magus

?1878 Labyrinth

Emery dashed forward at his highest speed trying to catch up with Jinkan and the others who had retreated deeper into the labyrinthine structure. As he weaved through the intricate passageways, the high elf captive in his grasp struggled, "Release me, release me now!!" His resistance however only made Emery add an extra layer of his jade root, rendering him powerless to escape.

The gold metallic structure, offered a multitude of diverse paths, creating an intricate and labyrinthine maze. Fortunately, Emery's limited but invaluable spirit-reading abilities enabled him to sense the presence of Jai Strider and Zetto up ahead. He was on the verge of closing the gap between them.

However, just as he was gaining ground, the very structure of the tunnel trembled once more, and the walls shifted like a mechanical cogs in motion. To Emery's dismay, the path he had been pursuing was abruptly blocked off by the shifting walls, forcing him to come to an abrupt halt.

"Dammit!"

The situation had taken an unexpected turn, leaving Emery separated from his companions. On the otehr hand, hekeenly sensed the presence of dozens of elves closing in on him, their mocking laughter filling the air. "Just give up, you can't get away," one of the high elves taunted.

Ignoring their provocations, Emery quickly altered his course, veering toward a new path that had opened up before him. He strained his spirit-reading abilities in an attempt to reach out to the others while the elves relentless in their pursuit.

As the structure shifted once more, Emery had a revelation: the colossal celestial maze he was navigating underwent significant changes every five minutes. Armed with this newfound knowledge, Emery made another calculated decision. He selected a path, timing himself with precision to anticipate the arrival of the pursuing elves.

Emery found himself confronted by a formidable group of 60 elves, half of them were dark elves, 10 were wood elves, and the remaining were high elves.

Holding one of the high elves as his captive, Emery placed his blade against its neck and issued a stern ultimatum to the irate assembly before him.

"Tell us why you are here, and I will release him," Emery declared calmly, his voice resonating with authority.

As seconds passed without a response, Emery's patience wore thin. He swiftly made a shallow cut on the high elf's neck, causing a trickle of blood to flow.

Most of the elves wore vacant expressions, refusing to break their silence. However, the high elf Emery had captured dared to speak, his voice filled with disdain, "You ignorant humans... your tiny, unintellectual minds could not fathom the gravity of the situation... release me now... or you all are going to die."

Emery's response was collected and unyielding, "You had better start talking fast, or your supposedly 'huge intellect' head will soon detach from its body."

The high elf's defiance only fueled Emery's determination. He sensed that the captive high elf held crucial information, and if words wouldn't suffice, Emery was prepared to delve into their very soul to extract the truth.

To his surprise, the high elf's response took an unexpected turn. Instead of revealing the information, he defiantly shouted, "I am not afraid to die. Kill this human!"

The entire group of elves surged toward him and Emery reacted swiftly. Seeing the overwhelming numbers closing in on him, Emery acted swiftly. He invoked the formidable [Repulsion] spell, a potent gravity manipulation technique that pushed them away with immense power. His primary goal was to buy precious time until the ever-shifting structure began its next shift. As soon as it did Emery quickly retreated.

"HE'S GOING AWAY!!"

The elves shouted in unison, realizing Emery's intentions. Determined not to let him escape, the elves unleashed a flurry of skills and spells in a desperate pursuit. However, the gravity spell, fueled by the chaotic might of Khaos, proved to be an insurmountable barrier. Only a handful of the most resilient elves managed to resist its force, but their efforts were in vain as Emery deftly maneuvered behind one of the moving walls, using it as cover to shield himself from the onslaught of spells.

The walls closed in, effectively blocking all the spells that were hurled at him.

Emery found himself separated from his pursuers. He calmly looked at the captured high elf and said "It's just you and me now."

With the need to stay ahead and avoid further confrontations, Emery wasted no time. He embarked on a swift dash across multiple paths, seeking to obscure his tracks while also scouring the labyrinthine structure in the hopes of reuniting with Jinkan and the others.

Five minutes passed, and the structure shifted once again. This time, Emery's acute senses picked up on multiple energy signatures, unmistakably those of human magus – seven of them. Hoping that they might be part of his group. He hurriedly made his way toward the source of the signatures.

However, as he drew nearer, a sight that gave him pause emerged: a small party of magus clad in dark garments, their hoods obscuring half of their faces. Emblazoned upon their attire was a distinctive symbol, that of an eye. They were unmistakably members of the Oculus faction, dark magus.

"Who is there!? Identify yourself!" the dark magus shouted

Emery calmly answered, "I am part of the Nephilim group, we came to help. Tell me what is happening?"

The seven Oculus Dark magus appeared visibly tense, their attire bearing the marks of a brutal battle. Their attention was particularly drawn to the high elf that Emery had captured.

In response, one of the Dark Magus, a prominent figure among them said "Hand him to us; we will deal with him."

Emery found the request somewhat annoying, but he had little attachment to the captive high elf or concern for his fate.

Realizing the situation he was in, The high elf captive struggled once again "You, human, don't know what you are doing... What you call resurgence will be the end of us." His cryptic words hung heavily in the air, adding another layer of mystery to the already perplexing situation. Emery's curiosity deepened, and he awaited the response of the Oculus magus.

As the dark magus group drew nearer, suddenly, without warning, the full moon dark magus swung his blade with incredible speed and precision, targeting the captive high elf.

Splaatt!!!!

Blood erupted into the air, creating a gruesome spectacle as one limbs was violently severed. However, it wasn't the high elf's head; it was the arm of the dark magus, severed by Emery's swift and decisive counterattack.

Amid the shock and chaos, Emery locked eyes with the seven Dark Magus and voiced his growing frustration, "I am annoyed. Why is no one answering my questions?"