Magus Supremacy

Chapter 940: Who’s the Emperor’s Heir?

Chapter 940

Grey’s eyes widened in deep shock.

"A cracked core?!"

Julius nodded with a calm gaze before looking back down at his handkerchief, which was heavily stained with blood.

A pained expression flickered across his face.

He hadn’t wanted to disclose this to anyone yet; indeed, nobody aside from those who had been present during the devastating battle could truly discern what was wrong with him.

But he had to inform Grey.

Rubbing his face, the warrior mage’s expression darkened as he processed the term. "Uh... what exactly is a cracked core?"

"...."

Amir lifted his head to stare at the Supreme Magus for a long moment.

A look of sheer disbelief flashed across his features at the mage’s question.

"Yo—you really don’t know what a cracked core is?"

Grey shrugged nonchalantly.

"Obviously, I don’t. If I already knew, I wouldn’t have asked."

"Then why did you react that way, as if you understood perfectly what was being said?" The Captain asked, a frown deepening on his brow.

The Supreme Magus rubbed his face.

"Well, judging by the name ’cracked core,’ I figured it had to be something catastrophic. Clearly, it involves the mana core, but what I don’t grasp is the mechanism of how it happened. I’m lost. Kindly explain the implications."

Amir blinked in genuine bewilderment before dragging his palm across his face in exhaustion.

The Emperor sighed, then leaned forward to look directly at the warrior mage, his voice dropping to a serious tone.

"Well, a cracked core simply means that my mana core has been breached and partly destroyed."

"Huh? Wait... huh?!" Grey shouted in total shock as he stared at the Emperor, his eyes scanning the man from the crown of his head to his hands.

"Hang on. Our mana core is the essence of every mage’s life. Which implies that if yours was damaged—"

Julius let out a faint, painful smile.

"I am unable to cast magic. Well, technically, I shouldn’t be able to."

Grey cocked a brow, his interest piqued.

"Meaning?"

The Emperor smiled, though it didn’t reach his weary eyes.

"I’m powerful. I’m the Emperor; what did you expect? That a setback as small as this could truly cripple me? Hahaha...."

Grey looked at the Emperor with a confused expression, wondering exactly where the man was leading with this.

This was the first time he was hearing that a core could be cracked or breached in such a manner.

How was that even physically possible?

A mana core was housed deep inside a mage’s body, so unless it was a... a soul attack!

Of course.

’It seems like one of the Otherworlders utilized magic that was capable of bypassing a person’s physical vessel to attack their soul directly.

Cracking his core means he shouldn’t be able to manifest magic.

Taking me out of the picture and crippling the Emperor—who is the next strongest person on Arondale—it seems like the Otherworlders were gearing up for a full-scale assault on the world.’

They were coming soon.

Seeing that the Supreme Magus was lost in deep thought, Julius cleared his throat, pulling him from his reverie and back to the present moment.

"As I said; if it were a normal mage, this would have instantly crippled them and rendered them incapable of casting spells. The reason is that the mage who did this to me was exceptionally powerful, quite formidable. His aim was to completely shatter my mana core and, in the process, end my life."

He paused for dramatic effect, looking across the table to see if his words had truly carried through.

Seeing as even Amir’s ears were perked up, Julius continued:

"... But because of how formidable I am, my core wasn’t entirely shattered but merely cracked, which signifies I can still manifest magic. However, the more potent spells I cast, the more those fissures will deepen until the core finally shatters completely."

Grey’s eyes stretched wide at the Emperor’s final words.

’Which means... which means the Emperor is on borrowed time! If—if—if he finds himself in a large-scale conflict that accidentally forces his hand, he would be totally finished.’

The warrior mage’s mind lit up with another sharp realization.

’... Oh! That’s why he transformed Lunaria Academy into a full-blown military force, equipping them with everything they would need to dismantle any threat.

Is that why the vanishing Kael is now more active than when I was a student? They don’t want the Emperor to ever have to get involved.’

Noticing Grey’s dejected expression, Julius waved his hands dismissively.

"Ha... don’t you dare think for a second that I’m out of the game. If any interesting battle pops up, I’m definitely participating.

I won’t sit on my hands and watch my Kingdom plunge into chaos without doing a single thing. I mean, what kind of Emperor would that make me?"

"...."

Grey blinked at the man’s words.

For a brief moment, he wasn’t seeing the Emperor standing before him; he was seeing a reflection of himself.

Then, the corners of his lips rose into a small smile.

"Ah... now I see why the Captain said we were not so different."

Julius’ eyes gleamed with intensity as he edged forward toward the edge of his seat.

"Now, I have a question to ask you."

Grey nodded slowly. "Sure?"

The Emperor smiled, stars practically dancing in his eyes as he shouted: "What are the affinities you possess?!"

....

Amir and Grey exchanged unsure looks at the sudden, explosive enthusiasm of the Emperor that had definitely taken them both aback.

A few seconds passed with Julius staring at the Supreme Magus with an expectant gaze, his grin widening with each passing moment.

"Well?"

Grey dragged his palm across his face in sheer disbelief.

"Really? This guy is the Emperor?"

Julius’ face fell instantly, looking like a child who had been told off by an elder for being naughty.

"I was just curious," he muttered, his voice sounding shaky like a toddler ready to bawl after being scolded.

Amir and Grey were in total shock at how the Emperor was behaving.

’Or is the cracked core affecting his mental health too? Does this man even have children, considering how childishly he is acting right now?’

The question lingered in Grey’s mind before forcing him to lean forward with a sudden gleam in his own eyes. "I’m curious."

"What?" Julius asked with a pout of his lips.

Grey ignored the expression and continued,

"Do you even have kids? Someone who will succeed you as the Emperor just in case something goes wrong?"

’If he has an heir, then I would love to spar with them one day to see how strong they truly are. Who knows, they could also be a multi-elementalist like their father.’

Amir’s eyes lit up at the thought.

’That’s right. The Emperor has never announced anything regarding an heir. I don’t even know if he has a child. Maybe Lucien might know, but I certainly don’t.’

Hearing the question, Julius smirked incredulously after noticing the hungry gleam in the Supreme Magus’ eyes.

"Of course. I have a child. A mage of this generation who is an absolute monster. A true demon." Edging forward, a flash of excitement crossed the Emperor’s face.

"Shall I tell you a secret?"

Grey nodded. "Sure."

Julius beamed with pride. "You have already met my son."