Dark Magus Returns

Raze stood there, a little shocked for a moment. There weren't many times when he was too stunned to the point where his brain wasn't working, not allowing him to think of the next move or what to do next, but this was one of them.

Originally, he was surprised how his strongest attack had simply been blocked by the Clan Master. It didn't look like he had used any special technique but just allowed it to hit his body and do next to no damage.

The Eclipse Strike was said to be one of the strongest attacks in the Dark Edge Sword Arts, and Raze hadn't held back, adding his magic to it. The attack might have been slightly weaker than when using the special sword fighting the Behemoth Clan, or when killing the Dimension Boss. Since, when it was used against the Dimension Boss, Raze also was able to perform 8 of the Descending Steps leading up to the strike, making it its most powerful yet. Either way, he thought his new star mage mana strength and his Pagna stage increase might have made up for that, but it appeared to be nothing in front of a clan leader.

'I wonder if the Pagna Academy principal will be just as strong as this as well. I'm starting to have my doubts. Even with the student's help and the Crimson Crane, along with Dame, if we will be enough to overthrow the academy.'

This wasn't what had stunned his brain into overdrive with thinking; it was the words that had come out of Belil's mouth.

"Alright, then it's agreed, I give you permission to marry Rayna!" Belil said with a big smile on his face.

Raze didn't understand, since when was this fight all about him marrying Rayna? He hardly knew her; they had met fewer times than one could count on their hand, and why was this man so quick to throw her into marriage?

Raze didn't understand, since when was this fight all about him marrying Rayna? He hardly knew her; they had met fewer times than one could count on their hand, and why was this man so quick to throw her into marriage?

Raze didn't seem to be the only one surprised by this. His opponent, who had practically lost the fight, was shocked by the words. He almost completely forgot that there was even a match that was going on in the first place.

"Wait, Clan Head, we can't do that! We know next to nothing about this man! We can't have someone so precious and talented marry this stranger; he doesn't even belong to a clan!" Trin claimed.

It wasn't that Trin wanted Rayna for himself, although he would have been more than happy if that opportunity had come up. It was more so he was thinking about the Clan. Marriages were no small matter, especially when it came to those close to the Clan Master. It would allow clans to build close relations and benefit each other in numerous ways. It was how many clans even became part of the Demonic Faction or the different factions around in the first place.

For Trin, he saw next to no benefit of this happening. He soon turned his head to look at Rayna because if there was one person that could stop this, then it would at least be the other party that was involved.

But when he turned his head, he could see that she was saying nothing and instead had her head down, her face was blushing red. She was clearly trying to avoid the whole situation altogether. Right now, she was in the middle of deep thoughts. How could she go against this idea of marriage when, in fact, it was actually her idea to begin with?

Rayna started to think back; in the large table room just above the current floor they were in, a meeting had been called by the Elders as well as the Clan Master. Present was just Rayna, as her two brothers were off somewhere, and there wasn't even a seat for Dame anymore. It was long assumed that he wouldn't be returning. The talk was about the matters that were happening, and the conversation had turned towards the Dark Magus.

What Rayna had told about the Dark Magus was true; her father had originally decided to send out her brothers. Still, right then, to protect him, she had come up with a solution.

"I believe there is another way!" Rayna called out. "What if we were able to get the Dark Magus to join us? I believe he could benefit this family greatly. If he was to marry me, then he would be loyal to us and would be added to our strength."

It had been a thought in her head for a while; she had talked about it with Dame. Still, she only half seriously meant it at the time. Knowing that this might be the only way to save him, she was happy to give up her chance at marriage, and she would much rather marry someone who had saved her life than a stranger from another Clan that would treat her as a lesser.

Her father had agreed but only after meeting him, and she knew full well he wanted to test to see if Raze was worthy enough to be part of the Clan, and it seemed like it was a success.

"Trin, did you forget? The Dark Magus is not part of just any clan; he is part of the Crimson Crane. They are a well-known group through all the factions. So having him join our family will improve our relationship."

Even though Belil was saying such playful words, the heavy feeling that at any moment, Raze's life could be taken didn't go away, which was why Raze was pretty much saying nothing and was just allowing things to go along.

"It will take a while for things to be set up; we will need to have a big ceremony for this to happen. As a gift, we can have you look after an entire city. It can be owned by the Crimson Crane, an extension of the Neverfall Clan's generosity for joining us."

It was quite clear as well to Raze that in the father's mind, this whole thing was already a done deal. For a moment, he looked behind Belil and towards Rayna, who managed to mouth the words to him, saying she was 'Sorry.'

'I don't quite understand what had happened for it to come to this, but I don't think she had done this out of her own greed. It appears that she had tried to do this, in a way to protect me.'

'Marriage isn't exactly a big deal or a problem. To the world, if they know the Dark Magus is connected to the Neverfall Clan, this will be fine. I can think of this as a political marriage to even further advance my position,' Raze thought.

"And besides, that's not the only clan you have relations to, is it? I think you have a nice surprise: the Noctis Clan."

Hearing these words from Belil, it confirmed it; the reasons the sword technique was being used. This was a chance to find out more about the previous Dark Faction founder as well.

"Ah, this is such a good day. I believe that I should give you a gift right now, not just on your wedding day. Let's get ready; the Light Faction, they were the ones that attacked you before, right?" Belil asked.

The question, Raze was wondering where it was leading to, and what madness was about to unfold.