Sovereign of the Ashes

Eileen chose to remain silent, offering no response to the yellow-robed mage’s question.

Sein, who hailed from a mysterious background and held a certain connection with the cohort leader, piqued her interest.

When she assisted Sein with his enrollment into the divine tower academy, she learned that Sein had gained recognition from Master Medich, a peak Rank Two mage from the Divine Tower of Dawn, and nearly became his apprentice.

It made her wonder what was so special about Sein.

The battle on the arena stage unfolded at a very high pace.

Although Mark’s Fiery Hand spell proved formidable, it failed to breach Sein’s geo elemental shield.

By the time Mark realized something was amiss and hurriedly began chanting his next spell, Sein had already unleashed his decisive move.

The pyro and lumen elemental particles gathered within the elemental ring of the Solar Eye spell began to converge.

A scorching golden beam of light erupted from the ring, homing in on Mark across the arena stage.

Outside the arena stage, the yellow-robed mage had readied his elemental energy to intervene and separate the two initiates if necessary.

Meanwhile, Eileen remained relatively unconcerned about her junior in the family. Most of her attention was fixated on the elemental ring of the Solar Eye spell before Sein.

She had never seen this immensely powerful advanced magic spell within the divine tower academy before, nor had she ever witnessed or heard of any other full-fledged mages mastering similar spells.

This implied that Sein had acquired this advanced magic spell before joining the divine tower, and its origin was shrouded in mystery.

The energy beam from the Solar Eye penetrated the wall of fire in front of Mark, leaving a conspicuous hole in its fiery barrier.

However, Mark was not that weak to be defeated by a single blow from Sein.

A buckler swirling with the elemental power of water vapor materialized on his forearm. A cloud of white steam could be seen forming in front of it.

Fortunately, Mark’s quick reaction and the protection provided by his Fire Wall spell allowed him to block Sein’s assault with a magic artifact.

Nevertheless, Mark’s magic artifact, in the form of a buckler, proved inferior to Sein’s geo elemental shield.

The advanced magic items in Sein’s possession were meticulously crafted by his late mentor, Master Morsidor, to protect his apprentices in life-threatening situations.

Despite Mark’s family’s undeniable power, it appeared that there were no exceptional alchemists in their midst.

To Mark’s dismay and surprise, Sein’s spell left a hole on his buckler.

Although he was not sure if it left permanent damage on his buckler, it showed that the spell Sein unleashed was certainly formidable.

Activating his drift boots, Mark swiftly ascended into mid-air.

Initiate battles tended to conclude rapidly, and the brief levitation granted by the drift boots offered Mark the opportunity to dodge the impending shot from Sein’s Solar Eye spell.

Within these few minutes, Mark aimed to bring the battle to an end.

He began chanting once more, but this time, his voice carried a sense of urgency.

As the Fiery Hand dissipated, Sein reappeared in the sight of onlookers outside the arena stage.

Surprisingly, the pale yellow geo elemental shield remained intact after the impact from Mark’s Fiery Hand spell.

Only fine, barely discernible cracks marred the shield, showing the strength of this shield did not surpass that of an advanced magic spell.

Sein’s reappearance undeniably brought immense surprise and astonishment to the onlookers outside the arena stage.

The inexperienced intermediate and junior initiates marveled at Sein’s ability to withstand Mark’s attack. They were also equally impressed by the geo elemental shield enveloping Sein’s body and the elemental ring of the Solar Eye spell before him.

On the other hand, the senior initiates and higher-ranking individuals, including the two full-fledged mages, were intrigued by the distinctive magic array within the elemental ring of the Solar Eye spell.

“Oh? It didn’t dissipate after that? Is that an advanced magic spell that can be unleashed continuously?” the yellow-robed mage asked Eileen.

Given that he was not a Pyromancer, his comprehension of pyro elemental magic naturally fell short to Eileen’s.

Eileen, however, shook her head slightly and responded, “It appears to be an advanced magic spell that has been enhanced, but that guy hasn’t perfected it entirely.”

“Normally, that elemental array should disperse after a single attack, and subsequent attack requires new incantation. With the enhancement, it can now unleash two shots before dissipating. Due to its incorporation of lumen elemental energy, its nature eludes immediate identification,” Eileen explained.

Neither of the full-fledged mages had anticipated that the enhanced Solar Eye spell was the result of Sein’s efforts over the last two years.

More precisely, it was the outcome of his relentless dedication to delving into magic spells and studying the notes left by his mentor, Morsidor.

Perhaps Sein truly was a genius.

This reserved initiate had never showcased his power and intellect before outsiders.

If Mark had not provoked him today, Sein would have continued to maintain a low profile, silently absorbing all the knowledge and truths that intrigued him.

Guided by Sein’s mana, the magic array of the Solar Eye once again formed a golden beam of light.

However, this time, the ring-shaped elemental array showed signs of collapse, raising uncertainty about the power of its attack compared to the previous iteration.

As the Solar Eye spell prepared to unleash its next attack, Sein continued chanting.

No one could tell Sein’s strategy for Mark’s upcoming attack.

Ultimately, it was Mark who completed his incantation first.

Gazing down at Sein within his “turtle shell”, which was the geo elemental shield, Mark declared, “You definitely won’t be able to block my spell this time! I’ll destroy you along with that geo elemental shield of yours!”

“MASS EXPLOSION!” Mark shouted, and dense pyro elemental particles converged before him.

FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!

The sound of wings flapping echoed as dozens of crimson firebirds promptly materialized.

The firebirds conjured by Mark’s Mass Explosion spell were not as impressive looking as the ones Sein had seen during Eileen’s class.

It was a clear indication that Mark’s control over his focus and mana were far less precise than Eileen.

Nevertheless, Mass Explosion remained a powerful area of effect spell with great coverage compared to other advanced magic spells.

Dozens of firebirds flew toward Sein’s geo elemental shield.

CRACK!

The brilliant yellow geo elemental shield shattered abruptly with a loud noise while the remaining firebirds maintained their relentless charge toward Sein.

Even though Sein’s elemental shield had crumbled, Mark did not let his guard down.

He remained vigilant and focused, fully aware that Sein would undoubtedly retaliate in this dire situation.

As anticipated, a beam of golden light shot through the raging flames. Reacting swiftly, Mark maneuvered his drift boots to evade to the side.

He had already experienced the strength and speed of the Solar Eye spell firsthand. While the scorching burn on his arm turned his face pale, he wore a confident smirk on his face.

The Solar Eye spell failed to strike his vital areas, meaning Sein was about to face dire consequences.

The Mass Explosion spell held the potential to inflict severe injuries upon Sein within the geo elemental shield, possibly killing him if the full-fledged mage outside the arena failed to intervene in a timely manner.

The full-fledged mage overseeing the arena stage were not babysitters for these initiates.

While striving to preserve the initiates’ lives within the scope of their responsibilities, expecting the initiates to emerge unscathed from a battle of such magnitude would be unrealistic.

“I hope the full-fledged mage outside the arena stage intervenes a little late. That way, this guy will suffer unimaginably severe injuries even if he doesn’t die. Of course, death would be preferable!” Mark thought to himself.

However, in the next second, Mark’s elation turned into despair as an azure-colored Pyro Blade spell emerged from behind him.