Sovereign of the Ashes

Outside the Blackgrave Forest Resource Point...

Hovering above the confluence of the two rivers, Sein cast a final glance at the resource point below. He then diverted his gaze toward the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy, before setting off to leave the area.

With the aid of his metal disk, Sein began his journey northeast.

His immediate concern was to circumvent the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy, and then decide whether to head toward the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder or the Divine Tower of Land Academy’s territory.

Given the vastness of the trial space that could support a war between five divine tower academies, even the nearly thirty thousand initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy would find it challenging to completely surround Sein.

Sein’s departure did not go unnoticed.

The golden pillar of light emanating from his body stood out like a sore thumb. Not only could the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring see it, but those from the Divine Tower of Land Academy could also clearly observe the golden light receding.

Magray, a top initiate within the Divine Tower of Land Academy’s formation, inquired, “Sein, the initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, has left. Should we pursue him?”

He was a genius who had mastered both umbra and aero elements. In terms of strength and prestige, he was second only to Gade within their group.

Gade was also watching the departing golden light pillar.

Many senior initiates and Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Land Academy, especially those skilled in aero magic spells or possessing flying devices, could potentially match Sein’s speed.

In fact, many of them had even pursued Sein to the borders of the Divine Tower of Cipher.

However, Gade was not known for his speed in flight.

Gade’s proficiency in geo elemental magic granted him formidable buffs, but these diminished significantly once he took to the air.

As a result, while airborne, Gade’s status was relegated to that of a top initiate, rather than the pinnacle of his powers.

His true might was manifested only when his feet were firmly on the ground.

This was the primary reason why no one had witnessed him leaving the ground since the academy war began.

It was a notable limitation in his otherwise impressive array of strengths.

In the brief silence that followed, the golden light indicating Sein’s location had already moved far into the distance.

Magray was getting visibly anxious. He was reluctant to let Sein escape.

Just as Magray’s patience was wearing thin, Gade finally shook his head and advised against pursuit. “With the vastness of the trial space, chasing and attempting to corner a powerful initiate with exceptional flight capabilities like Sein is too challenging.”

“Moreover, our past efforts to ambush him suggest he may possess a means of detecting us in advance. Setting up unnoticed traps is an even greater challenge. Instead of investing our time and energy in him at this moment, we should prioritize advancing our group to secure resource points and address the scattered initiates across the five territories. This approach allows us not only to steadily gather points but also, in time, gives us the opportunity and resources to confront the strongest initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring,” he explained.

Gade’s reasoning was sound, yet Magray listened with a sullen expression.

His current score was over 20,000 points, placing him at the lower end of the top ten.

Eliminating Sein could propel him to the top, a temptation far more enticing than Gade’s methodical point accumulation.

The contrast in their personalities was evident here.

Gade was remarkably consistent in his approach. Although Sein’s 100,000 points were a tempting prize to him, he understood the balance between action and restraint.

He preferred securing guaranteed benefits before pursuing more uncertain rewards.

His approach, though conservative, was undeniably the most rational and correct.

Magray, however, viewed the situation differently.

As a fellow initiate of the same academy, he understood the limitations of Gade’s geo elemental magic.

In Magray’s eyes, Gade’s inability to sustain prolonged flight in pursuit of Sein forced him to pass up this “lucrative opportunity”.

Just because Gade had to forgo this opportunity did not mean that Magray had to follow suit.

“If you won’t chase him, I will, with my own group!” Magray declared before flinging his robe and walking away from Gade.

Gade merely watched Magray’s retreating figure in silence.

Before departing, he approached Macy, another top initiate, to propose a joint pursuit of Sein.

Macy, an expert in pyro magic, hesitated upon receiving Magray’s invitation.

She ultimately declined, saying, “I think Gade made a good point. The strongest initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring is elusive. Remember, even Falk and his group from our academy failed in their pursuit.”

Falk, the “Energy Hand”, was among the first from the Divine Tower of Land Academy to pursue Sein.

His strength was on par with Macy’s, and while Magray was marginally stronger, he was still far from becoming an exceptional initiate like Gade.

Magray, having received Macy’s response, snorted coldly and departed the camp. He was accompanied by dozens of senior initiates and Quasi Mages eager to join him in the hunt for Sein.

Like Magray, many initiates dreamed of eliminating Sein, hoping for a meteoric rise in status.

Most of these initiates, possessing considerable strength and confidence, were driven by this ambition.

Their departure was significant. Although they were a small fraction of the over 7,000 initiates assembled by the Divine Tower of Land Academy outside Blackgrave Forest, Magray and his cohort constituted over a third of the senior initiates and Quasi Mages.

Gade, seated at the heart of the camp, remained silent about this turn of events.

As a top initiate, expected to excel by the academy’s instructors, he definitely wielded considerable authority over intermediate and junior initiates.

Yet, his influence over the senior initiates and Quasi Mages was less effective, especially when they were enticed by the prospect of amassing points.

Magray’s exit did not seem to weigh heavily on Gade.

The assault on the Blackgrave Forest Resource Point continued, albeit with diminished vigor compared to previous days, reflecting the reduced strength of the Divine Tower of Land Academy.