Sovereign of the Ashes

“The regional academy war has come to an end. The top ten initiates, determined by their score, will proceed to the final trial,” a commanding voice echoed throughout the trial space.

Upon hearing this voice, all initiates, including Sein, instinctively looked upward.

Suddenly, an intense, blinding light burst from the golden pillar enveloping Sein.

Swoosh!

With a swift motion, he transformed into a beam of golden light and vanished.

Following Sein’s disappearance, the other top nine initiates, based on their score, also vanished from the trial space.

***

Sein found himself in a special space shrouded in darkness.

The golden light radiating from him illuminated his surroundings.

As the first to arrive in this special space, Sein initially encountered no other beings until Gade appeared.

Gade, boasting the second-highest score, was a phenomenal initiate who had been pursuing Sein for over a year. His score stood at an impressive 110,000 points.

Sein’s score, however, dwarfed this figure, reaching a whopping 207,000 points!

As these two phenomenal initiates faced each other, an unspoken tension hung in the air.

Yet, neither made a move. The academy war had progressed to its final stage, and eliminating each other now would not yield half of the opponent’s points as before.

The third person to enter was Rommel, a top initiate from the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder, known as the “Thunder Shadow”.

Beyond his exceptional individual capabilities, Rommel’s leadership was particularly commendable.

In the latter part of the war, he spearheaded aggressive campaigns that proved crucial in reclaiming numerous resource points which were previously held by the Divine Tower of Land Academy within their own territory. Additionally, he also led successful offensives into the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory.

Upon entering the special space, Rommel cast a scornful glance at Sein and Gade, but remained silent.

Just moments before, the initiates from these divine tower academies had been embroiled in fierce battles. Now, with their leading initiates gathered together, friendly interactions seemed unlikely among them.

The fourth place was Grimm from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Sein and Grimm had forged a friendship in the academy’s library before the war began. Grimm could pretty much be considered Sein’s only friend in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

When Grimm appeared in the trial space, Sein acknowledged his presence with a nod, prompting Grimm to position himself nearer to Sein.

Grimm’s fourth-place ranking in score was largely due to his encounter with three top initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy and their groups at the Frozen Soul Pool Resource Point.

Without the substantial points contributed by those initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy, Grimm’s earlier discreet performance might not have secured him a spot in the top ten.

The fifth and sixth places were held by a male and a female initiate from the Divine Tower of Land Academy, both familiar to Sein as former adversaries.

Upon spotting Sein, they exchanged sharp glances with him before silently joining Gade.

The seventh initiate to arrive was Poppuri from the Divine Tower of Shadow. Her stout figure quivered slightly as she appeared in the special space.

After surveying the others in the space, she eventually found herself a secluded corner far from Sein and the rest.

The eighth arrival was another top initiate from the Divine Tower of Land Academy.

The ninth to enter was a Quasi Mage from the Divine Tower of Cipher, but not one of the twins who had previously injured Sein.

The last to arrive was Daniel, a Quasi Mage from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

His inclusion in the top ten was mostly a stroke of luck, as his score edged out the initiate in the eleventh place by less than a hundred points.

His presence here was partly due to his strategic decision to follow Sein during the academy war and his effective leadership in offensive operations toward the war’s end.

Upon seeing Daniel, both Sein and Grimm’s faces visibly relaxed.

Regardless of the challenges awaiting them in this final trial, having additional allies from their own divine tower was undeniably advantageous.

However, Daniel brought bad news.

“Anna and your cousin have been eliminated,” he informed Sein but quickly assured, “They’re safe though. Some initiates saw them activate their divine tower badges to exit the trial space.”

Sein sighed in relief and replied, “Glad they’re safe.”

The conversation between Daniel and Sein caused Rommel from the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder to appear visibly uneasy and awkward.

He was, after all, responsible for eliminating Anna.

As for Sein’s cousin, Rommel was not sure which initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring she was.

He racked his brain and finally recalled Anna being accompanied by a female intermediate initiate of average strength before her departure from the trial space.

In the special space, the gathering of ten initiates from various divine towers offered a clear picture of the true winning academy in this year’s Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War.

As the initiates eyed each other warily, a new, softer female voice resonated through the space.

To Sein, it sounded quite comforting and kind.

“Initiates, your task is to slay these three Rank One shadow creatures from the Shadow World. Each creature is worth 20,000 points. This is your final opportunity to impact the rankings.

“You may choose to work in teams or alone. In a cooperative effort, the points from the shadow creatures will be divided equally among all participating initiates. Good luck!”

The gentle voice faded, leaving the initiates, including Sein, aware that they were under the scrutiny of powerful observers.

In previous regional academy wars, the trials were typically overseen by the deans of the various divine tower academies, but this year’s circumstances seemed notably different.

Massive cages gradually materialized in the darkness before Sein and the others.

Illuminated by the golden light radiating from them, the creatures in the cages slowly became visible.

It was difficult to describe them with words, but they were indeed aptly referred to as shadow creatures.

The creatures within the three cages varied greatly in size. The tallest towered over ten meters, while the smallest was less than a dozen centimeters.

However, it was not their height but their incredible thinness that was most astonishing!

Observing these extraordinary creatures, which were thinner than paper, Sein was awed by the diversity of the inhabitants in the Astral Realm.

Sein pondered over the mysterious nature of these shadow creatures.

How had they grown to such forms? What were their habits, their diet, and most intriguingly, their unique abilities?

Captivated by these mysteries, Sein was eager to continue exploring and understanding these enigmatic beings.