Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein’s message was very brief. In the throes of such an intense war, there was little time for elaboration or catch-ups.

His message was primarily focused on conveying his request, supplemented by precise coordinate details.

The Magus Civilization Army had thoroughly scouted the Blue Fiery Trench, ensuring that the current conditions and coordinates of key locations were continually updated in the crystal ball of every war mage involved.

Through the provided coordinates, Selphy was able to swiftly locate the area near the silver fort where Sein and his comrades were.

Upon receiving Sein’s request for assistance, Selphy briefly contemplated before gracefully directing the fifteen magic cannons under her command at the fortress’ western flank toward a new target.

The fortress’ initial directive had prioritized the frontal battlefield of the Blue Fiery Trench, where twenty thousand mages were currently fighting.

The intensity of the conflict there surpassed that of the ones on the flanks where Sein and his group were engaged. The strategic significance of these frontal battlefields also outweighed that of the ones in the periphery.

In any case, a directive was not an absolute order.

Although Selphy had no command over others within the firepower control center as a Rank One mage, she was granted a high degree of autonomy over the operation of the fifteen magic cannons under her purview.

This was the reason Selphy was able to extend her goodwill toward Sein previously, making a commitment to assist him.

While she did not outright reject Sein’s plea for support, her actions were undeniably driven by self-interests.

After all, aid often came with expectations of reciprocity.

By directing fifteen energy beams from the fortress to support Sein at the silver fort, she effectively marked a favor owed by him.

While Selphy coordinated the magic cannons, she quickly responded to Sein’s message.

Her reply, brief and to the point, only indicated the time she would be firing the magic cannons.

Sein put his crystal ball away, then relayed the information to the Rank Two female mage telepathically.

“In three sandglasses, there will be three rounds of fifteen energy beams fired from the magic cannons within the space fortress!”

“Great!” The female mage’s face lit up with joy upon hearing Sein’s message.

A sandglass measured one minute. Within mere moments, Sein had arranged for long-ranged support to commence in three minutes. This was no doubt a feat that caused the Rank Two female mage to look at him in a new light.

In the midst of the intense battle, the mage’s wide hood had fallen behind her, allowing Sein a clear view of her facial features.

She was an average-looking woman, yet her gaze hinted at a worldly wisdom.

Sein had crossed paths with numerous female mages—Eileen, Selphy, and his mentor Lorianne, to name a few—all of whom were beauties.

Despite her average appearance, the mage before him exuded an air of intellect and competence, particularly in the heat of battle.

Sein’s attention was unexpectedly drawn to a small, reddish mole near her lips. To him, this mark somehow enhanced her charm.

Such fleeting thoughts crossed Sein’s mind, but he swiftly dispelled this momentary distraction.

Since the Rank Two mage was working with her magic ingredients in preparation to unleash her powerful spell, she remained oblivious to Sein’s gaze.

Perhaps, Sein mused, the distraction was simply a sign of him spending too much time apart from female companionship.

This detachment was so pronounced that even amidst the chaos of battle, he found himself noticing such minute details.

Or perhaps, the relentless tension and peril of the interplanar war had driven even a mage of Sein’s stoic and scholarly demeanor to seek an outlet for his pent-up stress under the weight of external pressures.

Before departing for the war, Eileen had offered some thought-provoking words.

It was possible that Eileen, participating in the interplanar war for the first time, was also under immense pressure and in search of a way to alleviate her stress.

Or perhaps, Sein’s support in her moment of need had struck a chord with Eileen, reaching the most vulnerable part of her heart.

The truths behind her action would naturally come to light once the war concluded.

For now, Sein’s focus remained firmly on the conflict at hand.

As time marched on, Sein’s thoughts shifted away from any distractions.

He quickly completed the incantation of the Solar Eye spell, conjuring six vibrant verdant green eyes behind him.

Meanwhile, the spell stored in his mask and rod stood primed for action, and the two metal discs beneath his feet hummed with energy.

In the sky above, fifteen different colored beams finally converged on their target!

Sein sprang into action, yet the Rank Two female mage from the Divine Tower of Floating Flame was quicker still!

A flash of yellow elemental light heralded the return of the formidable vivid yellow lotus flower.

Her actions drew the immediate attention of the silver fort above.

The creatures from the Neisse Civilization manning the fort, already wary of this Rank Two female mage, responded with a barrage of energy rays aimed in her direction.

RUMBLE!

Explosions thundered across the battlefield, adding to the intensity of the conflict happening at Blue Fiery Trench.

The barrage of elemental magic spells and energy rays created a spectacle where mechas occasionally plummeted from the sky, and war airships from Magus Civilization forced to make emergency landings while billowing smoke.

Amidst the grand scale of the battleground, the commotion at Sein’s location was but a drop in the ocean.

Despite this, the significance of their battle was undiminished for Sein and his comrades.

The combined might of the space fortress’ fire support, the Rank Two female mage’s Elemental Fire Lotus spell, and the concerted magic assaults from Sein and ten other Rank One mages, relentlessly hammered the silver fort.

With that, the fortress that had once stood as an imposing barrier before Sein and the others was finally reduced to ruins

Selphy had promised to assist with three rounds of cannon fire from the space fortress.

However, by the conclusion of the second round, the silver fort constructed by the Neisse Civilization, had already been significantly destroyed by the overwhelming strength of the Magus Civilization.

Sein and his comrades held their positions until the third round of cannon fire ceased before advancing toward the remnants of the silver fort.

The Rank Two female mage, surrounded by a halo of yellow light, was the quickest to act, with Sein following closely behind as the second mage to breach the ruined fort.

The inside of the fort was a mess. Among the rubble and scattered bloody limbs, unfamiliar devices and weaponry caught most of their attention.

The Rank Two female mage threw a glance at Sein, then unleashed a beam of elemental light from her hand, aimed at the ground in the middle of the fort.

The elemental beam’s intense penetration power melted through slag and silver metal, quickly creating a sizable hole through the magical force.

Although the opening was created through the Rank Two mage’s efforts, a long, narrow passageway bathed in faint white light appeared connected to it.

The passage was most likely constructed by the creatures from the Neisse Civilization.

Sein’s earlier call for support from the space fortress had evidently earned him some respect from the Rank Two female mage.

She paused at the entrance of the white passage, suggesting, “While the fort may yield some spoils, the truly valuable items will be found deeper inside.”

She was likely referring to the Neisse Civilization’s artillery and hidden energy crystal chests beneath the ruins and debris.

Sein surveyed the ruins silently.

When the Rank Two female mage dove into the white passage, Sein was quick to follow, staying close on her heels.