Sovereign of the Ashes

The Knight Continent was a special place in the Magus World.

Revered by hundreds of millions of knights as a holy land, it was also considered the crowning jewel of the Magus Civilization.

Legend had it that the continent was the legacy of the only Rank Nine being in the annals of Magus history.

It was a massive island that could sustain the lives of a large plane, and it was unequivocally the largest island in the Western Archipelago.

In ancient times, the Knight Continent was only accessible once every five thousand years, with each opening lasting for a millennium.

For some reason, the ruling elites of the Magus Civilization later modified the frequency and duration of these openings.

Nowadays, the Knight Continent would open once every thousand years, with each period lasting just a century.

This change permitted more knights and mages of lower ranks to explore this secret realm left by a Rank Nine being, as previously, the five-thousand-year interval was deemed too restrictive.

Many knights and mages of Rank One and Two could miss the opportunity to explore this revered land, simply due to the unfortunate timing of their birth.

Only those of Rank Three or higher who had lived long enough could hope to participate in such an event.

However, unlike over a hundred thousand years ago, not all regions of the Knight Continent were accessible now.

Given that the continent was only open for a century at a time, it was nearly impossible for even the most powerful individuals above Rank Four to explore many of its regions, let alone for those of lower ranks.

Every thousand years, different areas of the Knight Continent were made accessible.

Nonetheless, those powerful enough to be granted entry invariably garnered substantial rewards from their explorations.

However, venturing into the Knight Continent was not without its dangers.

The Rank Nine being that once roamed this land had no intentions of nurturing the newer, weaker generations of the Magus World. Instead, this secret realm existed to test and hone them.

Despite the high risk involved—with a casualty rate of twenty to thirty percent whenever the continent was accessible—the allure of discovery continued to draw the most formidable individuals from all corners of the Magus World, particularly ranked knights and full-fledged mages of Rank Four and above.

Their exploration zones, however, were different than those accessible to adventurers below Rank Four.

The treasures and wealth found in the areas explored by these higher-ranked adventurers were considerably more significant. This separation likely also served to protect the interests of the less powerful adventurers.

Sein had never heard Master Lorianne mention the Knight Continent, so she was probably not well-acquainted with it.

As its name implied, the Knight Continent was revered as a holy land by billions of knights of the Magus World.

While spellcasters also found this place highly attractive, their attention was more captivated by Sky City, renowned for its rich and ancient scholarly heritage.

Before Sein embarked on his journey, Lorianne had recommended that he visit Sky City, as it was the repository of the oldest and deepest intellectual traditions of the Magus World that contrasted starkly to the secret realm of the Knight Continent.

The Knight Continent imposed specific entry requirements on those who wished to undertake its trials.

If unrestricted access were granted to all knights and mages of the Magus World, the secret realm left by the Rank Nine being would be quickly depleted.

The intermittent openings of the Knight Continent were probably strategically planned to allow the trials and resources within the secret realm time to regenerate.

Opening different regions in sequence also ensured that the continent’s ecological and environmental resources were not overly impacted by external exploration.

These strategic decisions were made by higher-ranking beings, possessing a profound level of awareness.

Meanwhile, Sein was figuring out how he might participate in these trials.

“I heard that entry is granted only to individuals recommended by the major divine towers and orders of the knights, or those who have made significant contributions to the development of the Magus World,” Martin explained casually to Sein.

“Recent participants in the Knight Continent’s trials have included ranked knights from across the Magus World. As for the mages, they mostly come from the divine towers in the Western Archipelago and surrounding areas, though there are a few from more distant locations. However, their numbers are relatively small,” he added.

These were general information that Sein could obtain elsewhere at some cost, even without Martin’s help.

However, Martin withheld deeper insights.

For instance, he did not disclose that the Knight Continent did not outright ban Blackhaven’s black mages or black knights from participating.

The Rank Nine being from the history of the Magus Civilization harbored no strong prejudices between the forces of black and white.

From the perspective of such a powerful being, whether black mages, black knights, or ordinary mages and knights from the divine towers and orders of the knights, were all integral to the Magus Civilization.

Together, they formed a dynamic force that continuously developed and strengthened the Magus World.

Despite the existing restrictions on Blackhaven’s knights and mages, the Knight Continent’s policy was more inclusive than it appeared.

For instance, black mages who had made significant contributions to the Magus World in foreign wars were granted permission to explore the Knight Continent.

Additionally, newly promoted black mages like Leena, who excelled in the Death Trial, also stood a chance to explore the continent.

This was because black magic initiates were not perceived as malignancies within the Magus World. They were merely led astray during their formative stages.

Even newly-promoted Rank One black mages could potentially “return to the right path”.

These factors afforded Blackhaven a quota to send participants to the Knight Continent every thousand years.

Martin, however, had never set foot on the Knight Continent.

His experience was limited to acquiring rare resources and materials traded by other trialists in the peripheral areas.

In Blackhaven, those who historically qualified to enter the Knight Continent were all renowned powerhouses, including several Rank Four or higher beings who had established black towers.

Even the least among them, if they survived their formative years, could at least ascend to a demigod level.

As a result, a rumor had circulated among the black mages of Blackhaven—securing the right to explore the Knight Continent was almost a guaranteed ticket to reaching demigod status.

Although potentially exaggerated, this belief was widely accepted and fueled enthusiasm among many, including Martin, who was desperate to explore the Knight Continent but lacked the necessary qualifications.