Sovereign of the Ashes

“Hey, wait. Did you see anyone-...?” the silver-armored knight began, reaching out to grab Sein’s shoulder with his right hand.

However, Sein had no time to waste on this knight.

Ignoring the hand on his shoulder, he continued pushing through the crowd without even sparing the knight a glance.

Although visibly annoyed, the knight held back his strength, knowing that mages had weaker constitutions.

However, he was in for an unpleasant surprise and about to embarrass himself as Sein was no ordinary mage.

The knight’s attempt not only failed to halt Sein but also knocked him off balance.

His eyes widened in shock before bewilderment filled them.

Clank!

Before he could comprehend what had happened, he was sprawled on all fours at the edge of the plaza.

Sein, meanwhile, had already maneuvered through gaps in the crowd and continued forward.

His strong constitution, enhanced by the Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique, proved particularly advantageous in this chaotic environment.

The surrounding crowd made it difficult for the fallen Rank One Knight to get up again.

An angry roar erupted behind Sein but was quickly drowned out by the noises around him.

The silver-armored knight was tempted to chase after Sein and beat him up. He was convinced that it was the “knight” disguised as a mage who had shoved him.

However, Port Allen was teeming with countless knights and mages, including more than a dozen Rank Two and Three experts in this plaza alone.

As a knight who had only attained Rank One less than a century ago, he knew better than to stir trouble here.

Although the silver-armored knight’s constitution could rival Sein’s, who boasted over two hundred points, he was still surprised to find someone dressed as a mage with such a robust physique.

Sein pressed on, ignoring the commotion behind him.

Before he could reach the female mage, several vast ripples of will—perhaps as many as ten—swept across the sky above Port Allen.

“The Knight Continent has been opened. The isolation barrier will be temporarily lifted. All qualified beings, please proceed to the entrance as soon as possible!” a magnificent voice boomed, likely belonging to a Rank Four or higher being.

Following the announcement, Sein and the others felt the flight restrictions in the sky fading noticeably.

Although they still could not fly freely at high altitudes, ascending about thirty to fifty meters was now possible.

As the voice faded and the flight restrictions fully lifted, countless knights and mages in Port Allen, including Sein, took to the skies, all heading west.

Although much of Sein’s attention was still drawn to the female mage, he was equally focused on the Knight Continent’s opening.

Not every knight and mage was eligible to enter the Knight Continent.

Among the millions of ranked knights and full-fledged mages gathered in Port Allen, it was estimated that fewer than a thousand were actually qualified to enter.

The massive crowd flying toward the southwest was largely driven by curiosity to see what the Knight Continent would reveal upon its opening.

Even those who lacked the qualifications to enter were eager to catch just a glimpse from the outside.

This sentiment was shared by the black mages from Blackhaven like Martin, who were excluded by the northern barrier.

As long as they could obtain some of the Knight Continent’s coveted resources from the participants, their journey would be deemed worthwhile.

The massive influx of flying knights and mages caused Sein to lose sight of the female black mage once again.

However, upon reaching the southwestern city wall of Port Allen, he spotted her rejoining the group of other black mages.

There were nearly a hundred Rank One black mages in Port Allen. After rejoining her group, the female black mage pulled up her hood to blend into the crowd.

Yet, despite her effort, the small group of black mages still stood out like a sore thumb!

It was clear from their demeanor that they were all the lucky ones qualified to enter the Knight Continent.

“Shit!” A red-armored knight’s curse reached Sein’s ears.

He was not the only one who felt this way; many in Port Allen could not fathom why these black mages were allowed to enter the Knight Continent.

Rumble!

About a dozen air cabs streaked across the sky, heading straight toward the southwestern sea. They, too, carried individuals qualified to enter the Knight Continent.

Ignoring the angry red-armored knight, Sein discreetly left the city wall and flew toward the southwestern sea.

The real entrance to the Knight Continent was there.

***

At some point, the light blue energy barrier over the southwestern sea had quietly vanished.

However, the northern barrier remained intact, preventing the ordinary black mages of Blackhaven from seeing the entrance to the Knight Continent up close.

After flying at full speed across the ocean for half a day, Sein finally encountered a blue-violet barrier stretching endlessly across the horizon.

Through the translucent blue-violet energy barrier, Sein glimpsed the edge of a vast continent.

Exceeding even Greenland Island in size, this continent could be considered the largest continent of the Magus World, aside from the main continent.

“So, this is the Knight Continent?” Sein marveled at the scenery behind the energy barrier.

Peering through it, he noticed the continent was teeming with unique creatures unlike any in the Magus World.

For instance, a golden four-winged flying fish with intelligent, curious eyes and flowing dragon whiskers leaped from the sea.

This species was clearly not native to any known Magus World waters and seemed to be exclusive to the areas surrounding the Knight Continent.

The golden flying fish looked curiously at Sein and the others gathered outside the barrier.

Despite the millions of knights and mages gathered, only less than one in a thousand possessed the qualifications to pass through the blue-violet barrier; most were halted outside.

The hundred or so black mages Sein had been watching passed through the barrier as ripples appeared across its surface.

Sein also noticed the female black mage glance back just before passing through, her gaze seemingly directed toward him.

Perhaps inspired by her action or the futile attempts of others, Sein also flew straight toward the blue-violet energy.

Most of the knights and mages collided with the barrier as they approached, unable to enter without the necessary qualifications and forced to remain mere spectators.

Even some Rank Three grand mages and knights, witnessing this for the first time, tried to force their way through, but the barrier remained unyielding.

As Sein approached the barrier, something unexpected occurred.

Though unqualified to enter the Knight Continent, two special shields spontaneously activated on his body.

One was a flickering light green and the other a solid pure white.

Sein recognized these shields. They were gifts from Tourmaline the dragon turtle and White Stella the giant mermaid.

Before he could think further, his figure had already vanished into the blue-violet barrier, leaving envious onlookers gazing at the spot where he had disappeared.