Sovereign of the Ashes

With Leena’s companionship, Sein found contentment in everything he did.

There was a time when Sein believed he had gotten used to solitude and could pursue truth alone.

However, with Leena by his side, he realized the path was better explored together.

In terms of knowledge, Leena was every bit Sein’s equal, despite his rapid growth over the years.

Sein had amassed a vast amount of knowledge in recent decades, never pausing in his quest for wisdom.

Likewise, Leena had also continuously expanded her horizons.

At the Black Tower of Cinderbones, Leena swiftly established herself as an exceptional, newly promoted full-fledged black mage.

The fact that Leena managed to secure a spot in the Knight Continent’s trial, for which the Black Tower of Cinderbones had paid a substantial sum, already attested to her capabilities.

This achievement, however, had also drawn jealousy and hostility from within the black tower’s ranks.

Together, Sein and Leena continued their journey, predominantly heading north.

The Knight Continent’s trial zone was rife with hidden secrets, beckoning them deeper into its mysteries.

As seekers of truth, their life’s pursuit was an unending exploration of the unknown.

***

Perhaps because of Leena’s presence, Sein felt that time passed quickly and was deeply fulfilling.

For three consecutive months, they journeyed northward steadily, harvesting a plethora of rare specimens and special resources along the way.

During this time, although Sein and Leena encountered several knights and mages within the trial zone, they never crossed paths with the three knights from the Ylli Knight Alliance again.

However, they opted not to join any groups, preferring the solitude of each other’s company.

After nearly forty years apart, Sein and Leena were inseparable, bonded like glue.

Their days were filled with research and exploration, and they enjoyed their leisure time together.

Over the decades, Sein had grown significantly stronger.

Although Leena had been promoted to Rank One and had a superior constitution to Eileen, she still struggled to match Sein’s relentless vigor.

Each night, Leena transformed into her taller form to match Sein’s energy. Even so, she still found herself slightly overwhelmed.

Sein had gradually adjusted to Leena’s new appearance.

Initially, he felt as though he was with a different woman, but he soon got used to it.

In Sein’s eyes, Leena was beautiful in both forms.

While he was more used to her former appearance, he was equally accepting of her current one.

Above all, Sein valued Leena more for who she was than for her appearance.

During their fourth month of traveling together, Sein and Leena were involved in an “accident”.

However, the main protagonists of this unexpected incident were a group of bloodline warlocks from the West Coast.

Sein’s knowledge about bloodline warlocks in the Magus World was limited to what he had read in magic tomes.

He only knew that the strongest among them was the Dragon Warlocks.

Bloodline warlocks, a significant branch of the spellcasting system, placed less emphasis on apprenticeship than other spellcasters.

Instead, like knights, they focused on their familial lineage because the strength of their magic was heavily dependent on their bloodline.

The potency of a bloodline determined the warlock’s power and developmental potential.

This notion that one’s birth determined one’s potential was taken to extremes by the bloodline warlocks of the Magus World.

The Dragon Warlock Clan, the most powerful within this group, controlled over sixty percent of the vast West Coast to the west of the Western Archipelago, asserting their dominance in the region.

The remaining territory, less than forty percent, was held by other bloodline warlock clans, all of which recognized the Dragon Warlock Clan as the leader in their region.

The power of the Dragon Warlock Clan was not merely derived from the potency of their bloodline.

Despite the advances of the Magus Civilization, which had witnessed the emergence of increasingly rare and even synthetic bloodlines—some rivaling or even surpassing dragon bloodlines—the true strength of the Dragon Warlock Clan lay elsewhere.

Their power was derived from various factors, notably their remarkable reproductive capabilities.

The presence of diverse sub-dragon species in the Magus World was a result of their powerful reproductive ability.

This was a significant advantage, given that in the Astral Realm, the more powerful the creature, the more challenging reproduction tended to be.

While there were potent and rare bloodlines along the West Coast whose heirs could rival Dragon Warlocks at a certain maturity, none could match the Dragon Warlock Clan in terms of sheer familial proliferation.

Furthermore, the Dragon Warlock Clan’s influence extended beyond mere lineage.

Warlocks were inherently spellcasters who delved into the mysteries of truth, though they often over-relied on their bloodline strength.

Having dominated the West Coast for millennia and standing as one of the most powerful forces in the Magus World, the Dragon Warlock Clan had significantly shaped the trajectory of the Magus Civilization’s development.

In such a position, it was inevitable that the clan would seek to further their own interests.

While all aspects of the Magus World continued to develop rapidly, its overarching structure had largely solidified.

Although medium-sized entities like the Dawning Secret Society and smaller forces, perhaps formed by a few divine towers, had occasionally emerged, no new organization had ascended to the echelon of top-tier power in over a hundred thousand years, nor have any significant new major forces appeared in the recent years.

Although the bloodline warlock that appeared before Sein and Leena was not the renowned Dragon Warlock, the skill he demonstrated indicated that he was far from the weakest among the bloodline warlocks of the West Coast.

Rumble!

Violent physical collisions and elemental explosions erupted before them.

The once dense green jungle was now a scene of devastation, with giant trees toppling like fallen giants.

The trunk of one particularly large tree, which would have required more than ten people to encircle, snapped in the middle as easily as a matchstick.

Judging by the freshness of the exposed white stump, the battle had only recently begun.

“Worm of House Farrell, this is the Dragon Core Fruit that House Graton has discovered first—get lost!”

An arrogant roar echoed throughout the jungle, accompanied by a faint burning scent in the air.

Not far in front of Sein, three humanoid creatures clad in red scaly armor advanced menacingly toward a lone mage, dressed in black and gray robes.

With Sein’s keen eyesight enhanced by his Verdant Flame Eye Mask, he noticed something unusual about the besieged mage’s eyes—they were black vertical pupils, reminiscent of a snake.