Sovereign of the Ashes

The conflict in the middle of the Rocky Range was minor—a mere skirmish rather than a large-scale war.

The native creatures of the Thunderfall World airlifted into the fray were wiped out in the mountains before they could even reach the western edge of the fortress camp.

The battle lasted only two and a half days.

During this time, Sein profited handsomely, acquiring half of a Rank Two Garth’s corpse, two complete Rank One Garths’ corpses, and several other lower-ranked specimens from Thunderfall World.

The reason he had only half of the Rank Two Garth’s corpse was tied to the events of the battle.

Sein vividly remembered the black-bearded knight’s dismayed expression at the end of the skirmish.

Knights were typically not as calculating as mages, but it was clear this knight had intended to fight the Rank Two Garth alone.

Unexpectedly, Sein intervened, unleashing a verdant flame spell with an extremely destructive power.

Although the Garth’s life level was elevated to mid-stage Rank Two due to the absorbed thunder power, Sein knew it had begun the battle as merely a Rank One creature.

In essence, it was not truly a Rank Two creature.

Like Sein, who had received a wisp of the Magus World’s Planar Light, this Garth had been blessed by the Thunderfall World’s planar will.

With thousands of Garths on the Rocky Range battlefield, Sein wondered why only a few had been granted such a blessing.

Recalling the Garth’s bravery in battle and its behavior before receiving the blessing, Sein speculated that not all creatures are favored by the will of their plane.

After the conflict in the Rocky Range had ended, Sein approached the black-bearded knight and said, “I’m very interested in that Rank Two Garth’s corpse. Will you consider selling it to me? I’m willing to pay 150 magicoins.”

The half Rank Two Garth’s corpse in Sein’s possession was the one this black-bearded knight had cleaved with his heavy sword in a fit of frustration.

Sein had claimed the right half of the body because his Radiant Heart’s beam had struck the heart of the Garth in a sneak attack, justifying his claim to half the loot.

The Blackbeard Knight rolled his eyes at Sein’s proposal, clearly remembering this guy who stole his kill.

Yet, he was not one to quibble over details, especially not when money was involved.

Given that 150 magicoins was a considerable sum, even a complete Rank Two creature’s corpse would not fetch that much in the war market of the Thunderfall World.

”It’s yours!” the knight exclaimed, retrieving the other half of the corpse from the spatial storage equipment he wore on his wrist and tossing it before Sein.

After receiving the 150 magicoins, the Rank Two knight departed without even looking back.

Meanwhile, Sein carefully stowed the corpse, unaware that he had just acquired a specimen of significant value in the Thunderfall World.

The black-bearded knight and others only saw the superficial value of the Garth’s corpse, failing to recognize the deeper significance that Sein and other mages sought.

Perhaps this understanding, or lack thereof, was why the major divine towers and the orders of the knights were able to collaborate harmoniously during their interplanar wars.

***

After returning from the Rocky Range, Sein immediately headed to the fortress camp to gather updates on the situation.

Griman had returned with him, but his gains from the encounter were minimal.

Ultimately, he secured only half of a Rank One Garth’s corpse and some other minor spoils.

Not everyone possessed Sein’s strength. At this point, Sein was merely an opportunity away from advancing to Rank Two.

For information gathering, Sein could only rely on official announcements from the fortress camp, whereas Griman leveraged his connections to obtain insights from fellow knights.

By the time Sein was just beginning to understand the overall situation on the Thunderfall World battlefield, Griman had already acquired sufficient information to provide him with a comprehensive briefing.

Sein had to admit that he owed the knight a favor this time.

”Jeremy and the others are currently at the Thunder Marsh camp. Do you want to head there directly? I’ve spotted some promising war missions. You could pick them up before you leave,” Griman suggested.

The Magus World Army had been fighting this war in the Thunderfall World for twenty-two years, with the Order of the Steel Fist joining the fray only fifteen years ago.

To date, Magus World had established up to a dozen fortress camps across various regions in the Thunderfall World, with the Order of the Steel Fist managing four of them, including the one Sein was stationed at.

The Thunder Marsh camp was nearby, and Sein could use the teleportation array to reach it directly.

“Aren’t you coming with me?” Sein asked.

“I’m not going. The order has assigned me to combat duties on the eastern front,” Griman replied with a smile.

This highlighted the difference between external support mages like Sein and registered knights like Griman. While Sein might not match Griman in war gains, he enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy.

It was also possible that the Order of the Steel Fist was consciously protecting Sein and other mages.

After all, this war was initiated by the three orders of the knights, and mages were a scarce, vital resource.

Fighting unfamiliar planes like this would be extremely challenging without the assistance of mages.

Today, more than ten fortress camps of various sizes scattered across the Thunderfall World had been established by mages.

The burly knights lacked the skills to set up elemental wards, magic towers, teleportation arrays, and other similar advanced tools.

Sein nodded and said, “Then we’ll meet up again later. I’ll personally take care of the matter regarding the children in your family wanting to join the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, as you mentioned last time.”

Griman smiled and said no more.

***

In the end, Sein accepted the task of constructing a magic tower at Thunder Marsh and repairing the magic wards on the camp’s outskirts, prompting his move from the Rocky Range to the marsh in the southwest.

Thunderfall World, a unique low-level plane, was devoid of continents and oceans but rich in varied terrains like forests, marshes, and rivers.

The plane was characterized by its highly active thunder and lightning elements, making it a trove of electro elemental resources.

At the Thunder Marsh camp’s main fortress base, Sein finally found his father, who lay unconscious on a bed in the recuperation area.

His great-grandfather, Jeremy Grantt, was also in the room.

While Kelman lay swathed in white bandages, treated with potent magic potions, Jeremy, suffered only a minor wound in his abdomen. The Rank One knight still had the strength to fight.

“Julius and Samson are still out on a mission. I’ve informed them of your arrival,” Jeremy said.

Julius was the founder of House Grantt, and Samson was his mount, a Reverse Winged Lion King.

This Thunderfall World War marked Kelman Grantt’s first interplanar war since his promotion to a Rank One knight.

Naturally, the dire outcomes from the onset would dishearten anyone.

Observing Sein’s somber expression, Jeremy continued, “The mages tending to Kelman reported that his condition is extremely unstable. He doesn’t have the resilience needed to withstand the strain of traveling through a spatial passage, so sending him back to Magus World for immediate recuperation isn’t possible.”

“Fortunately, all indications suggest that Kelman has a strong will to survive and a significant chance of recovery,” Jeremy added.

“Who did this?” Sein asked.