Sovereign of the Ashes

The Sky Knight who appeared in Sein’s line of sight was a handsome man, clad in gold and silver armor.

Among the human males of the Magus World, Sein was considered exceptionally handsome. The Sky Knight before him was handsome too, but in a different way altogether.

In the Magus World, the life level of a Sky Knight made it impossible for their age to be determined based on appearance alone.

He appeared as young as Sein, yet he might have lived anywhere from two to three thousand years.

Given that Rank Three knights and mages in the Magus World could theoretically live up to ten thousand years and maintain a youthful appearance until they reached eight thousand years, age was a deceptive trait among the powerful.

This Sky Knight’s primary duty was to oversee the knights.

However, as he passed by the area, he unexpectedly approached Sein.

The knight, with his short platinum blond hair and confident smile, came up to Sein and surveyed the central magic tower with evident interest.

His detection abilities as a Rank Three Sky Knight likely allowed him to sense the undead creatures hidden beneath the black, rotting soil of Sein’s tower.

“I’ve heard of your prowess as a pyromancer and an alchemist, but I hadn’t realized you also have notable achievements in undead summoning,” the Sky Knight said in a gentle tone before introducing himself.

“The name’s Wilson. Greetings to you, Master Sein.”

Until now, the knights Sein had encountered were mostly strong brutes. Despite their remarkable combat skills, they tended to be coarse in both behavior and speech.

Hence, Sein never expected to find such a handsome and courteous knight amidst these powerful brutes.

What struck Sein as even more unusual was that this knight recognized him.

Then again, it was not particularly strange for this Rank Three Sky Knight to know of him.

As the officer overseeing the nearby battlefield, Wilson routinely gathered information on the knights and mages within his jurisdiction.

Given Sein’s status as a Rank Two mage responsible for the elemental firepower of five magic towers, his role was pivotal in this part of the battlefield.

“Hello, Sir Wilson.” Sein nodded in response.

In the Magus World, mages generally held a status about half a rank higher than that of knights.

Therefore, even though Wilson was a Rank Three Sky Knight, Sein felt no need to be overly deferential and spoke casually.

Wilson seemed very interested in Sein.

Although it was their first meeting, the knight observed him keenly and asked several trivial questions.

His inquiries focused mainly on Sein’s current activities and the origins of the undead creatures in the depths of his tower.

Sein doubted that any discussion, especially on elemental wards and summoning magic, would be fruitful between them.

After a brief exchange, Sein frowned slightly.

Wilson had made a good initial impression on him, but that did not last.

Having observed subtle changes in Sein’s demeanor, the Rank Three Sky Knight could not help but ask, “What’s wrong, Master Sein?”

“It’s nothing. I just remembered there’s still some unfinished business in my lab,” Sein replied.

The Sky Knight nodded and said, “I’ll leave you to it then, Master Sein. I’ll be heading south for further inspection.”

With that, the Sky Knight placed his hands behind his back and soared away.

This Sky Knight named Wilson, seemed quite humble. He was inspecting the area with only a small number of followers in tow.

To the south lay the warehouse district where Kelman and others were likely stationed.

This area housed a large stockpile of war supplies and resources brought from the Magus World and scavenged in the Thunderfall World.

Many of the spellcasting ingredients Sein had recently used were sourced from these warehouses.

After watching the Sky Knight depart, Sein frowned slightly, then shook his head and resumed his work.

“Take that elemental array disk and move it over here,” Sein instructed the enslaved creature beside him, pointing to a black cornerstone in the distance.

***

Before the large-scale conflict with the Thunderfall World’s native creatures commenced, Sein did not perceive any particularly oppressive atmosphere.

This might have been because his current position was to the west of the fortress, whereas the main battlefield lay to the northeast.

Sein could not even witness the awe-inspiring sight of millions of extraplanar creatures converging.

The conflict erupted four and a half months after Sein’s arrival at the fortress camp, unfolding just as he had anticipated, with the Magus World forces taking the offensive.

Once the battle commenced, the camp grew noticeably quieter, with significantly fewer knights passing through as most had advanced to engage fiercely with the native inhabitants of this plane.

Setting aside the hundreds of thousands of enslaved creatures and considering only the Magus World knights, the engagement ratio on the Thunder Plains was staggeringly disproportionate at 3:100.

This meant that the Magus World had the audacity to deploy only thirty thousand knights against a million-strong legion of extraplanar creatures.

Such numbers underscored the overwhelming might of the Magus Civilization, which has dominated numerous surrounding star domains inhabited by millions.

Among all known star domains and civilizations, only the Magus World dared to undertake such a bold confrontation!

The clash between hundreds of thousands of enslaved creatures and the millions of Thunderfall World’s native inhabitants quickly transformed the heart of the Thunder Plains into a vast expanse of blood mist.

Although Sein was far from the center of the main battlefield, he could still sense the intense skirmishes and commotion.

Every so often, massive energy blasts erupted from the center, signaling fierce engagements.

However, the Rank Four creatures from either side were likely not involved yet.

The significant energy fluctuations Sein detected were probably caused by Rank Three beings or demigod-level entities, whose power were so immense that they projected well beyond a localized area.

As a Rank Two mage participating in the battle, Sein was far from idle.

His abilities allowed him to launch attacks that could reach the heart of the main battlefield.

However, Sein chose a more efficient method, directing the magic towers under his command to strike from afar.

Excluding two smaller, less potent towers, the remaining three unleashed pillars of elemental light that reached deep into the heart of the battlefield, especially the one from Sein’s main tower, which he had personally enhanced.

The pillar of light it unleashed could extend beyond the battlefield’s center, striking deeply into the denser throngs of native creatures toward the rear center.

Although Sein’s direct assaults were not aimed at the very center, his efforts over time led to the estimated demise of three to four thousand extraplanar creatures, showcasing the formidable long-range striking capabilities of the mages.