Sovereign of the Ashes

“Who told you to come?!”

Sein glared at Natalya after the battle concluded.

His annoyance was not directed at Natalya’s intervention itself. Rather, it was how the rough female knight had slain the strange Rank Two plant—a specimen Sein had held in high esteem—with a single strike of her sword.

During the prior engagement, this strange plant had been at a severe disadvantage against Sein.

With Natalya’s arrival, the combined internal and external assaults of elemental flames effectively extinguished the last trace of the plant’s resistance.

Yet, the true death blow came from the massive crimson sword Natalya had thrust into the heart of the plant’s root system.

This was not the first time Sein had seen the sword—it was the exact one Natalya had hurled at him when they were in the Thunderfall World.

Under normal circumstances, the blade was silver with a strip of black in the middle.

However, during combat, especially when Natalya channeled her battle qi into it, the blade would ignite, transforming into a fiery red with undulating flames.

Natalya certainly lived up to her reputation as a seasoned Rank Two Land Knight. Determined to kill the plant, she struck directly at the core of its root system with lethal precision.

Sein had intended to weaken the plant’s power and vitality instead of killing it.

He was extremely fascinated by the peculiar purple hue of its pyro elemental particles and was eager to analyze it.

But with Natalya’s decisive action, all potential for further study was lost.

It was difficult to determine whether the plant was too weak or if Natalya’s strike was too precise.

After the sword struck the core of its root system, the plant quivered briefly before losing all signs of life.

Simultaneously, a strange purple liquid burst from the roots of the giant tree, leading Sein to wonder if it was actually the plant’s blood.

Sein’s reproach caused Natalya to hang her head in remorse.

Anger was rare for him, as he had seldom lost his temper over the years.

This was likely the second time Natalya had seen Sein this furious, the last being in Thunderfall World where he had spanked her.

Come to think of it, these two were like enemies.

Despite his usual patience, Sein had found himself infuriated by Natalya twice, a fact made all the more ironic considering they were now betrothed to each other.

Observing Natalya’s subdued gesture, Sein sighed in frustration and then descended into the deep pit below.

The pit, once somewhat moist, had dried out, the ground scorched and blackened by the intense heat wave during the battle.

Nearby, the underground river had filled a shallow depression in the pit, forming a small lake where most of the surviving Giant Green Mitten Crabs had taken refuge.

The battle involving Rank Two creatures was beyond their capacity; not meant to be participated by cannon fodder like them.

Under the leadership of the Giant Green Mitten Crab Chief, those that survived tended to their wounds and assisted the injured.

As Sein landed, Daniel and the others approached.

While the Rank Two strange plants had died, these mages had contributed significantly to weakening the plant, though they lacked the power to kill it directly.

The strange plant, now completely devoid of vitality, lay with its broken branches quietly scattered around.

“Hopefully, we can learn something from the cellular tissues and the tumors of this plant...” Sein mused aloud.

Everyone present who had participated in the siege, knights and mages alike, had a right to the spoils.

Recalling his days as a Rank One participant in higher-level battles, Sein was not one to hoard the rewards.

Daniel and the others had collected numerous pieces of the plant during the battle.

As mages, their interest in the strange plant was as keen as Sein’s.

The remaining Rank One knights, however, showed little interest in those. After all, it was not like they could eat them.

For these knights, Sein rewarded their efforts with mission points.

Their contributions to the defeat of a Rank Two plant also earned them a substantial reward after the battle.

Unlike the mages, the knights presented themselves before Sein, voluntarily offering up the roots and tumors they had chopped up during the battle.

They understood that such items were of greater value to Sein and the other mages.

Sein expressed his gratitude and then handed over a few potions to these knights.

One of the Rank One knights’ arms bore scratches and burn marks from the previous battle. The patches of purple burns caught Sein’s attention, prompting him to take a few extra glances.

However, the knight seemed unbothered by his injuries.

Unless it was a severed limb or a life-threatening injury, all other wounds were merely superficial to these tough knights.

Natalya landed behind Sein, her heavy sword still stuck in the center of the dead Rank Two plant’s root system.

Faint pyro elemental particles lingered in the air, and a large puddle of purple plant sap flowed down the blade of Natalya’s sword onto the ground.

“When are you going to pull it out?” Sein rolled his eyes at Natalya.

“Oh” was all Natalya uttered before she stepped forward. With one hand, she withdrew the massive sword that was over ten meters in length.

With the death of the Rank Two plant and the conclusion of the battle, Natalya deactivated her bloodline transformation.

The pyro elemental particles on the blade were extinguished, and the sword had shrunk back to three meters in length, which she then returned to its sheath on her back.

As soon as Natalya pulled out the heavy sword from the remains of the Rank Two plant, Sein finally saw what lay beneath.

He could not help but exclaim in surprise, “Huh?!”

Beneath the dead giant tree, now oozing purple sap, a purple-colored boulder with an irregular shape became visible.

Attached to its surface were numerous tiny plant roots, all belonging to the Rank Two plant.

Clearly, this stone was the source from which the Rank Two plant had derived most of its power.

***

The main combatants responsible for defeating the Rank Two plant were Sein and Natalya, so naturally, they were entitled to the majority of the spoils from the giant tree.

Beneath the now-lifeless giant tree, Sein unearthed a purplish-red tree heart amidst the roots. It was still pulsing with potent pyro elemental energy particles.

“You can have this, I want the rock,” Sein said as he handed the tree heart to Natalya.

“No, you can take all of them. I know you’ll need them for your experiments,” Natalya replied, glancing sideways at Sein with a subdued expression.

After being told off by Sein earlier, Natalya appeared noticeably meek. It seemed that everyone indeed had a vulnerability.

Natalya, known for her fiery temper in the order of the knights, had never shown such deference to anyone but Sein.

Recalling how she had hurried to the battlefield intending to support him, Sein softened his tone.

“Thank you for coming to help me.” Sein let out a sigh, his voice a lot calmer now.

“We’re family, there’s no need to say thank you,” Natalya whispered back.

Sein was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for words.