Sovereign of the Ashes

As the full-scale war in Lush Verdant Forest unfolded, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring played a supporting role, advancing along the forest’s flanks.

To date, not all native creatures of Lush Verdant Forest had been completely subdued.

Inside the forest, a faction of plant creatures with trunks as tough as steel held on, while outside, millions from the Magus Civilization Army advanced in unison.

The wild gorillas in the Verdant Wilderness World found themselves sandwiched between two massive forces.

Among the Magus Civilization Army, the combat legion led by Sein did not particularly stand out as it was the divine towers of Verdant Flame and Whispering Flame spearheading the battle.

Thus, not only was Sein’s legion well-supported, but the entire Divine Tower of Verdant Spring received exceptional care—a courtesy typically extended due to Lorianne’s status as the youngest among her generation in the faction.

Sein’s legion, while not the most distinguished, boasted significant numbers.

Initially comprising only tens of thousands of plant soldiers, the legion swelled as more native creatures with modest life levels and limited strength joined en route.

Though not the powerful, these native creatures were driven by fervent zeal.

Eventually, their numbers exceeded a hundred thousand.

Under Sein’s command were also tens of thousands of undead creatures summoned by Leena, all directly serving Sanchez.

The skeletal dragon, Sanchez, had thrived in the Undead World in recent years, especially after ascending to demigod status.

The undead creatures currently present represented only the most elite fraction of Sanchez’s forces, not its entire army.

If Sein required additional cannon fodder, Leena could open the summoning channel anytime and call forth reinforcements from the Undead World.

With Sanchez’s influential presence, summoning another one hundred thousand lower-ranked undead cannon fodder would not be a problem.

The abundance and sheer numbers of these undead creatures had long been recognized and utilized by the knights and mages of the Magus World.

This strategic advantage demonstrated by Leena only served to deepen Natalya’s frustration.

Natalya came from a distinguished family. There were not only demigod-level knights, but also several Rank Three Sky Knights in House Ernst.

However, that was the power of Natalya’s family; not her own capabilities.

As for Leena...

Apart from the black tower master, who might not be a reliable mentor, the Rank Two female mage in the Dim Star magic robe had only Sein to rely on and no one else.

It was not an exaggeration to say that Leena had come this far on her own.

Sein could not even compare to her in this regard, as his growth and advancement in recent decades had relied on external support to some extent.

“Tower Master seems to have discovered my ability to communicate with the outside world. When I summoned the demigod-level skeletal dragon to aid in the battle during the Black Towers War, she didn’t seem surprised,” Leena told Sein when she was standing beside him on the huge green hedgehog’s head.

Calling the Rank Five mage “Tower Master” instead of “Master” showed that Leena did not fully trust her mentor.

The main reason was Leena had yet to see the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones’s real face even though she had been accepted as her apprentice.

The magic knowledge she had received was also extremely limited.

Leena had only obtained an umbra elemental magic application technique and a spell book about synthesizing undead beasts from the black tower master after the end of the Black Towers War.

In a place like Blackhaven, not every mentor was reliable.

After all, mages like Morsidor were a minority.

More often than not, it was either the mentor who plotted against the apprentice, or the apprentice who turned against the mentor.

In short, deceit was the mainstay of Blackhaven’s social relationships.

If not for their connections to White Stella’s family, Sein would have taken Leena out of Blackhaven long ago.

With White Stella’s family acting as a deterrent, even the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones would have to think twice before attempting anything against Leena.

This influence likely also contributed to the Rank Five black mage’s acquiescence to Leena’s initiative to contact Sein from the outside world.

While Sein listened to Leena describing her situation at the Black Tower of Cinderbones, his brow was furrowed and his expression turned extremely serious.

Leena understood Sein’s concern and quickly explained, “Blackhaven has its own survival laws, and it won’t be easy for the Tower Master to hurt me. Even the deans at the black tower academy know that I’m her nominal sole apprentice. With my identity as a Rank Five black mage’s apprentice, the advantages and resources I receive at the Black Tower of Cinderbones are nearly on par with what you get at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.”

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to keep pace with you so closely,” she added playfully with a smile.

At this moment, Leena was in her adult form. Despite her cool demeanor, she would only show her softer side in Sein’s presence.

Part of the reason Leena maintained this mature, commanding appearance, rather than the teenage form with fiery red hair that Sein first knew, was that she could only command respect from Sein’s legal wife in this form.

Even if Leena could best Natalya in her teenage form, she might not overpower the robust female knight in terms of aura.

As Leena and Sein reminisced about some of the lighter moments in Blackhaven, a violent tremor shook the skies once more.

A crimson meteor penetrated the planar barrier and headed straight for the heart of Lush Verdant Forest.

Upon seeing this crimson meteor, all the mages, including Sein, looked alarmed.

Being far from the main battlefield, Sein was uncertain about the exact situation there.

But the descent of this meteor spoke volumes of the war’s intensity.

“Could that be Master Gregory’s single-target forbidden spell...?” Sein wondered aloud through his dry lips.

Many who met Gregory were surprised by his muscular physique and the raw power he exuded in battle.

This often led to people overlooking the fact that he was, in truth, a pure mage!

The battle in Lush Verdant Forest had raged on until today, with Gregory’s display of power primarily consisting of his awe-inspiring melee prowess and relentless elemental strikes.

Whenever he did manifest elemental energy, it was typically in the form of pyro elemental laws, designed to strike fear into his enemies.

This, however, was the first time Gregory had displayed pure magical might of such magnitude.

Releasing a forbidden spell was no small feat.

Rank Four mages like Lorianne required lengthy incantations and the use of specific spices to cast such powerful spells.

Hence, no one had noticed or anticipated Gregory would unleash a forbidden spell without uttering a word on the battlefield.

Though it was a single-target forbidden spell, the sheer momentum of the meteor that plummeted toward the center of Lush Verdant Forest was staggering.

Not only would the two Gorilla Gods likely be caught in the path of Gregory’s devastating attack, but even the Verdant Wilderness God—the native Rank Four plant creature—would also be struck.

Sein received an urgent alert from the command center, though the warning was almost unnecessary.

Seeing the imminent danger, Sein had already begun leading Leena and Natalya toward safety beneath the massive Green Spikefur King’s abdomen.

The large hedgehog offered better protection than Sanchez, the skeletal dragon.

“Everyone, take cover!” Sanchez and Green Spikefur King relayed Sein’s order to the surrounding undead and native plant creatures.