Sovereign of the Ashes

“So, this is the interplanar war you’ve participated in several times? Such an exaggerated scale and terrifying reality! Compared to the conflicts between Blackhaven’s major black towers, a war that sweeps through an entire world and determines the fate of an entire plane is far more thrilling!”

Beside Sein stood Faye, clad in a pitch-black magic robe, her cheeks aglow with an excited red flush.

Unlike Leena, who had a calm and wise demeanor, Sein’s senior from his former faction was looking more and more like a proper black mage.

With the gruesome sight of millions of lives being extinguished before them, less hardened mages participating in their first interplanar war might have found it overwhelming.

However, Faye’s reaction was not one of nausea or revulsion, but rather, exhilaration.

She had recently joined the Black Tower of Cinderbones, as had Sein’s other senior, Zorro.

With Leena’s help, both Faye and Zorro led a pretty comfortable life at the black tower.

Even without Leena’s assistance, Zorro could still do well there with his adept alchemy skills.

Sein also heard from Leena that Faye had distinguished herself as one of the exceptional Rank One mages during the recent conflicts between the Black Tower of Cinderbones and neighboring black towers.

Despite joining the Black Tower of Cinderbones, Faye and Zorro were still in contact with Rank Three mage, Martin, and the others on the outskirts of Blackhaven.

Besides, Zorro was still in a contractual relationship with Martin.

Faye had also carved a niche for herself within the Black Tower of Cinderbones, leveraging her connections with the black towers academy and the councils of outlying black mages.

Leena was inherently quiet and aloof, but Faye was much more energetic.

She seemed to have even formed some sort of secret organization with a few other Rank One black mages.

Leena was not particularly interested in this group nor could she control Faye; her sole responsibility was to ensure Faye’s safety within the Black Tower of Cinderbones.

After years of forging her own path, Faye’s aura had evolved distinctly from that of other mages from the divine towers.

Fortunately, Sein was currently surrounded by his trusted allies and tens of thousands of undead creatures.

Otherwise, Faye’s identity as a black mage would surely be exposed, given her arrogance, which contrasted sharply with Leena’s silence.

Nevertheless, Sein was tolerant toward his senior.

Beyond their intimate relationship, their shared experiences from their days in Mystralora City were enough reason for him to shelter and protect her.

However, now was not the time for Sein to chat with Faye; these discussions could wait until after the war had concluded.

After nodding to Sanchez, the mighty demigod-level skeletal dragon led the surrounding undead creatures in a ruthless purge of any remaining life on the battlefield.

Faye, ever the thrill-seeker, reveled in the chaos alongside them. The female mage appeared to take great pleasure in torturing and slaughtering her victims.

She was accompanied by Natalya and Reina, two Rank Two female knights with a fierce eagerness for combat.

Wild as she was, Faye was no match for Natalya’s ferocity.

The two knights took it upon themselves to look after her.

Of course, Natalya would never confess that she avoided staying close to Sein because Leena’s powerful presence was suffocating her.

Reina, with her formidable constitution, might have been capable of besting Leena in a solo battle, but she had no reason to challenge her.

Additionally, Reina was reluctant to remain by Leena’s side, as the aura she exuded, similar to Sein’s, made her feel anxious.

Being with Faye, who was only Rank One, allowed Natalya to regain some of her confidence.

Before Natalya and the others departed, Sein allocated a group of native plant creatures under their command.

From a distance, Leena’s knowing smile reached Sein, bringing him an inexplicable sense of calm amidst the rapidly unfolding chaos of the battlefield.

***

Lorianne and Gregory had already departed from the Lush Verdant Forest battlefield.

Yet, a Rank Four creature remained on this main battlefield—the largest in scale within this world.

At the heart of Lush Verdant Forest, a colossal green tree stood slanted in a massive depression spanning thousands of meters.

This giant tree, towering at three thousand meters, was unlike anything Sein had encountered before in terms of size.

This height represented only the part of the Rank Four giant tree exposed above the ground, not accounting for its extensive root system buried beneath.

Some branches were broken, suggesting that this giant tree was likely even taller and more imposing in its prime.

It was the Verdant Wilderness God, the native deity of the Verdant Wilderness World.

The exposed white roots, now over two-thirds visible, along with countless severed root stumps scattered around the forest, indicated that this Rank Four giant tree was nearing the end of its vitality.

Even without the presence of Rank Four creatures from the Magus World on this battlefield, the tree could no longer stir any trouble.

Surrounding this towering tree were at least six demigod-level mages, with even more creatures of similar rank nearby.

On the other hand, there were no Rank Three creatures on the Verdant Wilderness World’s side, save for a large, frail white bird perched on the Verdant Wilderness God’s branch.

Four of the six powerful demigod-level mages were from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, while the remaining two were from the Divine Tower of Whispering Flame.

They formed a hexagram formation and then carved a large magic array around the Verdant Wilderness God using the power of laws and their potent mana.

This array was designed by Rank Five mage, Gregory, and likely served dual purposes—protection and sealing.

Gregory, renowned for his exceptional melee combat abilities, powerful long-range magic, and sophisticated sealing techniques, was indeed Rank Six mage Feylis’ strongest apprentice.

Observing the subdued Verdant Wilderness God at the center of the distant magic array, Sein sighed in admiration.

Meanwhile, part of the Rank Four giant tree’s attention was focused on the large white bird perched on its branches.

“White Spirit, when I transformed and ascended to Rank Four fourteen thousand years ago, I desired to extend my roots throughout the entire Verdant Wilderness World. However, the previous guardian stopped me, limiting me to only a third of this world’s nutrients,” the Verdant Wilderness God began.

“Four thousand years ago, after you took up the mantle of the guardian, you too dismissed my proposal and upheld the precedents set by your predecessor. Do you regret it now?” it asked.

White Spirit remained silent.

The large white bird, with a wingspan of tens of meters, leaned against the tree trunk, breathing heavily. Its feathers trembled, betraying its current weakness.

“If I could draw sustenance from the entire homeplane, I would have been far more powerful than I am now. All the forests would be unified and stand strong against the extraplanar invaders, unlike now,” the Verdant Wilderness God continued, with a hint of regret in its tone.

The White Spirit finally spoke, its voice aged yet remarkably clear.

“It’s not necessarily a good thing for all the forests to be unified. While it’s natural for you to follow your evolutionary instincts to obtain more power, or even to become one with the entire plane, I cannot simply sit back and do nothing while you potentially bring about a calamity that could endanger the lives of all beings in this world due to your selfish actions.”

“All lives are equal,” the guardian declared firmly.

”But isn’t a calamity upon us now?” the Verdant Wilderness God countered.

White Spirit fell silent again.

”Never mind, there’s no point in debating this now. These two groups of invaders, each more formidable than the last, leave the fate of our Verdant Wilderness World uncertain,” the Verdant Wilderness God concluded with a sigh.

A cool breeze passed, causing the damaged leaves of the Verdant Wilderness God’s trees to rustle mournfully.

Lost in thought, White Spirit gazed into the distance, toward where Sein was.