Sovereign of the Ashes

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal echoed through Sein’s laboratory.

While assisting with the alchemy experiments, Selina could not hide her amazement.

“You made it seem so easy to wield such a heavy tool. Most alchemists need specialized lifting equipment for this kind of work,” she remarked.

Sein was swinging his trapezoidal metal hammer in front of a mecha.

This was Yuri’s Burning Flame Unit, which had sustained severe damage to its right leg and back in a recent battle.

The external armor’s deformations had severely affected the internal energy circuits.

Although it was still operational on the battlefield, Sein instructed Yuri to hand over her mecha for repairs upon returning to the base.

Having recently completed several crucial experiments, Sein now dedicated time to repairing her mecha.

His primary focus now was to fix the outer armor with the help of his newly designed experimental tool.

Sein did not use particularly premium materials for his new trapezoidal metal hammer; his requirement was simple—it needed to be exceptionally hard. He even prioritized durability over sharpness.

Using leftover adamantine and heavy copper from previous experiments, and acquiring additional metals from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, he crafted the robust “Alchemy Hammer”.

As its name suggested, the hammer primarily served its purpose in an alchemy experiment, not on the battlefield.

Its trapezoidal shape was perfectly suited to Sein’s usual scale of work.

He even imbued the tip with violet flames, characterized by its “inextinguishable” property, and embedded a crimson Rank Three pyro-attribute energy crystal at the center of the hammer head to power the alchemy flame.

The Alchemy Hammer indeed proved invaluable in restoring Yuri’s mecha.

Selina’s admiration elicited a soft chuckle from Sein as he worked on the mecha.

Indeed, only a few Rank Two mages in the entire Magus World had such a powerful wrist strength that allowed them to wield such a heavy hammer.

Sein believed that an exceptional alchemist should be able to conduct experiments with precision, micro-engrave magic arrays, and also tackle large-scale alchemical endeavors.

Initially unfamiliar with the construction of mecha, Sein gradually unraveled these mysteries that were distinct from traditional alchemy practices through his ongoing research and experiments.

The construction of space fortresses in the Magus World fell under the category of alchemy, specifically magitech.

Given Sein’s current level, mastering this advanced construction technology was, of course, still beyond his reach.

Yet, his regular modifications to Yuri’s mechas enriched his understanding of magitech, revealing the profound depth of alchemy.

Though Sein had successfully crafted formidable weapons like the Verdant Flame Heart Rod and Dark Crystal Rod that would serve Rank Two and Three mages well, his growing knowledge only deepened his humility.

With each new discovery, he became increasingly aware of his own ignorance in the boundless field of alchemy, recognizing the many unknowns that still awaited his exploration.

***

Sein spent considerable time restoring Yuri’s Burning Flame Unit, during which the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s forces enjoyed a month-long respite without receiving new combat orders.

This inactivity struck the Rank One and Two mages as unusual, especially since Lorianne was absent, leaving no one with the authority to command the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, not even the other tower masters or knights of Rank Four and above.

While the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s mages and enslaved creatures were recuperating, the other forces from the Magus World emerged from the space-time rift and continued their relentless advance.

As more space fortresses, prism forts, and war airships appeared in the skies above Wild Gorilla World, the frontline moved increasingly further from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s base.

A month later, Sein realized that he could no longer see the active battlefront when he was standing at the highest point of the temporary base.

As the Magus Civilization’s forces advanced rapidly, the various divine towers and knightly orders in a state of recuperation also deployed troops to clean up the battlefield.

This was to prevent the brewing of plagues and the accumulation of dense death energy that could overwhelm this world.

Unlike the undead, Magus World’s creatures preferred a more neutral and peaceful environment.

Although Sein spent his month deeply immersed in laboratory work, the legion of enslaved creatures from Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was far from idle.

The centaurs and lesser aquatic races also seized the opportunity to profit significantly in Wild Gorilla World, contributing significantly to the divine tower’s wealth.

Even without active participation, the accumulation of high-quality Wild Gorilla materials ensured Sein’s dividends would be substantial.

During this period, Luna from the centaur tribe made an unexpected visit, bringing a massive, oddly heavy rod made of metal that Sein had never seen before in the Magus World.

Through Luna’s explanation, Sein learned that it was the weapon used by a demigod-level Wild Gorilla.

Her grandmother, Maya, had participated in the siege against this demigod-level Wild Gorilla but unfortunately did not secure any of the creature’s remains.

Instead, the two other demigod-level knights from the Magus World involved in the siege had left Luna only a seemingly useless giant metal rod.

Naturally, Sein melted it down to explore its properties and incorporated a part of it into his newly crafted Alchemy Hammer.

The centaur tribe naturally had a request for him.

Instead of beating around the bushes, Luna got straight to the point.

“Hephaes, the centaur god revered by our Maya Tribe, wishes to join this medium-sized interplanar war. He has promised to bring an elite centaur legion of at least two million strong.”

Years ago, Sein discovered that Luna possessed “God’s blood” while he was still in the Magus World.

At that time, he had asked Luna for a tube of her blood containing mysterious particles that he had yet to decipher until today.

Given her lineage, Luna was likely a direct descendant of Hephaes, the Rank Four Centaur God.

When it came to talking about the Centaur God, Luna did not exhibit the awe and fear typical of other Rank One or Rank Two centaurs.

The Maya Tribe had managed to amass about two hundred thousand centaurs with great effort, while the rest of their forces consisted of cannon fodder, like minotaurlings.

However, their cannon fodder had suffered heavy casualties in recent months of fierce warfare.

If Hephaes could indeed bring two million elite troops, it would significantly benefit the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Sein, not having the authority to agree to such requests, simply informed Luna that he would discuss the matter with his mentor, Lorianne.

Maya Tribe’s significant contributions merited more than mere acknowledgment; Sein planned to advocate strongly on their behalf.

However, the final decision rested with Lorianne.

After Luna departed, it was Tourmaline, who came from the Magus World, that arrived at the base first, ahead of Lorianne’s return to the divine tower’s base.

On this day, Sein was assisting Leena in her laboratory, where she was analyzing the Abyssal Dragon bloodline extracted from the Terrabound Drakes.

As expected, these drakes were a branch of the Abyssal Dragon lineage, and their dark red blood had been collected in a test tube.

Leena and Sein were currently discussing the possibility of integrating this Abyssal Dragon Blood into the synthesis of undead chimeras.

The abundant high-quality flesh of Wild Gorillas, a key resource in Wild Gorilla World, served as a prime ingredient for these chimeras.

By combining it with the newly refined Abyssal Dragon Blood, they might create a new breed of undead chimera.

In the midst of calculating the optimal blood concentration ratios, Sein’s crystal ball suddenly rang.

Only a few in the entire Divine Tower of Verdant Spring could interrupt him during an experiment.

Frowning, Sein accepted the call, and the image of a large dragon head alongside Archimedes appeared on the screen.

The Rank Three grand mage had a strained smile on his face.

Receiving a call from Archimedes during an interplanar war indicated the seriousness of the call.

“Tourmaline has brought a considerable force of magic beast kings to this medium-sized interplanar war. This is beyond our authority at Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, yet, strangely, the space-time rift at Verdant Wilderness World’s side allowed all these magic beast kings through,” Archimedes remarked, his aged face etched with confusion.

Archimedes had pretty much figured out Tourmaline’s background on his own without asking Sein or Lorianne.

Since Lorianne remained unreachable, he had no choice but to turn to Sein.

“How many have arrived?” Sein asked.

“If they could come in through the space-time rift, they must have gotten approval from Grandmaster Feylis and the others. I had mentioned this to my mentor, but I hadn’t received a definitive response at that time,” he added.

Archimedes merely nodded but did not specify the number of magic beast kings. Instead, he shifted the crystal ball’s view to reveal a vast legion of magic beasts from the Magus World, marching through a massive spatial passage.

This passage connected the Wild Gorilla World to Verdant Wilderness World through the space-time rift.

The sight was staggering. At least three million magic beasts could be seen, with five behemoth leaders at the forefront, each a terror in its own right.

Among them, Sein recognized four; Black Oblivion, and three other magic beast kings Sein had encountered in Sage’s Forest—a white tiger with a silver crescent mark on its forehead, a giant bird with an immense wingspan, and a two-headed gray wolf.

Each beast king led their own legions, except for a colossal, pitch-black giant squid that Sein failed to recognize.

Despite this, the squid was the largest among the magic beast kings.