Sovereign of the Ashes

In a way, Sein and his group were lucky.

As they advanced closer to Moknu High Priest’s location, the High Priest had already cut its way to the very center of the Akre Plains battlefield at an even faster pace.

Their objective was to collect the embers of Dark Flame scattered across the battlefield, as they might hold the key to Sein’s long-awaited promotion to Rank Three.

Long before leaving the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein had begun fusing various elemental flames he had collected, attempting to trigger a transformation effect.

He knew he was very close to success.

Now, with the remnants of the Dark Flame found on this battlefield, he saw an opportunity to bridge that gap.

Still, he needed to conduct thorough research on these specimens to understand their true potential.

Despite having gathered a few embers, Sein was far from satisfied.

Like a man who had just earned a bag of gold coins, Sein became consumed by the desire for more.

In his relentless pursuit of truth, Sein had never been one to settle for less.

His ambition seemed as boundless as the Astral Realm itself.

“If only I could acquire a ball of Dark Flame directly from the tower master...” Sein mused aloud with a sigh.

The starting point for advancing to Rank Three varied greatly among individuals.

If the pyro element secrets Sein managed to decipher from the Dark Flame embers could bring him to fifty points upon completing his elemental qualitative transformation, then perfecting his research in this field through the Dark Flame itself might elevate his starting score to as high as seventy or even eighty points!

However, quantifying a Rank Three grand mage’s power in terms of numerical scores was inherently flawed.

In Magus World, strength could not be so easily measured.

While focus, mana, and constitution levels were useful indicators, they failed to accurately reflect the true strength of a knight or mage.

Even between two Rank Two beings, higher focus or mana levels did not always translate to superiority.

While focus and mana were often the primary indicators of a mage’s capabilities, every spellcaster understood that knowledge was the ultimate determinant of strength.

A mage brimming with mana but lacking powerful spells to cast would remain nothing more than a glorified mana reservoir!

The regret in Sein’s heart was quickly overshadowed by the chaos and intensity of the surrounding battlefield.

This was, after all, the edge of the area where the Rank Four Moknu High Priest had recently been. The native legions of Gumo Plane in this vicinity were not only the most numerous but also the most formidable.

No less than dozens of hostile gazes and mental focuses locked onto Sein.

Unlike the mages of Magus World, who could consciously train their mental focuses when they were initiates, most creatures in the Astral Realm could only harness this ability after advancing to Rank One.

The surrounding malice was all aimed at Sein—the “radiant man” whose body glowed with a blinding brilliance.

Even though Sein and the others were confident in their strength, they had no interest in testing themselves against the sheer numbers of the native legions.

Having already secured several embers of the Dark Flame, Sein and his group were ready to move toward another direction.

“The origin energy of the Dark Flame...” Sein sighed softly before transforming into an arrow of light, leading the charge eastward.

The origin energy was fundamentally different from merely obtaining fragments of it.

Likewise, even if someone saw Sein casting Verdant Flame magic and managed to obtain an ember, it was impossible for them to unravel the profound mystery of that flame.

Harnessing the origin energy required sincere effort from the user.

Such mastery could be greatly aided by access to corresponding training methods or elemental insights, but these opportunities were exceedingly rare—typically passed directly from a mentor to their apprentices.

Whether the Tower Master of Dark Flame had taken apprentices remained unknown, but for Sein, switching factions was not even a consideration as he was already Lorianne’s direct apprentice.

He was not a mage from Blackhaven.

Betraying one’s mentor and turning one’s back on their faction was a grave taboo that would bring scorn upon any mage.

This understanding brought a soft sigh from Sein’s lips.

Not everything in this world could align with one’s desires.

Securing a few embers of the Dark Flame was already a delightful surprise. Obsessing over what could not be was unnecessary.

***

The decisive battle on Akre Plains continued intensifying as creatures of Rank Four and above from both sides entered the fray.

While Sein did not see too many prism forts or war airships on this low-level battlefield, his eyes were soon drawn to the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s massive space fortress hovering over the main battlefield.

This war platform was three times the size of a standard space fortress. Hidden among the clouds, its unrelenting beams delivered firepower equivalent to thousands of mages combined.

The fortress’ main cannon, in particular, seemed to have deeply unsettled Gumo Plane’s three native gods.

With its presence dominating the skies, the Rank Five Tower Master of Dark Flame was able to suppress his enemies while providing essential cover for the mage legions below.

As the war progressed, the conflict devolved into chaotic, close-quarters melee.

Long-range support from mage formations was no longer as effective as it had been at the start of the battle.

Although the Tower Master of Dark Flame was unbothered by the attrition of the frontline cannon fodder, the reality of too many knights and small mage groups being locked in close combat with the native creatures of Gumo Plane made unleashing area-of-effect spells a significant risk to his own allies.

The clashes of Rank Four and above creatures were not a spectacle that low-ranking combatants on the battlefield could witness for long.

Any foolish individual was unlikely to survive even three minutes amidst the chaos.

Sein, who had been more aggressive at the start of the conflict, had led Natalya and the others into the heart of the Gumo Plane battlefield.

Though they managed to break free from the enemies targeting them, they now found themselves at the edge of the Akre Plains battlefield.

Being here left Sein and his group with minimal support from the other knights and mages.

The nearest knight group was thousands of meters away—a distance that made timely support in the chaos of battle virtually impossible.

To avoid being trapped and overwhelmed, an unexpected opportunity presented itself.

After severely wounding a Rank Three Goul Groundworm with Reina, the retreating creature burrowed into the ground, leaving behind a ten-meter-wide underground passage.

“Shall we head down and take a look?” Sein asked, holding a large crystal heart drenched in yellow Goul Groundworm blood in his elemental hand.

Reina, breathing heavily, did not respond immediately. The intense fighting had left her body drenched in sweat and blood.

Natalya, though equally worn out, nodded and replied, “All right, let’s go down there first!”

No one was invincible, and even Rank Two beings had their limits.

Going underground seemed like a prudent way to evade the surrounding legions of Gumo Plane’s native forces.

Sein found himself marveling at how an ordinary interplanar war with a simple five-year contract had escalated into such a massive conflict.

The unending waves of Gumo Plane’s native creatures bore down on them with an intensity that was nothing short of madness.

While Sein still had energy to spare, he knew the importance of conserving his strength.

Going underground had nothing to do with cowardice—it was a tactical decision.

In truth, despite barely a month of combat, Sein and his group had already amassed more kills than many Rank Three Sky Knights and Rank Three grand mages on this battlefield.