Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein spared a shred of dignity for the Divine Tower of Astral Sun mages.

If he had smashed the Golden Steelback Pangolin’s head with his Alchemy Hammer, it would have been in a far worse state than just having a few lumps on its head.

The short melee had drained Sein’s mana reserves. He calmly pulled a recovery potion out of his magic robe and tilted his head back to drink it.

Although he said nothing, his action made it clear that he was ready to continue fighting if needed!

Sein’s gaze, unusually cold and unyielding for a typical Rank Three Grand Mage, caused Janice, who had been glaring at him moments earlier, to back off slightly.

Adrian, however, showed no such timidness. His expression remained resolute the entire time.

As for Adolff, the other Rank Three grand mage, he had remained a passive observer throughout the confrontation. The gray-bearded old man simply watched Sein and the others with a neutral expression.

While Bob and Weems were also Rank Three mages, Sein knew they were no match for the Divine Tower of Astral Sun mages in a one-on-one fight.

Both Bob and Weems’ strengths were in administrative management.

Although they had participated in a few interplanar wars, they remained academy mages.

Under Sein’s leadership in recent years, they had grown considerably, to the point where Sein could envision them eventually becoming deans.

It was Adolff, the one who seemed most amiable, who finally broke the silence.

He stepped forward and said, “It’s all a misunderstanding. Let’s each take a step back, shall we? If this escalates, it won’t benefit either of our divine towers.”

The old man’s words rang true. Sein did not wish to lead this group of Divine Tower of Dark Flame mages into an all-out confrontation with the Divine Tower of Astral Sun.

For now, the situation was still manageable.

However, things would take a dire turn if they spiraled out of control, leading to deaths on either side.

Sein had already demonstrated the strength of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame by defeating over twenty Rank One and Rank Two mages and holding his own against three Grand Mages of equal rank.

Undoubtedly, the wisest choice at this moment was to step back and de-escalate the situation.

However, Sein did not respond immediately.

Instead, he countered in a cold voice, “A misunderstanding? So many mages from the Divine Tower of Astral Sun have invaded the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s territory, and you call that just a misunderstanding?”

Sein’s sharp rhetorical question stirred unease among the mages of both towers.

For years, the Divine Tower of Dark Flame mages had been frequently targeted by the mages of neighboring towers.

The flames of frustration had long been smoldering in Bob and the others.

Typically, they endured this treatment in silence, knowing they lacked the strength to retaliate.

But now, they had Sein, a stronger and more capable mage, on their side.

Bob, though of average strength, believed that with Sein bearing the brunt of the confrontation, cleaning up the remaining Divine Tower of Astral Sun mages was well within their capability.

A verdant green magic rod appeared in Bob’s hand.

His action emboldened the other Divine Tower of Dark Flame mages as they, too, began pulling out their magic rods and other magic artifacts.

One mage even retrieved a special scroll from within his robe.

It was a scroll containing powerful offensive magic, inscribed with the array of a Rank Three pyro elemental spell.

Scrolls like this allowed for swift activation and required far less skill or power from the user.

In this case, the mage, though only at Rank Two, could unleash the stored devastating attack.

In the Magus World, scrolls containing forbidden-level spells ranked among the most coveted and valuable magic items.

Even Rank Four mages found them exceedingly difficult to create, and their exorbitant price often placed them beyond the reach of most.

The Divine Tower of Dark Flame mages looked prepared to start a battle at a moment’s notice.

Their readiness provoked a swift response from the Divine Tower of Astral Sun mages.

Although they outnumbered their opponents, many of them were heavily injured. Despite this, they remained a formidable force.

Under the tense atmosphere, each Divine Tower of Astral Sun mage took out their magic artifact, unwilling to back down.

Among them was a Rank Two mage, a Puppeteer—an extremely rare profession.

From a gleaming metal badge on his chest, he summoned two massive steel golems, each towering nearly a hundred meters tall.

Sein squinted at the Puppeteer standing across from him, then glanced over his shoulder at the rash mage who had pulled out a magic scroll.

Do these fools really think that fighting in the Magus World is the same as waging an interplanar war?

Sein remained still, as did Adrian from the Divine Tower of Astral Sun.

So long as neither side made a move, the group fight would not erupt.

Unlike Bob, Adolff seemed relaxed. The old man chuckled and said, “Which law states that the Divine Tower of Astral Sun mages are forbidden from entering the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s territory?”

“We only came to the Petrified Forest to collect magic ingredients. What happened earlier was truly a misunderstanding,” Adolff explained.

The Magus World mages were indeed entitled to travel freely across their homeplane.

This group from the Divine Tower of Astral Sun had crossed into another’s territory, but technically, they had violated no laws.

Sein himself had passed through the territories of many divine towers during his own travels.

Adolff’s calm explanation caused Sein’s expression to soften, though only slightly.

“If you’re only here to gather magic ingredients in the Petrified Forest, it would be best to notify the Divine Tower of Dark Flame in advance next time. Otherwise, I’d hate for any more... unpleasant misunderstandings to arise,” Sein said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“Of course, of course,” Adolff replied, nodding in agreement.

The old man and the young mage were clearly putting on a performance, but they played their roles so well that they appeared entirely genuine.

In Adolff’s palm, a miniature model of a floating ship materialized.

Sein watched as the model expanded rapidly, transforming into a colossal airship that stretched hundreds of meters in length.

At Adolff’s urging, the Divine Tower of Astral Sun’s mages quickly boarded the airship.

With its sails unfurled, the airship promptly set off, heading eastward.

It was an exquisite magic artifact, far beyond Sein’s current alchemical capabilities to craft.

Airship construction required advanced expertise in power dynamics and energy conduction—fields that Sein had yet to explore.

As the floating sailboat faded into the horizon, Adolff, standing on the deck, used a voice amplifying spell to call out, “The Divine Tower of Astral Sun welcomes the Divine Tower of Dark Flame mages to visit our territory and gather materials anytime.”

Using his own voice amplifying spell, Sein responded, “I’ll definitely pay you a visit.”