Sovereign of the Ashes

In Sein’s 83rd year at the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, he presided over his second Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War.

This time, the Divine Tower of Dark Flame fielded over twenty-three thousand participants—a significant increase from the previous iteration.

Unlike the last war, no tower masters were present to observe this one.

Instead, the responsibility for overseeing the initiates fell to the deans of the divine tower academies and several Rank Three grand mages.

For Sein, while the quality of this cohort of initiates surpassed that of the previous war, his enthusiasm for the event had waned compared to his first experience.

His perspective had shifted over the years.

Though he remained confident that the initiates from his academy would achieve satisfactory results, watching the chaotic melee among initiates no longer held the same excitement for him.

That said, a few promising young initiates still caught Sein’s attention.

One of them was Gloria—the daughter of Rank One mage Finn. Now in her forties, Gloria was participating in the academy war as a senior initiate.

Gloria’s talent appeared to fall short of her father’s, as she had yet to advance to Quasi Mage until now.

Sein had pretty much watched her grow up. While he never formally accepted her as an apprentice, Gloria was one of the few who could freely enter and leave Sein’s office.

To others, she was considered Sein’s informal apprentice.

Gloria had been stuck as a senior initiate for twenty-six years. While she maintained a calm facade around her peers, her insecurities often came to light in private conversations with Sein.

Sein, however, never equated rapid advancement with a deeper understanding of the truth.

He once posed a question to Gloria—one designed to provoke thought even among Rank Two and Rank Three mages:

“Are you studying magic to constantly increase your life level, or are you studying it to unravel the mysteries of truth?”

Her answer did not disappoint him.

After biting her lip and pondering for a long time, Gloria finally told Sein that it was the latter.

Her answer brought a rare smile to Sein’s typically calm and composed face.

Seeing his smile, Gloria’s mood inexplicably lifted.

This Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War was incredibly important to Gloria.

Among the rewards for the top twenty in the individual score rankings was an “Azure Heart”, a crucial resource for Gloria’s pursuit of unraveling the mysteries of hydro elemental magic.

Unbeknownst to most, Sein had personally ensured the Azure Heart was included in the rewards list for her sake.

For initiates he valued, Sein was never hesitant to offer a little extra help.

Gloria barged into Sein’s office, clad in a light blue magic robe. Grabbing the collar of Sein’s magic robe, she looked up at him expectantly.

“Grandpa Dean, you’ll be watching me the entire time from above the trial space, right?” she asked.

After spending decades together, Sein had grown used to Gloria’s antics. This was her way of showing affection and closeness toward him.

In truth, Gloria’s emotional intelligence was far from low. Her behavior, which had once been endearing during her teenage years, was now clearly deliberate in her forties.

She was determined not to let time weaken her bond with “Grandpa Dean.”

Even though Sein’s appearance had remained unchanged for decades, Gloria had grown from the little girl with pigtails into a mature lady.

“Of course, I’ll be watching you the entire time,” Sein replied, setting aside the magic letter he had been reading. He looked at her with a gentle smile.

“Then I’ll definitely work hard and make it into the top ten this time!” Gloria declared, her eyes shining as she waved her fist determinedly.

Instead of confirming or denying her chances, Sein merely encouraged her.

As a senior initiate, Gloria’s focus and mana levels allowed her to wield combat power comparable to that of a Quasi Mage.

With Sein’s private guidance over the years, Gloria had the potential to unleash power rivaling that of a Rank One mage—provided she prepared thoroughly.

However, battlefields were unpredictable. Opponents rarely gave ample time to prepare spells, and in such situations, mental fortitude and adaptability often mattered as much as raw power.

Gloria could not be considered a Despairer, but she was definitely among the top initiates.

Satisfied with Sein’s reassurance, Gloria left his office in high spirits.

Gloria still acted like a child around him, rather than carrying herself with the poise of a mature mage—perhaps this was due to her lack of romantic experiences.

The door to the dean’s office closed once again, and the smile on Sein’s face faded, replaced by a quiet sigh as he lowered his gaze to re-examine the magic letter on his desk.

Moments later, a lumen elemental mirror appeared in Sein’s right hand, projecting an image of Dean Keith on its surface.

“Please oversee this academy war in my absence,” Sein said.

“Is the news confirmed? Are you really going?” Keith asked.

“It seems so. It’s not just us at the Divine Tower of Dark Flame—five other divine towers and twenty-three knightly orders in the region are also dispatching specialists to gather and verify the information,” Sein replied with a nod.

“Well, safe travels then. I’ll take charge of the academy war in your absence,” Keith replied.

Sein exchanged a few more words with Keith before adding, “Keep an eye on Gloria for me. Try not to let her fall in this academy war.”

Keith was well aware of who Gloria was.

In the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, Keith was widely regarded as the warmer and more approachable dean, while Sein had a reputation for being aloof and cold.

Ironically, Gloria was not afraid of Sein at all, yet she seemed nervous whenever she encountered Keith.

She always carried herself respectfully around Keith, a stark contrast to her playful demeanor with Sein.

“What’s this? Are you planning to take that kid as your apprentice?” Keith asked with a teasing smile.

“Not really,” Sein said, shaking his head. “But she’s a child I’ve watched grow up, and she’s pretty talented. She deserves a longer and brighter path ahead.”

***

Sein was ultimately unable to watch Gloria’s performance during the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War.

After quickly delivering a pre-war mobilization speech, Sein quietly left the Divine Tower of Dark Flame.

Joining him on this mission were dozens of Rank One mages and seventeen Rank Two divine tower mages.

This departure was a response to a special mission issued by the Ylli Knight Alliance.

Reports indicated the appearance of unusual spatial fluctuations deep beneath the ground to the north of the Ylli Knight Alliance’s territory.

The Alliance had summoned all nearby divine towers and knightly orders to assist in investigating the anomaly.

The prevailing theory was that the spatial fluctuation indicated the emergence of an underground space-time rift.

Regardless of which world the rift connected to, it was widely believed to be a catastrophic event for that other world.

Sein and his team’s mission was to pinpoint the location of the spatial fluctuation and confirm whether a new space-time rift had truly formed.

As the most capable Rank Three grand mage in the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, Sein was the natural choice to lead the investigation.

Given that the exact nature of the fluctuation remained unclear, the Ylli Knight Alliance had refrained from deploying Rank Four or higher powerhouses.

There was also speculation that involving too many high-ranking mages might alarm any extraplanar creatures on the other side of the rift.

If the rift was sealed and repaired by the opposing side, reopening it could become more challenging.