Sovereign of the Ashes

After the two “evil entities” from the Magus World had roughly discussed their god-slaying plan, the Spider Queen cleared her throat and addressed Sein, who was still lost in thought.

”Since you’re not a native of this world, the will of this plane is actively rejecting you. On top of that, you’ve been stalked by different native creatures since leaving Blackwater City. If you intend to carry out the god-slaying plan, you’ll need to get rid of them first.”

Faeloria had been developing for countless years, perfecting its defenses and systems to an unprecedented degree.

After causing such a significant disturbance at the Church of Bones in Blackwater City, there was no way Sein could have escaped unnoticed by the native forces.

Not only were the clerics and followers of the Church of Bones in pursuit, but the Temple of Storms, the Temple of Stealth, and various other factions were also on his trail.

Fortunately, Sein’s Aura Restraint Spell—inspired by Tourmaline and perfected over many years—and the Spider Queen’s divine interference had disrupted the traces of his presence enough for him to avoid direct capture by the Faelorians.

Of course, Faeloria’s fragmented political landscape also played a key role in Sein’s continued survival.

The sheer number of religious organizations, their mutual hostilities, and the major factions’ rivalries ensured there was no single force capable of coordinating a unified manhunt against him.

For instance, the dense forest region he was currently in lay beyond the Church of Bones’ sphere of influence.

It was not part of the Dark Alliance’s domain either—instead, it belonged to the Wings of Nature, which granted Sein the freedom to move unimpeded.

Faeloria’s unusual power structure—where countless gods coexisted, each presiding over distinct domains—was an anomaly compared to most other worlds.

Had Sein been in a unified-plane civilization or under a tightly controlled regime like that of the Magus Civilization, his mobility would have been severely restricted!

Yet, despite these advantages, Sein had inevitably left traces of his activities, attracting various pursuers.

Once he and the Spider Queen’s divine clone succeeded in slaying one of Faeloria’s weakened gods, the shockwave it would send through this world would be colossal.

It had been thousands of years since Faeloria had witnessed anything as dramatic as a “God Slaughter”.

Once Sein took such an action, the entire continent would likely be thrown into turmoil.

At that point, even if he wanted to hide, it would be nearly impossible.

After all, it would not be just the Church of Bones on his trail—most of the continent’s religious organizations, and the deities behind them, would be eager to learn more about him.

By then, however, it would almost be time for Sein to depart.

Thanks to his previous experience in marking planar nodes, Sein had already recorded numerous coordinates for the Spider Queen since arriving on the Faeloria Continent.

Although he had no idea how she intended to use those coordinates to stage an interplanar invasion, he had fulfilled his part of the bargain.

According to the agreement he had with the Spider Queen, Sein was already free to leave this world.

***

After roughly mapping out the god-slaying plan with the Spider Queen, she seldom contacted Sein for an extended period afterward.

He assumed she was simply preoccupied with her own affairs.

Still, Sein could not help but admire the Spider Queen’s vast knowledge of magic arrays, umbra elemental magic, and necromancy.

How had a goddess of faith like her managed to attain such profound mastery over elemental magic?

Fifteen years later in St. Pilantes City, the capital of the San Auster Empire, one of the most powerful kingdoms in the heart of the Faeloria Continent...

The fact that both the empire and its capital bore the title “Saint” or “San” signified that at least eighty percent of the nation’s population were followers of the God of Justice, the most revered deity of the Justice League.

In truth, based on the latest census, ninety percent of the empire’s eighty million citizens were devout believers of the God of Justice.

Other faiths—even the widely spread Temple of Wealth—held little presence in the empire.

Only one or two temples dedicated to other deities could be found in the empire, and even then, they were tucked away in remote cities.

In St. Pilantes City, where nearly all citizens worshiped the God of Justice, outsiders of different faiths found it nearly impossible to settle—let alone integrate.

The entire capital was a sea of white—not only its buildings but also its inhabitants’ clothing.

According to the God of Justice’s oracle, white symbolized holiness.

If anyone in St. Pilantes City was seen wearing unusual attire or displaying behavior that strayed from the norm, they were undoubtedly merchants or adventurers from neighboring nations.

Although St. Pilantes City and the San Auster Empire upheld a strict monotheism doctrine, the empire had not isolated itself from international trade and diplomacy.

In fact, even within the Temple of Justice, clerics valued conversion over eradication.

Turning those of other faiths into devoted followers of the God of Justice was considered a greater virtue than purging them outright.

At this very moment, countless clerics and nuns from the Temple of Justice roamed the city’s streets and squares, preaching the divine gospel, drawing crowds of devoted followers to listen to them in awe and reverence.

This was a human empire suffused with an atmosphere of peace and prosperity.

Having arrived in St. Pilantes City, Sein had to admit that the God of Justice’s faith system was not only far better developed but also boasted more followers than most other Faelorian deities.

It was no wonder the God of Justice had risen to become one of the most powerful deities on the continent, with the greatest number of temples spread across Faeloria.

Sein had not come to the God of Justice’s territory to observe firsthand the development of the world’s most powerful deity’s faith.

Rather, he was here to escape the relentless stream of pursuers trailing him.

The longer he stayed in this world, the greater the risk of exposure.

It was hard to tell whether the Church of Bones, along with other temples, had increased their efforts to track him down, or if Sein’s collection of biological specimens over the past ten years had finally drawn unwanted attention.

Either way, even as a Rank Three grand mage, he found the constant pursuit exhausting.

Six months ago, he had been forced into direct combat with a Rank Three creature native to this plane.

This entity, known in Faeloria as an “Epic Being”, was a special creature clad in white bone armor.

The strong aura of death radiating from its form made it immediately obvious to Sein that it was a member of the Church of Bones.

How it had managed to track him down remained a mystery.

Luckily, Sein avoided prolonged combat and eventually shook off his pursuer.

He had entered Justice League territory both as part of his westward journey and as a deliberate tactic to lose the Church of Bones and other pursuing factions.

Sure enough, the plan had worked better than expected.

He had not encountered a single pursuer since entering the San Auster Empire six months ago.

Although Sein could sense that those hunting him had not given up, the Justice League and the God of Justice acted as a natural deterrent.

Infiltrating this territory would not be so easy for foreign forces.

Even if any rival temple dared to act within the Temple of Justice’s lands, Sein would not have to worry about being captured.[1]

The Temple of Justice, known for its strict monotheistic doctrine and unwavering hostility toward the Dark Alliance, would immediately declare a “holy war” against any offending faction.

And if such a holy war were to break out, history suggested it could eventually escalate into a full-scale “divine war” between Rank Four and above entities.

This was why even the other powerful Faelorian deities approached the God of Justice with caution and restraint.

1. Important Translator’s Note: Mr. Author seems to use “church” and “temple” interchangeably in this novel. He sometimes refers to the Church of Bones as the “Temple of Bones”. For consistency’s sake, I will keep all terms to “Church of Bones”. Even though it is a church, all places of worship are collectively referred to as “temples” in the raws. So this isn’t a church vs temple fight, but a deity vs a deity conflict. ☜