Sovereign of the Ashes

If Audria and Ronaldo were on the path of passive physical evolution, then Flynn, the mage, was on a path that combined wisdom with elemental power.

Sein did not accept Flynn as an apprentice. At this stage, the little guy was not even qualified to be his assistant.

Flynn’s Rank One life level and the spells he had mastered were insignificant in Sein’s eyes.

True mages of the Magus World did not rely on fixed moves or rigid spell models.

Take Sein as an example. Even a simple fireball spell model could be transformed easily through his wisdom and knowledge, manifesting in hundreds of different forms.

The firebird seen in the Mass Explosion spell was merely one of them.

If each variation were considered a separate spell, then by that logic, Sein had essentially evolved and mastered hundreds.

This was the fundamental difference between Magus World mages and Faelorian mages.

The former were infinitely adaptable, constantly growing through knowledge.

The latter adhered strictly to spell models—understanding only what they were, but not why they worked.

They did nothing more than master the available spell models in the Weave, which had remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years.

Unlike with Audria and Ronaldo, Sein did not begin Flynn’s training by enhancing his constitution or mental focus.

The first transformation he attempted was to alter Flynn’s perception of knowledge and values.

At first glance, this remodeling seemed fruitless.

Yet in the long run... Flynn was the one Sein had the highest hopes for.

***

Life on the second level of Purgatory was far better for the Godslayers’ families than it had ever been in the snowy mountains of the far north.

The attitude of the Purgatory demons toward them was so unexpectedly benevolent that it was hard to believe they were truly demons.

Abundant supplies and relatively generous cultivation resources made the Godslayers’ families feel as if they had arrived in paradise.

At the same time, they no longer had to worry about purging teams dispatched by the major temples and churches. Even the Purgatory demons rarely gave them trouble.

These days, most of Purgatory’s elite demon legions were stationed on the outskirts of the first level.

Unless the Faelorian deities managed to breach the defense line there, they would never pose a threat to the second level.

Every member of the Godslayers’ families knew exactly who had made this possible.

Although this was a partnership built on mutual benefit, the demons would never have supplied them with cultivation resources if not for Sein’s intervention.

“I need some energy crystals and other supplementary cultivation resources to help me assess and study the growth of these members.”

That was what Sein had told the Purgatory demons.

Considering how much Sein had already taken from the depths of Purgatory, giving up another small share for the Godslayers hardly made a difference to the demons.

What many of the demons could not understand, however, was why Anastasia held this mere Rank Three demon lord in such high regard.

Not only had she lent him several demon lords for his research, but she had also never denied any of his requests for additional resources.

Sein did not even need to make the request in person for the cultivation resources required by the Godslayers’ members. He simply sent out the two pureblooded Succubus maids under his command.

Since the two Rank Two pureblooded Succubi were direct subordinates of the Succubus Queen, Anastasia, they carried enough authority that the surrounding demon lords had no choice but to comply—begrudgingly offering up their resources.

Meanwhile, Sein’s stone castle had expanded yet again.

On the newly built arena stage on the west side of the castle, Audria and Ronaldo—who had just awakened the power of their chosen bloodline—were sparring, testing their newfound strength against each other.

From the attic overlooking the arena, Flynn watched his two friends with a tinge of envy.

Once upon a time, as a mage, he had been the core of their trio.

But now, as Audria and Ronaldo grew stronger, it was Flynn who had fallen behind.

A few days ago, he had challenged Ronaldo to a sparring match, using his signature spell—Flaming Hand—to try and gain the upper hand.

The magic he had once been so proud of barely made a dent in Ronaldo’s dragon scales.

Before Flynn could cast a second spell, Ronaldo’s massive sword was already at his throat.

Had he been able to pull away and cast a few more spells, he might have broken through his friend’s defenses. But a loss was a loss.

Though he felt happy about his friends’ progress, he could not help but feel a little discouraged about his own.

Sein had yet to teach him any advanced magic.

Flynn’s main duty had been maintaining the castle’s newly built library.

It housed books that Sein had brought from the Magus World—not advanced tomes, but foundational texts filled with fundamental knowledge for magic initiates.

Rather than handing Flynn preconstructed, powerful spell models, Sein wanted Flynn to grasp the essence of true magic.

Flynn had both talent and potential.

Lately, he had been immersing himself in spell books he had never encountered before, diligently absorbing their knowledge.

During Sein’s most recent test, he had exceeded expectations. As a reward for his outstanding performance, Sein had gifted him a crystal ball.

Faeloria’s mages had never developed crystal balls—the world’s alchemical advancements were sluggish at best.

Although the deities possessed their own “divine artifacts”, they were crafted through divine power and laws.

Hence, these artifacts were only suitable for creatures of Rank Four and above.

Sein suspected that this was yet another deliberate act of suppression by the Faelorian deities.

The crystal ball had utterly captivated Flynn.

This multifunctional device—capable of capturing data, storing images, and enabling long-distance communication—was unlike anything ever seen in Faeloria.

While Flynn envied his two companions for their increasing strength, Audria and Ronaldo felt the same toward him.

If anything, they had begun to notice something Flynn himself had yet to realize—Sein seemed to take a particular interest in him.

Flynn, however, remained oblivious, unable to see the bigger picture.

***

While the three young ones enriched Sein’s daily experiments, an event of unprecedented magnitude unfolded far beyond Purgatory, in the very heart of Faeloria.

For the first time since the onset of the Avatar Crisis, a god had fallen.

The slain deity was known as the Colorful Pelican God—a name Sein had never heard before.

In fact, even among the deities of the Prime Materia Plane, this god was virtually unknown.

It was a mere wielder of weak divine power, far inferior to the God of Brute Force, whom Sein and the Spider Queen had previously slain.

The Colorful Pelican God’s obscurity likely stemmed from its sheer weakness, forcing it to remain hidden and maintain a low profile in order to survive.

But in the wake of the Avatar Crisis, it had become an easy target for the Godslayers.

This elusive organization, hunted by deities across all the major camps of Faeloria, had stayed in the shadows for years.

When they finally moved, they did so with a bang!