Sovereign of the Ashes

Faeloria stood divided over who brought down the Goddess of Wealth.

Some believed it was the Purgatory demons due to the lingering sulfur and flame aura in the ruined temples.

Others insisted the overseas dragons were responsible, given their well-known obsession with wealth.

After all, who could be richer than the Goddess of Wealth herself?

There were also whispers that the Dark Alliance orchestrated her demise.

The Goddess of Wealth had long been at odds with several of their deities, including Zorvax, the God of Tyranny—one of the Dark Alliance’s three greater deities.

He was often hailed as the most formidable of the trio in the absence of the Dark Lady herself.

Should Zorvax have set his sights on the Goddess of Wealth, such a victory would not be far-fetched with the support of the Dark Alliance.

Beyond these leading suspects, speculation spread to the sea gods, the Godslayers, and the ancient deities.

Even certain deities within the Justice League and the Wings of Nature—long allied with the Goddess of Wealth—had also come under scrutiny.

The appearance of Eluvira, the Goddess of Magic, and the disappearance of Aurelia, the Goddess of Wealth, immediately thrust the current Avatar Crisis to its climax.

Interestingly, the Purgatory demons had kept to their own territory, despite being responsible for the downfall of several deities over the centuries.

Compared to their full power, however, these incidents were hardly worth mentioning.

If the Purgatory demons were to fully mobilize this time, the havoc inflicted upon the Prime Materia Plane could be immeasurable.

Yet they remained uncharacteristically silent, prompting many deities to wonder if this was truly the same demon clan they once knew.

***

After spending a century immersed in experiments, Sein finally emerged from his laboratory, profoundly changed from the mage he had been a hundred years ago.

A powerful surge of pyro elemental energy radiated from his skin, so intense that even his expensive black robes struggled to contain it.

Focus: 71,661 points

Mana: 70,438 points

Constitution: 69,999 points

The speed at which Sein’s stats had grown was staggering.

In only a century, he had risen to the upper echelons of the Magus World.

In fact, he already possessed the baseline attributes of a demigod, and if he activated his Flame Demon form or elemental body, those stats would soar even higher!

Despite having arrived in Faeloria less than four centuries ago, his swift progress amazed even himself.

This newfound strength largely stemmed from the research and spoils he had gathered after his last battle.

Although the God of Fire Crickets was not even half as wealthy as the God of First Light, the benefits it provided to Sein, a Pyromancer, proved far more valuable than anything he had gleaned from that wealthier deity!

Raw data was not always the best measure of true worth; synergy and practical application were more important.

For instance, the Verdant Wilderness God’s relic fragment Sein possessed offered little direct benefit to him, but it held tremendous allure for Rank Four creatures in the Elven World.

With the more advanced pyro elemental mysteries he gleaned from the God of Fire Crickets, Sein opted not to further refine his Demon Eye Mask.

Instead, he spent the last twenty years in his laboratory upgrading his magic rod.

Setting the God of Fire Crickets’ divine relic into its tip was a bold move, but this single enhancement significantly elevated his combat capabilities.

“Faeloria’s divine relics are really heavily suppressed during the Avatar Crisis. Once the crisis ends, or if I return to the Magus World, I’ll have to take out these relics for proper re-evaluation and embedding,” Sein murmured, studying both the Demon Eye Mask and his newly upgraded magic rod.

Dealing with divine relics of Rank Four beings demanded both time and effort, but Sein welcomed the challenge.

To him, this was an opportunity to improve his skills in alchemy.

He was not going to stop at just crafting divine artifact–level equipment; perhaps one day, he could also craft world-class secret treasure...

Of course, such ambitions were far beyond his reach for now.

Yet there was no denying that Sein’s current alchemy experiments served as a foundation for creating far more powerful equipment in the future.

Learning was a never-ending process. The more knowledge Sein amassed and the more truths he unraveled, the deeper his awareness of his own limitations became.

Outside the laboratory, he saw Anastasia, who came to pay him another visit. However, the Goddess of Doom and the Goddess of Luck were nowhere in sight this time.

“The current Avatar Crisis has already lasted 384 years,” the Succubus Queen began.

“Based on precedents, even if this Crisis is larger in scale and enough to sweep intermediate deities off their altars, it should still conclude somewhere between five and seven hundred years. It’s unlikely to stretch on much longer. Some smaller Avatar Crises have ended in mere decades,” she added.

“Since this one is likely past its midpoint, have you been able to contact that Goddess Lorthisra of yours lately?” Anastasia asked.

No matter how much potential Sein displayed, he would still take time to grow.

For the Purgatory demons, Lorthisra remained their true priority, and Sein was their only link to her.

Sein shook his head. “No, I haven’t heard from the Spider Queen in years.”

The formidable planar barriers of Faeloria had effectively cut off their communication for centuries.

Still, Sein was not worried about being forgotten; the Spider Queen’s ambitions in this world remained unfulfilled, even if he had already profited greatly.

He was pretty sure that she would be astonished by his progress—and he could not help but wonder what further plans she might have in store.

Hearing his answer, Anastasia looked disappointed, but she quickly moved on to another topic.

“We’ve uncovered some information about the God of Craft you mentioned before, but I advise you not to act rashly. The situation is more complicated than it appears. Morvanya and Tyvera also recommend you lay low for the time being,” she said.

“They aren’t the only ones in this world with mastery over prophecy and divination, though they are the most gifted. During the past century, while you were buried in your experiments, three separate forces attempted to reach you directly through divination. Each time, the sisters intercepted them before they could succeed.”