Sovereign of the Ashes

The moment the emaciated old man in black robes appeared, the fiery glares between Sein and Harnban cooled significantly.

This Rank Five black mage was Andy—one of the more approachable tower masters in Blackhaven.

Unlike many others, he rarely tortured lesser creatures and never dabbled in those bone-chilling body modification experiments.

He was actually known for his achievements in manufacturing.

A lot of the space fortresses and prism forts used by black tower masters in Blackhaven were outdated models smuggled in from the Magus Alliance.

Not only were these fortresses old, but repairing them was a nightmare.

Blackhaven could launch conquests on foreign planes, but such endeavors would be next to impossible without transports and large war platforms like space fortresses.

Andy was one of the few experts in Blackhaven capable of repairing and modifying such massive war platforms.

Because of his skills and decent reputation, he thrived among the upper echelon of Blackhaven’s black mages.

Even Rank Four and above black knights would come to him when they needed help—and they would often owe him a favor afterward.

In a way, this Rank Five mage reminded Sein of his first mentor, Morsidor.

Andy was not cruel or bloodthirsty by nature, but after witnessing the scale of destruction Sein and Harnban had caused, even he could not help but glare at the two with icy disapproval.

That glare, however, vanished the moment Andy spotted the silver spider ring on Sein’s finger.

As the tower master closest to Blackhaven’s soul tower, Andy had sharper eyes than most Rank Four or Rank Five black mages.

Maybe others could not tell what the ring represented, but Andy could.

In Blackhaven, the reason Lorthisra could do whatever she wanted was not just because of her power but also thanks to the backing she received from her adoptive father and the other elite black mages.

Andy might not be a Rank Six himself, but with his technical mastery and old connections, he was very much part of the inner circle that governed Blackhaven’s upper crust.

Otherwise, his tower would not be built so close to the heart of Blackhaven.

The lecture Andy had been ready to deliver turned into a dry cough instead.

While he still addressed the situation, his scolding ended up being surprisingly mild and only directed at Harnban.

“What has gotten into you? How dare you stir up trouble in my territory? Although I consider your mentor a friend, you’ll still have to pay for this!” Andy snapped, turning sharply to berate Harnban.

Harnban, still towering at two hundred meters in his monstrous form, froze on the spot under the scolding of the much smaller tower master.

Physically, the emaciated old mage looked like a grain of rice before him—but the pressure radiating from that tiny figure was heavier than a mountain.

Sein watched with some surprise, gradually stopping his fidgeting with the Silver Spider Ring on his finger.

Glancing at the ring, he could more or less piece together why things had turned out this way.

They were still close to the soul tower he had just left, so it made sense that this Rank Five black mage would recognize the Silver Spider Ring for what it was.

Of course, after giving Harnban a good scolding, Andy did not completely ignore Sein either.

Many black mages from the Black Tower of Stephen Academy had already noticed the commotion and their tower master’s intervention.

If Andy let Sein walk away without saying a word, it would definitely hurt his image.

The black mages scattered throughout the area were quietly observing, wondering how Master Andy would handle these two powerful demigod-level mages.

In an era where Rank Four and above rarely showed themselves, Sein and Harnban were undeniably among Blackhaven’s most promising fighters.

“And you—which black tower are you from?” Andy asked sharply, fixing his cold gaze on Sein.

Blackhaven’s Rank Eight soul overmage, Nergal, had taken in a few official and unofficial apprentices in his early years, but that was many centuries ago.

None of those apprentices lasted as long as Nergal.

These days, he had no heirs other than an adopted daughter.

Since Sein had ties to Lorthisra, Andy figured he was likely from one of the local black towers.

Still, it was unusual for a demigod-level black mage with such bizarre flame powers to have gone unnoticed until now.

Andy’s eyes lingered on the strange Ashen Flame burning around Sein’s body, then spent a few extra seconds studying the Demon Mask covering Sein’s face.

Blackhaven was not all that big.

Many of the idler Rank Four and above black mages, like Andy himself, made a habit of keeping tabs on up-and-coming talents during their free time.

Sein thought for a moment, then replied, “I come from the Black Tower of Cinderbones.”

This was the only tower within Blackhaven he was familiar with, as Leena was currently there.

Since he was already in Blackhaven, he intended to visit his wife.

As for the other towers in the region, Sein had heard from Leena about a few that were openly hostile toward the Black Tower of Cinderbones.

He had no intention of dealing with them unless he absolutely had to.

Getting too tangled up with these other towers or their black mages would do him no good—especially now that he had already started laying the groundwork for founding a divine tower of his own in the future...

Sein’s answer drew a flicker of surprise from Master Andy.

He clearly knew about the Black Tower of Cinderbones but had not expected Sein to be affiliated with it.

“Huh, the Black Tower of Cinderbones, you say? Then what’s your relationship with Mikaeli? I heard she took in a few apprentices, but were they not all female?” Andy asked, raising a brow.

A demigod-level black mage as powerful and young as Sein had to have been trained by someone notable.

There was no way someone could reach that level purely on their own without guidance.

With all his years of experience, Andy could tell at a glance that Sein was not even two thousand years old.

A young black mage with good looks... It was no wonder the Spider Queen took a liking to him.

When the Rank Five black mage brought up Mikaeli, Sein felt a slight headache coming on.

The woman he mentioned was none other than the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones.

What kind of relationship could Sein possibly have with her?

At best, he was only romantically involved with her apprentice.

Sein hesitated for several moments, stammering without managing to say anything useful. There was no way he could convincingly pass himself off as Mekaeli’s apprentice.

Still, Andy did not seem too suspicious.

With the Silver Spider Ring on his finger, Sein was likely the Spider Queen’s representative and quite possibly someone involved in her dealings with forces on the edge of Blackhaven.

Andy, who rarely meddled in other people’s business, was not about to start now. He made a few ambiguous remarks and left it at that.

After asking Sein a few token questions—just enough to make it look like he was doing his job—he finally waved a hand to dismiss him.

Sein could sense the man’s caution toward the Silver Spider Ring on his finger but also picked up on the preferential treatment he was being given.

Since it was rare to meet someone this approachable, Sein quickly seized the opportunity to ask for directions.

“Umm... How do I get to the Black Tower of Cinderbones?” Sein asked, communicating through mental focus.

Andy rolled his eyes and thought, “Didn’t you just say you were from the Black Tower of Cinderbones? Why are you asking for directions now?”

He gave Sein a long, appraising look.

Despite how fearsome and intimidating Sein had looked in his demonic form, he honestly did not give off the typical black mage vibe.

“You’re from outside Blackhaven, aren’t you?” Andy remarked through voice transmission in amusement.

Sein nodded awkwardly.

At this point, he was not too worried about the Rank Five Black Mage doing anything to him.

Andy gave him a knowing look. While the onlookers were still left clueless, he gave Sein a bit more of a scolding, then casually pointed southeast.

To the bystanders, it simply looked like Andy was chasing him off.

Sein did not linger. Without another word, he turned toward the indicated direction.

Harnban, the demigod-level mage Sein had fought earlier, was still fuming.

Glaring at his retreating figure, Harnban barked, “Don’t let me run into you again! I didn’t even use my full strength!”

Sein swung his tattered robe and shot back coolly, “Neither did I!”

With that, he transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the southeast.

“Master Andy’s way too soft. If you ask me, he should’ve taken at least one of their arms,” a black mage from the Black Tower of Stephen muttered, earning a few chuckles and nods from the others.