Sovereign of the Ashes

After Berold was sent away from the secret realm, only Sein and Grimm remained.

Grimm did not seem particularly concerned about winning or losing. He showed no reaction even when Sein brought out divine relics and the divine blood of a Rank Five creature.

From beginning to end, he remained humble.

Watching Grimm quietly working at his table, Sein suddenly remembered the days when they were still initiates, poring over books together in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s library, learning and exploring truth side by side.

In a way, Grimm was the first “friend” Sein had made after joining the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Perhaps influenced by Grimm, Sein found himself taking a deep breath, slowing his own process, striving to perform every step of his experiment as perfectly as possible.

Berold, the peak demigod mage, had believed Sein was the most likely to take first place. He had barely spared a glance at Grimm, who had remained quietly working at his table the entire time.

Yet Sein had never underestimated him.

In fact, in Sein’s eyes, Grimm’s potential might even surpass his own.

Grimm was from a humble background. He was so ordinary that no one would have spared him a second glance.

He was considered a genius because he had climbed, step by step, from nothing, to reach a level most people could never dream of.

Yet, very few recognized Grimm’s brilliance.

Sein had likely been the first mage to truly resonate or empathize with him.

But the one who had truly recognized Grimm’s talent and guided him forward had been his mentor, Master Archimedes.

Judging by Grimm’s promotion to Rank Three, and his remarkable achievements in both alchemy and magic, it was clear he had not fallen behind over the years.

In the quiet, dark secret realm, only two mages remained on the towering platforms, tirelessly conducting their experiments.

Though no one else was around, the silence and the height of those lofty platforms made the scene feel like a “duel at the summit”.

Two years had passed since Berold’s departure.

***

Two years later, the colorful light band beneath Sein’s platform had gradually turned white.

It was a pure, flawless white, shimmering with an incredibly rich lumen elemental energy.

The light band beneath Grimm’s platform had also transformed into white, and its length had clearly surpassed Berold’s, who had left two years ago.

Unfortunately, no one besides Sein had recognized Grimm’s talent until now—not even Haywood, the mechanic who had been so indignant when Grimm surpassed him.

His frustration had stemmed more from being overtaken than from truly acknowledging Grimm’s ability.

At this moment, the gap between Sein’s and Grimm’s light bands was razor-thin.

Sein was still narrowly ahead, but Grimm was about to overtake him.

Just as he was closing the distance, Grimm took a deep breath and stopped his hands.

He had finished his work.

“Back when I was an initiate, I dreamed of creating a perfect magic artifact of my own. My ‘Face of Truth’ is still far from perfect, but it already represents the peak of what I can achieve in alchemy right now,” Grimm said softly.

“The owner of this secret realm must be a truly great and knowledgeable being. Throughout the trials, I realized that many of the cryptic clues and elemental insights left behind by the creator of this place aligned with the paths I had been exploring all along. I have poured all those insights and discoveries into the Face of Truth... but in the end, I am still one step behind you.”

“Well, I expected nothing less from a phenomenal initiate of our cohort,” Grimm added with a chuckle, glancing toward Sein nearby.

Sein kept working. Only after completing the fine-tuning process on his magic artifact did he finally look up at Grimm.

Despite his calm and humble demeanor, Grimm was still a competitive person.

Perhaps it was because Grimm had been born ordinary that he refused to remain ordinary. He longed for recognition, for someone to see his worth.

And deep down, Sein was the same. He, too, was someone who could not accept mediocrity.

Sein glanced at the white light band beneath Grimm’s feet, shining almost side by side with his own.

He thought about saying something to comfort Grimm, but it would have sounded pretentious.

So instead, he stayed silent.

He simply looked at Grimm with calm, quiet respect, and a hint of admiration.

Grimm held his gaze, his own eyes filled with admiration and respect.

The two geniuses stood atop the high platform, silently gazing at each other.

At last, the exceptionally talented Rank Three grand mage picked up his creation and smiled at Sein.

“I have achieved the best result I could in this secret realm trial. I have also ascertained the path I want to follow, and gained many unexpected insights here. I won’t lose to you in the field of alchemy,” he declared.

“Well then, I’ll head out first. I look forward to discussing the mysteries of truth with you again someday.”

Grimm gave him a nod, then disappeared in a flash of white light as the secret realm sent him away.

After Grimm left, Sein stood there, staring at the spot where his friend had been, lost in thought for a long moment before finally coming back to himself.

Sein had inherited his early alchemy techniques from his first mentor, Morsidor. But from then on, he had advanced mostly through his own research and exploration.

Though the length of his own light band still exceeded Grimm’s, Sein had to admit that Grimm’s potential in the field of alchemy was indeed greater than his own.

He had not gotten the chance to closely examine the “Face of Truth” Grimm had crafted, but even from a distance, he could sense the faint, mysterious power of laws radiating from it.

For a Rank Three grand mage to craft a “lawful artifact” that could serve a demigod or even beings of Rank Four and above, was an achievement far beyond mere exceptional talent.

The fact that Grimm had already managed to create a lawful artifact, what some might call a “divine artifact”, meant he had already taken his first steps into wielding the power of laws.

This secret realm trial had been profoundly meaningful for Grimm.

Sein was certain that once Grimm left this place, it would not be long before he advanced to demigod rank.

The insights he had gained from this secret realm would also likely benefit him for the rest of his life.

Watching his good friend depart, Sein let out a quiet sigh, then turned back to his experiment.

The white light band beneath his feet continued to grow—slowly, but steadily.

Fortunately, this time, Sein could perform at an unprecedented level.

There was no embarrassing mishap like the one in Beastmen World, when an experimental accident had triggered an explosion.