Sovereign of the Ashes

Normally, gods who commissioned Domus to craft a divine artifact had to wait their turn.

But that rule clearly did not apply to Thor.

Using his sheer bulk to push through the crowd, Thor casually slapped Domus on the shoulder while he was busy at work and said, “That armor I commissioned last time... is it ready? You promised it would be delivered two hundred years ago.”

The sudden slap startled Domus, who was still working in front of the furnace.

High‑precision work like this could not afford any disruptions.

That brief distraction caused the special metal inside the furnace, already at its melting point, to suddenly become unstable.

Sein, who followed Thor through the crowd, instinctively raised a magical shield when he felt the temperature spike and the energy particles fluctuate violently.

It was not just him; many of the nearby gods watching had already sensed the danger.

A moment later, a violent explosion erupted near Thor and Domus, unleashing a scorching tidal wave of energy that surged in all directions.

Fortunately, none of those present was “ordinary”.

The blast carved out a large crater in the densely packed ground, but no one was hurt.

Colorful magic shields, energy barriers, battle‑qi armor, and divine protection instantly covered the area.

For many of the gods watching from the outer edge, it was little more than a loud noise and a hot gust of wind. Those who were not paying attention to the center barely even realized what had happened.

In the end, the explosion caused no casualties.

Thor, standing closest to the source, had not even bothered to activate a proper shield. He simply took the blast head‑on with his absurdly tough body.

“This guy’s passive evolution level was insane,” Sein thought, eyelid twitching as he looked at Thor.

Aside from his slightly charred skin, Thor seemed completely fine.

Domus was unscathed as well. His flawless reactions and swift emergency response made it clear he had dealt with more than a few explosions before.

Even his top‑tier, divine‑artifact‑grade furnace was largely unharmed.

The only real loss was the nearly finished metal inside—it was completely ruined.

Oh, and there was one other unlucky guy.

It was a Rank Four foreign deity with the appearance of a dragonfly, standing right in front of the furnace.

The violent explosion had scorched its once‑green carapace black, matching the color of its eyes.

But more than the physical pain, what truly hurt was the dragonfly god’s heart!

The ruined metal inside the furnace had belonged to it.

To be precise, it had been a serrated dagger, just on the verge of taking shape.

This divine artifact‑level weapon was meant to be a perfect fit for it. More importantly, it was being crafted by none other than the God of Smithing, Domus.

Domus glared at Thor and roughly shook off his hand.

Thor felt a pang of guilt. During the accident, he had instinctively stepped in front of Domus, shielding him from much of the heat and energy.

But that gesture of protection did not seem to impress Domus in the slightest.

If this guy had not distracted him, the furnace would not have exploded in the first place!

Moments earlier, the foreign deities and Magus World powerhouses had been quietly observing Domus work, yet Thor, as usual, had shown no sense of restraint.

Apparently, great talent often came with a difficult temperament.

Domus did not show Thor even a hint of friendliness, despite Thor’s high standing in Titan World.

After a cold glance, Domus retrieved a set of brown half‑body metal armor from a nearby chest, tossed it into Thor’s hands, and walked over to the dragonfly god.

“Honorable Divine Lotus Dragonfly, the accident during the forging was not a burden you should have borne. I’ll craft another dagger for you,” Domus said sincerely.

“Truly? Thank you so much!” the Divine Lotus Dragonfly exclaimed, grasping Domus’ hand.

The young God of Smithing’s cheeks surprisingly turned red.

Sein realized then that the dragonfly god was actually a goddess, despite its insect‑like appearance.

While Domus spoke with it, Thor was already busy donning the armor, grinning with satisfaction.

He had never liked the full‑body armor his father preferred; this half‑body version suited him perfectly.

Holding his silver warhammer, he struck a pose that radiated raw, untamed power.

None of the Rank Four or Five Magus World knights present, not even Thunder, looked as imposing as Thor.

Thunder and the others clearly were not focused on Thor, who was secretly gloating to himself. Their eyes were fixed instead on the treasure chest that Domus had just opened to retrieve the armor.

It was as if they were trying to peer straight through the chest’s protective barrier to see what else might be hidden within.

Thor’s half‑body armor might not have reached the level of a world‑class secret treasure, but it was still a high‑grade divine artifact.

By comparison, Thunder’s current armor looked almost shabby next to Thor’s new set.

Thunder had poured his entire fortune into the longsword he now carried, leaving him saddled with significant debt.

It was expected that only after the upcoming Clash of Civilizations with the Gallant Federation would this heavily indebted Rank Five knight have a real chance to turn his fortunes around.

Just as Domus had made Thunder, Thunder had also made Domus.

It was only after successfully forging a world‑class secret treasure longsword for Thunder that Domus’ forging skills had taken a massive leap forward.

As for Thor’s high‑grade divine artifact armor, so long as the raw materials were available, Domus now had full confidence in crafting it.

The improvement of his divine ability, combined with his growing reputation, had significantly advanced Domus’ personal strength and faith development.

If mages like Sein advanced their life level and strength by pursuing truth in laboratories, then gods of smithing like Domus ascended through the continuous creation of divine artifacts.

Such talented foreign deities were often highly valued and given priority protection within the Magus Alliance.

For example, the Magus World knights and mages gathered around did not look down on him simply because he was from another world.

Even in casual conversation, they treated Domus as an equal whenever possible.

After all, they might require his assistance one day.