Sovereign of the Ashes

The greater the contribution in war, the greater the reward in the end.

Sein had contributed more to the Pyreling World War than even Marcus, the Rank Five knight.

The Ashen Fortress was his, the Phantom Crow King had been invited by him, and his performance in every battle had been just as impressive as anyone else’s.

The Divine Tower of Ashes Legion under his command, with its many demigod-level powerhouses and Yuri, the “pseudo-Rank Four” piloting her silver mecha, stood out among the lower-tier legions.

All things considered, Sein’s demands were not unreasonable.

He had not even mentioned the various resources and mineral deposits found in Pyreling World.

Even with a conservative estimate, each of the four mages and two knights had earned no less than ten million magicoins from the war.

Everyone had their own demands and requests, so it was necessary to lay them out for discussion and negotiation.

Sein did not bring up the division of magicoins or other resources, mainly to leave himself some room to maneuver.

This war was certainly not going to be the last time he worked with Grimm, Angreas, and the others.

With one successful collaboration, there would be a second, and many more to come!

Sein also made a point of befriending Marcus and building a good personal relationship with the Rank Five knight.

Having fought side by side, Marcus held the young Rank Four mage in high regard too.

Of course, Sein’s proven abilities—speaking at the Magus Alliance Conference, befriending the Rank Six Phantom Crow King, and owning the high-performance Ashen Fortress—made him an ally well worth keeping.

Marcus felt he was not old yet and still had the energy for a few more years of service.

The upcoming Clash of Civilizations was the perfect stage for him to shine, and he even believed he had a chance to break through to Rank Six.

***

Dividing the spoils from the Pyreling World War did not take long to sort out.

Sein and the other young mages were not overly focused on what they could gain from just this one interplanar war. They were looking much further ahead.

Marcus had already planned the allocation of every part of the spoils in meticulous detail.

The care and precision he brought to the task would put many mages to shame.

It just went to show that knights were not all brawn and no brains; there were still seasoned, level-headed ones like Marcus.

For Sein, the Rank Four Blue Lotus was the single greatest prize of this war.

Its lotus core was something he had not even wanted at first, but in the end, Marcus and the others insisted he keep it.

Along with that, Sein also received several high-grade trophies: an eye from Void Eater, a section of Violet Radiance’s tail, and a wing from Ghost Slayer.

The Rank Five Void Eater’s heart core ultimately went to Marcus.

The origin laws wielded by the old knight did not even involve the pyro element, yet he claimed he had his reasons for needing it.

Grimm and the others did not push the matter. After some exchanges of favors, they agreed to let him have it.

Beyond these high-value trophies, the later gains from Pyreling World and its vassal planes would be tallied and divided one by one.

The numbers were complicated, and it was not possible to finish the count right away.

On top of that, many of the resources in Pyreling World were of little use to Sein and the others. They would have to bundle the loot and sell it to the Magus Alliance before splitting the total magicoins among themselves.

Handling the aftermath and development of these conquered worlds was no small matter.

It was another reminder that the Magus Alliance’s role was not just to harvest planes and grow stronger; it also pushed the Magus Civilization’s ability to use every resource and gather power to the fullest.

As Sein rose to Rank Four, his grasp of the alliance’s inner workings only grew deeper.

***

As the war in Pyreling World drew to a close, Sein decided not to linger on the battlefield any longer.

He had no interest in visiting the Snowfield Plane or any of Pyreling World’s other vassal planes either.

Someone else could handle reviewing and inspecting his share of the spoils. He had far more interesting things to do, like studying the five distinct pyro elemental laws he had discovered in Pyreling World and figuring out how to merge them into his own Ashen Law.

He was also eager to dissect Blue Lotus and study it in detail.

When it came to uncovering the deeper truths of the universe, Sein had always been proactive.

However, when he returned to the Ashen Fortress that day, he was caught off guard. He found Natalya and Reina waiting for him in his bedroom.

The decade-long war had done wonders for Reina’s physique.

Sein had paid little attention to her body-tempering regimen over the years, which meant the change was the result of her own discipline.

It was truly impressive.

He had never doubted Reina’s dedication to training, but he never imagined she could suppress her appetite.

Today, she wore only a sheer white lingerie set.

Judging by the deep blush on her face, it was probably her first time wearing something so daring.

Her body had returned to its prime, and her skin was as creamy as ever, making her look all the more radiant and alluring in the outfit.

Natalya, who had been by Sein’s side for many years, understood his preferences better than any other woman.

That outfit Reina wore was definitely something Natalya had picked out for her.

Sein occasionally slept with Selina and Eileen, but he was usually less adventurous with them.

Only with Natalya, blessed with an exceptional constitution, did he explore more.

After all, even in a mage’s life, a little excitement could help break the monotony.

While Reina was dressed in pure white, Natalya had chosen an all-black version of the same design for herself.

Standing side by side, both women had breathtaking figures and flawless curves. When they leaned against Sein’s experiment table, teasing him, his lips twitched.

The reaction beneath his magic robe left no doubt about how effective they were.

“Is this really okay?” Reina asked, cheeks flushed as she copied her best friend’s strange, suggestive movements.

Her heart had never pounded this hard, not even when she was swinging her hammer on the battlefield.

“Why not? Look at him. He’s already close to losing control,” Natalya whispered into her ear.