Sovereign of the Ashes

Lorianne had always treated Sein kindly, and he had always responded with genuine sincerity.

With six Golden Apple Potions in hand, he had more than enough.

Even Feylis, stationed on the frontlines in the Netherworld Star Domain, carried only three Golden Apple potions.

Given the bond between Sein and Lorianne, he was certain she would offer him more if he ever ran out. After all, she was his mentor, and he was her apprentice.

“Fine, I’ll hold onto them for now. If you need more, just come find me. I do not think your grandmaster and the others will need these potions anytime soon. They still have theirs, and I haven’t heard of them being assigned to any dangerous missions lately,” Lorianne said.

Grandmaster Feylis was still on the frontlines of the Netherworld Star Domain, while Gregory and Bernice had both received combat orders from the alliance and were tied up with their own assignments.

Within the Verdant Flame Faction, after Sein also received his order, only Lorianne and Aelid remained in their divine towers, temporarily inactive.

Even so, Lorianne had not been idle. She had crafted a large stock of healing potions effective on Rank Four and above beings, while her world laboratory continued producing Viridescent Seeds and other rare botanical materials.

When she heard that Sein was heading to the Radbow Plane, she asked whether he had enough enslaved creatures and offered to reinforce him with a contingent of plant giant legions spawned from Viridescent Seeds.

Lorianne’s plant giants were practically the signature of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring by now.

Sein, however, had no shortage of enslaved creatures. He assured her that if the need ever arose, he would certainly ask for her help.

“Ever since you brought back another Golden Apple, I‘ve suspected you’ve gone through quite a lot these past years. I have faith in your strength, but you should still remain cautious on the battlefield,” she advised.

“I will, Master Lorianne. As for Tourmaline, I won’t be able to bring her to the frontlines this time. I’ll leave her in your care a while longer,” Sein replied.

“Sure.” Lorianne nodded.

As she watched Sein depart, she realized her apprentice was growing stronger by the day, likely surpassing her already.

She subconsciously clenched her fist, urging herself to push harder.

“I failed to grow the leftover core from the Golden Apple last time. I must be missing some laws... I’ll try again!”

She opened her palm, gazing at the brilliant, oval-shaped Star Core resting there as she murmured, “And while I’m at it, I’ll integrate this into the world laboratory.”

It was the Star Core of a hydro-attribute microplane, a gift from Sein.

Her world laboratory still had plenty of room for improvement, and this Star Core would undoubtedly bridge some of its gaps, making it far more complete!

***

Beyond Magus World, with thousands of war mages from the Divine Tower of Ashes and more than two million enslaved creatures under his command, Sein ordered the Ashen Fortress to initiate a long-distance spatial jump.

By this time, space fortresses and combat legions were being deployed outside Magus World far more often than when he had first returned.

The Ashen Fortress was just one among many, hardly a remarkable sight.

Since it usually docked at the starport built by the Titan gods outside Magus World, Sein quickly noticed how empty the port now looked.

Even Thor’s luxurious “golden-type” space fortress that usually docked beside the Ashen Fortress had vanished.

“I suppose most of the Titan gods, including Thor, have already rushed to the frontlines,” Sein mused.

The Titan Gods were primarily engaged in the Sanoras and Netherworld star domains.

Sein’s destination, the Radbow Plane, was located in the same star domain as the Grand Eye Demon World, where he had personally requested to serve in.

For the foreseeable future, it seemed unlikely that he would encounter his friend, Thor, again.

“Depart!”

At Sein’s command, the Ashen Fortress turned into a streak of light and vanished into the starry skies.

At full power and maximum spatial jump capacity, it would not take long for him to reach the Radbow Plane.

The moment Sein departed Magus World, Tourmaline stirred from her nap.

“Why did Sein leave while I was asleep? Why didn’t he take me with him?” she asked sadly, clutching at Lorianne’s robe.

Sein could not simply bring her along to the frontlines. The dangers of the Clash of Civilizations far exceeded anything Tourmaline had faced in past interplanar wars.

Without the approval of her other elders, Sein would never risk exposing her to such peril.

“He’ll be back soon. I’ll tell him to bring you along next time?” Lorianne said, trying her best to comfort her.

Sein had slipped away with his legion while Tourmaline dozed off, leaving Lorianne to deal with her disappointment.

“Hmph, I’m gonna go find my big sister! Sev, Lou, let’s go!” Tourmaline declared, tugging at her green arm ribbons as she called for her companions.

At least Sein had left her a few playmates.

Sev and Lou, the half-undead girl, were no longer of much use to him in battle, but they made ideal companions for Tourmaline.

Tourmaline was not naive. She understood why Sein had not taken her with him.

Whether she could leave Magus World to join the battle was not up to Sein, nor even to Lorianne. That decision rested with her elder sister, White Stella.

And so, Tourmaline set off to seek her sister’s permission.

***

Radbow Plane...

This was a low-level plane saturated with radiation particles.[1]

Back when it was part of the Magus Alliance, the Radbow Plane was famous for its rich deposits of Radiation Stones and the three planar rings around it.

Located within the same star domain as Grand Eye Demon World, it had since become a major battlefield.

Though classified as a low-level plane, it held immense strategic importance because its Radiation Stones were both the staple food and primary energy source for the Eye Demons.

As a result, Radbow was no longer just home to its native radioactive lifeforms. It had also become infested with treacherous Eye Demons—traitors to the Magus Alliance!

The three planar rings had long been Radbow’s natural defensive barrier.

But under the Magus Civilization’s fierce counterattack, one and a half of those rings had already been captured.

Now, Magus World Army was pushing hard against the middle and innermost rings.

At the same time, fighting had erupted on Radbow itself.

Several Magus World legions had bypassed the planar rings entirely, plunging straight into the heart of the plane!

1. Translator’s Note: I took the liberty of renaming stuff again! Radbow Plane is actually “Radiation Arc Plane” in the raws, which sounds weird as a planet name. I picked Radbow because it’s Radiation + Bow (for arc shape), so kinda like rainbow but deadly (lol?) ☜