Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1786: Chance Encounter

Norton did not elaborate to Bahrami about the Faceless Mask incident.

The deputy warden did not press the matter either. Instead, he asked about Kigard, the Phantom Thief.

“I’ve already released him. We secured the coordinates of his homeplane, and all the relevant law contracts have been signed,” Norton replied, puffing on his pipe.

“Hopefully he’ll complete the mission entrusted to him by our Magus Civilization. Truth be honest, this fellow excels beyond even some of our most powerful Magus Civilization mages in certain fields.”

***

When he was leaving the interstellar prison, Sein ran into the demigod-level mage named Gina.

Her big brother was scheduled to be released in a month.

Originally, it seemed Gina and her brother would be the first to leave, but in the end, Sein left before them.

After nearly two years of knowing her, Sein had developed a favorable impression of Gina. Though he had never met her brother personally, her stories had given him a rough idea of what the Rank Four knight, Gene, was like.

Perhaps because of the hardships they had shared over the past two years, Sein felt a certain sense of empathy for the siblings.

“My Divine Tower of Ashes is located in Ashenreach, in the southern part of Magus World—an area formerly known as the Darwell Region,” he told Gina before leaving.

“If you and your brother have nowhere to go after his release, you’re welcome to build your future in Ashenreach.”

“I’ll speak with my brother. Thank you for your concern, Master Sein,” Gina replied cautiously. Her gaze kept drifting toward Feylis, who was not far from Sein.

It was only at this moment that Gina finally realized that Sein might be a Rank Five mage and not a Rank Four like her brother.

Of course, as a demigod-level mage, she felt flattered to receive an informal invitation from a Rank Five mage. Still, she could not make such a decision on her brother’s behalf.

Sein smiled at the young girl, then took Leena’s hand and went on their way.

A stable teleportation channel was located just outside the Atlan Interstellar Prison. After a few transfers, one could return directly to Magus World.

Feylis had been overseeing the battlefields on the frontlines. But since she had already returned to deal with Sein’s matter, she decided to visit Magus World as well—and take care of the issue inside Leena’s body while she was at it.

While Sein and the others waited for their turn to use the teleportation array, a dark cloud of elemental energy emerged from the teleportation channel and gradually condensed into the figure of a middle-aged man in a black robe.

The oversized magic robe largely concealed the man’s face, yet the aura he radiated clearly surpassed even that of Gregory.

He was undoubtedly a peak Rank Five mage!

“Huh? Master Dark Flame?” Sein said in surprise.

Having worked at the Divine Tower of Dark Flame for centuries, and with a wisp of Dark Flame contained within his Ashen Flame, Sein was able to recognize this Rank Five mage.

Compared to when Sein had served as the dean of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame Academy, Master Dark Flame had clearly grown stronger.

His voice caused the black-robed man to turn his head—it was indeed Master Dark Flame!

Dark Flame had an excellent memory and recognized Sein at a glance.

However, much like Gina earlier, his attention was quickly drawn to Feylis, who burned like a vibrant ball of verdant flame nearby.

As a peak Rank Five mage, Dark Flame could perceive Feylis’ immense power with even greater clarity.

He nodded at Sein. “Ah. It’s you, Sein. I have matters to attend to. We’ll talk another time.”

With that, he cast another glance at Leena and Lorianne beside Sein, then turned and flew toward Atlan Interstellar Prison.

Sein was left speechless.

That was just how Master Dark Flame was. He never engaged in small talk and had virtually no friends. When others approached him, he would sometimes walk away without even acknowledging them.

Watching Master Dark Flame leave, Sein explained awkwardly to the others, “He probably has urgent business to deal with. I used to serve as a dean under him at his divine tower.”

Lorianne snorted in amusement. “Yeah, I know.”

Just then, Sein felt Leena’s grip on his hand tighten slightly. He glanced at her curiously.

She said nothing, but her expression grew even colder than before.

The shift in her demeanor made Sein furrow his brow, but he did not react immediately.

He would deal with Mikaeli once they returned to Magus World.

Even if Mikaeli now dominated Leena’s consciousness, Sein held her hand tightly and did not let go.

As the teleportation array prepared to activate, Lorianne shifted her attention from Sein to Feylis nearby.

“Master Feylis? What are you looking at? The teleportation array is about to activate.”

The activation process for a teleportation array capable of transporting multiple law-wielding powerhouses was rather complicated.

Feylis, who had been gazing into the distant starfield, withdrew her gaze and walked back to Lorianne and Sein.

“Nothing,” she replied, then glanced at Leena, whose hand Sein was holding.

That single glance from Feylis made Leena’s body tremble slightly. Mikaeli’s consciousness quickly receded, and once Leena regained control of her body, she leaned weakly against Sein.

Although sharing her body with Mikaeli’s soul greatly amplified Leena’s strength, it also placed tremendous strain on her body.

Moreover, the struggle with Mikaeli for control had left Leena mentally and spiritually exhausted.

In short, this condition brought her more harm than benefit for now.

After everyone vanished into the teleportation array, the starry sky Feylis had been watching gradually revealed a figure.

The person was dressed in white, wearing a top hat and an owl mask that concealed his face.

“The Magus Civilization truly has some remarkable hidden talents. A mere Rank Five mage carrying two world-class secret treasures? Hmm... in the past, I would have already made my move!”

The Rank Six being known as Kigard, the Phantom Thief, adjusted his top hat.

“But that peak Rank Six mage seems troublesome... Never mind. Since I have joined the Magus Civilization, I suppose I should maintain some professional ethics,” he said to himself.

“Hmm, first things first—let’s see how I can complete the task the Magus Civilization assigned me...”

With a puff of white smoke, both his figure and aura vanished without a trace.