Sovereign of the Ashes

The exchanges between the three black mages high up in the stands were far beyond the comprehension of the initiates below.

Sein and Bousse, after finishing their own battle, had moved to the area where the senior initiates were fighting to observe the battles up close.

“Hey, Sein, over here!” Despite wearing the Pale Mask, Faye was able to recognize Sein. She waved to him as soon as he appeared in the area.

Faye was already done with her battle. Her mastery of extremely potent pyro element magic spells, combined with the various magic items provided by Master Morsidor and Zorro, had secured her a spot in the top three rankings.

The duels of Sein’s girlfriend, Leena, and Liliana, with whom Sein had once crossed paths, were still underway.

At this point, two of the top three positions for the senior initiate tier had already been decided. The competition was fierce for the remaining one.

Leena’s opponent was an initiate with rare talent. He specialized in creating an undead chimera from remains of magic beasts.

The initiate had a sinister appearance that reminded Sein of his mentor, Master Morsidor.

The creature he summoned was a grotesque-looking chimera with a distorted skull and body made up of different parts of magic beasts. Adding to the eerie spectacle, the initiate himself possessed four arms.

What was even more unsettling was the red tumor in the crook of his neck. Its slow, rhythmic pulse, akin to a heartbeat, hinted at the presence of a life gestating within it.

The battles between senior initiates were on another level compared to the battles between intermediate or junior initiates.

Senior initiates typically had a repertoire of numerous magic spells at their disposal, along with various backup strategies to aid them in dire situations.

The initiate with the tumor, in particular, not only had a grotesque creature at his disposal, but could also project deadly beams of light.

Furthermore, the gray cape hanging from his shoulders appeared to be an advanced magic item.

Leena, on the other hand, had only one other piece of magic equipment apart from her black crystal bracelet that Sein was familiar with—a black bangle on her wrist.

It seemed that in the past two months, she had also mastered two new umbra element magic spells. One manifested as a ray that shot out from her fingertip, while the other took the form of an umbra energy sphere.

Given that she had been promoted to a senior initiate only six months ago, winning this battle might prove challenging for Leena.

“Your girlfriend is quite the fighter. She’s holding her own against Micheal, the Harbinger of Death. I thought the battle would be over quickly,” Faye remarked with a smile.

The senior initiates generally had a good idea of who would secure the rankings before the annual assessment even began.

Michael, the Harbinger of Death, was undeniably one of the strongest among the senior initiates in the academy. Not only did he excel in the rare necromorphic sorcery, but the chimera beast he commanded was also a formidable creature that was immune to pain.

It only made sense that the last spot among the top three senior initiates was virtually guaranteed for Michael. However, the current situation suggested otherwise.

As Sein was about to respond to Faye’s teasing, a sudden turn of events on the battlefield caused his expression to shift.

Leena, who had earned the nickname “crazy bitch” during her time as an intermediate initiate, had retained her unconventional ways of doing things even as a senior initiate.

Michael was alternating between close and long-range combat with his chimera beast, making it extremely challenging for Leena to defeat him using conventional methods.

Nevertheless, Leena was not one to back down easily. She had a blazing fireball forming in her left hand and a rich gathering of umbra elemental energy in her crystal bracelet on her right wrist.

Seeing Leena activating both spells simultaneously put Michael on high alert.

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Leena did not unleash the spells right away after the magical glow had manifested in her hands. Instead, a brilliant flash of brilliance radiated from the black bangle on her wrist.

In the blink of an eye, Leena transformed into a swift shadow as she closed the distance between herself and Michael at an astonishing speed!

“WHAT?!” More than one initiate exclaimed upon witnessing the turn of events. Even the three black mages in the stands redirected their attention to the battle.

One of the black mages, perhaps trying to ease the tension caused by Andes earlier, remarked, “She’s casting not one but two spells at the same time? No, three to be precise!”

“Although she may be relying on the two magic items for the other two spells, her focus and precise control over mana are still rather impressive,” he continued praising.

While the black mage marveled at Leena’s skill in coordinating three magic spells, Andes, the most powerful mage present on the scene, recognized Leena’s unusual approach. She was intentionally closing the gap between her and Michael with the intention of engaging him directly in a melee combat.

As a seasoned spellcaster who had experienced countless battles, Andes understood the dire consequences when a mage allowed another to approach too closely during combat.

Despite their mastery over powerful elemental energy, mages generally possessed frail physical constitutions. This was an undeniable and well-known fact in the world of magic.

Unlike certain spellcasting professions like Bloodline Warlocks, known for their excellent melee abilities, most spellcasters relied on magic shields or summoned creatures for close-range defense.

Although Michael had a chimera at his disposal, it was a creature with zero intelligence and stiff movements. Not only that, Michael’s frantic reaction also indicated his lack of mastery over protective spells.

BOOM!

A massive fireball exploded, followed by nearly twenty smaller explosions.

Sein had seen the enhanced version of Leena’s fireball spell on Black Street two months ago.

The massive fireball sent Michael’s chimera beast crashing to the ground. Before it could rise again, the subsequent twenty smaller explosions left it completely immobilized.

It was apparent that the pyro element was particularly effective against the chimera beast.

Leena seized the opportunity to close the gap between herself and Michael.

Michael unleashed deadly beams of lights in desperation. Leena deftly avoided one but took one head on.

As Michael was about to make his next move, Leena had already positioned herself behind him.

With a swift and precise motion, she directed the concentrated umbra elemental energy at her right wrist toward Michael’s head. To be more specific, her target was the tumor nestled in the crook of his neck.

The sound of flapping wings suddenly filled the training ground.

Two of the seven patrolling owls swooped down, fixing their gaze on the intense showdown between Leena and Michael.

Michael, now completely at Leena’s mercy, displayed a storm of emotions on his face. From seething anger to gnawing panic, it was unclear whether his inner turmoil stemmed from the impending threat or the toll that necromorphic sorcery had taken on his body.

A foul stench of decomposition wafted from the joints of Michael’s two extra arms.

“Do you really think you’ve won? Come at me, if you dare! I can guarantee you that the moment you make a move, the poison from my Bone Cape will spread in your body. Your corpse will become a delectable feast for my precious baby tonight!” Michael taunted.

Sure enough, the cape behind Michael levitated in mid-air, effectively blocking Leena’s potential escape routes.

Despite its slightly mangled body, the bloodied chimera beast that had been knocked down by Leena’s massive fireball earlier, finally managed to rise to its feet, albeit unsteadily.

Sein could not help but be impressed by the creature’s remarkable resilience.

Then again, Leena would not live up to her reputation as a “crazy bitch” if Michael’s threat could deter her.

As soon as Michael finished speaking, the umbra element energy glowing at Leena’s wrist intensified rather than fading.

In the next moment, jet-black beams of light shot out from her wrist. Michael was just moments away from being turned into a sieve.

“STOP!” Sein’s voice suddenly rang out from the sidelines.