Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein and the other black magic initiates had spent a total of six months in the Sand World.

However, the group of black mages in Gloomhaven or Shadow Valley in the Magus World had waited for a full year.

As the day for constructing the passage between the two worlds approached, not only were the full-fledged black mages excited, but even Martin and Jeanne, the two vice deans, whose hearts had been calm for a long time, now brimmed with anticipation.

“There shouldn’t be any more surprises this time, right?” Jeanne asked.

“I’ve heard that the mages from the Divine Towers have discovered several passages in Gloomhaven that connect to the surface world. It seems like they are targeting us with intent,” she told Martin, who was standing next to her.

“Regardless of what those mages from the Divine Towers discovered, it’s too late for them to act now. The dean has already departed from Mystralora City.

“As long as we succeed in constructing a passageway connecting the two worlds and have the dean go over to retrieve the heart core of that fallen Rank Four creature, he will be able to absorb the geo elemental energy in it and comprehend the relevant principles.

“When he returns as a Rank Four black mage, no ordinary mage from the Divine Towers will be able to stop us, unless the Divine Tower Master personally intervenes!” Martin said confidently.

Vice Dean Martin’s true strength and life level had actually surpassed the expectations of most black mages.

He had secretly advanced to Rank Three grand mage a century ago.

With a higher life level and a mentor on the verge of reaching Rank Four, Martin possessed knowledge of the Magus World’s secrets that exceeded that of an average black mage.

For instance, he was aware of a law in the Magus World that prohibited Rank Four experts or higher from launching wide-scale attacks.

Such a law existed because the affected area accompanying the attack of experts above Rank Four was too extensive.

It could result in unimaginable destruction for the ordinary creatures, and even affect the environment and physical laws of the Magus World.

After all, Rank Four beings were powerful enough to be considered “Gods” in the Astral Realm and many lesser planes.

The power they wield was beyond the comprehension of ordinary beings.

In many weak and desolate planes, the essence of the entire plane could support only one or two Rank Four beings.

Martin could not ascertain the exact number of Rank Four or higher creatures in the Magus World, but he knew there were hundreds of “black towers” constructed by Rank Four black mages and above in Blackhaven.

Jeanne breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Martin’s response.

She might doubt others, but not the dean, the supreme authority in Mystralora City.

This was the same person who had bravely stood against a certain Rank Four black mage from Blackhaven when he was only at the peak of Rank Three.

If it was not for that Rank Four black mage’s sneak attack during the dean’s crucial breakthrough, causing him to suffer elemental backlash, the dean might have already reached Rank Four.

He would not have to plan for more than a hundred years, placing all his hopes of advancing to Rank Four on a Rank Four creature that had perished in another plane.

“How exactly did that Rank Four creature perish in the other plane and conveniently leave a space-time rift here in Gloomhaven?” Jeanne asked the question that had puzzled her for nearly a hundred years.

“Hohoho... I heard it accidentally descended into the Magus World through a space-time rift and unfortunately got killed and cast out of the Magus World by the Summer Guardian, who happened to be nearby.

“Mentor has connections in the Byrne Empire and learned that there might still be unrepaired space-time rifts here in Gloomhaven. Since the foreign Rank Four creature happened to be a geo element creature, he wanted to test his luck.” Martin replied,

Perhaps because success was imminent, Martin was willing to share some of these details with Jeanne.

However, certain information, like the identity of the informant from the Byrne Empire, remained undisclosed, as it was one of the most closely guarded secrets of his faction.

Nevertheless, this showed that the black mages from Blackhaven had some sort of connection with the powerful Byrne Empire, one of the top forces in the Magus World.

On top of that, Martin’s mentor was definitely not the only one with such ties.

***

Rhythmic elemental vibrations reverberated from the camp of the black magic initiates in the Sand World.

Thanks to the energy supplied by numerous magic devices and hundreds of elemental beads, a bluish oval shaped portal was gradually taking shape in mid-air.

Sein, along with the majority of black magic initiates, watched in astonishment as the spatial passage began to form.

That was until... a sudden and thunderous explosion echoed.

The noise seemed to emanate from the other side of the passage, indicating that something had gone awry among the black mages in Gloomhaven.

Shortly after, a violent tremor emanated from the depths of the passage, shaking many magic devices and tents within the camp.

Ten-meter-tall columns of yellow sand were displaced as well.

Fortunately, the spatial coordinate generators had already been activated and established a connection with the Gloomhaven side, thus keeping the spatial passage stable despite the tremors, at least for the time being.

The bewildered black magic initiates rose from the yellow sand with dazed expressions.

Clearly, what they were witnessing was quite different from what they had expected.

The first to react was a Quasi Mage named Locke.

Sein knew him because he was considered one of the strongest members of the camp, even holding authority over Zorro in many cases. Locke also seemed to be Vice Dean Martin’s aide.

Locke had mastered Levitate, a rare skill even among senior initiates.

Holding a magic rod in his hand, he promptly ascended into the air and entered the spatial passage.

Before other initiates could follow his lead, Locke hastily retreated from the spatial passage.

Unfortunately, his quick exit could not save him.

A massive pillar of roaring fire surged out of the spatial passage and engulfed most of his body.

The expression of disbelief on his face, along with his waving arm that remained untouched by the fire, clearly conveyed the shock of his untimely demise.

The fiery pillar not only claimed Locke’s life instantly but also caused significant cracks to appear in the newly stabilized spatial passage.

As it entered the Sand World, the fiery pillar transformed into a raging torrent of flames, severely injuring and even killing the black magic initiates who had gathered around the portal.

This power was beyond the capabilities of a mere Rank One full-fledged black mage!

Sein, having witnessed the clash between Master Morsidor and Master Katherson, understood that although battles involving full-fledged black mages could be intense, there had been no previous instance where a single strike caused such extensive destruction.

This sudden turn of events left not only Sein but also the other black magic initiates in shock. It also caused the newly established spatial passageway to teeter on the brink of collapse.

What was even more alarming was that the descent of the fiery pillar marked only the beginning. It was followed by an unrelenting and violent hurricane that surged forth from the portal.

This unleashed destruction on both the spatial passage and the surrounding camp!