Sovereign of the Ashes

The academy overseers were owls covered in pitch-black feathers on their backs, and white on their chests.

What set Seven apart from the other academy overseers was a single red feather among the white ones on its chest.

Half of Seven’s body was now stained with blood, making it seemingly indistinguishable from the other owls.

Yet, Sein was able to recognize it immediately due to his familiarity with Seven and its aura over years of their interaction.

Seven was currently in a precarious state.

While displaying signs of life with a heaving chest and a slightly moving beak, it struggled to respond to Sein’s question.

Only faint “hoots” came from Seven’s beak

The light in its eyes dimmed, but it was still clinging to life.

Having assisted Sein on several occasions, the two were essentially friends. Sein could not simply ignore it and leave.

He retrieved the last intermediate healing potion from his space ring.

Considering the distinct constitution of magic beasts and the likelihood that Seven’s injuries might require more than a single intermediate healing potion, Sein also took out a few basic healing potions.

He poured the intermediate healing potion into Seven’s beak first, then applied several basic healing potions near its wounds.

A moment later, a glimmer returned to Seven’s dull eyes.

Although it was still losing blood through its wounds, the bleeding was beginning to slow down.

Seven slowly regained its consciousness and rolled its eyes.

It hooted weakly, then spoke in human language, “There’s no need for you to assist me. I’m beyond saving.”

The constitution of a magic beast surpassed that of humans. Despite being only half as tall as a human, a quasi-ranked magic beast like Seven was far more resilient than normal magic beasts.

With a lifespan exceeding a hundred years, Seven was wise enough to understand the severity of its injuries.

One of its heart valves had been pierced, and it was fortunate to escape immediate death.

The fact that it could still speak without drawing its last breath showed the remarkable resilience of a magic beast.

Despite this, it continued to lose blood.

Sein remained silent upon hearing Seven’s words.

In a mere two years, he had lost touch with those he cared about. His mentor, Zorro, Faye, Leena, Bousse, and Marie—all of them had vanished from his life one after another, with no clues about their whereabouts.

Sein, who had lived a solitary life in the Sand World for more than two years, cherished those around him even more now.

Even if Seven was just a magic beast, its presence excited Sein, who had not encountered any familiar faces in more than two years.

Aside from the precious intermediate healing potion he used on Seven, the other basic potions held little value to Sein.

Sein’s silence, as well as the concern etched on his face, stirred something in Seven even though it was only a magic beast that could not feel complex emotions.

Moving its beak slowly, Seven said, “Take my magic crystal core, I hope it’ll prove useful to you.”

Before Sein could respond, a series of deafening noises interrupted them.

The entire lumenstone vein above Mystralora City was starting to collapse!

The large-scale geo element magic spell that Martin, a Rank Three mage, cast earlier had weakened the lumenstone vein above Mystralora City.

Besides meteorites falling from his magic, the lumenstone vein also rained down sharp stones though the commotion was not as intense as this.

As the battles within Mystralora City dwindled, the stripping of the lumenstone vein’s surface layer concluded, and it was now entering a deeper level of fracture!

Sein remained unaware of the expanse of the lumenstone vein above Mystralora City.

He only knew that the entire city, along with certain areas around it, relied on this lumenstone vein for a weak light source.

Lumenstones, apart from serving as a feeble light source, was also a primary material for crafting magic crystal lamps.

Sein was rather familiar with this basic magic material. It possessed a considerable amount of heat energy inside that could be swiftly released through friction.

In fact, the rain of stones burst into hot flames as it fell through the air was caused by the friction between lumenstone ores and the surrounding atmosphere.

Now, the scale of the meteor shower over Mystralora City was notably more extensive and intense!

The city seemed like it was on the verge of being entirely buried beneath the lumenstone vein!

What heightened the fear for Sein and the others in the city was the emergence of a brilliant red glow as a large section of the lumenstone vein peeled off.

It was as if a crimson stain had suddenly appeared in the midst of a dark and somber landscape!

Sein could not help but exclaim, “What’s that?!”

In a weakened state, Seven expelled a mouthful of blood before explaining, “Above Mystralora City, there is actually a sea of magma beyond the lumenstone vein. It serves as the perfect barrier to isolate the surface from the underground space. The dean specifically chose this location for Mystralora City due to the concealed nature of that sea of magma.”

Seven, with a century of existence, possessed a profound understanding of the city’s origins.

Following Seven’s explanation, a reddish slurry began oozing from the breach in the lumenstone vein above Mystralora City.

Initially slow, the flow of magma gradually increased due to gravity and the influx of falling lumenstones. A reddish glow permeated from every crevice above Mystralora City.

An apocalyptic scene unfolded, catching Sein and many mages from the Divine Tower and knights off guard!

A torrent of magma rained down from the above. It was smaller and more flammable compared to the meteorites.

Not only was it challenging to evade, but its destructive force also surpassed that of the earlier meteor shower.

Fires started spreading rapidly throughout Mystralora City, extending even into the White Raven Forest.

Meteorites and magma rained down, setting ablaze parts of the southern expanse of the forest.

“Is the vice dean trying to destroy Mystralora City?” Sein could not help but wonder aloud as he witnessed the catastrophic scene.

Upon reflection, the vice dean and the black mages were the culprits behind the two perilous incidents and his ordeal at the Black Magic Academy.

Had Vice Dean Martin not impulsively destroyed the spatial passage in the Sand World, Sein would not have endured two years of isolation there.

Sein’s distress prompted two hoots from Seven in response.

With the collapse of the lumenstone vein and the impending deluge of molten lava, any lingering hope for escape dissipated.

Even full-fledged mages were at risk of perishing if they were not careful, let alone an initiate like Sein.