Sovereign of the Ashes

“I never expected the esteemed Summer Guardian to grace our region during the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War. This is truly an honor,” a middle-aged man remarked.

With a strong physique and his chest bared, he resembled more of a knight than a mage. Yet, in reality, he was a Geomancer.

As a Rank Five mage, the tower master of Land Academy stood as the most formidable figure there, second only to the Summer Guardian.

Besides him, five other eminent beings hovered above the trial space.

The man in a blue-purple robe was the tower master of Radiant Thunder, boasting early Rank Five strength.

The man in black robe was the tower master of Shadow, possessing Rank Four strength.

The woman in the wave-patterned robe was the tower master of Cipher, a Rank Four mage.

The woman in a verdant green robe, a Rank Four mage herself, was the tower master of Verdant Spring.

A woman in flowing red dress stood at the center, surrounded by these five tower masters. She was one of the four renowned guardians of the Magus World—Summer Guardian.

Second in strength only to the top guardian, rumors suggested that the Summer Guardian was on the cusp of reaching Rank Seven.

While the other tower masters, with their relatively lower power, could not discern the full extent of the Summer Guardian’s abilities, a subtle aura of pyro elemental wave radiated from them.

These waves, however, had no adverse effects on the nearby tower masters or the creatures below in the Magus World.

Instead, their proximity to the Summer Guardian brought them considerable benefits.

As a direct conduit to the planar will of the Magus World, the guardians were favored by this force and empowered to act on its behalf in the Magus World.

In the Magus World hierarchy, the four guardians held even greater power than the venerable soul overmages and knight overlords.

Thus, the Summer Guardian’s mere presence in the region elicited a grand welcome from the five divine tower masters.

“You flatter me, Tower Master of Land Academy. It is I who should be thankful to all of you. Your swift action in quelling the recent disturbances in your divine towers’ territories was invaluable,” the Summer Guardian responded graciously.

Contrary to her reputation in the Magus World as cynical, temperamental, and impulsive, the Summer Guardian’s demeanor was that of a mature, sensible woman.

Her real age indeed surpassed that of the present divine tower masters.

The oldest among them, the tower master of the Land Academy, was a mere 90,000 years old, a junior in comparison to the Summer Guardian.

In stark contrast, the tower master of Verdant Spring was the youngest. She was not even 10,000 years old, making her a new Rank Four expert in the Magus World.

Even the usually imposing tower master of Verdant Spring felt a mix of nervousness and excitement upon meeting the Summer Guardian for the first time.

As the most experienced and knowledgeable, the tower master of Land Academy was the only spokesperson for the group who was able to converse with the Summer Guardian naturally.

He could not help but inquire, “The intrusion of foreign gods into our territories, spreading their faith, seems to have drawn your attention, Your Grace. Why is this so?”

“If they were ordinary foreign gods, we could have easily dealt with them ourselves in your stead. It’s puzzling to think any creatures of Rank Four or higher from distant star domains would dare to attempt such a foolish thing in the Magus World. Are they not aware of the Magus Civilization’s might?”

The tower master of Land Academy’s remarks echoed among his peers.

If lesser foreign gods of Rank Four or Five came to propagate their faith here, intervention from the seasoned and powerful beings hidden across the Magus World would not even be necessary.

The combined strength of just a handful of the divine towers would be more than enough to subdue these intruders.

As for overlords or Rank Six ancient creatures, their native worlds likely knew of the Magus World’s formidable reputation.

Only fools would think of challenging such a formidable civilization.

The tower master of Land Academy surmised that it was only the ignorant foreign gods, who accidentally discovered a space-time rift leading to the Magus World, that would carelessly try to propagate their faith, oblivious to the dire consequences.

Experts from the Magus World had always swiftly dealt with these intruding extraplanar creatures.

Knights, often more primal, would not hesitate to consume the flesh and blood of these Rank Four and above beings, recognizing them as valuable treasures.

In contrast, mages preferred a more refined approach.

Rather than consuming their remains, they turned these creatures into specimens, showcasing them as prized collections in their showrooms, considering their high research value.

In fact, the tower master of Land Academy had a Rank Four creature specimen in his collection, a trophy from a planar war he had participated in during his younger years.

Responding to the inquiry and the curious glances of the other tower masters, Summer Guardian offered a gentle smile.

“The recent disturbances in your region weren’t caused by extraplanar beings, but rather by a naive young girl from our own Magus World,” she explained.

“Don’t worry, similar incidents shouldn’t happen in your region again. I’m planning a trip to the Western Archipelago next,” she added.

This revelation surprised the tower masters.

They were well aware of what kind of place the Western Archipelago was.

Not only was it a sacred land for the knights of the Magus World, its northern region was also the infamous Blackhaven.

This raised the question: were the recent incidents of faith propagation orchestrated by black mages from Blackhaven?

Despite Summer Guardian’s calm demeanor, the tower masters sensed an intensifying heat from her pyro elemental energy, suggesting her upcoming visit to the Blackhaven was no trivial matter.

Given the Summer Guardian’s reputation, it seemed the black mages might soon find themselves in great trouble.

Sensibly, the other tower masters refrained from probing further.

To lighten the mood, the tower master of Land Academy, made a suggestion with a smile.

“Since our region is hosting the academy war, perhaps you might consider offering an enticing prize to motivate these young participants, Your Grace?”