Sovereign of the Ashes

A radiant pillar of golden light, enveloped in a captivating aura, streaked from the eastern side to the western side of the Divine Tower of Land Academy’s territory.

It was heading west because that was the way to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s territory.

To reach the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, one had to not only traverse the Divine Tower of Land Academy’s territory but also navigate through the Divine Tower of Cipher’s territory

With the help of the metal disk magic artifact, Sein was flying at a remarkable speed. His endurance in flight surpassed that of most senior initiates, thanks to restorative potions he consumed one after another.

As time passed and the escape route lengthened, the gap between Sein and his pursuers widened.

Yet, many initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy persisted in their pursuit, undeterred by the increasing distance.

They never lost hope of catching Sein, thanks to the golden pillar of light that served as a brilliant beacon across the trial space, making him unmistakably visible.

***

Sein’s ordeal in the trial space was arguably his most grueling yet.

However, he was not just a passive victim throughout.

He faced just over ten senior initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy, as the top initiates were preoccupied at the front lines.

This left Sein, whose focus and mana reserves were strained from both sustaining the metal disk’s flight and his constant evasion, in a precarious state.

As a result, he had to wait for his Solar Eye Mask’s cooldown to end, and regularly replaced its central energy crystals before he could retaliate.

His primary targets were the Quasi Mages who relentlessly pursued him, mistaking their certainty of victory for an easy conquest.

These Quasi Mages chased after him from the hilly eastern battlefield to the south-central region of the Divine Tower of Land Academy’s territory, a pursuit spanning several days and nights.

Sein feigned exhaustion and retreated to a valley for a brief respite, knowing that his presence there would be made known by the golden pillar of light.

Four Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Land Academy arrived first at the valley. There was a moment of hesitation, a silent exchange of glances, as they weighed their next move.

More initiates were in pursuit, but they lagged due to their diminished flying endurance and would take time to reach the valley.

Moreover, numerous junior and intermediate initiates, who used to guard the Divine Tower of Land Academy’s resource points, had joined the chase.

Being surrounded by thousands of initiates was a sign that Sein had effectively drawn the attention of the entire Divine Tower of Land Academy.

“Well, are we going to do it?” one of the Quasi Mages finally broke the silence.

His greed for Sein’s substantial point value, which had soared beyond 100,000 points, was evident. However, he was acutely aware that tackling such a formidable opponent alone, especially with his modest score of just 7,000 points, was a daunting task.

Among his peers, he was hardly the strongest.

“Let’s hold off a bit longer. Ramlan and the others are on their way here. They’ve amassed over two thousand intermediate and junior initiates,” a female Quasi Mage suggested.

Her remark caused the faces of the other three Quasi Mages to sour.

If, by sheer luck, any of the more than two thousand intermediate and junior initiates managed to fell Sein with a Fireball spell, or stood near him during the battle, they could potentially gain half of his substantial 100,000-point value.

The strongest among the Four Quasi Mage, Falk, also known as the “Energy Hand”, shook his head and proposed, “Let’s test the waters with this guy first. If he’s too tough, we’ll wait for Ramlan’s group.”

Falk was also one of the top initiates in the ongoing regional academy war.

During the initial months in the trial space, he had suffered from bad luck, failing to accumulate many points from the resource points.

As a result, his score was under 10,000 points, keeping him out of the top ten rankings.

This only fueled his relentless pursuit of Sein across half of his local territory.

His suggestion was met with nods from two Quasi Mages, though the female Quasi Mage seemed hesitant.

Nevertheless, seeing the others’ readiness, she could only reluctantly agree.

In the tranquil valley, lush emerald vegetation flourished, bisected by a babbling brook that shimmered golden under the light.

Yet, this serene setting belied the undercurrent of violence.

“I hear you all are after my points?” Sein called out as the four initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy surrounded him. Standing by the brook, he casually rinsed his hands in the cool water.

The glaring golden pillar of light around Sein made stealth impossible for him, forcing him to confront his opponents head-on.

His nonchalant demeanor, without even a magic rod in his hand, caught the four initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy off guard.

“You should have been prepared to pay with your life for the audacity to stir trouble in our Divine Tower of Land Academy’s territory!” Falk declared with a cold snort.

As a massive greenish-blue energy hand materialized above him while he chanted. The other three initiates quickly followed suit, casting their most powerful magic spells.

Sein shook his head, then pointed toward the valley’s sky and said, “Look up.”

Six golden eyes had appeared, almost hidden by the golden light cloaking Sein’s body.

Before the four Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Land Academy could react, a torrent of golden energy engulfed them once more.

***

The battle between the four Quasi Mages and Sein concluded swiftly.

Sein, despite his depleted mana and focus reserves, found his adversaries from the Divine Tower of Land Academy in no better condition. Their prolonged pursuit had taken its toll.

In a decisive move, Sein ousted two of the Quasi Mages from the trial space entirely.

The others, including the Quasi Mage who had conjured the energy hand and the female Quasi Mage who had kept her distance and retreated early, were spared his wrath.

This confrontation, hidden away in the seclusion of the valley, went largely unnoticed.

However, this battle had revealed the full extent of Sein’s capabilities.

His magic artifact, a mask capable of unleashing thirty-six golden beams, his mastery of pyro magic spells, and his arsenal of magic equipment were now laid bare...

In future encounters with top initiates, Sein would no longer have the advantage of surprising others.