Sovereign of the Ashes

“CHARGE!”

“Sein Grantt, our very own pride from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring who is currently leading in this regional academy war, has arrived!”

“Kill those vile undead and dark summoned creatures!”

“Don’t let any of the initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow escape!”

These rallying calls and crystal ball transmissions ignited the spirit of the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring on the battlefield.

The golden pillar of light, which was Sein, spearheaded the charge toward the Divine Tower of Shadow’s camp.

Quick to join Sein’s onslaught were the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, converging from multiple directions.

Spread thinly across the battlefield were many intermediate or junior initiates with no high-ranking initiates to lead them, driven by sheer enthusiasm and the inspiring presence of their idol.

Of course, the relative youth of these initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring also played a role in their impulsive response.

Unlike the older, more seasoned initiates who might have been inspired by Sein’s presence but remained cautious, these younger spellcasters were more prone to act on impulse.

Nevertheless, spellcasters generally relied on wisdom as the primary force, with older, more cunning veteran spellcasters often displaying greater caution and restraint.

The hundreds of initiates used the golden light pillar as their rallying point in response to Sein, creating a scene beyond his expectations.

Sein, however, was far from the noble figure the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring imagined.

His intention in attacking the Divine Tower of Shadow’s flank was not “heroism” but to capitalize on the chaos for points.

He had not anticipated that his move would provoke an all-out assault on the Divine Tower of Shadow’s camp near Windhowl Cliff.

Sein’s calculated approach was evident in his choice to target the flank rather than a direct assault on the camp.

If Sein had been excessively arrogant, or had sought to maximize his chances by aligning with the front lines of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s forces, he would have chosen to directly target the rear areas of the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory instead of merely the flank.

He vividly recalled the difficulty of escaping the combined forces of the Divine Tower of Land Academy and Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder a few months ago and had no desire to repeat the experience of being the target of thousands of initiates.

As the golden light pillar drew closer to the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory, Sein’s rapid arrival and exceptional flying speed caught the enemy unprepared, unable to recall their summons in time.

“Damn, that guy!” Daniel cursed, astonished at Sein’s speed and his influence on the other initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Yet, despite his annoyance, Daniel quickly followed suit to be one of the first Quasi Mages to join Sein’s side.

Daniel, still under the age of fifty, belonged to the younger group of Quasi Mages in their academy.

***

The emergence of the golden pillar of light and Sein’s arrival initially did not inflict significant damage on the Divine Tower of Shadow’s forces. However, in terms of morale, it was a complete game-changer.

Indeed, regardless of Sein’s formidable strength, his focus and mana reserves would be depleted after defeating dozens of initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow.

And there were many more of them, not to mention the equally formidable undead and dark summoned creatures.

Yet, more impactful than his individual prowess was the shift in morale and the resulting surge in momentum among the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s forces.

“Poppuri, what should we do?” A middle-aged Quasi Mage appeared, his expression tinged with anxiety, in front of a female initiate.

Poppuri, the female initiate from the Divine Tower of Shadow, was rotund. Her chubby chin would quiver slightly every time she moved.

The arrival of the golden light pillar and the counteroffensive from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s forces had momentarily rattled her.

Poppuri the “Reaperess”, was not adept at large-scale command.

Klump the “Necromancer” and Wallace the “Shadow Star” were more skilled in this regard, especially Klump, who was highly valued by the instructors in their academy before the war.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, he had been soundly defeated by Sein while commanding an assault on the Creek Orchid Basin.

Two imposing undead creatures, one tall and the other short, appeared beside Poppuri, radiating a chilling aura.

These quasi-ranked undead creatures had been the most significant threats at the Windhowl Cliff frontline.

They had taken the lives of several initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring. The fresh blood that soaked their bone armors made them even more formidable.

The presence of these creatures provided Poppuri with some relief.

They did not fly all the way back here. Instead, they were summoned back by Poppuri using a necromantic spell array.

This demonstrated that Poppuri, at least in the realm of necromancy, was among the top in the Divine Tower of Shadow.

Despite bearing the title of “Necromancer”, even Klump’s talent and proficiency in magic paled in comparison to Poppuri’s.

“Why don’t we withdraw?” Poppuri finally suggested after a long silence, surprising the Quasi Mage from the Divine Tower of Shadow before her.

Poppuri was not inherently combative. The attack on the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s territory was not her idea but had been proposed by other Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Shadow.

Poppuri’s elevation to the role of commander was due to her being the strongest and most renowned within their ranks.

Her current individual score was sufficient to secure her a spot within the top twenty.

Observing Poppuri’s consideration of retreat, the Quasi Mage with her quickly interjected, “I believe we still stand a chance. That top initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, regardless of his strength, is just one individual, whereas we number in the thousands!”

Before the Quasi Mage could finish speaking, golden Solar Eye beams had already rained down on the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory.

Aside from top initiates like Gade the Heart of Land, such a formidable magic spell was beyond the endurance of ordinary initiates.

Following the Solar Eye spell, three cyan-colored hurricanes manifested within the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory.

Accompanying these spells were a barrage of various others, each striking their enemy’s territory in quick succession.

The Quasi Mage, about to issue commands via the crystal ball, turned around only to find Poppuri had already flown away on her bone staff.