Sovereign of the Ashes

The battle concluded more swiftly and effortlessly than expected.

Following Sein’s arrival, the Divine Tower of Shadow failed to mount substantial resistance, primarily due to a dip in morale and a lack of leadership.

Sein, while refraining from using his mask in this battle, unleashed the Solar Eye spell twice in a row.

The ensuing seventy-two golden beams of light positioned him as the focal point on the battlefield.

This display also suggested that Sein’s current focus and mana levels limited him to casting the powerful Solar Eye spell only twice.

His decision not to use his mask stemmed from a habitual prudence in daily life.

Besides the seventy-two Solar Eye beams, Sein also introduced his latest invention, the Blazing Lumenbombs, during this battle.

The one-time-use attack item proved to be particularly effective in this kind of battlefield.

Though not exceedingly powerful, it could severely harm, if not outright incapacitate, a senior initiate caught off-guard without a magic shield.

Mages were known for their physical frailty, lacking the ability to rely on armor for protection like knights.

In the absence of a magic shield, even basic spells like Minor Fireball could easily kill a Quasi Mage.

This vulnerability stemmed from the fact that mages primarily focused on cultivating wisdom and fortifying their mental focus, in contrast to knights who concentrated on physical training and resilience.

Hence, what might be a minor injury for a knight could be lethal for a mage.

This disparity highlighted the interdependence of knights and mages in their world—two distinct power systems, each with its own strengths and shortcomings, together contributing to the flourishing of Magus Civilization.

In past interplanar wars, the most reliable defense for mages on the battlefield was not a legion of enslaved creatures or allied extraplanar followers. Instead, it was the unwavering and formidable knight legions!

The battle around Windhowl Cliff went on for two more days after Sein’s arrival.

The Divine Tower of Shadow held its ground only for the initial half a day. By the following day, it had turned into a rout.

In such Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy Wars, the influence of heroes is unmistakably important.

Many magic initiates, lacking centuries of experience and profound wisdom of full-fledged mages, wielded extraordinary powers but remained within the realm of the “commoner”.

The core intent of the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War was to hone the skills of these initiates, preparing them for the harsh realities of interplanar warfare.

Currently young and inexperienced, their war performance may not be impressive, but eventually, the elite among them who could advance to Rank One or higher would mature into formidable entities in future interplanar conflicts.

While the battle at the Windhowl Cliff concluded with a counteroffensive victory for the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, the aftermath revealed relatively few casualties for both parties.

More than a hundred from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring fell, compared to over two hundred from the Divine Tower of Shadow.

This discrepancy was mainly due to a larger number of initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow activating their badges to exit the trial space before the crisis escalated.

Those who were slower to react or were particularly unlucky perished in the conflict.

While only around two hundred corpses from the Divine Tower of Shadow were left behind, thousands had likely exited the trial space using their badges.

On the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s side, the number of initiates who exited the trial space was significantly lower.

The hundred or so who fell from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s side were primarily intermediate or junior initiates caught up in the frenzy of following Sein into the enemy camp.

These initiates, lacking Sein’s strength and capabilities, essentially sealed their fate in this war.

This outcome was a lesson that fervor and impulsiveness were not typically positive traits for mages.

In contrast, the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring who remained behind to defend the Windhowl Cliff, suffered minimal casualties.

Those who perished among them were often due to carelessness against attacking undead creatures, leaving them with insufficient time to activate their badges for escape.

These fallen initiates represent the inevitable casualties in such conflicts, contributing to the average annual death toll.

However, the ratio of eliminations in this conflict reached an unprecedented 1:10, marking a significant victory, particularly for the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Most survivors gained tens to hundreds of points.

The initiates who joined Sein in his assault on the flank of the Divine Tower of Shadow incurred heavy casualties. However, their high-risk approach led to considerable gains in the conflict.

Numerous initiates accumulated several hundred points, and there was even a senior initiate who fortuitously amassed over 1,100 points.

This senior initiate’s significant point gain likely stemmed from encountering a group of initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow who, in a panic, activated their badges to exit the trial space, inadvertently handing him an easy victory.

In this battle, Sein himself amassed an impressive 3,000 points.

It was not solely due to the power of his Solar Eye spell. Rather, it was the Blazing Lumenbombs, those seemingly unremarkable disposable magic items, that significantly boosted his score.

The frequent explosions that those bombs created amidst the Divine Tower of Shadow’s forces, combined with Sein’s status as a top initiate, made the initiates from the opposing divine tower hesitant to engage in combat.

Had Sein not been prudent and refrained from pursuing further when his focus and mana were depleted, he might have accumulated even more points.

This battle had shown Sein the efficiency of amassing points in group battle compared to acting independently.

Sneaking into the territories of the other four divine towers alone, even with the Solar Eye spell, would take him about ten days to amass 3,000 points.

Yet, he was able to achieve a similar feat in roughly a day here.

Once the battle concluded, Sein noticed Daniel, whose magic robe was now tattered, standing nearby.

His perception of Daniel had shifted considerably following the conflict.

After acknowledging Daniel with a nod, Sein then headed toward Windhowl Cliff.

A recent crystal ball transmission had informed him that his cousin, Selina, was also present at that large resource point.