Sovereign of the Ashes

Anna’s confidence reflected the prevailing mood among the majority of the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring right now.

Regarding the caliber of their initiates, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring fell short when compared to both the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder and the Divine Tower of Land Academy, and it also lagged behind the Divine Tower of Shadow.

However, it was this burgeoning self-assurance and aura that allowed the initiates of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring to significantly close the gap in combat prowess with the Divine Tower of Shadow.

This was particularly true after Sein massacred the senior initiates and Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Shadow, thus crushing the fighting will of their leaders.

Seizing the opportunity to score points within the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory seemed crucial, as such a favorable circumstance might not present itself again.

“Let’s set off,” Sein declared calmly.

Notably, among the team of initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring following Sein were several individuals he had recognized upon first entering the trial space.

These included Jake, the Quasi Mage who had reprimanded Sein for his earlier recklessness, blaming him for the death of certain initiates.

There was also Veyle, a female intermediate initiate who had assisted Sein in defeating the extraplanar water serpents and securing the Mystic Water Ores Resource Point.

Each of these individuals had held varying perceptions of Sein initially.

This diversity in perspectives highlighted how the same individual could be seen in different lights by different people, emphasizing the subjective nature of good and evil, right and wrong.

So, who could definitively claim that Sein, currently leading the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring into the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory, was inherently evil?

***

The Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory was indeed significantly larger than that of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, boasting nearly twice as many resource points.

Upon entering the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory, Sein navigated the area as if he were back in his own turf.

Familiar with the various resource points and general terrain, Sein assigned tasks to the initiates efficiently and effectively.

Sein’s chosen destination was the Creek Orchid Grass Basin, a large resource point in the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory that was nearest to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s territory.

While Sein and a team of regular initiates could have managed this point, Anna insisted on accompanying him.

Daniel, another top initiate, led a sizable team to a medium-sized resource point nearby.

Other medium-sized and small resource points were entrusted to the assigned Quasi Mages or senior initiates.

With Sein’s planning, securing these points was straightforward.

“Sein, your leadership skills are impressive. I expected no less of someone who hails from a prestigious knight house,” Anna remarked as she followed him.

While many initiates knew Sein’s last name, the details of House Grantt were less known.

Anna likely learned of Sein’s noble lineage through Selina.

Ever since people found out that Selina was Sein’s cousin, she had become increasingly prominent in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Selina was wearing a yellow bangle on her arm—it was a gift from Anna.

Even Sein, who was not particularly knowledgeable about jewelry, could discern the considerable value of the piece.

Remarkably, the bangle was also an intermediate magic item, seemingly designed for skin hydration.

Anna’s praise, however, did not seem to affect Sein, whose face remained expressionless.

Due to his habitual wearing of the Solar Eye Mask, Anna had rarely seen Sein’s actual face, but the few glimpses she had were enough to leave an impression.

Sein’s good looks, a blend of his parents’ best features, combined with the mature, scholarly aura of a mage and his own cool, indifferent attitude, set him apart from other initiates.

His mere presence made him stand out in the academy, leaving Anna with the feeling that he was distinctly different.

Some people maintained a low-profile when they were unnoticed by others.

However, once they become the focus of attention, they could effortlessly make others realize how remarkable and unique they truly are.

***

Sein had last visited the Creek Orchid Grass Resource Point nearly a year ago.

During the past one year, the extraplanar plants at the site had been thoroughly harvested by the initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow, resulting in their complete occupation of the area.

Currently, the Creek Orchid Grass Basin housed around five hundred initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow.

This relatively low number was due to two main factors. Firstly, the Divine Tower of Shadow had already lost nearly half of its initiates from the trial space.

More significantly, the stronger initiates, led by Poppuri, had largely abandoned many of their resource points in the west.

Poppuri, while not an outstanding war leader, was a Quasi Mage known for her sharp intuition.

Her aversion to warfare was perceived by some initiates as cowardice and a disgrace, but from another angle, her tactics were a necessary retreat.

Consequently, the majority of the elite initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow had relocated to the eastern part for defense.

The initiates who remained at the various resource points, including the Creek Orchid Grass Resource Point, were either skeptics or those unwilling to forfeit the points these resource points provided.

This was particularly true for the senior initiates and Quasi Mages who had personally claimed and marked these resource points.

At present, the strongest forces at the Creek Orchid Grass Resource Point comprised two Quasi Mages and a handful of senior initiates.

The rest were either intermediate or junior initiates.

The ranks of undead and dark creatures standing guard outside the resource point, combined with the pervasive glow of the magic prohibition array in the Creek Orchid Grass Basin, clearly signified the initiates’ determination to defend their stronghold to the very end.

At this moment, the number of initiates accompanying Sein to the Creek Orchid Grass Resource Point was in the thousands.

Although the initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring did not exhibit the same level of coordinated attack as those from the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder and the Divine Tower of Land Academy, they had, at least, refined their approach over a year of trials and numerous battles, evolving beyond their initial chaotic and unstructured tactics.

Anna was a notably expressive Quasi Mage with commendable abilities to command her troops.

Utilizing her magic rod and crystal ball, she orchestrated waves of varied magic spells, which rained down on the Creek Orchid Grass Basin.

In such initiate conflicts, the defending side typically enjoyed certain advantages.

However, when the disparity in strength between the opposing forces reached a certain level, terrain and positional advantages tended to diminish in significance.

It was worth noting that the geographical advantage of the Creek Orchid Grass Basin paled in comparison to the Windhowl Cliff Resource Site, positioned at a higher elevation.

The barrage of magic spells unleashed by Sein and his group surrounding the basin was so extensive that it nearly enveloped the entire area.