Sovereign of the Ashes

The initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy continued their assault on the Blackgrave Forest Resource Point for an additional two days.

Upon realizing the presence of a large number of elite initiates at the Blackgrave Forest Resource Point and recognizing the low likelihood of achieving a swift victory, Gade made a decisive call.

He instructed the initiates to move westward, advancing further into the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s territory.

After all, the primary objective in this divine tower academy war was not to “kill”.

Securing resource points and accumulating points were the main goals set by the divine towers to train their initiates.

Gade was naturally well aware of this. Pointless sacrifices from either side would not positively impact the evaluations provided by the academy instructors.

With Gade and his group now moving westward, they encountered significantly less resistance than before.

***

In the northeastern part of the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory lay a vast expanse of swampy terrain, a region Sein had not previously ventured into.

He was drawn to this area by his crystal ball, which indicated a high concentration of initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow nearby.

With persistent forces hot on his heels, Sein sought refuge among these initiates, hoping to use their presence to his advantage in the ensuing chaos.

Despite being pursued, Sein did not halt his own quest for points.

Direct confrontations were challenging—the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy trailing him were formidable and rarely isolated.

Upon reaching the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory, Sein found himself disheartened by the sparse activity.

Aside from effortlessly dispatching a few minor opponents, he did not come across any significantly powerful initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow.

Deep within the swamp, a haunting expanse of demonic, ghostly white flowers spread out.

This was the Bone Flower Camp, a large resource point in the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory.

As Sein drew nearer to the camp, situated less than two kilometers away, he looked down from the sky with dismay at the bustling activity in it.

There were roughly three thousand initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow gathered in the camp.

Despite Sein’s conspicuous presence, marked by the golden pillar of light, the initiates at the camp showed no inclination to engage or advance toward him.

Poppuri gazed at Sein from atop the Bone Tower within the Bone Flower Resource Point, her double chin quivering slightly with indecision.

Despite the apparent vulnerability of Sein, Poppuri hesitated, making no move to mobilize the initiates against him.

“Poppuri, if you won’t act, then I will! He’s clearly alone. My water moths haven’t detected any other initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring nearby,” a Quasi Mage with a somber demeanor declared.

Poppuri remained unresponsive to the Quasi Mage’s remarks.

The Quasi Mage, frustrated by Poppuri’s hesitance, could no longer contain his impatience.

“What a timid, foolish fatso! How did the academy ever rank you among the top initiates?” he exclaimed in exasperation.

After his outburst, the Quasi Mage summoned a rare, dark creature with visibly damaged wings. With a group of senior initiates and Quasi Mages, they swiftly took off toward Sein’s location outside the resource point.

Unnoticed by the departing Quasi Mage, a glint of malice silently flickered in Poppuri’s tiny eyes.

Despite holding the formidable title of the “Reaperess” at the Divine Tower of Shadow Academy, Poppuri maintained a positive reputation and popularity. Otherwise, she would not have been elected to lead the initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow.

However, Poppuri had a boundary that no one should ever cross.

There were certain insults she would not tolerate. Calling her stupid or timid might pass, but remarks about her being fat or ugly were strictly off-limits.

This stemmed from a distressing experience during her time as an intermediate and junior initiate, a story only very few were privy to.

Most of Poppuri’s peers only noticed that she had undergone a sudden, profound transformation, rapidly ascending within the ranks of the Divine Tower of Shadow. She achieved the status of senior initiate and Quasi Mage in quick succession, then earning her reputation as the “Reaperess”.

A senior initiate, loyal to Poppuri, approached and asked, “Bernard and his followers have made their move. Should we join them?”

Bernard was the irritable Quasi Mage who had just departed.

Although he had taken a dozen senior initiates with him, more than half of the senior initiates remained in the camp, awaiting Poppuri’s command.

“No, let’s assess the situation first,” Poppuri replied, without lifting her gaze.

Outside the Bone Flower Camp, Sein spotted the group of experts from the Divine Tower of Shadow advancing toward him. Rather than feeling intimidated, he was invigorated by the challenge.

Though outnumbered, he had a strategic advantage in mind.

He veered southwest, anticipating the imminent arrival of the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy in that area.

***

Within the trial space, initiates from the same academy could trust and fight alongside each other.

However, encounters between initiates from different academies invariably led to conflict.

The Divine Tower of Shadow and Divine Tower of Land Academy were long-standing rival forces, particularly after the latter’s invasion of the former’s territory.

When initiates from these divine two towers met, the idea of joining forces to take Sein down was definitely the last thing on their minds.

In the Divine Tower of Shadow’s swampy region, the convergence of forces from both sides ignited a massive conflict, churning up towering waves of mud and filth.

Sein found himself feared and targeted simultaneously by both forces.

Nevertheless, the ability to act alone and swiftly allowed him to seize the initiative amidst the chaos.

Initially, he did not even engage directly in combat. He was merely circling around the area.

After making one round, he realized that the initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow were already fighting with those from the Divine Tower of Land Academy.

“This is the Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory, we must act fast!” Magray exclaimed, as he intensified his magical onslaught.

“Call for backup from the Bone Flower Resource Point! Why are there so many senior initiates and Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Land Academy here? Are they also after the phenomenal initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring?” Bernard shouted in alarm.

With Sein already too far to pursue, Magray redirected his attack toward Bernard, supported by two of his comrades.

Bernard, already at a slight disadvantage against Magray, found himself further overwhelmed by the number on Magray’s side.

Back at the Bone Flower Resource Point, the same senior initiate approached Poppuri again.

“Bernard and the others are asking for support. It seems the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy have arrived,” he reported.

Poppuri, preoccupied with something in her hands, did not bother looking up.

“Let’s wait a little longer and see how this goes first. We don’t want to get caught in the enemy’s trap,” she advised.