Sovereign of the Ashes

In the unpredictable dynamics of real warfare, even allies might not always be reliable.

While an ally might openly sabotage another, actions such as mistiming actions or intentionally acting slowly could lead to fatal consequences.

Poppuri was currently fiddling with a unique crystal ball shaped like a skull.

Slightly smaller than the usual crystal ball, it fitted comfortably in Poppuri’s hand, displaying the ongoing conflict in the swamp near the Bone Flower Resource Point.

Through the crystal skull, Poppuri observed Sein, the catalyst of this conflict, as he skillfully ambushed others with his Solar Eye spell from the edge of the battlefield.

At the same time, she noticed Bernard running out of mana and stamina while being surrounded.

Age was indeed catching up with Bernard, who was now over eighty years old.

His performance in the regional academy war was crucial. Failing to secure a place in the top twenty would jeopardize his chances for future advancement to Rank One.

Despite their considerable focus and mana levels, older initiates suffered from diminishing stamina—a significant disadvantage compared to younger counterparts.

Poppuri watched indifferently as Bernard and the other initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow faced increasing hardship through her crystal skull.

Sein, the phenomenal initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, proved to be a cunning adversary. Instead of targeting the lesser initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow, he frequently attacked the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy.

He was obviously trying to maintain a balance of power, in order to prolong the conflict...

As a result, the conflict at the swamp lasted for two hours.

Sein, having caused enough disruption, left the scene thirty minutes before the end.

His departure was marked by the vanishing golden pillar of light, indicating he had traveled far beyond sight.

In the aftermath, only three initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow remained standing.

Bernard was reluctant to use his badge to exit the trial space.

At this point, the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy had suffered significant losses, with over a dozen of them eliminated.

Sein’s Solar Eye spell had taken out many on the outskirts, while others fell to the counterattacks of the initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow.

As the battle wore on, all the initiates had considerably depleted their focus and mana reserves.

Even the Divine Tower of Land Academy, which initially had a sizable advantage, was now in a precarious state.

Magray bore a conspicuous corrosion wound on his right arm from Bernard’s Death Ray spell, forcing him to wield his magic rod in his left hand.

Magray, visibly annoyed as he watched Sein’ retreat, refrained from immediate pursuit.

Instead, he and the remaining initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy chose to surround Bernard and the two other initiates.

The points held by Bernard’s group were substantial, offering Magray a sizable bounty in addition to his pursuit of Sein.

Bernard’s expression darkened further. He did not blame Sein or the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy for his current predicament. Instead, he blamed Poppuri, the “Reaperess”, for failing to provide timely support.

He vowed to report her failure to the instructors and cohort leaders when he returned to the academy.

Magray, nursing a grudge against Bernard for injuring his arm, prepared another attack.

An aero elemental arrow began forming at the tip of his magic rod.

Just as he was about to silence the bitter old man, an unexpected twist occurred.

Swoosh!

The sound of something slicing through the air suddenly filled the surroundings of the swamp.

A group of undead and dark creatures began to surface from beneath the swamp.

The sound signaled the arrival of a dozen grotesque spiders, whose white webs swiftly enveloped the area, effectively blocking the escape route of Magray and the other initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy.

Poppuri, the subject of Bernard’s lengthy tirade, finally made her entrance.

Accompanying Poppuri were over twenty senior initiates and Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Shadow, with even more on their way.

Given the proximity to the Bone Flower Resource Point, it would not take long for nearly two thousand intermediate and junior initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow to completely surround the area.

Bernard’s lengthy tirade ceased abruptly.

Poppuri did not even spare him a glance. Instead, she pointed her bone magic rod forward, summoning two quasi-ranked undead creatures, one tall and the other short, to charge at the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy.

These undead creatures under Poppuri’s command were formidable, even among other quasi-ranked creatures.

Their bodies glowed with various elemental lights. It was unclear how many support magic spells had been cast on them in order to enhance their combat abilities to an impressive level!

Poppuri’s arrival, along with the other initiates from the Divine Tower of Shadow, offered a glimmer of hope to Bernard.

He reached out with his withered hand and pleaded, “Save me!”

Yet Poppuri remained unmoved by Bernard’s plea, focusing instead on the immediate threat.

“Let’s handle the initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy first. They’re all senior initiates or Quasi Mages, so their points are valuable! Alert the intermediate and junior initiates to join us quickly. With our current forces, even including our summons, we might struggle to hold them off for long,” Poppuri issued her commands swiftly.

“Understood,” the senior initiate beside her replied. Neither of them paid any heed to Bernard and the other two who were surrounded by the initiates from Divine Tower of Land Academy.

***

The battle in the swamp raged on for another half a day.

Bernard never received the rescue he hoped for from Poppuri.

Feeling both reluctant and irritated, Bernard shot a glare at the nearby Poppuri before activating his divine tower badge to leave the trial space.

Despite losing more than ten senior initiates, including Bernard, the Divine Tower of Shadow succeeded in eliminating nearly thirty senior initiates from the Divine Tower of Land Academy.

This outcome was a significant victory by any measure!

While top initiates like Magray and some others did manage to escape, the substantial gains and points accrued were a source of elation for the senior initiates and Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Shadow who participated in the battle.

A senior initiate, who had followed Poppuri’s lead throughout the battle, approached her afterward and said, “Before Bernard left, he said he’d report our lack of support to the academy...”

“Who said we didn’t support them?” We came to support them, didn’t we? They were just too weak to last the entire battle,” Poppuri retorted, flipping her braided hair.

“The truth is always defined by the victors. Our truth in this battle is that we used a handful of initiates as bait to eliminate dozens of the senior initiates and Quasi Mages from the Divine Tower of Land Academy. Don’t worry. When we return to the academy, the instructors will likely praise rather than reprimand us,” she confidently assured, patting the shoulder of the other initiate.

Perhaps it was Poppuri’s imposing presence that instilled a sense of assurance in others. Or it might have been her renowned capability and reputation that reassured the senior initiate, who chose to no longer dwell on the matter.

After all, even a senior initiate like him had amassed over 1,000 points during the battle.

In fact, any senior initiates who could remain in the trial space up to this point typically held substantial points.

Poppuri herself had accrued even more.

She personally eliminated the Quasi Mage who had taken down Bernard. In essence, this meant that many of Bernard’s points were effectively transferred to Poppuri.