Sovereign of the Ashes

Among the three war airships journeying together, only the one transporting Sein and his group landed near the Red Molten River.

The other two, carrying mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, proceeded north and south, each with its own set of combat objectives.

These locations were situated near the Red Molten River, enabling mutual support between the three groups in case of emergencies.

Along with over two hundred mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, like Sein, nearly three thousand enslaved creatures joined the mission.

The fortress’ main base had the capacity to mobilize an even larger number. However, quantity did not guarantee usefulness.

Most of these enslaved creatures were pyro elemental, so they could adapt to the harsh environment of the Viridian Venom Flame World better.

Many with unique physical traits could also immerse themselves directly into molten lava, just like the native creatures of this plane, because they originated from a pyro elemental plane that shared many similarities with the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Those that were unusually resilient than the rest originated from a more brutal and scorching plane.

Remarkably, about a third of these enslaved creatures had the capability to fly.

This made them an elite group, a far cry from mere cannon fodder.

Upon arrival, Sein’s group was greeted by three mages who had arrived earlier.

Among them, one was a Rank Two mage, and the other two were Rank One mages.

Through their introduction, Sein learned that the three of them were the scout mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame.

These three scout mages were responsible for relaying crucial information to the fortress’ main base. They had reported the presence of a formidable Rank Three, along with numerous Rank One and Two pyro elemental creatures inhabiting the area around the Red Molten River.

The Rank Two scout mage came forward and briefed the Rank Three grand mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

“Here’s the intel on the Red Bladed Lizard King. Additionally, we’ve gathered information on twenty-three other pyro elemental creatures of Rank One and above. Master Gandos from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame had actually injured the Red Bladed Lizard King, but after it retreated into the depths of the Red Molten River and refused to come out again, Master Gandos and his group moved on.”

The two Rank Three grand mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring were Lonas and Empyrean.

Lonas seemed to have only been promoted to Rank Three not too long ago, and was said to be the relatively “young” but formidable grand mage.

Empyrean, on the other hand, was one of the three deans of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring. Sein had met him during the conclusion of the academy war.

The two grand mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring exchanged glances with each other.

With the Red Bladed Lizard King already injured by mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, their task would be considerably easier.

One of the Rank Two mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring asked, “Could the Red Bladed Lizard King and the pyro elemental creatures have fled down the Red Molten River?”

The Rank Two scout mage from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame merely smiled and confidently replied, “It would be great if it fled down the Red Molten River. We’ve deployed a significant number of elite mage units downstream. No matter how fast that creature is, it can’t possibly outrun our war airships. If it really escaped in that direction, it’s essentially sealing its own fate!”

Sein and his group were not the forefront of the offensive in the eastern region of this continent.

The mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame had already pushed significantly in east, north, west and south in the past week, and had largely depleted the ranks of their enslaved creature legions.

Sein’s unit was tasked with mopping up the tougher targets that were hiding in these areas after the initial sweep.

This strategy of widespread coverage was designed to ensure no resistant forces were overlooked or escaped.

After briefing Sein and the other mages from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring on the situation, the scout mages departed swiftly.

During an interplanar war, each mage was assigned a role.

During the initial stages of the war, scout mages were extremely crucial and their role was notably demanding.

Rank Three grand mages were sometimes also deployed for scouting duties, though their missions typically involved confrontations with entities of the Rank Four and above.

In any case, scout mages were often involved high-risk tasks

Despite the dangers, the rewards for these mages were significantly higher compared to others.

Sein watched the departing scout mages, lost in thought.

Empyrean, the Rank Three grand mage from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, rubbed his chin as he gazed thoughtfully at the lava river. “Hiding in the depths of the lava river, huh? In that case...”

He scoffed at the idea of the creature trying to evade confrontation by merely lurking in the molten depths. Such tactics were futile against the seasoned mages of the Magus Civilization, who preferred facing adversaries that remained stationary.

In just half a day, the mages from the Divine Tower of Spring began setting up numerous magic prohibition arrays by the Red Molten River.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring boasted several skilled mages, including two Rank two and over ten Rank One mages, proficient in magic prohibitions arrays and elemental array diagrams.

Sein, having only recently been promoted to Rank One, had yet to delve deeply into these specialized fields.

Nevertheless, he was aware of Master Lorianne’s capabilities in managing the divine tower. She would invest magicoins only in individuals of notable skill and potential.

Even the hundreds of academy mages who were not participating in the war were adept in their roles.

Given that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was a relatively new establishment, attracting a large number of full-fledged mages was challenging.

Consequently, the divine tower focused on nurturing home-grown talent, with these internally trained mages poised to become the backbone of the tower’s gradual rise in prominence.

In fact, Lorianne’s strategy of recruiting a strong group of academy mages was fruitful.

This was proven by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s impressive performance in the last regional academy war, securing second place.

Two days later, a series of violent explosions rocked the Red Molten River.

Observers could see a dark swath of rocks swiftly spreading throughout the lava river.

The elemental explosions had triggered a rapid decline in the river’s temperature.

For Sein and the others, this transformation was hardly a cause for concern. However, for the native pyro elemental creatures inhabiting the Red Molten River, these disruptions were significant enough to throw them into disarray.

A deep roar erupted from the river’s depths.

Sein, observing from above, spotted a massive, thirty-meter-long shadow surging from the river’s center.