Sovereign of the Ashes

“As a high-ranking undead creature, a skeletal dragon’s power is largely derived from its strength in life. After a dragon dies and transforms into an undead, its strength typically decreases by one rank. Could it have been a Rank Three dragon when it was still alive?” Angreas mused aloud.

In the blink of an eye, half of the skeletal dragon’s body had emerged from the rotting soil of the graveyard, and it seemed the rest would soon follow.

“We should go,” Angreas announced with a sigh.

If it were three against one, Angreas might have been tempted to take a chance and fight the Rank Two skeletal dragon with Sein and Leena’s support.

However, they were currently outnumbered.

Once the skeletal dragon fully emerged from the depths of this graveyard, their chances of escape would diminish dramatically.

Sein ignored Angreas’ suggestion and continued to watch Leena intently.

Despite the skeletal dragon’s emergence, Leena appeared unfazed.

Yet, there was a subtle change in her demeanor.

Sein, who knew her well, noticed her gaze was locked on the skeletal dragon’s skull—specifically, its eye sockets.

Embedded within them was a black, peculiar-looking crystal.

Even from a distance, Sein’s keen eyes as an alchemist allowed him to discern that the crystal was extraordinary.

He then unleashed the spell that had been charging up in his Verdant Flame Eye Mask.

Before this, Sein had been locked in fierce combat with the undead knight.

Without any warning, his mask released a barrage of Verdant Pyro Rays.

Despite the undead knight’s unparalleled resilience and formidable physique, it was caught off guard by the assault.

Seizing the opportunity, Sein swiftly flew to Leena’s side.

Although Leena was tall, she still appeared considerably shorter than Sein.

Gathering some of the verdant flames that enveloped him, Sein communicated telepathically, “Do you want that crystal?”

“Yes.” Leena nodded.

Sein said nothing more, simply stating, “I’ll get it for you then.”

Leena’s gaze shifted from the distant black crystal to Sein, who stood before her.

She blinked her beautiful eyes, curious about how Sein planned to retrieve the crystal.

Meanwhile, Angreas was growing impatient with Sein and Leena’s lack of response.

In the past, Angreas would have left at the first sign of trouble.

This time, however, he stayed. Perhaps it was because Sein and Leena had come to his aid earlier.

Despite his usual aloofness, Angreas was not an ingrate.

In mid-air, Sein reactivated his verdant flame body and took a deep breath.

A pair of verdant flame wings sprouted from his back. Wrapped in flames, they propelled him rapidly toward the distant skeletal dragon.

Sein’s decisive actions left Leena astonished.

Without a moment’s hesitation, she took to the air, following Sein deeper into the graveyard.

Not far off, Angreas observed them with eyes wide in disbelief.

“Crazy... They must have lost their minds,” the Rank One warlock muttered, shaking his head.

Helping was one thing, but blindly following into peril was another matter entirely.

Before Angreas could further critique Sein’s recklessness, he saw Sein throwing out a bunch of green seeds.

Due to the constraints of the special spatial laws, Sein could not summon Yuri and Sev for assistance.

However, this limitation did not apply to the Viridescent Seeds he got from Master Lorianne, which were usable in the Knight Continent’s trial zone.

Viridescent Seeds were technically not living creatures stored in subspace. They were specially engineered seeds—the culmination of Lorianne’s research that spanned millennia.

Sein scattered twelve seeds in total.

Ten were capable of transforming into Rank One plant creatures, while the other two could evolve into even more valuable and powerful Rank Two plant creatures.

The rotting soil of the cemetery, rich in necromantic elements, was not ideal for spawning plant creatures. Yet, it was still soil—far better than seawater.

The seeds Lorianne had cultivated were engineered to strongly absorb beneficial elements from their surroundings.

Despite the dense, deathly fog, the graveyard’s soil actually contained more beneficial microelements for plants than ordinary farmland.

As soon as the dozen Viridescent Seeds touched the ground, a chorus of cracking sounds filled the air—shoots and roots rapidly grew and spread in all directions.

By the time the skeletal dragon, with its impressive wingspan of over twenty meters, fully emerged from the soil, it was already surrounded by more than ten towering plant creatures!

Two of these, with strength on par with a Rank Two being, swung their massive branch-like arms and advanced toward the skeletal dragon.

Though the skeletal dragon was capable of flight, it had just emerged from the ground and was about to take to the skies when it was abruptly restrained by the two formidable Rank Two plant creatures.

The other ten Rank One plant creatures marched heavily in different directions, holding back the advancing undead horde for Sein and Leena.

Though some undead managed to breach their defenses, the overall situation had significantly improved.

With their towering bodies and thick branches, the plant creatures demonstrated remarkable resilience.

At some point, Angreas had also joined the defensive ring formed by the ten Rank One plant creatures.

He was visibly impressed by the enormous beings Sein had summoned.

While the ten Rank One plant creatures were formidable, it was the two towering Rank Two plant giants that truly captivated Angreas’ attention.

Each nearly twenty meters tall, these plant giants flanked the skeletal dragon, effectively pinning it down before it could launch into the air.

Silver flames flickered within the skeletal dragon’s eye sockets, betraying its frantic mental activity as it emitted waves of a deathly aura in all directions.

Despite its robust physique and formidable necromantic powers, the skeletal dragon struggled to break free from the two plant giants.

Sein swiftly flew to the skeletal dragon’s head and yanked the black crystal from its right eye socket.

The black crystal of unknown composition felt chillingly cold in his hand.

The verdant flames on Sein’s arm set the skeletal dragon’s eye socket on fire as he removed the crystal.

Following the crystal’s extraction, a furious roar that reverberated painfully in Sein’s ears erupted from the skeletal dragon.

“That damned Peano! How dare he trap me in this subspace for six thousand years! And what’s with this flame? It’s scalding me!”

Its roar was accompanied by a foul-smelling, decaying breath.

Sein looked up at the skeletal dragon, though it was not hard to figure out that it was the source of the outburst.