Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein had never realized how deeply he mattered to Tourmaline.

It was somewhat embarrassing to admit that while Tourmaline had occasionally thought of Sein over the past twenty years, Sein had been completely preoccupied with Leena during his time on the Knight Continent and had not spared a single thought for the dragon turtle.

However, Sein had mentioned Tourmaline to Leena.

Thus, when an assembly of sea kings, accompanied by a giant mermaid and a massive dragon turtle, emerged through the elemental gate, confusion and astonishment seized all the black mages in the surrounding waters—except for Leena, who exhaled a soft sigh of relief.

Leena had already taken out the Dark Crystal Rod Sein had crafted for her, ready to confront Gandra in a deadly battle.

However, the appearance of White Stella and Tourmaline provided Leena with a chance to secretly stow her Dark Crystal Rod away while the other black mages were still stunned.

Though Leena’s Dark Crystal Rod was significantly less powerful than Sein’s Verdant Flame Heart Rod, it was far from an ordinary magic rod.

Its capability to open portals to the Undead World and summon legions of undead alone made it a coveted item among even Rank Three mages.

With the arrival of Tourmaline and White Stella, the immediate danger to Sein had dissipated.

After Tourmaline hurried to Sein’s side, she took a moment to study him before asking, “Are you all right?”

Tourmaline’s voice was inherently delicate, yet her immense size gave it a certain depth.

This was why Sein failed to recognize Tourmaline as female, despite having spent several years with her.

Sein had conducted numerous experiments on Tourmaline’s back, even extracting powders and scales from her shell with his instruments.

Despite being a truth seeker, he had never considered diving into the ocean to study Tourmaline from below.

If not for White Stella, Sein might have never realized that Tourmaline was female.

“I’m fine, though I’ll need to rest and recuperate. My internal organs have been messed up.” Sein coughed up blood as soon as he finished speaking.

The blood stained his magic robe, prompting Tourmaline to raise an eyebrow at him.

The giant dragon turtle then turned her head toward where Gandra was.

The deathly clouds, once thick and menacing, seemed small and almost pitiful in comparison to Tourmaline’s massive size.

Indeed, among the group of oceanic giants surrounding them, none were smaller than a thousand meters.

Each was as formidable as a mountain, yet Tourmaline was the smallest among them.

Tourmaline’s hostile gaze caused the gray deathly clouds surrounding Gandra to shudder visibly.

The collective strength of the nearby sea kings was formidable, but they did not directly target Gandra; instead, they merely suppressed him with their aura.

Tourmaline’s aura, imbued with hidden draconic authority, was directed solely at Gandra.

Feeling antagonized by such a powerful entity was something Gandra, who had reigned supreme on the outskirts of Blackhaven for thousands of years, had not experienced in ages.

When had he last felt similarly threatened?

It was probably about 2,800 years ago when Gandra, then a mid-stage Rank Two mage, was pursued by a Rank Three black mage from the depths of Blackhaven.

That encounter, though perilous, had fortuitously propelled him toward Rank Three.

But now, could he navigate this crisis once more?

“I... er... this is all a misunderstanding...” Gandra’s voice emerged from within the deathly clouds.

He had overheard the conversation between Sein and Tourmaline.

It baffled him how a Rank One black mage could be connected with such colossal sea creatures.

Then again, if Sein were truly just an ordinary Rank One mage, he would not possess an exceptional weapon like the Verdant Flame Heart Rod.

Gandra’s explanation did not work; he could not even attempt an escape.

He was immobilized by the overwhelming pressure exerted by the sea kings surrounding him.

These giants clearly possessed life levels above Rank Four.

With such a host of formidable sea creatures, they could easily devastate the southeastern coast of Blackhaven, let alone a mere Rank Three black mage.

The black towers in the southeastern part of Blackhaven were powerless against them.

Even if they could defeat these sea kings, they dared not provoke the forces behind them.

Tourmaline’s eldest brother lay slumbering deep within the glaciers to the north of Blackhaven.

The black mages remained confined to Blackhaven because the overarching power of the Magus World was sufficient to suppress them.

This was definitely not something that could be changed by the power of a single individual alone.

Facing the Rank Three black mage, who had nearly obliterated Sein with a single blow, Tourmaline responded ruthlessly and returned him a slap.

While Gandra’s deathly hand spanned merely tens of meters and was not particularly thick, Tourmaline’s slap cast a shadow over a hundred meters of sea.

Beneath this shadow, Gandra trembled in his deathly clouds form.

He tried to escape the oppressive aura surrounding him, but he was up against the combined pressure of all the sea kings.

Even a Rank Four tower master from the black towers would be helpless, let alone a Rank Three black mage.

Tourmaline’s paw, heavy as a mountain, descended once more.

The previously calm sea surface churned once again, erupting into thousands of meters of white waves.

With a single press of her paw, the deathly clouds that Gandra had assumed dispersed instantly.

When Tourmaline lifted her paw again, the remnants of the deathly cloud showed signs of reassembling.

Gandra, a mid-stage Rank Three black mage, was not without substantial power.

Tourmaline, as powerful as a demigod, could easily suppress him. However, completely obliterating him with one blow proved difficult.

Fueled by indignation, Tourmaline repeatedly stomped on the remnants of the deathly clouds without hesitation.

Tourmaline raised her head and told Sein, “I detest these creatures the most; their very presence makes me very uncomfortable. How dare they harm my friend too!”

When she finally ceased her action, Gandra’s aura had long dissipated

Sein saw no trace of him in the surrounding waters either.

Around the area Tourmaline had trampled, a network of thin white lines appeared. The churning seawater continuously poured into these cracks.

“Spatial rift!” Gypson, who had observed the demise of the Rank Three black mage from afar, gasped in shock.

The sheer physical force required to create a spatial rift was unimaginable to Gypson.

This dragon turtle was clearly not an ordinary demigod—she was something far beyond that realm!

Her earlier attack was imbued with a mastery of the power of law that seemed like an innate ability.