Sovereign of the Ashes

After Sein’s experience in interplanar war, he took immense pride in the Magus Civilization’s ability to develop advanced war platforms like the space fortress.

As an alchemist, he was aware of the extensive valuable knowledge required to create such a magitech product.

The platform was massive enough to accommodate and transport millions of creatures, yet there were even creatures in the Astral Realm larger than it.

The sight of it struck Sein with the same amount of shock and awe as when he first laid eyes on the space fortress.

Sein had previously encountered a creature that evoked a similar sense of unprecedented horror—the colossal creature with bull horns he had seen from afar at the border of the Knight Continent’s trial zone.

However, the distance had lessened the impact, unlike the giant turtle now before him, which loomed much closer.

In terms of sheer power, the creature from the Knight Continent’s trial zone was likely more formidable, exuding a special kind of aura that dominated all beings and scorned all else.

Conversely, Sein did not detect any transcendent aura from the impressively large tortoise before him.

Despite this being their first meeting, Sein could sense the tortoise’s gentle demeanor.

Towering over thirty thousand meters with an even more formidable diameter, it looked like a larger version of Tourmaline.

It was no wonder that some aquatic races in the Boundless South Sea had mistaken Tourmaline for the “Sea God”.

Tourmaline’s eldest brother had a larger body size, a thicker shell, and carried a greater expanse of land on its back.

If Tourmaline’s back could be likened to a small island, then her big brother’s could rightly be considered a small continent—though “continent” might be somewhat inaccurate since it currently bore an iceberg rather than land.

At the base of the iceberg, Sein spotted green moss encased in ice, suggesting that this giant creature did not reside permanently in the northern glacier.

With its awakening and eventual return to the central and southern regions of the Magus World, its shell was likely to evolve into a thriving smaller ecosystem.

Tourmaline, merely a kilometer in diameter, seemed like a small toy beside her immense eldest brother.

The sight of two giant dragon turtles—one vastly larger than the other—swimming toward Sein and the assembled creatures struck an oddly comical note.

The giant mermaid, White Stella, swam beside the two giant dragon turtles, allowing her younger sister to bond with her eldest brother.

It was evident that Tourmaline’s big brother had a soft spot for the youngest sibling of their dragon turtle family.

The arrival of Tourmaline’s big brother coincided with the breaking of an icy mountain, the disintegration of large glaciers nearby, and a rise in sea level.

Such dramatic environmental changes were bound to significantly impact the biology and ecological development of the area.

Yet, for Tourmaline and her siblings, these upheavals simply marked a family reunion.

The two giant tortoises eventually stopped in front of Sein and the group of sea kings.

After Tourmaline’s enthusiastic introduction, Sein learned that her eldest brother was named Maned Tyrant—a name that sounded rather odd among others in the Magus World.

Perhaps unconventional names were a hallmark of this dragon turtle family.

***

Sein did not linger long in the northern glaciers of Blackhaven.

Tourmaline could not follow Sein directly back to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, as her eldest brother had just awakened from his slumber and they had much to catch up on.

Given the dragon turtle family’s extended lifespan and unique perception of time, it was unclear how long the siblings would need to reconnect.

Sein found it difficult to converse extensively with Tourmaline’s eldest brother, primarily due to the significant difference in their life stages, or perhaps because the Maned Tyrant was not fully awake yet.

However, Sein was able to engage more with Tourmaline’s third sister during this period.

In any case, White Stella was poised to become an indirect support for Leena, Faye, and others as they established themselves in Blackhaven.

After all, during Sein’s battle with Daelis, White Stella had brought numerous sea kings along with her to support him—a fact witnessed by many other black mages.

This incident would surely improve Leena, Faye, and Zorro’s prospects for success in Blackhaven.

Unfortunately, Sein had likely left a poor impression on White Stella in the past six months, making it unlikely that she would extend any favors to him in the future.

Nevertheless, having her as a deterrent was sufficient; Sein never intended to use her name to cause trouble anyway.

Moreover, Sein’s connection to White Stella was solely through Tourmaline. This meant all he had to do was to maintain his relationship with the dragon turtle.

As for White Stella, Sein could consider strengthening that bond once he had reached a higher life level.

For now, Sein was merely Tourmaline’s “playmate” in White Stella’s eyes.

After accompanying Tourmaline to the northern frozen ocean to reunite with her eldest brother, it was time for Sein to leave the Western Archipelago and return to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Though the parting was filled with reluctance, they both understood that such farewells were necessary for future reunions.

This was a sentiment well grasped by both Sein and Leena too.

Sein decided to return on foot instead of using an airship or teleportation array from one of the divine towers in the Western Archipelago.

Having traveled from the Viridescent Land all the way to the Western Archipelago for exploration, it felt natural for him to journey back the same way.

However, Sein did not intend to retrace his steps.

Instead, he planned to travel eastward to the East Coast, then make his way back to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring via the Magic Empire, the Ylli Knight Alliance, and the Pyro Secret Society.

Sein also hoped to visit Sky City, as his mentor had often described it as a sacred site for all spellcasters in the Magus World.

There were also several other renowned locations in the Magus World worth visiting, such as the Capiche Business Alliance in the northeast of the Alveroth Empire.

As a major economic hub, it handled more than half of all magicoin transactions and was the most important center for the Magus World’s heavy industry.

Furthermore, the West Coast, a thriving environment for warlocks, was another great place to visit, along with other regions like the Eastern Stargazing Heights, the Desert Kingdom, and the Northern Witches Council.

All of them were leading forces of the Magus World, governed by overlords.

Even other areas within the medium or small spheres of influence—forces not led by overlords—presented substantial opportunities for exploration due to their unique offerings.

In essence, the Magus World was a vast treasure trove ripe for discovery, not to mention the tens of thousands of complete vassal planes under the Magus Civilization.

Astral Realm was a rich and glorious expanse where many creatures could spend their entire lives exploring merely a fraction of its wonders.