Sovereign of the Ashes

With the help of a few female assistants, Sein was able to quickly pack up his belongings.

As he left Frans City, Sein hovered in mid-air, looking northeast.

A light blue elemental light barrier appeared in his view. It was the air purification shield of the city, likely possessing some protective abilities as well.

The capital city of the Alveroth Empire lay just at the edge of Sein’s field of view.

In addition to the capital city, the Capiche Business Alliance, Sky City, and the Northern Witches Council were all destinations Sein had originally planned to visit.

Unfortunately, those plans were now canceled.

Although Sein felt a little sad, he knew there would be plenty of opportunities to visit them in the future.

Moreover, the vastness of the Magus World could not be fully explored in just one or two journeys by lower-ranking mages.

***

Sein left the city using a short-distance teleportation array.

The Alveroth Empire, known for its advanced magical civilization, had established teleportation arrays in every major human city.

Upon reaching the border of the Alveroth Empire, Sein opted not to travel on the Color Feathered Hawk Crane.

Instead, he chose the more expensive inter-regional teleportation array to directly travel from the Alveroth Empire to another region.

Sein reviewed his route and decided to head directly to the Order of the Steel Fist. The quickest way was to first teleport to the Ylli Knight Alliance.

The Order of the Steel Fist, situated on the southern border of the Ylli Knight Alliance, served a role similar to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring within the Pyro Secret Society—while not members of these top-tier forces, they were closely related to them.

It took nearly three months for Sein to reach the south-central part of the Ylli Knight Alliance through the frequent use of teleportation arrays.

During this time, he did not visit the central hub of the alliance, where the Grand Order of Darkness was rumored to exist.

Even so, he inevitably attracted attention as he traveled frequently between the various knightly orders within the alliance through their teleportation arrays.

Despite the vastness of this world, coincidences do occur.

In a spatial passage within the Ylli Knight Alliance’s territory known as Nimitz, Sein was recognized by an acquaintance.

However, this person was not a friend.

A Rank One Peak Knight from the branch hall of the Order of the Dark Sword within the Ylli Knight Alliance’s territory frowned slightly as he asked his companion, “Are you sure it’s him?”

If Sein were here, he would recognize the two knights. They had previously clashed with him and Leena in the Knight Continent’s trial zone.

Among the top-tier forces of the Magus Civilization, the Ylli Knight Alliance was renowned for its vigorous opposition to black mages and knights—a stance rumored to be influenced by the policies of the grand orders.

“It’s definitely him. It’s the same aura and mask... I can’t be mistaken,” the other knight insisted.

“Too bad he passed through the Nimitz teleportation array so quickly. I didn’t even have a chance to stop him. But I managed to gather some of his information from the brothers operating the teleportation array in that area,” he added.

Reviewing the information his companion handed him, the peak Rank One knight sneered. “From the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring... Hehe... a divine tower mage colluding with a black mage from the Blackhaven, huh?”

“I’ll apply for an investigation order from the branch hall master,” he declared.

***

Unbeknownst to Sein, trouble had found him.

Ever since obtaining the magical letter, Sein had journeyed relentlessly, finally reaching the southern border of the Ylli Knight Alliance in the fourth month. This territory was governed by the Order of the Steel Fist.

The development focus of the Order of the Steel Fist had always been on the northern part of their territory. This was normal as a natural centripetal force for development existed in any region.

Given the proximity of the powerful Ylli Knight Alliance to the north, the Order of the Steel Fist, as a knightly organization, naturally gravitated more toward the northern territories.

The development of the Order of the Steel Fist could best be described as moderate.

Compared to the knightly orders in the northern territories of the Ylli Knight Alliance, the Order of the Steel Fist was significantly less advanced, boasting only three teleportation arrays within its bounds.

This knight organization, established by a Rank Four knight, had a history spanning over ten thousand years.

Using the teleportation array in the Order of the Steel Fist’s branch hall, Sein arrived directly at the main hall of the order—a lofty, majestic structure set amidst the mountains.

Unlike the lush surroundings of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, this location offered less greenery and moisture but exuded a greater sense of antiquity and magnificence.

Sein’s direct arrival at the main hall of the Order of the Steel Fist without prior reporting was made possible because the order had begun issuing war mobilization orders to the surrounding areas three years ago.

They called upon knights and mages of Rank One and above to actively participate in the interplanar war waged by the order.

If the situation were not severe, the Order of the Steel Fist would never have resorted to such measures.

Yet, the situation couldn’t be too dire, as they had not yet sought assistance from other nearby divine towers or knightly orders.

Instead, they had only issued a summoning order to the idle knights and mages within their territory.

“A low-level plane known as the Thunderfall World huh? Aside from the Order of the Steel Fist, two other knightly orders are also involved...

“It seems the Order of the Steel Fist was invited to participate later. The war was waged by the Order of the Thunder Knights, led by a Rank Five knight.”

Upon reaching the main hall of the Order of the Steel Fist, Sein accessed detailed information about the warring plane from a brochure.

Recognizing his status as a mage, the order graciously provided Sein with a specimen from the Thunderfall World for study.

It was a blue-skinned humanoid creature, standing only 1.6 meters tall, with sharply pointed ears.

However, unlike elves, these creatures were uglier, their grotesqueness accentuated by scarlet teeth that gave them a chilling appearance.

This low-level plane was evidently a tough opponent. Otherwise, the war would not have lasted this long with the combined forces of three knightly orders.

A young female knight tasked with receiving Sein inquired urgently, “Master, will you join the interplanar war? The Order of the Steel Fist is currently facing a shortage of experienced mages!”

Her right arm was wrapped in white bandages, suggesting a recent evacuation from the battlefield.

Now, she was recuperating while also performing orientation duties at the order.

Around him in the main hall of the Order of the Steel Fist, Sein noticed many knights, each bearing varying degrees of injuries.

Despite the crowd, he did not catch sight of his father, Kelman Grantt.