Sovereign of the Ashes

After returning to his magic tower, Sein began by organizing his laboratory and various pieces of experimental equipment.

All of these items were to be packed and transported to the western front.

Despite the intense interplanar war, Sein would still find meager free time to conduct his experimental research during the conflict.

Thanks to Natalya, his plan to visit the fortress’ trading center to acquire necessary supplies had been disrupted.

Nevertheless, Sein intended to make another trip to the trading center before departing the Thunder Marsh camp.

Besides, the western front, where combat was significantly more intense, offered not only a greater variety of materials and specimens from the Thunderfall World but also the extensive personal collections of the knights.

These knights were not particularly learned; many were merely strong brutes.

Sein believed that his visit might allow him to acquire some valuable finds.

In the laboratory in the basement, in front of an altar of flesh and blood adorned with strange runes, Heisse and four others had fully recovered from their injuries and were energetically jumping around.

Sein had learned how to set up this altar from Leena over a year ago, and he had engraved the array precisely according to her instructions.

After depositing a huge number of energy crystals and high-quality flesh, the altar had been left untouched.

Over the past year, the aura around Heisse and his companions had noticeably shifted.

Heisse, as the leader, had undergone the most significant transformation, and Sein sensed that he was on the verge of advancing to Rank One.

The changes in the remaining three little ones were not as pronounced as Heisse’s, but they had also come a long way.

One advantage of synthesized undead chimeras over ordinary creatures was that, provided with enough flesh and blood, they could potentially grow indefinitely.

Over the years, Sein had invested quite heavily in the four chimeras. If Heisse were the first to advance to Rank One during the interplanar war, it would validate Sein’s investment of effort and resources.

The four sea lizards were particularly fond of Sein; they would affectionately nuzzle his robe, expressing their joy at seeing him.

In another area of the spacious underground laboratory was the Thunder Beast, a creature of immense size.

A year’s time had not been enough for this severely injured Thunder Beast to completely recover, mainly because Sein had not invested enough healing potions in it.

At the center of the Thunder Beast’s brow was a soul seal.

Sein had set clear conditions for its survival: accept the soul seal or not be saved. Without its acceptance, Sein would have returned with only its valuable organ specimens.

For over a year, the Thunder Beast had served diligently, powering Sein’s magic tower.

Sein had also discovered that although this massive Rank One Thunder Beast was strong, it had a gentle nature and was far easier to tame than those short Garths.

There was no need to annihilate every inhabitant of a world upon invasion.

Such destruction would leave the Magus Civilization with a worthless, broken plane, thus defeating the purpose of the Magus World’s divine towers and the orders of the knights initiating the interplanar war.

Creatures like the Thunder Beast were definitely a valuable asset for the Magus Civilization Army.

At the end of the Viridian Venom Flame World War, the participating divine towers had only gained significant advantages because they managed to reach an agreement with the planar guardian and other remaining inhabitants of the Viridian Venom Flame World.

War was not the only means to achieve a goal. Whatever served the interests of the Magus Civilization was acceptable, whether it involved aggression or a subtler approach.

“Hey, big guy... You’ll follow me to the western front as well. Creating a spatial storage device to fit someone your size won’t be easy... I can only start planning on it once we get to the western front,” Sein said to the Thunder Beast.

The massive Thunder Beast lowered its neck and hummed to show its obedience.

Caring for the Thunder Beast was relatively straightforward; it primarily consumed “thunderstones”, a material common in Thunderfall World and not even graded by the fortress.

The only shortcoming of the Thunder Behemoth was its limited growth potential. Besides eating, it usually spent its time sleeping.

This big guy was similar to Tourmaline but lacked the same potential and powerful bloodline.

In addition to the four sea lizards and the Thunder Beast, Sein also checked up on Yuri, Sev, the mermaid, and the fox maiden.

Yuri and Sev had been invaluable in the battles over the past year, particularly Yuri, who had been loyally serving Sein for several years. Recently, Sein had observed signs of her growth and potential breakthroughs.

The mermaid and fox maiden never left Sein’s magic tower since their arrival in Thunderfall World. They were primarily responsible for household chores.

Armed with the knowledge to create spatial storage devices capable of transporting living creatures, Sein enjoyed a level of comfort unmatched by other knights and mages of his rank.

Unlike Sein, other knights did not have beautiful creatures to attend to their needs.

While the fortress did provide “comfort slaves” for the knights with high libido, none of those extraplanar slaves could compare to Sein’s companions.

Yuri, for example, was not only capable in combat and attractive but also assisted Sein with his experiments, making her his current top assistant.

With so many beautiful maidens around him, Sein had grown accustomed to their company.

It was no wonder that Natalya, whom other knights considered a “rose”, seemed ordinary to him.

***

Three months later, Sein was assigned by the fortress command center to travel with other knights to the western front.

Despite carrying a lot of supplies, Sein’s spatial storage equipment allowed him to travel lightly, perched atop the Thunder Beast.

Sev, stood on his shoulder, eyes wide and curious as it surveyed their surroundings.

Sein’s father, Kelman Grantt, was also invited to ride with him on the back of the Thunder Beast.

Kelman had almost fully recovered from his injuries. He wore red crystal armor that Sein had hastily crafted for him two months ago.

Though it was not an exquisite product due to time constraints, it was more robust than the ordinary magic armor sold in the order.

Although Kelman appeared to have fully recovered, his chest was still wrapped in bandages under the armor.

Sein had learned from Julius that upon arriving at the western front, the fortress would not assign Kelman any combat missions.

Instead, he would likely remain at the main fortress base and serve as a defender.

As they moved toward the western front, Samson the Reverse Winged Lion King spread its huge wings in the sky above Sein, carrying Julius and Cleona on its back.

Natalya was also on the Reverse Winged Lion King’s back.

Although she was flying in the sky, Sein could feel her gaze frequently sweeping toward him.