Sovereign of the Ashes

The Order of the Steel Fist’s space fortress embraced a simple, utilitarian design characteristic of the knightly order.

Unlike the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, which featured booth seating and conference rooms for mages to engage in discussions, this fortress lacked special entertainment facilities, luxurious lounges, or quaint spots for tea and conversation.

Its gray exterior was stark and plain too.

The mages who retreated here to rest were often left to their own devices. Some spent their days in solitude or with their comfort slaves in their rooms, while others gathered in groups to drink.

Although there were a few spots serving food and spirits in the fortress, Sein never visited them.

The noise and unpleasant odors deterred him; as a reserved mage, he felt out of place in such rowdy settings.

Apart from these tavern-like establishments, the fortress offered an array of training grounds, which the knights favored, including the gravity training room.

The Order of the Steel Fist had invested significantly in these facilities, which featured a variety of environments and special functions.

For instance, to prepare for the challenging conditions of Thunderfall World, several training grounds provided static electricity training.

In times of war, most knights were not in the mood to enjoy life, making these training rooms quite popular.

As for the usage fees, the space fortress charged the knights only a nominal cost price, which was almost negligible.

The gravity training room that Sein and Gould visited was the largest in the fortress.

It was generally avoided by ordinary Rank One Knights, whose constitutions could not withstand the intense gravity.

Thus, despite its size, this training room was seldom crowded as it was frequented only by knights of Rank Two and higher.

Given that the war was still ongoing, only a few knights were able to return to the fortress to recuperate and rotate, which further reduced the number of people present.

Gould, a regular visitor to this gravity training room, led Sein familiarly toward the inner sections.

“Many knights struggle with the gravity here on their first visit, especially the young ones recently promoted to Rank One. They don’t know what to expect and are quickly overwhelmed,” he explained.

“Since you’re a mage, you might want to put up your elemental shield before we go any deeper. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you...”

Before Gould could finish, Sein stepped confidently into the special force field of the gravity training room.

He felt a slight lurch in his body but experienced no signs of oppression or chest tightness.

Gould was right—the gravity effects here were indeed too intense for an ordinary Rank One knight to handle.

If not for Sein’s constitution—nearly on par with a Rank Two Knight—and his relentless body tempering experiments in recent years, even a Rank Two Elementalist might have embarrassed themselves here.

Sein’s composed demeanor halted Gould mid-sentence.

During the earlier fortress defense battle, Gould had only been focused on Sein’s powerful verdant flame elemental power, overlooking his robust physique.

The common assumption was that Sein’s elemental prowess was his only strength, not realizing his constitution was also exceptionally formidable.

Gould pinched his nose awkwardly then continued walking with Sein deeper into the gravity training room, where the gravity intensified the further they ventured.

As they progressed to the latter half of the room, Sein’s pace inevitably slowed, his movements becoming heavier.

Meanwhile, Gould, walking alongside him, showed no signs of strain.

Gould’s constitution was significantly stronger than Sein’s.

As a mage, Sein knew better than to compare himself with a pure knight like Gould, who could be considered formidable among Rank Two Land Knights.

It was near the deepest part of the training room that Sein spotted Natalya.

At that moment, Sein’s body was enveloped in a faint red-green glow—a spontaneous manifestation of his verdant flame element, protecting him against the intense gravity.

Supported by this verdant flame power, Sein seemed more at ease than even Gould.

Though Gould hadn’t activated his bloodline transformation, his tanned face was tinged with red.

He chose not to use his battle qi to fortify his body, opting instead to tough it out using his own body, as it was another way for knights to temper themselves.

Similarly, just as Sein pursued truth and the elements in his laboratory, the knights had their own unique ways of exploring power.

Natalya stood at the innermost aisle of the gravity training room, beside a medium-sized hatch that led to a single-person training room.

Inside, the gravity settings were so intense that even Rank Three Sky Knights would struggle.

At that moment, it was clear someone was inside the medium-sized training room.

Sounds of heavy breathing echoed from within, yet no one was visible, and the hatch door remained open.

Natalya appeared to have just emerged from it. Sein noticed her healthy, wheat-colored skin glistening with sweat.

Perhaps due to her being a female knight, or because of a special deodorizing agent in the room, when Sein drew closer, he noted the absence of the heavy sweat odor typically associated with male knights.

Instead, her scent was distinctively pleasant, stirring an unexpected reaction within him.

Fortunately, his magic robes were loose enough to conceal this physical response.

Sein suspected that his reaction was not solely due to the scent. It could also be linked to the supplemental potions he had consumed a few days ago during his body tempering experiments.

It seemed like these potions were still in his system.

Natalya, fresh from a training session, was dressed casually in shorts, with only a gray tube top covering her breasts, revealing her robust waist and muscular arms.

Even without her armor, Natalya’s physique was noticeably more robust than Sein’s.

Sein found himself looking not once, but twice at her well-defined abdomen. Her abs were incredibly toned and symmetrical—a stark contrast to the soft, pale skin of the women Sein usually seen.

Unfortunately, after his second glance at her abs, Sein looked up only to find Natalya’s eyes already on him.

Natalya had been quietly observing Sein all along and seemed to have noticed his gaze.

The female knight, typically known for her rugged demeanor, now wore a small smile on her face.

For some reason, it made Sein feel extremely uncomfortable, feeling as though he had just been caught red-handed.

He had repeatedly stated that he was not interested in Natalya. Yet, there he was, staring at her body.