Sovereign of the Ashes

Before Leena departed from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, she assisted Sein with completing an experiment.

This experiment was centered on the modification of Heisse and the other sea lizards.

Since they were born from an altar typically used for synthesizing undead chimera, they differed significantly from any known sea lizard species in the Magus World.

These creatures were more like hybrid products of bloodline synthesis. Their genetic makeup combined sea lizard, dragon, deep-sea clam, marsh lizard, and various other genes.

As synthetic creatures, their progression to Rank One deviated from that of natural life forms.

During the Thunderfall World war, Heisse, the strongest of the siblings, was on the cusp of breaking through to Rank One.

Despite years of fighting and Sein’s considerable investment in high-quality flesh, blood, and magic potions, Heisse struggled to advance to Rank One. It was as though an invisible ceiling was preventing his progression.

Its two younger brothers and younger sister also faced similar stagnation.

After Sein shared these challenges with Leena, she quickly identified the issue.

Having created all four of them, Leena possessed a deeper understanding of them than Sein.

”Synthesized chimeras aren’t capable of independent evolution. Apart from a unique crystal abomination in the Marmett Union Alliance, known for its adaptive evolutionary abilities, almost all other synthesized creatures require an altar of flesh and blood, supplemented by external forces, to evolve,” Leena explained.

The 713th floor of the Divine Tower had been temporarily converted into a vast altar for synthesizing undead chimeras by Sein and Leena.

The altar, intricately carved with strange red magic runes, held a number of flesh and blood sacrifices, arranged meticulously as offerings.

These offerings were collected from various creatures during the trial on the Knight Continent and the Thunderfall World war, including some that were still alive.

The altar’s presence cast a somber and bloody ambiance over the room.

Meanwhile, Leena was meticulously positioning energy crystals at specific points across the altar.

“This altar should be enough to evolve Heisse to Rank One since he has already accumulated considerable energy within it,” she remarked.

Noticing Heisse’s swollen belly, Sein agreed, ”It certainly ate its fill in the Thunderfall World.”

“Though the other three younger ones aren’t as strong as Heisse, they will eventually also achieve the necessary resilience to go through this process on an altar in the future,” Leena commented.

“Just remember the placement of these energy crystals to charge the altar as needed,” she advised.

“Got it,” Sein replied as he looked at the altar before him.

Under Sein and Leena’s instruction, Heisse slowly approached the center of the altar.

When Leena energized the altar of flesh and blood with her crystal ball, dazzling red light erupted from all corners, converging into beams that enveloped Heisse, who stood at the center.

In the blink of an eye, Heisse was encased in a crimson light cocoon.

Sein could sense the burgeoning vitality of the life form within—it was his first time witnessing such an evolution process.

“It should emerge in about a month at most. After absorbing the blood of so many formidable creatures, his potential seems yet to be fully tapped,” Leena remarked, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

This mention of the blood of formidable creatures reminded Sein of Tourmaline’s exceptionally potent bloodline.

Yet, neither Sein nor Leena considered exploiting it.

Tourmaline was more than a mere creature to them; she was their friend.

Sein would never cross certain lines.

Taking advantage of Tourmaline was not a wise action either. Despite her simple and trusting nature, her family members were far from naive.

Sein could not risk making enemies with White Stella or her powerful elder brothers with life levels beyond Rank Four.

Besides, he cherished his pure friendship with Tourmaline and hoped it would last forever.

As for sourcing powerful bloodlines, Sein might consider approaching the sea kings under White Stella’s command.

The life levels of these sea kings were equally impressive, and Sein believed their bloodlines would enhance a synthesized chimera effectively.

The transformation within the crimson cocoon lasted for thirty-one days before the intense light gradually faded.

When Heisse finally emerged from the cocoon, it had ascended to Rank One. The scales on its skin had taken on a reddish hue, and a pair of sleek, fleshy wings had sprouted from his back.

Sein observed that these wings bore a resemblance to those of the Fire-Breathing Dragon King, though Heisse’s were thinner and more elongated.

Unfortunately, Leena was not around to witness Heisse’s transformation; she had departed the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring twenty-five days ago.

***

Since the conclusion of the Thunderfall World War, Sein’s days at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring gradually settled into a routine.

Each day, he immersed himself in experimental research, sometimes consulting Leena remotely, or spending his nights with either Selina or Eileen.

This peaceful life was blissfully comforting.

In the fourth year after his return to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein’s father was granted an early discharge from his duties by the Order of the Steel Fist to return to the Magus World.

Sein could not help but speculate whether this early release was a gesture of goodwill toward him and the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Kelman’s return also reignited discussions of Sein’s pending marriage with House Ernst.

The path to this union had been fraught with difficulties.

Initially, Natalya was opposed to the arrangement. Following a conflict in which Sein won, he also expressed reservations about the match.

However, with Sein now relenting, the alliance between the two knightly houses was finally back on course.

This union was definitely big news—House Grantt’s influence within the Lysian Alliance was on the rise, and House Ernst was a distinguished family within the Order of the Steel Fist.

The prestige of this marriage even far exceeded Kelman’s two unions.

The preparations for the wedding could take years, possibly over a decade, with numerous formalities including the engagement and the actual ceremony.

Currently, the key members of House Ernst were still in Thunderfall World. Nevertheless, news of the impending marriage had already reached both them and House Grantt.

Sein’s great-grandmother—the person responsible for arranging this marriage—would take care of all the communication between the two families and ensure that all the necessary preparations were done.

In other words, Sein was not expected to involve himself directly in the wedding preparations; his only duty was to be the groom.

Amidst these developments, Sein’s rigorous experiment schedule continued without disruption.

As a disciplined Rank Two mage, he managed his time efficiently.

Shortly after Kelman’s return, Sein received a magic letter from the Divine Tower of Dawn on the South Coast.

It was from Marie—a friend from his days as a black magic initiate.

She informed Sein that she had been promoted to Rank One and was planning to visit the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring soon.

However, the Divine Tower of Dawn was currently embroiled in its own affairs, preventing even a newly promoted mage like Marie from departing.