Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein watched as Jenny and the others maneuvered the airship eastward, heading toward the Divine Tower of Dark Flame.

Only when the airship faded into a distant black dot on the horizon did Sein depart, leaving behind the seven badly injured mages from the Divine Tower of Astral Sun lying on the ground.

His flight took him to the southern part of the Petrified Forest.

With his formidable focus level and keen judgment, Sein deduced that the group approaching from the west of the forest posed a greater threat than those advancing from the south.

Meals should be savored, not rushed.

The mages sent by the Divine Tower of Astral Sun were akin to a tough loaf of bread—one Sein intended to break into smaller pieces and savor slowly.

***

Adrian, a Rank Three grand mage from the Divine Tower of Astral Sun, was engaged in a discussion about pyro elemental fusion experiments with another Rank Three mage named Adolff.

As a pure Pyromancer, Adrian was deeply obsessed with pyro elemental magic. His particular fascination with particle fusion had led him to deliberate for a long time before ultimately deciding to join the Divine Tower of Astral Sun three centuries ago.

The Tower Master of Astral Sun, a Rank Five mage, was renowned for his profound knowledge in astrology, as well as pyro and lumen elemental magic.

What set this tower master apart, however, was his unconventional approach to astrological studies.

Rather than focusing on the traditional star charts and patterns that most Magus World astrologers analyzed, he studied particle eruptions within the process of planetary fusion.

This specialized branch of astrology was a niche field within the Magus World and remained largely underexplored.

The reason for this was simple: planetary fusion required knowledge and methodologies more commonly found in advanced technological civilizations.

Rumor had it that the tower master had wandered the Astral Realm as a Rank Four mage before his promotion to Rank Five.

During his travels, he spent significant time in a medium-sized technological civilization that had yet to align with the Magus Alliance.

It was there that he refined his theoretical understanding, ultimately enabling his ascension to Rank Five.

For Adrian, planetary particle fusion remained far beyond his grasp.

Just like the power of laws, it was an inaccessible field for most mages and could only be pursued at the demigod level or higher.

Master Adrian was not one to chase overly ambitious goals.

Instead of delving into the complexities of planetary particle fusion, he had dedicated himself to the study of pyro elemental particle fusion, a subject that had been his primary research focus for the past two hundred years.

Thanks to the advanced theoretical resources of the Divine Tower of Astral Sun, Adrian had achieved a series of significant breakthroughs in his experiments in recent years.

These successes had, in turn, steadily enhanced his strength, allowing his power to grow day by day.

Adrian’s presence in the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s territory was part of his academy mission, directly assigned by the Tower Master of Astral Sun.

The Divine Tower of Astral Sun and the Divine Tower of Dark Flame were not just rivals but neighbors, with their territories directly bordering one another.

The Tower Master of Astral Sun, a Rank Five mage, had grown increasingly frustrated with the Dark Flame Tower in recent years. However, he had refrained from fully breaking ties with them.

For instance, in this joint operation with three other nearby divine towers targeting the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, the strongest mages deployed by Astral Sun were only at the Rank Three.

No demigod-level mages were sent to escalate the conflict further.

The Divine Tower of Astral Sun was well aware that the Divine Tower of Dark Flame had been struggling in recent years, particularly due to its lack of demigod-level mages.

The Tower Master of Astral Sun did not wish to push the Divine Tower of Dark Flame to the brink of collapse, severing its legacy entirely.

His only aim was to force Dark Flame into submission.

Since its establishment in the black volcanic region, the Divine Tower of Dark Flame had disrupted the previously harmonious balance among the surrounding divine towers.

While the Tower Master of Astral Sun had little interest in wasting energy on meaningless conflicts, the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s actions had proven to be infuriating.

Dark Flame had even gone so far as to send its mages into Astral Sun’s territory to poach promising initiates.

In this context, the Tower Master of Astral Sun’s actions could be seen as a defensive countermeasure.

Although he had no intention of deploying demigod-level mages to escalate tensions between neighboring towers, he was far from passive. The tower master would not allow his tower to be treated as a pushover.

Adrian, a mid-stage Rank Three grand mage, was the tower master’s hidden trump card in this operation.

Adrian was not yet a veteran Rank Three grand mage. He was considered very young, being less than two thousand years old.

Reaching Rank Three at such an age was already an impressive achievement.

However, Adrian’s true distinction lay not in his age but in his groundbreaking research into the mysteries of the pyro element.

One of the Tower Master of Astral Sun’s most renowned areas of study was planetary particle fusion.

Although Adrian was not formally an apprentice of the tower master, he had benefited greatly from the extensive knowledge shared with him.

In Adrian’s most recent experiment, the energy force generated by his pyro elemental fusion had approached levels comparable to that of a demigod-level being.

With Adrian handling this mission, the Tower Master of Astral Sun was confident that, at the very least, his tower’s honor would remain secure.

Accompanying Adrian on this mission was Rank Three grand mage Adolff, another registered mage of the Divine Tower of Astral Sun.

Adolff was far older than Adrian, having surpassed seven thousand years of age this year.

He specialized in hydro elemental magic, a completely different field from Adrian’s.

However, Adolff’s extensive experience and the wisdom gained over millennia endowed him with profound elemental insights that surpassed those of most mages.

Although Adrian’s combat prowess was superior, he regarded Master Adolff with the utmost respect, acknowledging him as a senior.

Certain experiments and magic theories shared by Adolff had left Adrian deeply impressed, sparking a burning desire to return to the laboratories of the Divine Tower of Astral Sun to further explore related research.

However, that excitement was swiftly extinguished when Adrian saw the massive elemental handprint and the seven severely injured mages sprawled on the ground, including Flayman.

“Who did this?!” Adrian demanded, his voice dangerously low.

This academy mission was crucial for Adrian. His ability to gain access to the secrets of another elemental fusion from the tower master hinged on its success.

Failure was not an option.

Before Flayman or the others could respond, a thunderous rumble erupted from the south, accompanied by an intense burst of elemental energy.

“That seems to be where Master Janice and the others are,” Adolff said loudly, his bright eyes glinting above his gray beard.

Janice was another Rank Three grand mage from the Divine Tower of Astral Sun.

Due to the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s current shortage of personnel, the Divine Tower of Astral Sun had deployed only three Rank Three grand mages to disrupt their rival’s operations.

This was not an all-out war between the towers, and skirmishes of this nature were deemed acceptable.

Master Janice, despite being a female mage, was just as formidable as the two Rank Three male mages.

However, the elemental turbulence coming from the south, coupled with her distressed cries, suggested she was not faring well.

Master Janice’s expertise lay in summoning arts.

With two Rank Three summons bound by powerful pacts, her strength was not something Adrian dared to underestimate.

Yet, the scale of the elemental chaos in the distance hinted at something far more serious than an ordinary confrontation.

Exchanging a glance with Adolff, Adrian did not hesitate.

Transforming into a blazing pillar of fire, he shot toward the battlefield to the south of the Petrified Forest.