Sovereign of the Ashes

The Art of Reija Flame was a pyro elemental mystery that Feylis had developed during her early travels in a special foreign plane within the Astral Realm.

It was both a versatile and powerful defensive and offensive elemental mystery. It could even store energy for short-term bursts of explosive power.

At its core, the Art of Reija Flame revolved around embedding flame nodes into various parts of the body.

These nodes would serve as reservoirs, storing pure pyro elemental particles that could be linked together during battle.

Whether creating a pyro elemental defensive wall or unleashing devastating offensive magic, the Reija Flame allowed a mage to wield it with greater ease and precision on the battlefield.

It was a mature and well-refined elemental mystery that required little to no modification to wield.

Grandmaster Feylis’ unparalleled wisdom was evident in every aspect of the technique, leaving Sein with no room to improve upon it.

After acquiring the Art of Reija Flame, Sein chose to embed the flame nodes onto his Flame Demon body rather than elemental body.[1]

His Flame Demon body could be considered an upgraded version of his pyro elemental form.

With the addition of Reija Flame, its already extraordinary defensive and destructive capabilities would reach an entirely new level.

The Flame Demon species was distinct from the Baator Demon.

While Baator Demons naturally possessed a pair of black, fleshy wings, the Flame Demons did not have wings.

The fiery wings that appeared on Sein during previous interplanar wars were purely elemental, condensed from pyro energy.

After mastering the Art of Reija Flame, Sein discovered that the chest and back of his Flame Demon body were ideal locations for embedding flame nodes.

Once all the flame nodes had been charged, Sein activated his Flame Demon’s body. To his astonishment, its strength had more than doubled!

A pair of massive, blazing orange wings radiating intense pyro elemental energy erupted from Sein’s back.

These wings were not the usual pyro elemental wings Sein had previously condensed intentionally. Instead, they were natural fiery wings that had formed as a result of the Reija Flame’s power.

When Sein activated the flame nodes and unleashed the full power of the Reija Flame, his Flame Demon body surged with power, tripling in strength.

The fiery wings behind him expanded dramatically, reaching a breathtaking wingspan of nearly a hundred meters.

In this state, Sein no longer resembled a human from the Magus World.

The immense flame power radiating from Sein’s body and wings sent sparks cascading into the air.

The dramatic change in appearance was secondary; what truly amazed Sein was his newfound mastery over pyro-elemental energy and the explosive force he could now wield at will.

Grandmaster Feylis indeed lived up to her reputation as a seasoned Rank Six mage.

The power Sein had gained from the Reija Flame was comparable to the strength he had gained through both his Ashen Flame mystery and the body-tempering experiments he had painstakingly pursued for so long.

Had it not been for this gift from his grandmaster, he could not begin to imagine how much time it would have taken to unravel a mystery capable of granting him destructive power equal to that of the Reija Flame.

Feeling the immense, surging flame energy coursing through his body, Sein tightened his grip around his magic rod.

“With this temporary burst of power, I can probably compete with a demigod,” he murmured.

Despite his newfound strength, Sein did not forget to console his mentor.

Old age, sickness, and death—these were the eternal laws of the Astral Realm. Even creatures of Rank Four and above could not achieve true immortality.

Their elevated life levels and extended lifespans made them appear immortal to lower creatures, but the truth remained otherwise.

Lorianne had taken the time to inquire about her apprentice’s progress.

Sein, however, chose to hide the existence of the Spider Queen.

Revealing her existence would accomplish nothing—save for causing Lorianne needless worry while inviting the wrath of the Spider Queen herself.

Besides, the silver spider ring was still on Sein’s finger.

In the end, he decided to accept the Spider Queen’s assignment to deliver the stone slab to Blackhaven.

For all her sharp words and habit of scaring him, the Spider Queen had never truly harmed him.

On the contrary, Sein had benefited from her presence. His knowledge of umbra elemental magic, necromancy, and array arts had expanded significantly.

Beyond that, he had been entertained by her stories of world-class secret treasures and the hidden truths of the Magus World.

If this could be considered a form of knowledge transmission, then over the past hundred years, the Spider Queen had, in some ways, become Sein’s part-time mentor.

As for the rewards the Spider Queen had promised him after completing the task—including a Dark Elf Queen...

While it was something to look forward to, Sein knew better than to take her promises too seriously.

Given the Spider Queen’s capricious and manipulative nature, it would not be surprising if she found some excuse to renege on the deal entirely.

***

By the time Sein arrived in Ysikel City on the eastern border of the Alveroth Empire, the Spider Queen had been absent for six months straight.

This was the longest period she had ever disappeared.

If not for the silver spider ring still resting on his finger, Sein might have believed she had vanished completely.

Ysikel was a huge magic city, boasting three floating ports and over a dozen teleportation arrays linking to various divine towers.

This human city was also linked to an allied microplane through a spatial passage, allowing knights and mages to travel there easily.

A vast elemental light screen stretched across the top of Ysikel City.

As Sein gazed at the vibrant and bustling imperial city, he could not help but sigh. If he ever built a divine tower in the future, he would prioritize establishing it in the Alveroth Empire.

It was not that Sein intended to join the Magic Empire, but the abundant resources available to spellcasters here, along with its atmosphere, made it an ideal environment for him.

Mages were calm and rational beings.

While Grandmaster Feylis was a pillar of the Pyro Secret Society, that did not necessarily mean that Sein would join it as well.

The Verdant Flame Faction imposed no strict requirements on its members in that regard.

Take Lorianne, for example.

She had built the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in the Viridescent Land without ever joining the Pyro Secret Society. Only Master Gregory was a member of that organization.

Letting out another sigh of admiration for the Alveroth Empire’s dazzling magical achievements, Sein entered the largest teleportation hall in Ysikel City.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived at Sky City.

Sky City was a breathtaking, white floating city that hovered hundreds of thousands of meters above the ground.

At its center stood a colossal tower, rising high above the city and dominating the skyline.

To call it a city wasn’t entirely accurate—it was, in fact, a cluster of cities, sprawling so far into the distance that its boundaries were impossible to see.

Sky City was far grander and larger than anyone could ever imagine!

1. Please take note that there is a term change for ”Demon” and ”Devil”. For more information, please visit the footnote of Chapter 910. ☜