Sovereign of the Ashes

The cat monsters Sein pulled from his spatial storage were all Rank One or higher, with the strongest among them reaching Epic level.

With the concealment provided by the Spider Queen’s divine power—paired with Sein’s own magic—the Epic-level cat monster leader never even had a chance to call upon the goddess it worshipped before Sein finished them off.

Having hunted multiple gods in Faeloria, these weaker creatures were no trouble to him.

Due to the absence of a fully developed, self-sustaining body-tempering system, most of Faeloria’s lower-level beings remained under-evolved.

As a result, their combat capabilities were limited.

Faeloria did have its strengths—its deep reliance on divine power and god-given skills.

However, against a demigod-level mage with actual combat experience, these cat monsters could not even put up a fight.

Following Lorthisra’s instructions, Sein placed the corpses at specific corners of the massive magic array.

Despite its crude appearance and the nauseating stench of blood in the air, anyone well-versed in array arts would have immediately recognized the depth and intricacy behind the array’s design.

And this was only the decoy.

The true array that Lorthisra had spent hundreds of years constructing in the Magus World was on another level entirely.

That was a confinement array meant to capture a Rank Five deity, and the fact that Lorthisra was attempting this remotely made the entire feat exponentially more difficult!

Once the setup was done, Lorthisra fell completely silent.

From this point onward, she could not reveal the slightest trace of her divine power.

Meanwhile, Sein scanned the area before stepping into the center of the array.

The Epic-level cat monster had already bled dry. Fueled by the rich energy within the blood of a Rank Three creature, the altars surrounding Sein began to glow.

He took a deep breath, then reached into his space conch and pulled out several diamond-shaped crystals.

They were none other than divine relics—the very objects that drove countless beings across Faeloria into a frenzy.

After all, possessing one meant that even a low-ranking lifeform had a chance to ascend to godhood.

Sein was not on the path of faith, so he had little personal interest in the divine abilities, the divinity, or the lingering power of faith stored within these relics.

To him, they were merely research materials.

The Spider Queen, on the other hand, was quite interested in such things, so she had struck a deal with him.

The divine relics he took out had once belonged to the God of Brute Force, the God of Fire Crickets, and the Verdant Wilderness God.

Each one had a distinct color, and they shimmered beautifully even in the dimness.

Now that the Avatar Crisis had ended, the power within the divine relics was no longer suppressed. Even just resting on the ground, they exuded an overwhelming pressure.

Their value might have been considered “average” in Lorthisra’s eyes, but that was far from true for most others.

The magic array beneath Sein’s feet activated, releasing a wave of strange energy into the air.

In addition to its primary purpose, the array appeared to have been modified by the Spider Queen, incorporating elements of blood sacrifice and attraction.

The entire Perplexing Forest fell deathly silent until a dark vortex appeared in the sky directly in front of Sein.

From within it, a goddess emerged.

The vortex appeared to be connected to a divine nation shrouded in darkness.

The light around Sein dimmed even further. If not for the faint glow of the three divine relics, he might not have been able to see anything at all.

BOOM!

A burst of verdant flame roared to life around Sein’s body.

Since the Ashen Flame had already been exposed in previous battles, he had reverted to using his former signature flame.

The verdant green flames lit the forest in an eerie glow.

The sharp click of heels echoed through the air as the goddess descended in a slow, deliberate catwalk. She was dressed in dark tones, almost entirely black.

“You used the souls of my followers to lure me out,” she said, her voice low and cold.

“And these three relics... If I’m not mistaken, they belonged to the God of Brute Force and the God of Fire Crickets, yes?”

Her pitch-black eyes locked onto Sein, unblinking.

“You carry a strange aura... where did you come from, little one? How dare you disrespect the gods!”

The Moonlit Cat Goddess standing before Sein reminded him of the Succubus Queen—both had the same kind of enchanting eyes.

Since the Moonlit Cat Goddess belonged to the Wings of Nature, it was no surprise she could recognize the God of Brute Force and the God of Fire Crickets’ divine relics.

Being a reclusive deity who rarely interacted with others beyond her territories, she failed to recognize Sein right away.

Still, the moment she appeared, Sein knew his job was done.

Whatever came next was no longer his responsibility—he was just an observer now.

Even while facing a powerful intermediate deity, Sein showed none of the reverence Faeloria’s lesser beings were expected to display toward gods.

He simply looked up at her with a casual smile and said, “What brings you out here all alone? Where are your worshippers and divine messengers?”

“Heh... just a little Saint-level creature, huh? Even if the Avatar Crisis had not ended, you would still be beneath my notice. You think you can threaten me?”

The Moonlit Cat Goddess narrowed her eyes.

“Tell me, why bother luring me out?”

She glanced at the glowing relics on the ground and clicked her tongue. “Hmm. Three divine relics. Looks like today might be my lucky day.”

She ran her scarlet tongue across her long, polished nails, flashing him a grin.

Sein took a big step back with a shrug and replied, “To capture you, of course, my dear goddess.”

The moment the words left his lips, silver threads shot through the air from all directions, weaving into what seemed like a spider web.

The Moonlit Cat Goddess’ expression darkened instantly.

Instead of fleeing, she morphed into a shadowy blur and lunged straight at Sein.

Despite her alluring appearance, this goddess was anything but weak.

With her mastery of umbra elemental divine power and the agility granted by her feline nature, she was among the stronger deities of Faeloria.

Her sudden leap sent a cold shiver down Sein’s spine.

Even with his current focus level, he could not track her movement—she was simply too fast.

But just before she reached him, the web of silver threads snapped into place and intercepted her mid-pounce.

“MEOW!”

The sharp, almost pitiful screech of a wild kitten caught in a net echoed through the forest clearing.