Sovereign of the Ashes

Seven years later...

Inside the space fortress, Sein was in the middle of running a series of physical assessments on Reina.

Now that she had advanced to Rank Four, her old training routines no longer suited her new physical capabilities.

Everything needed to be pushed to the next level!

Not long ago, he had just finished testing and designing an entirely new regimen for his mother-in-law, Sia.

Since Sia and Reina used different battle qi attributes and wielded different law powers, their training regimens naturally had to differ.

That day, before he finished Reina’s tests, Sein received a message from his mentor, Lorianne.

It turned out Gregory had arrived with the Divine Tower of Whispering Flame’s legion and a sizeable contingent of combat forces from the Magus Alliance.

“Stay here for a while. I’ll go take a look,” Sein said to Reina at the experimental table.

Since this was not a delicate experiment that required precise law manipulation, he had not bothered isolating her from the outside world during the assessment.

Reina nodded obediently on the table.

After tidying up the equipment and changing into a fresh magic robe, Sein said, “If you’re tired, you can get off the table and rest for a bit. Walk around if you need to.”

“I prepared some energy potions for you. They’re in the lab next door. And if you feel like eating, just ask Azelia to make you something,” he added.

“Understood,” Reina replied, though she still lay stiff and unmoving on the table.

After leaving Ashen Fortress, Sein flew directly toward Master Gregory’s Whispering Flame Fortress.

Once there, he found not only Gregory but also his grandmaster.

Even after all these years, Gregory’s presence hit him just as powerfully as before.

Just nearing him felt like stepping into an intense, fiery field.

Unlike Sein, who stayed lean even after undergoing body tempering, Gregory’s human form was that of a towering, broad-shouldered man.

Even his arms were thicker than those of most Rank Four or Rank Five knights...

Though Gregory wore a fairly loose-fitting robe, Sein could still make out his incredibly sculpted body and muscles beneath the fabric.

Within the Verdant Flame Faction, everyone except Lorianne had undergone body tempering. Even so, Sein had never actually seen his grandmaster fight.

Judging by the results of their body-tempering methods alone, Gregory was miles ahead of him.

Without the support of the Faceless Mask or the Magic Cube, Sein was not confident he could beat Gregory by relying only on his Ashen Flame and body-tempering techniques.

It seemed that Gregory had grown significantly stronger since Sein last saw him fight in the Viridian Venom Flame World War.

Based on his current aura, he might have already stepped into the late stage of Rank Five. In actual combat, he might even rival someone at the very peak of that realm.

While Sein was amazed by Gregory’s rapid growth and sheer strength, Gregory, in turn, was shocked by how terrifyingly fast Sein had progressed!

After they exchanged warm greetings, Gregory shot Lorianne a teasing grin. “What did I tell you, Lorianne? You slacked off, and now your own apprentice has surpassed you.”

Gregory and Lorianne had always been close, and he was the loud, boisterous one who loved tossing jokes around the faction.

Faced with her senior’s teasing, Lorianne pouted and gave Gregory’s shoulder a light punch with her delicate fist.

Given her strength, it landed more like a playful tap than anything else.

Gregory burst out laughing.

Teasing Lorianne had always been a favorite pastime within their faction.

Too bad Feylis’ fifth and sixth apprentices were no longer around.

Such was the path of truth-seeking—the higher one climbed, the fewer companions remained.

Solitude was a taste spellcasters slowly grew used to as they neared the peak of their journey.

Cherishing the present was a realization many eventually came to.

Sein himself had also realized this not long ago.

Seeing Gregory laugh so heartily, Lorianne puffed out her cheeks in indignation. “Hmph! Once my apprentice gets stronger, I’ll have him teach you a lesson.”

Sein stood there a bit stiffly at first. He was not used to this lively, almost familial atmosphere, and he certainly could not joke around with Gregory the way Lorianne did.

But little by little, a wave of warmth and comfort washed over him.

Feylis watched Gregory and Lorianne bicker with a gentle smile on her face.

Only after their playful exchange died down did she ask Gregory about his recent situation.

Unlike the others, Gregory had just withdrawn from the central battlefields of the Netherworld Star Domain.

Bernice had left the Netherworld Star Domain battlefield much earlier due to her injuries, but she seemed to be recovering well. It likely would not be long before she led her legion to the Sanok Star Domain.

As for Aelid, he had never ventured deep into the central zone of the Netherworld Star Domain front.

Throughout the campaign, Aelid mostly oversaw the perimeter of the battlefield.

After all, the central region was secured by the Magus Civilization’s elite forces and allied legions. There was little need for a Rank Four mage like him.

As a result, the person most familiar with the current progress of war in the Netherworld Star Domain was Gregory, who had just been withdrawn from the frontline.

Gregory exhaled softly in response to Feylis’s question and said, “The battle in the Netherworld Star Domain is already nearing its end...”

***

BE37081 Federal War Zone, the Netherworld Star Domain...

In the boundless void, a battered hauler drifted quietly through space.

Bzzt, bzzt!

Electrical sparks were the vessel’s only source of light and sound.

After an unknown span of time, the clatter of shifting metal cabinets echoed through the ship.

A federal soldier, ashen-faced and unnervingly pale, struggled out of a single-person rest pod, still dressed in his worn uniform.

This soldier had no name. Or perhaps he once did.

Was it Silmon? Jimjack? Even he could not remember.

Such was the price of repeated genetic repair procedures—or perhaps an indication that the Gallant Federation’s military cloning technologies were still flawed.

Born on the battlefields of the Netherworld Star domain, he had been a federal soldier from the moment he gained consciousness.

He had never known what it meant to live as a normal human being.

He was a standard war product, and he had long since gone numb.