Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein and Tourmaline’s attempt to break out was not going well.

The problem was that Tourmaline, in her dragon turtle form, was far too large and far too slow.

On the chaotic battlefield, she stood out like a massive target, drawing the attention of countless Amenkha Empire creatures.

On top of that, she did not seem particularly eager to break out.

Her thoughts were still on her big sister and the others.

“My sister... and the others...” Tourmaline murmured, turning her massive dragon head toward the depths of the Mordora Star Domain.

Something within her bloodline stirred, telling her that White Stella, Black Oblivion, and the rest were still trapped at the very center of the star domain.

The constant bursts of overlord-level energy from that direction only made it clear how dangerous things had become.

Tourmaline could not help but worry.

“An overlord from the Dragon Warlock Clan has already gone in to rescue them,” Sein said, glancing down at her.

“With our current strength, we can’t interfere in their battle. Our priority is to stay alive, break out, and make sure your sister doesn’t have to worry about us,” he urged.

Despite her usual playful nature and her love of sleeping, Tourmaline could be surprisingly sensible when it mattered.

Hearing this, she nodded obediently.

***

A bolt of purple lightning suddenly tore down from the depths of the starry sky, forcing Sein and the others to slow even further.

Combined with Tourmaline’s sluggish speed, they gradually fell behind the main force led by Feylis.

At Sein’s instruction, Reina and the others had already taken their space fortresses and moved ahead, putting significant distance between them.

With enemies pressing in from all sides, trying to move as a large group in the middle of this death tide would only make things worse.

Sein moved closer to Tourmaline.

“How about you drop your true form for now? I’ll carry you out of here,” he said.

“Okay,” Tourmaline replied without hesitation. In the next moment, her massive body shrank, transforming into her human form.

Sein caught her smoothly and pulled her into his arms.

Tourmaline wielded the law of strength, yet when Sein held her in his arms, she did not feel particularly heavy.

It likely had something to do with the law of gravity as well. After all, the laws of strength and gravity could affect each other in many ways.

With her smaller form and their increased speed, Sein and Tourmaline were now making much faster progress through the encirclement.

Although Reina, Sia, and the others were no longer by his side, Fermera and Yuri remained close, guarding Sein at all times.

Still, the sheer number of low-level undead creatures could still hinder someone at Sein’s level.

To avoid being bogged down, he began releasing angel robots from the Magic Cube as cannon fodder.

There was no time to hesitate, and Fermera probably understood his decision.

One after another, the angel robots charged forward without fear, as if they had no regard for their own destruction.

After spending so long within the Magic Cube, their programming—or perhaps their “beliefs”—had been completely rewritten.

Now, the one they obeyed was no longer Fermera, but Sein himself.

Even Fermera, over time, had grown increasingly obedient to him, agreeing to nearly all of his requests.

That change was not only the result of Sein’s long-term care and experimentation—the Magic Cube had clearly played a role as well.

As Sein and Tourmaline pushed forward, the Ashen Fortress sped along not far behind them.

Inside the fortress...

“Are you really not going to save your lover? Give me half control of your body. Together, we can push our power to Rank Five! That’s far more useful than just worrying about him from inside this fortress,” Mikaeli said to Leena.

“In a situation like this, letting a Rank Five’s strength go unused is nothing but a waste. I don’t believe this fortress can shield us from every danger. Rather than relying on luck, I trust my own power,” she continued, pressing her temptation.

The look on Leena’s face gave away her concern.

Just moments earlier, Sein had narrowly avoided a stray bolt of purple lightning streaking in from deep space, and the sight had clearly shaken her.

Leena was not someone who hesitated by nature. In fact, mages of Blackhaven were known for their decisiveness.

She understood that Mikaeli likely had her own agenda, but under the current circumstances, being forced to stand by and do nothing felt like its own kind of torment.

“I can give you half control, but you’d better not anything foolish. More importantly, do not harm Sein! If I find out you’re up to anything, I’ll take you down with me—even if it costs me this body,” she replied coldly.

“Back in the Gallant Federation Star Domain, I’ve already repaid you for your guidance and efforts as my mentor,” she finished calmly.

“Of course, I haven’t lived enough yet. Why would I want to die? That brat did go a bit overboard with me before, but that’s in the past,” Mikaeli replied.

“After this is over, just have him get me a Rank Four mage’s body. On a battlefield like this, losing one or two Rank Four mages is nothing unusual,” she added with a low chuckle.

Leena no longer hesitated. She gathered elemental energy at her fingertips and erased the intricate magic runes covering her left arm.

Since they had been suppressing Mikaeli’s soul, her aura surged the moment they vanished. Elemental pressure swelled around her, rising sharply.

It was often said that an overlord’s true power lay in the soul—and it now made sense to Leena.

With Mikaeli’s soul power merging into hers, Leena’s strength quickly climbed to mid-stage Rank Five!

Under normal circumstances, such a leap would have been impossible.

“Because our souls are fused, I can sense parts of your thoughts. I know you’re telling the truth this time... and that you won’t harm Sein. Keep your word. When this is over, I’ll have him find you a new body,” Leena said, gripping both a white staff and a black magic rod.

The white staff belonged to Mikaeli. It was tipped with a skull that burned faintly with her Cinderbone Flame.

The black magic rod was the very same one Sein had forged for Leena long ago. Even now, she had never replaced it.

As control over half the body gradually shifted to Mikaeli, she only curled his her slightly at Leena’s words and said nothing.

Leena had inherited fragments of her memories and thoughts—but the same was true in reverse.

Mikaeli had also seen parts of Leena’s past... and the obsessions buried deep within her heart.

In truth, she had already been influenced by Leena more than she cared to admit. She simply chose not to show it.