Sovereign of the Ashes

Having a good father could truly save one from many unnecessary detours over the years.

The law properties contained within this Cobalt Flame far surpassed those of the Dark Flame, Cinderbone Flame, and Decomposing Azure Flame that Sein had encountered before.

More importantly, this was a completely natural law flame.

Some of the law properties it possessed held even greater research value to Sein than other law flames!

Sein had merely mentioned the details of the recent battle to Gongsun Wudi. He had not expected her to take the initiative and ask the demon king to show his flame.

However, that was as far as she could go. Given Gongsun Wudi’s status, there were limits to what she could do openly.

If Sein wanted to obtain a fire seed of the Cobalt Flame, he would have to rely on his own efforts from here on out.

After all, if Gongsun Wudi directly asked Enrique for it, what could she possibly offer in exchange? The Dawn Empire’s war interests were obviously off the table.

At her level, as someone who practically represented an entire civilization, her every word and action would be closely watched and carefully interpreted.

Unless it was in private, Gongsun Wudi would never casually reveal her own thoughts or demands.

In that sense, she was far more suited to being the heir of the Dawn Empire than its Crown Prince.

The Faceless Mask quickly analyzed the Cobalt Flame before Sein.

Not being able to obtain a fire seed was certainly a regret for him. Even so, gaining insight into many of the Cobalt Flame’s properties had already benefited him greatly.

Enrique Gustavo also vaguely sensed that, compared to Gongsun Wudi, the one truly interested in his Cobalt Flame was Sein, the mage standing beside her.

He could not help but glance at Sein again. For some reason, the mask on the mage’s face looked somewhat familiar.

Earlier, during the battle, Enrique had merely been captivated by the mask’s remarkable elemental enhancement abilities.

Moreover, as the descendant of an overlord, Enrique had seen quite a number of world-class secret treasures. Even within the Quatar Star Pirates, there were plenty of “spoils” waiting to be dealt with.

Having seen so much, his eye for quality had naturally become quite sharp.

Although the Faceless Mask possessed powerful concealment abilities, Enrique could still tell at first glance that this world-class secret treasure was of exceptional quality.

But where exactly had he seen this mask before?

Enrique, who had grown used to an easy life in recent years, simply could not remember. The life of a demon king was simply too eventful.

In his long and exciting life, this mask might have appeared in only a tiny fragment of his past.

This also showed that Enrique truly could not hold a candle to his father.

Carter Gustavo would never overlook any crucial detail.

After putting away the Cobalt Flame, Enrique immediately pushed that fleeting hesitation out of his mind.

Since he had no intention of robbing Sein, the origin of that mask did not matter. It was not as if it would ever belong to him anyway.

After discussing future cooperation on logistics and supplies with Gongsun Wudi, Enrique Gustavo took his leave.

Throughout their conversation, he had remained polite from beginning to end.

At the very least, Sein could not tell that Enrique had his eye on the Faceless Mask or the Magic Cube in his possession, nor did he seem to harbor any ill will toward him.

As Enrique and the demon legion faded into the distance, Sein finally sighed once no outsiders were left nearby.

“That Cobalt Flame is truly a rare kind of flame. If only I could fuse it with my Ashen Flame...”

“If you really need that flame, I could...” Gongsun Wudi glanced at Sein and was about to speak.

Before she could finish, Sein flatly refused. “No need! That demon king isn’t someone you want to deal with.”

He continued, “Making deals with demons is never a good idea. Sethem, that Rank Six Demon King, actually seems more decent than most. Besides, it’s not like I absolutely need the Cobalt Flame.”

“The attributes of this large-sized plane are balanced and harmonious. It should be able to nurture resources of virtually every type of law. And those native deities are all absurdly wealthy. I believe I can find another path to a breakthrough without that Cobalt Flame,” Sein said confidently.

Gongsun Wudi glanced at him again, then gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

Sein had noticed that his relationship with Gongsun Wudi had grown closer ever since he treated her last time, though he could not quite put his finger on what exactly had changed.

In any case, Gongsun Wudi’s gesture this time warmed his heart.

Sein pulled out a map and studied it for a moment.

“We’ll be attacking these regions on the Western Continent next, right? The native pantheons and the Gallant Federation forces entrenched across these vast regions are still quite formidable,” he said.

“Well then, let’s set out!”

Gongsun Wudi had already discussed the details of the offensive with him beforehand.

With another soft hum of acknowledgment, Gongsun Wudi, who had always led from the front, lowered the metal visor of her helmet.

As she once again led the army into battle, Sein suddenly seemed to remember something and sent her a message via mental focus.

“That White Jade Dragon you asked me to train last time has become much more obedient since we arrived at Divine Descendants World. Looks like it won’t be long before you have yourself a new mount.”

***

After parting ways with Sein and the others, Enrique Gustavo provided support on the opposite flank of the Dawn Empire’s main assault, following the battle plan he had agreed upon with Gongsun Wudi.

For the time being, Enrique had put the matter of Sein and the Faceless Mask out of his mind.

This descendant of an overlord did have one virtue: if something clearly was not his, or if taking it would bring too much trouble, Enrique knew better than to keep thinking about it.

That was the result of his father’s successful upbringing.

I don’t expect you to achieve anything impressive in the future. Just stop causing me trouble!

Those were his father’s exact words.

The Flame Demon at Enrique’s side was cautious. After reconfirming the details with Sethem, he immediately mobilized the Quatar Star Pirates’ information network to investigate Sein’s background.

The Quatar Star Pirates were no small organization. They could obtain both open and covert information from within the Magus Civilization.

Moreover, the Quatar Star Pirates had a long history. They could even dig up information dating back hundreds of thousands of years.

After making the arrangements, the Flame Demon did not think too much about it.

After all, as long as his young master was not causing trouble, there should not be any major problems.

Unexpectedly, detailed information on Sein arrived very quickly!

The details regarding the faction Sein belonged to were not especially concerning.

However, there was a huge stack of information related to the Faceless Mask in Sein’s possession, and even the Magic Cube. Certain pieces of that information sent a chill down the Flame Demon’s spine.

The Flame Demon immediately reported everything to Enrique.

By now, the demon legion had just slaughtered more than ten mortal nations within Divine Descendants World.

Countless corpses had been piled together, forming several gates of flesh and blood.

The overwhelming stench of blood drove all the demonic creatures into a frenzy.

Enrique rose from the throne his father had entrusted to him, gazing down at the countless corpses and teeming masses below. His eyes were closed as he quietly savored the thrill of slaughter.

The Flame Demon’s sudden appearance interrupted the unique state of mind Enrique had been immersed in.

Before Enrique could open his eyes and frown at him, a stream of messages in Abyssan language flooded into his mind. The Flame Demon also produced several flame-blue blueprints as supporting evidence.

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, Enrique froze in place for a moment.

“We have confirmed that Mage Sein is the heir to the Faceless Mask! He’s also the spiritual successor of Master Jorces from the Western Archipelago back then! Mage Sein even carried out a secret mission to infiltrate the Gallant Federation. The other artifact in his possession was bestowed upon him by the higher-ups of the Magus Civilization at that time,” the Flame Demon said in a deep voice.

“All signs indicate that this individual has already drawn the attention of Lady Bev, the leader of the Magus Civilization, as well as other overlord-level beings!”

Enrique staggered slightly, then slumped back into the throne and fell silent for a long time.

Looking down at the army still reveling below, Enrique suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, “That Mage Sein... he showed interest in my Cobalt Flame back then, didn’t he?”

The Flame Demon pondered for a moment before slowly nodding.

“It’s just a fire seed. Giving it away as a gift will not weaken me much. Besides, I never laid a finger on him!” Enrique said.

“Have Sethem deliver it to Mage Sein as a token of our Demon Clan’s sincerity,” he ordered.

A miniature Cobalt Flame quickly sprang to life between his sharp claws.

The Flame Demon, who also walked on the path of pyro elemental law, fully understood how precious this fire seed was.

After respectfully accepting it, he immediately set out to carry out the task.

Enrique watched the Flame Demon depart, still slumped on the throne. After sitting there in silence for a long while, he could not help but mutter, “I never would have guessed he was that person’s apprentice. No wonder the princess of the Dawn Empire holds him in such high regard.”

A low gulp came from Enrique’s throat, which was lined with bony barbs.

“Good thing I didn’t cause a major disaster...”