Sovereign of the Ashes

Though not versed in occult arts or sonido magic, Lorianne possessed a wealth of knowledge and a visionary outlook that proved invaluable to Sein.

She also told him to explore her private library.

"I remember I have an old book related to sonido magic there. You can take a look at it," Lorianne suggested.

"Will do," Sein replied.

After determining an approximate departure time with Lorianne, Sein slowed his experimental activities.

The duration of his upcoming mission to Verdant Wilderness World was uncertain.

Given that the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had only just begun to issue mobilization orders, and the Verdant Spring Space Fortress had not yet been delivered to Lorianne, Sein realized he might be in Verdant Wilderness World for an extended period, working alongside the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring's army to begin the conquest of the low-level plane.

He had kept the details of his infiltration mission from Natalya, Selina, and the others for now, but they seemed to sense something was amiss.

Even Azelia, the fox maiden, showed her concern one evening by wagging her tail and approaching Sein. "Master, are you planning something soon?"

"Oh? How did you guess?" Sein asked in surprise.

"Your experiments have slowed significantly. Also, Miss Yuri mentioned that your plan to upgrade her Burning Flame Unit has been postponed," Azelia replied.

"We're all worried about you," she added, her furry ears twitching.

Touched by Azelia's concern, Sein placed his hand on top of her head and gently ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, nothing's wrong. I just need to step out for a while," he explained.

Lorianne had advised him against carrying too much spatial storage equipment, especially the type that could transport living beings, for his mission to Verdant Wilderness World.

Such equipment could cause significant spatial disturbances upon entering the low-level plane, potentially alerting the guardians or other creatures of Rank Four and above.

Moreover, Lorianne had assured him with a smile, "You're carrying a strand of my focus with you, what's there to worry about?"

Sein held the utmost trust in Lorianne's strength, so he was not overly against the idea of this covert infiltration mission.

Furthermore, he found himself increasingly intrigued by the low-level plane.

Sein's comforting touch made Azelia raise her head slightly and her eyelashes flutter.

The fox maiden was not extremely pretty but her well-behaved and agreeable nature made her stand out.

Seeing such a charming fox maiden in front of him brightened Sein's mood, and he casually inquired about her recent cultivation progress.

Azelia mentioned that her focus improvement had slowed and she was still primarily advancing her abilities in the War Song's Halo.

She had gradually mastered many Soul Priest War Songs.

"In future battles, I can definitely become a solid support for you, Master," Azelia said, waving her fist enthusiastically.

This made Sein's smile widen slightly.

"While I can provide you with plenty of focus potions to accelerate your growth rate, relying too heavily on potions can create bad habits, potentially deepening your bottlenecks and making future breakthroughs even more challenging," Sein explained.

"Meditation is the best method to make breakthroughs in focus. There are no shortcuts in training and advancement; we are all slow climbers on the path of truth," Sein advised as he patted Azelia's head.

Azelia looked a bit bewildered by this.

Despite her talent in war songs and her high affinity for magic beasts and other creatures, Azelia was somewhat naive.

She diligently followed Sein's instructions, persisting even if it might be wrong—for instance, when Sein directed her to reject the beastmen tribe's god-fearing ways completely.

"I wish to become a War Priest as soon as possible and become as powerful as Miss Yuri to help Master," Azelia said solemnly, looking at Sein with her earnest, watery eyes.[1]

Sein patted Azelia's head again with a smile and gently said, "There's no rush."

***

The day Sein was to depart soon arrived.

Natalya, the most oblivious one, dropped her training sword in shock when she learned that Sein was heading to another foreign plane for a combat mission, and insisted on joining him.

"I'm going on a mission with my mentor this time; you'll just be causing more trouble if you come!" Sein chided.

Lowering her head at Sein's rebuke, Natalya replied in a small voice, "Oh."

If Sein were accompanied by Master Lorianne, Natalya acknowledged that her presence would indeed be unnecessary. She wouldn't dare to question the capability of a Rank Four mage either.

Meanwhile, Reina was also working out at the divine tower's training room during this period.

Instead of taking Natalya's side, she pretended not to notice Sein's scolding and continued with her dumbbell exercises.

Reina and Natalya's training program was devised and strictly enforced by Sein.

He also seemed even harsher toward "outsiders" like Reina.

If Reina failed to complete the regimen, Sein would instruct Elisa to cut her meals—the cruelest punishment for Reina.

Surprisingly, this method proved to be effective as Reina never dared to disobey Sein's instructions.

It was remarkable that Sein could tame the two most notorious female troublemakers in the Order of the Steel Fist—it appeared that everyone had a weakness.

"Let's go," Lorianne said to Sein in the laboratory on the top floor of her divine tower.

Above a large, complex magic array, an oval-shaped verdant green elemental vortex appeared.

It radiated vitality and a lushness that hinted at the existence of a dendro elemetal plane far more prosperous than Verdant Leaf World on the other side of the vortex.

Taking a deep breath, Sein stepped forward into the magic array.

Instantly, dense green light flooded the laboratory, enveloping Sein's figure in vibrant elemental light.

The elemental fluctuations and transformation caused his skin to tingle, particularly around his sensitive earlobes.

It felt as if someone had softly blown on his ear, causing a tickling sensation.

Before Sein could touch his ear and pinpoint the exact nature of the changes, a powerful thrust surged, propelling him toward the heart of the elemental vortex.

***

Meanwhile, in the Jewel Sea just beyond the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring...

At the tip of Tourmaline's nose, a large bubble that had been present for over six months suddenly burst.

Tourmaline slowly cracked open her eyes and murmured, "He's leaving the Magus World to play outside again?"

"I'll sleep a bit more before I go look for him," she mumbled drowsily, then rolled over and drifted back into slumber.

Another water bubble began to slowly form at the tip of her nose again.

1. Author's Note:

Power levels of Beastmen Tribe's priest/priestess:

Wind Whisperer: Comparable to magic initiate,

Soul Priest: Rank One

War Priest: Rank Two

Scepter Priest: Rank Three

Crimson High Priest: Demigod (peak Rank Three) ☜