Sovereign of the Ashes

The surge of elemental energy made one thing painfully clear—the divide between higher lifeforms and lower ones was vast.

And judging by the raging elemental power still lingering in the sky, it was easy to guess which type of laws Sein specialized in.

His main focus was the Ashen Flame and pyro elemental laws, followed closely by the lumen elemental laws.

Beyond that, he had also dabbled in umbra and sonido elemental laws, necromancy, the power of bewitchment, and more.

As the massive sea of elemental fire began to fade, it was replaced by the figure of an elemental giant standing tall among the clouds,

Now in his new form, Sein could feel every cell in his body changing from the inside out.

He wanted nothing more than to fully immerse himself in this feeling, but the current environment was far from ideal for his breakthrough.

The sheer elemental chaos and apocalyptic spectacle at the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame had surely caught the attention of many powerful beings.

Even though the mana light web projected from the tower had successfully contained the force radiating from Sein's body, shielding the people below from harm, there was no doubt the commotion had caused a major stir across the region.

Sure enough, two powerful figures soon arrived in response.

"Unregistered peak demigod-level mage, your advancement has disrupted the balance of this region in Magus World!"

"You have violated Article 223 of Supplementary Regulations of the Divine Towers and Knightly Orders, as well as Article 74 of the Guardian Laws."

A red-robed and a blue-robed Rank Four Magus World mage appeared in the distant skies above the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame in their lawful forms as they gazed down at Sein, who remained in his elemental giant state.

They were the so called "overseers".

Their main duty was to maintain regional balance and assist the guardians in handling certain internal affairs across the Magus World.

In other words, they served as the guardians' subordinates, and could even be considered "reserve guardians".

Beyond Magus World, the Magus Civilization also appointed overseers within the Magus Alliance.

Their responsibility was to monitor every plane under alliance's control, ensuring compliance with alliance laws and preventing acts of rebellion before they could begin.

Sein, being a native of the Magus World, had broken through to Rank Four after reaching a natural tipping point. Technically, that should not have violated any rules.

After all, it was not as though he were a black mage.

However, he had still violated the Divine Tower Laws because he had failed to register his advancement in advance.

Yes, in the Magus World, any peak demigod-level powerhouse aiming to advance to Rank Four had to first file an official application—either through the local planar overseer or directly with the Magus Alliance.

This regulation was necessary because the surge of elemental energy and law power that accompanied a breakthrough to Rank Four could severely disrupt the surrounding environment and destabilize local planar laws.

To prevent such disturbances, the Magus World had designated specific locations for breakthroughs.

Typically, new Rank Four powerhouses were expected to complete their advancement at planar nodes.

These locations offered a richer concentration of elemental energy and a deeper resonance with the power of laws.

They were also equipped with specially modified chambers designed to minimize the impact of such events on the surrounding area.

After all, Magus World was a top-tier plane that forbade Rank Four or higher creatures from displaying their full combat prowess within its bounds.

The guardians and generations of Magus World leaders had gone to great lengths to protect their home plane.

The strange law requiring Rank Four advancements to be pre-approved was first introduced more than a hundred thousand years ago, during the 12th Magus Alliance Conference.

Lorianne was aware of this law, but she had not realized that her apprentice was already at such a critical point.

If she had known, she would never have let this happen.

The arrival of the two overseers left Sein slightly stunned.

He knew who they were.

Back when he served as dean of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, he had personally witnessed the Master Dark Flame being taken away by one of these overseers after the interplanar war.

These overseers were usually reasonable individuals. They rarely abused their authority without cause.

In fact, they represented the will of the Magus World and the enforcement of its most fundamental laws.

Anyone chosen to become an overseer had to be upright in character, those without integrity would never qualify for the role.

Though the female overseer's tone was stern, the male overseer simply nodded and offered a polite smile to Feylis, who stood beside Sein.

Clearly, they knew each other.

As a Rank Six mage, Feylis was widely recognized as the most powerful divine tower master in this region. It was only natural that she had interacted with the overseers in the past.

In fact, by seniority, these two Rank Four overseers were Feylis' juniors.

And judging by the fact that they were not interfering with Sein's advancement, it seemed they were choosing to show a bit of leniency.

"Um... what should I do then? I have no intention of violating the Divine Tower Laws or the Guardian Codes," Sein said.

From the fact that he was still in a dual state, with his elemental giant form overlapping with his demonic form—it was clear that Sein's condition was far from stable.

The overseers had not wrongly accused him.

If it had not been for Feylis, Gregory, and the other senior members of the faction actively doing damage control, Sein's unstable power could easily have obliterated many low-ranking mages who had come too close to him.

Divine might was a terrifying force. That was precisely why beings of Rank Four and beyond were often referred to as "gods" in the Astral Realm.

The male overseer, radiating a soft scarlet glow of law energy, smiled and stopped his companion before she could issue a harsher reprimand.

A magic scroll shot out from his hand as he said, "According to the Divine Towers Laws, you will need to pay a fine of approximately 1.2 million magicoins. Please be informed that this fine is not for us personally. It will go directly into the annual Magus Alliance fund, which supports environmental stabilization efforts around divine towers worldwide."

"In other words, this is to cover the damage your sudden breakthrough has caused to the Magus World's environment," he explained with a friendly chuckle.

His easygoing tone likely had a lot to do with the presence of Feylis, who stood at Sein's side.

Even in Magus World, connections mattered.

Mages like Master Dark Flame, who made enemies wherever they went, were the rare exceptions.

Still, 1.2 million magicoins was no trivial amount—it was certainly not a sum Sein had in his pockets right now.

Feylis offered a faint smile, clearly about to speak, but before she could, Sein spoke up.

"I don't have that much right now. Can I put something else up as collateral?"

"Hmm... I suppose you could," the male overseer replied after casting a glance at Feylis, then gave a small nod.

Sein, still looming in his flaming giant form, returned the gesture.

A moment later, he produced two divine relics—one pulsing with a deep yellow glow, the other shimmering with a serene blue light.

The appearance of the God of Brute Force and the Goddess of Waters' divine relics stunned everyone.

Lorianne had known about the hydro-attribute relic in Sein's possession. But the second one, imbued with the rare law of strength, was a complete surprise.

Even the two overseers were caught off guard. Neither had expected Sein to possess treasures of such caliber.

The normally stoic female overseer, in particular, could not hide her surprise. The brief flicker of shock that crossed her face was... unexpectedly adorable.

The male overseer was the first to react. He caught the divine relics that Sein tossed over and chuckled.

"My, my—two heart cores of early Rank Four creatures, huh? The value of these two items is well over 1.2 million magicoins. They'll do nicely as collateral."

"They will be returned to you once you complete your advancement and pay off your fine," he added, not doubting Sein's ability to settle the debt.

He had no reason to.

With a Rank Six powerhouse like Feylis backing him, a debt of 1.2 million magicoins was hardly something Sein needed to worry about.

Even if he chose not to rely on Feylis, his advancement would open up plenty of options.

From the basic construction loan for a new divine tower, to the Magus Alliance's financial incentives for newly promoted Rank Four mages, he would have more than enough to settle the fine.

The overseers had not come just to fine him. They were also here to ensure Sein's promotion to Rank Four proceeded smoothly.

After all, the rise of a new Rank Four mage was a boon to the entire Magus World.

Compared to that, a 1.2 million magicoins fine was barely worth mentioning.

"Well then, focus on stabilizing your lawful body. We'll escort you to the nearest public planar node so you can complete your breakthrough," the male overseer instructed with a smile.

"There's no need for that. Let him advance here, in the Verdant Flame Range. The purity of the pyro elemental laws there will better support his lawful body formation and resonance with laws," Feylis suggested.

Her words came as no surprise to the overseers.

Compared to a public planar node, the law node maintained by Feylis' divine tower was among the finest advancement sites in Magus World.

Under the escort of the two overseers, as well as Feylis, Gregory, and the other senior members of the faction, Sein—still maintaining in his lawful body—began to ascend toward the summit crater of the tallest mountain in the Verdant Flame Range.

Just before leaving the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, Sein turned to Aelid. "I wasn't mocking you, senior. In fact, I agree with what you said."

"On an interplanar battlefield, it really is unwise for lower-ranking beings to take on Rank Four creatures. When they appear, the smartest thing to do is run."

There was a weight behind his words, like someone who had learned that truth the hard way.

Aelid glanced at the two divine relics held by the overseer. His cheek twitched slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.