Sovereign of the Ashes

The core knowledge behind the magic array Sein was manifesting came from the Spider Queen.

Back when he helped capture the Moonlit Cat Goddess alive in Faeloria, Sein had learned much from Lorthisra's teachings.

His ability to sketch array diagrams with elemental light amidst chaotic, high-intensity battles was mainly thanks to the Faceless Mask.

Sometimes, equipment was part of one's strength, and Sein had no problem relying on it when the moment called for it.

The special array forming among the large sea tornadoes was immediately apparent.

By the time the Rank Four sea serpent realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

Elemental energy sliced through its armored scales and into the flesh beneath.

From afar, it looked as though the serpent had been caught in an enormous fishing net or a spiderweb.

As the vortex spun on, the damage only intensified.

Unless it could somehow launch itself out of the sea's eye, the serpent would be forced to endure the full brunt of the attack.

But if it did leap, it would appear right where Gregory wanted.

The Rank Five mage already had his iron fist raised and waiting.

Gregory did not even bother drawing his magic rod. Against a sea serpent like this, his fist alone would be more than enough.

Meanwhile, the other native Rank Four coral-like plant creature noticed things were going badly and tried to come to the serpent's aid.

That was when Sein struck again.

Plant creatures usually shared the same fatal flaw: their limited mobility.

No matter how tough or massive their bodies were, against powerhouses, they were nothing more than stationary targets.

This time, the Faceless Mask unleashed an even denser volley of elemental beams.

In that moment, the intensity nearly matched the firepower of a space fortress.

Watching Sein tear through the battlefield, Aelid suddenly realized he might now be the weakest among the Verdant Flame Faction's Rank Four and above members.

Faced with Sein's overwhelming assault and the ever-tightening net-like array, the two native creatures of Eversurge were finally forced to retaliate with all they had.

Even with a third of its spine destroyed, the sea serpent was still capable of fighting.

A dense burst of high-pressure water needles shot from the sea serpent's fanged maw. On top of the sheer force, the fine needles seemed laced with some kind of special toxin.

Not far off, the coral-like marine plant had also reacted. Bright indigo light began to glow across its fuzzy tentacles.

Despite being a pure marine plant, it had somehow developed an impressive ability to convert hydro elemental energy into lumen elemental energy during battle.

A massive light shield formed over both the sea serpent and the marine plant. After absorbing the brunt of Sein's elemental barrage, elemental spears launched toward him from beneath the waves.

Gregory, who had been watching from the sidelines, was just about to step in and assist Sein.

But Sein did not back off. Instead, he flew straight toward the ocean trench nearly ten thousand feet below.

A radiant six-pointed star array flared to life in front of Sein's hand. The deeper he went, the brighter it glowed.

"Now!" Sein shouted, signaling Berecca, who had been quietly preparing for her moment.

Drawing the long green bow in her hand, Berecca's hair whipped in the ocean breeze as a glowing arrow charged with her pure dendro-attribute battle qi formed at the bowstring.

Aiming directly at the hexagram in Sein's hand, the emerald arrow streaked through the air and pierced the array.

WHOOSH!

The synergy between her pure dendro elemental energy, Sein's hexagram array, and the precisely calculated node placement produced a devastating effect.

The massive light shield conjured by the Rank Four marine plant began to crumble under the pressure of this strange force.

The surrounding elemental energy destabilized too.

The combined force of lumen and pyro elemental laws instantly vaporized a large swath of seawater.

This kind of hydro elemental evaporation, caused by the raw force of a Rank Four being, was far more efficient than the giant array running in the background.

After all, one was passively draining, while the other was direct vaporization.

The sudden shift in elemental balance disrupted the native creatures' attack—both the water needles and the light spears aimed at Sein faltered mid-flight.

Even amidst the chaos erupting on the seafloor, with water tornadoes intensifying and steam clouds rising, nothing came close to threatening him.

Sein had just raised a magic shield when Gregory, Bernice, and the others seized the perfect moment and charged in.

The result of Sein's attack was not just vaporizing a large swath of seawater and destroying that Rank Four coral-like plant's light shield.

With Berecca's arrow and the divine relic fragment of the Verdant Wilderness God, he had also cultivated a green phantom plant, draining nearly half the marine plant's nutrients.

Sein's performance showcased not only his battlefield instincts but also his deep understanding of arrays and his mastery of lumen, pyro, and dendro laws.

"I didn't know you had such a solid grasp of dendro energy too. You really are Lorianne's apprentice," Gregory called out with a grin, swinging his iron fist directly at the Rank Four sea serpent.

Still caught in Sein's web-like array and with the water around it gone, the serpent had nowhere left to run.

Fighting a body-tempering maniac like Gregory under these conditions was beyond terrible.

Meanwhile, Bernice, Berecca, and Aelid all charged toward the marine plant, which was now left vulnerable with its light shield shattered.

Its combat ability was weaker than the serpent's, but its sheer vitality made it hard to bring down, especially since they were trying to capture it alive.

Though his earlier attack had drained him, Sein only paused long enough to catch his breath before preparing to jump back in.

Then, from far to the west, a dragon's roar echoed across the battlefield.

"Sein, I'll help you!"

It was Tourmaline. She was massive—easily several times the weight of that scrawny sea serpent.

As for the Rank Four marine plant with its thick root system buried deep in the seafloor... maybe it could match her in size, but definitely not in raw power.

Her appearance tipped the balance even further.

Although plenty of native creatures remained loyal to the two native gods, none of them could change the tide of the battle.

Sein and the others barely even noticed them, and had probably killed dozens without even noticing.