Sovereign of the Ashes

"Sein, let's not kill them..." Tourmaline said softly as the battle drew to a close, tugging at the sleeve of Sein's magic robe.

She had already reverted to her human form, and Sein had also dispelled his lawful form.

This had been his first real battle as a Rank Four being, facing off against opponents of the same rank.

While his performance had been dazzling and nearly flawless, he had still sustained a few minor injuries.

After all, both the sea serpent and the marine plant creature had targeted him right from the start.

Still, what mattered more were the insights he had gained while clashing with fellow Rank Fours.

None of those at this rank were easy targets.

Although the sea serpent and the marine plant creature had taken a brutal beating, they had been ganged up on.

On top of that, no ordinary Rank Four could have withstood the elemental power Gregory wielded.

Sein was confident that under fair conditions, he could defeat either one of them in a one-on-one fight, but killing them outright would be another story.

And if things turned south, he could still retreat.

Creatures who clung to their homeplane's planar node like these two were rarely easy opponents for most Rank Four beings.

Eversurge's misfortune was that their enemies were simply too strong.

Tourmaline's voice pulled Sein back to the moment.

Even though she had nearly torn the marine plant creature in half earlier, snapping through much of its roots, her nature had not changed. She was still soft-hearted and felt sorry for the two native sea creatures.

In her mind, beating someone up and killing them were two very different things.

Sein looked down at the ocean in silence.

The sea serpent was still alive, but barely. Sein had to admit, its endurance was impressive.

The plant creature was in slightly better shape, but not by much. It had already lost most of its roots and tentacles to the onslaught from the three Magus World powerhouses.

Sein knew what Master Gregory and the others had in mind and said, "Don't worry. We won't kill them."

"If they behave themselves later on, they might even have a chance to join the Magus Alliance," he added with a small smile.

The war with the Gallant Federation was right around the corner. High-quality Rank Four slaves like these two, no matter who ended up owning them, would definitely be put to use once the fighting began.

Sein was not lying. If these two enslaved Rank Four beings could prove themselves on the battlefield during the upcoming civilization war, their situations might improve.

For all its cold logic, the Magus Civilization was not entirely devoid of warmth.

Hearing his reply, Tourmaline's small face lit up with a smile.

Then, with the giddy excitement of a child showing off her prized possessions, Tourmaline pulled a handful of rare items from her pocket.

"A few of my relatives visited not long ago and brought me tons of gifts. I'm only showing you, okay? Don't tell anyone else," she said, giving him a cheeky wink.

Sein blinked, stunned, as Tourmaline showed him rare materials and strange items he had never seen before.

Maybe the elemental energy radiating from the items was a bit too strong. Not far away, Berecca, the Rank Four knight with sharp senses, narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced in their direction.

Though Tourmaline was facing Sein, she somehow sensed the scrutiny from behind. With a swift motion and a sharp whoosh, she tucked all the treasures away again in an instant.

Sein stared at her for a beat, puzzled as to where she had even stored all those items.

Speaking of which, even after she had transformed into her human form, her turtle shell, dragon horns, and other features should have changed as well.

But the two cute horns on her forehead were still clearly visible, only the shell was missing.

Had it turned into the green outfit she was wearing now?

His gaze drifted to the garment, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"What are you staring at?" Tourmaline asked, her cheeks turning pink.

Realizing he had been staring, Sein quickly looked away. "Nothing. I was just thinking about those materials and items you showed me..."

"Heh, I know you're a research maniac. I'll bring them to your lab later," she promised, patting her chest proudly.

Sein nodded, then changed the subject. "Now that I've advanced to Rank Four, I'm thinking about setting up my own divine tower. Want to come with me to scout out a few potential sites?"

Tourmaline's current home was located in the Jewel Sea, near the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

If Sein was going to establish his own tower, he would have to move out of his mentor's territory.

Viridescent Land just did not have the resources to support two divine towers.

Fortunately, he already had a plan in mind for where he wanted to build his own.

"Oh? Where are we going?" Tourmaline asked curiously.

"What do you think of Alveroth?" Sein suggested, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

***

Before the war in Eversurge ended, Lorianne had already returned to the battlefield after handling paperwork with the Magus Alliance.

In truth, the process of reporting to the Alliance was not as lengthy as one might think. What made it troublesome was the amount of preparation involved and all the meetings.

Still, there was no avoiding it. Who else could handle this for Sein?

No one but Lorianne could negotiate with the Magus Alliance on his behalf and secure his rights.

"That came to a total of 2,270,000 magicoins! If you're going to take back the two divine relics you used as collateral, you have about a million left," Lorianne reported, sounding a little tired.

Sein smiled and stepped forward to massage her shoulders. Thanks to his deep understanding of body tempering, he knew exactly where the pressure points were.

Under his skillful technique, Lorianne found herself relaxing.

"Your grandmaster said that if you are willing to join the Elemental Gate and the Pyro Secret Society, she can arrange for another one to two million in subsidies," Lorianne added.

Top-tier forces in Magus World always had their ways of recruiting talent.

Rank Four or higher beings were exactly the kind of talent these major organizations wanted most.

The nearly two million magicoins Lorianne mentioned were likely the Pyro Secret Society's way of showing just how sincere they were about recruiting him.

Normally, newly promoted Rank Four mages would not get anywhere near that kind of offer, so it was clear Feylis had pulled a few strings.

"I can join the Elemental Gate Council," Sein said after a pause. "But as for the Pyro Secret Society..."

He thought it over for a while, then decided to be honest.

"I plan to head to the Alveroth Empire to establish my divine tower. The environment there is much more supportive for an early-stage tower's development."