Sovereign of the Ashes

Upon arriving in the Howling Stone World, Sein and Thor entered the demiplane together.

The main venue of the Magus Alliance Conference was located in its central region.

Since the conference had not yet officially begun, Sein and Thor were in no hurry to head straight there.

This was Sein's first time attending the Magus Alliance Conference, but Thor had already been to two of them before.

He moved with ease and familiarity, flying directly toward the western region of the Howling Stone Demiplane.

"There are always good things on sale here during every Magus Alliance Conference. After all, only this event could bring so many foreign deities into one place every ten thousand years. I'll take you to a few places I have visited before. I wonder if any of my old friends have arrived yet," Thor said.

As they entered the Howling Stone Plane, Sein glanced up at the sky above.

This world, its soil almost entirely black, was shrouded in a pale purple energy shield.

When he donned the Faceless Mask, the sky within his vision revealed layers of energy shields and special fields—dozens of them.

Many of these energy fields were subtle, hard to detect even for a Rank Four like Sein.

Their presence was likely the Magus Civilization's way of protecting its secrecy.

After all, civilizations capable of prophetic exploration techniques were not unique to Magus World.

Even the Gallant Federation's supercomputer, with its massive database, could produce inferences as accurate as Magus World's divination techniques.

Every Magus Alliance Conference attracted not only the Magus Civilization's powerhouses and vassals but also entities with ulterior motives seeking to infiltrate.

These complex energy shields and special fields served, at least in part, as a screening mechanism.

"With less than two hundred years until the conference begins, I wonder if any overlord‑level beings have already arrived in this world?" Sein mumbled as he glanced around.

Sein's Faceless Mask had its functions significantly weakened upon entering the Howling Stone Demiplane.

Part of this was likely due to interference from the unique energy fields present both within and outside this plane.

The other reason was the sheer concentration of high‑level lifeforms here.

Every creature present was a massive walking energy source. When Sein looked around, he did not see a single low‑ranking being.

It was entirely possible that an overlord‑level entity could be standing beside him while concealing their aura.

Situations like this were common at every Magus Alliance Conference.

For many low and mid-ranking beings, this was their chance to witness the majestic presence of higher‑level lifeforms firsthand.

Even a Rank Four mage like Sein was considered low to mid‑ranking when compared to overlords.

The place Thor brought Sein to was the region where Titan World and its vassal civilizations were based.

As one of the top-tier worlds under the Magus Civilization, Titan World boasted nearly two thousand Titan gods of its own and was supported by countless medium, small, and micro‑allied planes.

Thor seemed well‑connected, at least within Titan World. As he led Sein into the Titan deities' area on the Howling Stone Demiplane, almost every deity who recognized Thor greeted him warmly.

With his silver hammer in hand, Thor returned their greetings and even introduced Sein to those he was closer to.

Sein himself had never had much contact with Titan World before.

Seeing these Titan gods, whose appearances were about eighty percent similar to humans in Magus World, he maintained the politeness and composure expected of a spellcaster.

"I heard that before reaching Rank Four, the giants of Titan World all stood over ten meters tall, with extreme cases reaching dozens or even hundreds of meters in height. But why, after ascending to Rank Four, do they shrink to human size like those in Magus World?" Sein wondered.

I wish I could dissect and study one of them and study..." he mumbled in awe as a Titan goddess in a green dress approached.

Her outfit was unique, featuring a daringly high slit and a plunging neckline.

Upon seeing Thor, the Titan goddess spread her arms wide.

Thor went up to her, then boldly squeezed her rear with his rough, calloused hand.

"Meet the Green Parrot Goddess, my childhood playmate," Thor said to Sein, his hands roaming freely over her body.

The Titan goddess giggled and easily slipped out of Thor's arms. With two fingers, she stopped his wandering hands from continuing their exploration.

"Come on, I don't want to be scolded by Lady Hela. I heard that the forest goddesses who accompanied you to Moongloom last time were punished by her quite severely," she said with a laugh.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Thor's face. He quickly changed the subject. "Where's my mother? Has she arrived in the Howling Stone World?"

The Green Parrot Goddess also served as a messenger in Titan World, wielding a rare divine ability.

"Her Divinity won't be attending this Magus Alliance Conference. It seems the guardian has something to discuss with her. The Goddess of Abundance and the others are also staying behind in Titan World," she replied.

Thor nodded at her response.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" the Green Parrot Goddess asked, leaning closer to Thor.

"This is Sein, a Rank Four mage I recently met in Magus World. He's a highly erudite master," Thor replied.

On their way to the Howling Stone Demiplane, Sein had already demonstrated that quality to Thor.

For example, star patterns in the night sky that Thor had always dismissed as ordinary "natural phenomena" were things Sein could dissect and analyze, explaining the principles behind them in ways that left the brute god speechless.

Though Thor was a god who relied on muscle and raw strength to get by, he had always respected those with deep knowledge and learning.

Among all the people he had encountered so far, the one with the richest knowledge and eloquence was his mother.

He remembered how, as a child, she would hold him in her arms and tell him stories he did not understand—yet he had loved listening, because they always helped him fall asleep quickly.

Unfortunately, Thor never experienced such moments again after growing up.

His younger brother, Loki, had at least taken half of his mother's love and attention away from him.