Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 1049: Caught the Trail

Sein gazed at the setting sun from the border city of Bythos Kingdom.

The fading light beyond the city walls was the color of blood, and with a sigh, he murmured his thoughts aloud.

“Perhaps when the Magus Civilization eventually begins its invasion and conquest of this world, the war will progress more smoothly than expected.”

“This world lacks a unified voice. The various factions are so entangled in their own conflicts and mutual distrust that it’s impossible for them to stand together. This is nothing like the Wild Gorilla World War I once participated in.”

He had once been relentlessly hunted by the major temples and churches of Faeloria.

If not for the Spider Queen and the overwhelming force that had propelled him past every obstacle, allowing him to reach Purgatory at breakneck speed, he would have likely met a grim fate.

Leaving Purgatory this time, he had felt uneasy, fearing that he would once again become a target of Faeloria’s major factions and temples.

Yet, reality proved otherwise.

The Faelorian deities hardly cared about him anymore.

He was merely a Rank Three creature. After two hundred years, many deities had likely forgotten he even existed.

After all, he was not someone worth noticing.

What truly warranted their attention was not Sein himself, but the Overdeity behind him—the very one who had severely wounded the God of Justice.

Unfortunately, most of Faeloria’s deities remained unaware that the God of Justice had been wounded, as the Justice Theocracy had deliberately suppressed the information.

More than eighty percent of the deities, including those on this continent, remained oblivious to the real reason the Avatar Crisis had begun early.

Due to their lack of preparation, this cycle of the Avatar Crisis was even more chaotic than those before it.

Behind Sein, Flynn, now a Legendary-level mage, was uncertain about the meaning behind his mentor’s musings.

As expected, Flynn’s growth potential had surpassed Audria and Ronaldo.

Though he had not inherited Sein’s core knowledge, his mastery of more advanced truths, along with his reshaped values and worldview, had elevated him to the ranks of top-tier Legendary Beings.

For over two centuries, Sein had taken pretty good care of the three young talents under his wing.

Before leaving Purgatory, he had even set aside time to forge specialized weapons for them.

For Flynn, he had crafted a magic rod that could accelerate mana recovery and enhance mental focus.

Sein had also engraved a powerful magic array into it, allowing Flynn to release a Rank Three spell, Ash Blast, three times before needing to recharge.

Sein’s power of Ashen Flame had proven extraordinary ever since his initial promotion to Rank Three.

Even Rank Five mages from Magus World, including Dark Flame, had expressed their appreciation for this unique flame power that Sein was exploring.

Although the Spider Queen had never explicitly acknowledged it, her actions spoke louder than words.

Two hundred years ago, when she orchestrated the siege against the God of Brute Force, she had expected Sein to fight alongside her. That alone was enough to confirm her recognition of his power.

After extensive testing, Ash Blast had proven capable of dealing severe damage to Rank Three creatures and even posing a threat to demigods.

This time, Sein had armed Flynn and the others to ensure they could provide support at critical moments.

Flynn was not the only one accompanying Sein. In total, eleven individuals had joined him on this mission.

It was a small number, but in Sein’s view, it was more than enough.

In recent years, Faeloria had seen the fall of multiple deities, and during those battles, the number of lesser beings involved in the sieges often numbered in the hundreds.

The sheer scale of these conflicts had caused quite a commotion.

Sein had deliberately kept his group small to avoid drawing too much attention.

For that same reason, he had not brought along his two Rank Two Succubus maids or any other demons. He had also rejected the Godslayers’ request to accompany him.

In Faeloria, demonic auras were far too conspicuous.

Even if Sein stored them in spatial equipment, there was no guarantee that the target deities would not detect their presence in advance.

As for the members of the Godslayers... Sein simply did not trust them.

The eleven individuals accompanying him this time were all trained at the academies within Purgatory.

Among them were two Rank One mages, who respectfully addressed Flynn as their mentor—which made Sein their grandmaster.

While teaching Flynn foundational knowledge and elemental principles, Sein had also instilled in him the Magus World’s traditional virtue of honoring one’s teachers.

So far, Flynn had upheld this principle well, even passing it on to the next generation.

At that moment, Ronaldo, a Rank Two Warrior, approached Sein and asked respectfully, “Master Sein, where are we headed next? Is the God of First Light in Bythos Kingdom?”

Ronaldo, who had absorbed the bloodline of dragons, looked significantly stronger than before. He had even awakened a second transformation—his Dragon-Man form.

The heavy battle ax he wielded was also crafted by Sein, inspired by the Ax of Power—the weapon once wielded by the God of Brute Force.

Over the years, Sein had not only dissected the god’s corpse for study but had also obsessively studied its divine artifact.

The Spider Queen likely would not blame him for this—after all, he had sought her permission through the Silver Spider Ring before taking action. She simply had not responded.

It had been decades since Sein last heard from her, which he took as silent approval of his actions.

Among his followers, the outgoing Ronaldo was far bolder than the introverted and reserved Flynn. He even called Sein “Pops”.

Perhaps it was because someone as powerful as Sein gave him the same sense of security as a figure from his past.

Or maybe it was just Sein’s mature demeanor—his years of seclusion in the castle’s laboratory made him seem rather old in Ronaldo’s eyes.

Regardless, the nickname never caught on, and the others continued to refer to him as “Master Sein.”

When Ronaldo asked about their target, Sein shook his head and replied, “Not necessarily. Bythos Kingdom, Kenlay Kingdom, and Tiberius Kingdom are all the God of First Light’s major strongholds. He could be in any one of them. We still need to investigate further.”

“Hehehe... Hunting gods, huh...? Now that’s something I’ve been itching to do. Those scum only know how to deceive and brainwash people—let’s see if my giant ax can take their heads clean off!” Ronaldo said, barely able to contain his excitement.

This guy was the textbook definition of “all brawns and no brains”.

Ever since receiving dragon blood enhancement from Sein, his strength had skyrocketed, and staying in Purgatory had long since become unbearable for him.

Apart from the giant ax in his hands, the Power Belt around Ronaldo’s waist was also crafted by Sein—a remarkable piece of magical equipment that further enhanced his strength.

Sein had no grand expectations for Ronaldo.

His only instruction to the three of them was simple: survive the battles ahead.

***

Two months later...

At the border between Bythos, Kenlay, and Tiberius Kingdoms, Sein and his group finally caught the trail of the God of First Light.