Sovereign of the Ashes

The Geomancer had been barely holding on against the siege of a family of Scoragons.

But with Sein and Leena joining the fight, the tide turned completely.

Leena was already a Rank Three mage, and Sein was even stronger—a demigod.

The elemental pressure radiating from the magic rod he had pulled out alone was enough to shock the onlookers, let alone the power he held within himself.

This Arachadrake family was quite intelligent.

In fact, every magic beast in Magus World possessed a certain degree of intelligence once they reached Rank One or higher.

Because of this, the rules upheld by the divine towers, knightly orders, and guardians included special provisions to safeguard the basic rights and interests of these magic beasts.

The magic beasts of Magus World were considered members of the world as well, protected by the Magus Civilization—unlike creatures from allied planes, who could be hunted and exploited.

The moment Sein appeared, radiating an unmistakable sense of danger, the female Scoragon Lord let out a sharp, urgent cry, signaling her three young to flee.

The male Scoragon Lord, meanwhile, swung its hooked tail to drive back the Geomancer, then stepped forward to confront Sein head-on.

The Knight Continent was a trial ground built specifically for the younger elites of Magus World.

In recent years, not only knights and mages, but also demihumans, sea races, and even magic beasts native to Magus World had been sent here in batches to undergo trials.

Even Blackhaven's black mages had managed to secure a few slots.

These five Scoragons in front of Sein were clearly not magic beasts from Magus World; they were native creatures of the Knight Continent itself.

Sein was not entirely sure whether these native beasts were also protected under the divine towers and knightly orders' rules.

After all, the last time he had entered the Knight Continent, his life level had been much lower. Back then, his targets were creatures of Rank One and below.

The pyro spell erupting from the tip of Sein's magic rod was not something the Scoragon's tough purple carapace could endure.

Sein's magic was terrifying because it was infused with countless rare attributes.

For example, after the war in Bouldrak World, Sein had analyzed traces of the soul-related properties within the Phantom Crows' flames and integrated them into his own flame.

Now, Sein's Ashen Flame even carried a hint of soul-burning power.

The male Scoragon Lord let out a piercing cry, feeling the pain in its soul as Sein's Ashen Flame scorched it.

Sadly, the three poison stingers and the sweeping strike of its massive tail had failed to break the layers of magic shields Sein had raised around himself.

Sein's gaze flicked briefly to the three young Scoragons huddled behind the Scoragon Lord. He gradually slowed the frequency of his attacks.

"I do not intend to take your lives. Let me collect a few samples of your blood and tissue, and I'll let all of you leave."

As Sein spoke, the magic rod in his hand flared with dazzling brilliance.

The Scoragons knew full well that he had not been fighting at full power.

Otherwise, with the fear his magic rod and presence instilled in their hearts, the two Scoragon Lords would have little chance of escaping alive, let alone protecting their three children.

The male Scoragon Lord's narrow eyes stayed locked on Sein, remaining silent for a long time.

The female Scoragon glanced back at their three children, then finally gave a slow nod.

"All right. I choose to trust you."

Every thousand years, the Knight Continent welcomed a new group of trialists.

These two Scoragon Lords were not young; they had likely encountered many trialists before.

For the magic beasts inside the Knight Continent, the rules upheld by the divine towers and knightly orders did not truly apply.

Given how abundant and rich the mana and resources were here, even low-ranking beasts could easily grow to higher levels.

On top of that, the different flow of time and the great barrier separating the Knight Continent from the outside world had created a divide between these beasts and the ordinary magic beasts of Magus World.

Many powerhouses who came here for trials deliberately hunted or captured the rare species that thrived inside the Knight Continent.

Of course, plenty of knights and mages still adhered to the Magus World's principles and chose not to kill needlessly.

Even so, there were always a few who met their end here for one reason or another.

Some were slain by the native magic beasts. Others fell to deadly traps hidden inside secret realms. And some were even killed by their own peers...

In the Knight Continent, the lines were always blurred. The rules were never clear.

Regardless, Sein and Leena acted with restraint. They only collected samples of blood and toxins from the five Scoragons.

Sein also expressed interest in the Scoragon's shimmery purple carapace, requesting a two-meter square piece from the male Scoragon's tail.

The overwhelming gap in strength left the Scoragons no room to refuse.

Sein also took the chance to get to know the Rank Three grand mage.

This Rank Three Geomancer, named Brock, hailed from the Byrne Empire and was officially registered as an imperial mage.

The Byrne Empire was structured similarly to the Alveroth Empire.

Although the Byrne Empire also had many divine towers, most of its mages worked directly under the Imperial Military—Brock included.

The reason Master Brock had provoked this Scoragon family was because he had discovered a tempered crystal vein hidden beneath the swamp the Scoragons called home.

Tempered crystal was an incredibly rare magic mineral. Its primary use was not in crafting magic trinkets or equipment, but in forging the main framework for massive war platforms and space fortresses.

In fact, many of the Magus Civilization's special space fortresses used a huge volume of tempered crystals for their core structures.

Unfortunately, the Magus Alliance's production of tempered crystal was painfully low, and whatever little made it to market each year was instantly snatched up.

As a Geomancer, Master Brock had a natural talent for sensing rare minerals like this.

After hearing Brock's explanation, Sein turned his gaze toward the two Scoragon Lords.

A sharp gleam flickered in the depths of his eyes—one that the Scoragons had no chance of saying no to.

Whether it was because he had spent too much time around Tourmaline or not, in that moment, Sein's expression looked exactly like Tourmaline's whenever she spotted treasure.

The Knight Continent really lived up to its reputation as one of Magus World's richest, most mana-dense regions.

Sein had barely stepped into the trial zone, and already, he had stumbled onto a treasure trove.

To speed up the excavation, Sein called Yuri and the fox maiden to help.

Leena, meanwhile, summoned a small army of undead and dark creatures right on the spot.

Among them was a sinister-looking undead chimera beast that instantly drew wary stares from the two Scoragon Lords.

The creature was Leena's latest creation from her time in Bouldrak World—a chimera made from five Phantom Crow corpses.

The five crow heads glowed faintly with an eerie red light, enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

Even Brock gulped nervously at the sight of it.

Honestly, he had no idea where this strange pair of a couple had even come from.