Sovereign of the Ashes-2025.12.06

Gazing at the cube before him, Sein realized the Magus World’s upper echelons had likely failed to uncover any method within it that could counter the Gallant Federation’s endless waves of lower-tier robots.

If the cube truly possessed such power, it would never have been returned to him.

Even so, Sein had already resolved to give it up if it could serve the greater good.

The cube, however, was no longer the same as when he had first handed it over to Sir Klopp.

Its surface had darkened, shimmering now with specks of light. At a glance, it resembled the starry expanse of the cosmos.

Yet its appearance was not the only change. Having studied the cube extensively before, Sein could sense something far more profound stirring within.

It was difficult to describe, but if he had to, he would say the cube now pulsed with a strange vitality!

For the first time, he felt he might be able to draw out its full potential.

It was not that he had unraveled this technological artifact’s mysteries, but rather because the cube itself seemed willing to acknowledge him.

After courteously sending Bosh away, Sein returned his attention to the cube in his palm.

“Looks like the energy-gathering array I engraved on its surface has changed... this is far more advanced than anything I could’ve carved myself!” he muttered, eyes narrowing as he examined the intricate markings.

“These micro-engravings... the precision is beyond belief.”

Sein activated his Faceless Mask. Its analysis left him stunned, even though he had already kind of expected it—the cube had ascended to the rank of a world-class secret treasure!

“How generous of the Magus Civilization. A Golden Apple for my reward, and now this upgraded cube is also returned to me... Perhaps the danger and hardship I endured in enemy territory were not in vain after all,” he murmured.

Sein raised an eyebrow at the sentient Magic Cube before giving it its first command: to propose upgrades for Yuri’s mecha, which was still being assembled.

The Faceless Mask excelled at collecting information and assisting in combat, but it lacked the ability to process or refine products of technological civilizations.

The cube filled that gap perfectly.

At his command, the cube shot upward with a sharp whoosh, halting above the towering mecha.

Its crystalline form expanded outward until it finally broke into countless smaller particles.

It was the first time Sein had witnessed this ability, and he watched with keen interest as a hazy blue radiance spread outward, enveloping the massive machine below in its glow while the particles danced in orbit around it.

A moment later, streams of data appeared before Sein’s eyes.

The cube had actually presented him with a wealth of modification proposals for the mecha!

The minor refinements were simple enough, but some of the suggestions were far more drastic—calling for the disassembly of nearly completed sections and even requiring certain core components to be sent back to Steel City and Sky City for reworking.

After a long moment of deliberation, Sein chose to proceed with the redesign.

The wasted magicoins were a small price to pay.

Having survived countless dangerous encounters, Sein knew well that hoarding wealth was meaningless. Only by converting it into real combat strength could he hope to prevail in the Clash of Civilizations.

When the cube finished its analysis, Sein recalled it into his hand.

Removing the Faceless Mask, he glanced between it and the cube, sinking into thought...

***

Yuri’s breakthrough went smoothly.

She emerged from the training room Sein had prepared for her as a true Rank Four being.

Her advancement, however, did not show itself through elemental mastery but through her extraordinarily refined mental control.

Yuri’s mental focus had finally reached 100,000 points—the baseline required of a Rank Four mage in Magus World.

Yet she lacked the mastery of diverse elemental powers or the lawful body of a true mage.

Her greatest strength lay in piloting mecha.

Without one capable of matching her new specifications, Yuri’s power would scarcely surpass that of a Rank Three being.

Sein’s body-tempering experiments had elevated her constitution far beyond most Rank Four and even some higher ranking pilots in the Gallant Federation.

In truth, a mage’s true measure of power lay not in numbers but in knowledge.

Take Sein, for example. He had long stopped paying much attention to his mana or focus values. Those continued to grow steadily on their own, but his mind was absorbed in experiments and research.

The only stat he bothered to check from time to time was constitution, since he frequently conducted body-tempering experiments.

After Yuri advanced to Rank Four, Sein noticed a distinct change—his control over her soul had weakened considerably.

Beings of Rank Four and beyond were naturally far more difficult to bind.

Within the Magus Alliance, there were slaves of that level, but they were rare and usually shackled by those skilled in soul enslavement.

With Yuri, however, Sein had no intention of strengthening his control through force.

Compared to soul manipulation, deepening their emotional bond proved not only more effective but also more fitting for the relationship they shared.

And so far, Sein had sensed no signs of Yuri pulling away.

If anything, she seemed even more attached to him. Her advancement to Rank Four only made her all the more eager to serve and support him.

“Go try out your new mecha. Because of the modifications, it took longer than expected to finish. It’s still a work in progress. I had hoped you would break through alongside it,” Sein said, ruffling her hair.

“Thank you, Master,” Yuri replied, her cheeks tinged with a blush.

Though her mecha was not yet fully assembled, the main body was complete, and several weapon systems had already been installed.

Inside the Divine Tower of Ashes’ training room, Yuri climbed into the cockpit and tested her new ride.

With her Rank Four breakthrough and the new mecha, her combat strength now far exceeded what she had shown back in the days on Nexon!

Even in its current state, the mecha elevated her to the power of a mid-stage Rank Four. And once the remaining upgrades were finished, her potential would only grow further!

“Give it a name,” Sein said.

Yuri stepped out of the cockpit, lowered her gaze, and replied softly, “I still want to call her Burning Flame.”

“Fine.” Sein gave a brief nod, accepting her choice.