Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 935: Despairer

Sein was not merely impressed by the hundred-strong initiate team.

Nearly all the initiates from the Divine Tower of Dark Flame Academy who entered the trial space had delivered remarkable performances.

Their strategy was anything but passive—they consistently sought out battles, taking the initiative at every opportunity.

While the Divine Tower of Astral Sun initiates in the neighboring zone bore the brunt of this aggression, they were not the only unlucky ones.

The Divine Tower of Ripple Wheel, whose territory also bordered the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, was similarly overwhelmed.

The Divine Tower of Dark Flame initiates were particularly ruthless in their approach.

Those bold enough to provoke battles in neighboring zones turned out to be the same ruthless individuals willing to kill without hesitation during the academy war.

Initiates from other academies were left with no choice but to brace themselves for sudden battles—or face outright elimination.

Within the first month of the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War, frequent spatial fluctuations came from the trial space as defeated initiates were forcibly ejected.

Due to the brutal tactics employed by the Divine Tower of Dark Flame initiates, Sein frequently became the target of sharp glances from Rank Three grand mages of the surrounding academies.

Meanwhile, the tower masters watching from high above remained inscrutable, their thoughts a mystery.

With the Divine Tower of Dark Flame initiates driving the pace of conflict, this regional academy war was progressing far faster than any previous ones.

Typically, such wars lasted around three years, with some extending as long as five or six.

Yet, due to the unrelenting pace set by the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, many deans speculated that the outcome of this war could be decided within just two years.

***

Unlike Sein, the expressions of the Rank Three grand mages from the other divine tower academies, particularly the deans, grew increasingly somber as the war progressed.

After all, the results of the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War were directly tied to the capabilities of these deans.

The major divine towers invested heavily in hiring them—not to raise a cadre of idlers.

If the results fell short, the disappointment of the tower masters would be one thing, but the deans themselves would also bear the sting of failure.

Of course, the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s early dominance did not mean everything was going in their favor.

The young initiates who thrived under the pressure of Sein’s Elimination System and were tempered by years of dangerous academy missions excelled in skirmishes and one-on-one combat.

However, when faced with larger-scale conflicts involving hundreds, thousands, or even full legions, their weaknesses began to show.

With only fifteen thousand participants against the nearly two hundred thousand initiates within the entire trial space, their numbers were simply too small.

Furthermore, not all of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame initiates were elite.

The majority were relatively weak junior and intermediate initiates, while senior initiates, as in other academies, made up only a small minority.

As the war progressed, the limitations of their smaller numbers and lack of experience in large-scale teamwork became increasingly apparent.

At first, the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s initiates caught their opponents from other academies off guard with their aggressive and unconventional tactics.

As the war extended beyond six months, the major divine tower academies gradually adapted after paying a certain price.

They studied the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s strategies and devised various countermeasures to handle their ambush.

Growing through constant challenge and adaptation was the hallmark of a qualified mage in the Magus World.

The performances of the other divine tower academies’ initiates—and the rare geniuses among them—soon captured Sein’s attention.

It was unclear whether this was the misfortune of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame or the good fortune of the other academies, but this war had brought forth a true standout.

While there was no legendary genius capable of wielding power on par with a Rank Two being, there was a Despairer[1] whose abilities rivaled Sein’s during his days as an initiate in the academy war.

This Despairer hailed from the Divine Tower of Ripple Wheel.

With the keen observation of Sein and the other Divine Tower Academy deans, they concluded that this young Quasi Mage could cast Rank One spells with considerable destructive power.

He seemed to wield lumen elemental magic, as his spell manifested as elliptical waves of light.

Unlike conventional lumen elemental magic, which usually inflicted burns or piercing damage, this was a slash spell.

The young initiate had even named his signature move the “Light Wheel Slash”.

This initiate, named Groth, had achieved exceptional mastery in lumen elemental magic—enough to impress even Sein, a Rank Three grand mage.

Sein remembered the Solar Eye spell he had developed during his own initiate days.

It undoubtedly surpassed this young Quasi mage’s Light Wheel Slash in terms of attack range and coverage. With the Solar Eye Mask, these effects were easily doubled.

Yet, when it came to precision and single-target lethality, Sein had to admit that his Solar Eye spell might still fall short of the Light Wheel Slash.

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Geniuses could emerge anywhere—not just under his own command.

This Despairer, whom Sein quietly admired, had eliminated two of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s top initiates.

This impressive feat had effectively halted the westward expansion of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s initiate team.

To the west of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s zone was the Divine Tower of Ripple Wheel’s zone, while to the east lay the Divine Tower of Astral Sun’s zone.

Sein could not help but sigh at the Divine Tower of Dark Flame’s misfortune in this academy war.

If it had not been sandwiched between two such formidable zones, the talented group of initiates he had painstakingly trained might have achieved even greater prominence.

What made the situation even harder to accept for three Rank Five divine towers was the fact that this academy war’s Despairer had not emerged from any of their own academies.

Instead, this exceptional talent had appeared in the Divine Tower of Ripple Wheel—overseen by a mere Rank Four tower master.

The Divine Tower of Ripple Wheel had also participated in the operations against the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, but Sein himself had no significant conflict with the mages from Ripple Wheel.

Watching the initiate named Groth eliminate two of his academy’s top initiates in quick succession, Sein approached the Divine Tower of Ripple Wheel mages to inquire about the background of this talented young Quasi Mage.

The one who answered Sein’s question was the dean of the Divine Tower Academy of Ripple Wheel, a middle-aged mage clad in a plaid-patterned magic robe.

From this Rank Three grand mage, Sein learned that Groth had been taken as the Tower Master of Ripple Wheel’s apprentice fifteen years ago.

It was not uncommon for a Rank Four mage’s apprentice to develop into a Despairer.

However, for a Tower Master to take in an initiate who had not even reached Rank One at the time was exceedingly rare.

Even Sein himself had only become Lorianne’s apprentice after the conclusion of an academy war.

1. Translator’s Note: Just a recap, “Despairer” was first introduced in Chapter 181. It was a title given to the initiate capable of instilling a profound sense of despair in others during an academy war. ☜