Sovereign of the Ashes

Deep in the Verdant Leaf Forest, Sein encountered Natalya and the others amidst evidence of a brutal battle that surpassed even the devastation Sein had seen elsewhere in the Verdant Leaf World.

The landscape was littered with countless corpses of plant and insect creatures.

Despite the fall of the Ancient Verdant Banyan, the remaining native forces of the Verdant Leaf Forest continued their resistance.

The task of subduing these stubborn holdouts had been assigned to the centaurs.

Meanwhile, the mages and knights of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring were preoccupied with plundering the rich resources of the forest.

As the birthplace of the guardian and the last bastion of the Bamboo Leaf Dragonfly Clan, the Verdant Leaf Forest was a repository of the greatest wealth in the Verdant Leaf World.

Though the war was waged by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, conquering this microplane would have been impossible without the combined efforts of all involved.

Even cannon fodder like the centaurs and minotaurlings managed to earn their share during the conflict. How could the divine tower possibly overlook the contributions of the knights and mages who had fought in their ranks?

Ultimately, what the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring coveted most was the untapped resources of this microplane.

The spoils of war were simple—whoever claimed them, owned them.

Beyond the naturally occurring resources, any personal gains made by the knights and mages during the war were theirs to keep.

Moreover, at the war's conclusion, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring would award each participant based on their contributions and overall performance.

It was this promise of lucrative rewards that drew many knights and mages from the Magus World to the fray.

After all, knights needed funds for potions and magic equipment, just as mages required financial support for their experimental research.

Profit, then, was the driving force behind the initiation, execution, and conclusion of the war.

When Sein reunited with Natalya and the others, they had just finished reaping the rewards from their recent exploits in the Verdant Leaf Forest War.

Reina sat atop a fallen massive ancient tree, savoring the hind leg of some creature that had been roasted to a perfect golden brown.

Given its size, Sein speculated that the leg must have belonged to a Thunder Beast from Thunderfall World, as creatures this large were non-existent in Verdant Leaf World.

Reina's life oscillated between battling foes, eating, and honing her skills in the gravity training room.

Her social engagements were extremely limited; aside from Natalya and Sein, she found it hard to name anyone else she could truly consider a friend.

When Sein reunited with the group, Reina was the first he approached.

Intrigued by the aroma of the roasted leg she was enjoying, he could not help but wonder how she had prepared and cooked it.

As Sein stood before Reina, she paused and looked up.

Her octagonal hammer rested by her feet, emphasizing her imposing stature akin to that of a small giant.

Sein wasted no time and cut straight to the chase. "I have a gift for you, but you'll have to assist me with a few more experiments."

At the mention of "experiments", Reina nearly dropped her roasted leg in alarm.

Her plump chin quivered as she contemplated how to politely decline Sein's request.

Sensing her reluctance, Sein raised his hand and quickly interrupted her, "Why don't you take a look at the gift first before rejecting me?"

He then presented a piece of shoulder armor, one of the five exceptional magic equipment he had crafted recently.

This piece, the largest and heaviest of the set, suited Reina perfectly.

In its dormant state, the orange shoulder armor resembled a lion's head.

When activated with special geo and metallic energies, it transformed into a formidable half-body armor, significantly enhancing the wearer's defense.

Additionally, the armor featured an energy shield and elemental countershock capabilities.

Considering Sein's limited experience in crafting equipment for knights, his first attempt was pretty impressive.

The shoulder armor caught Reina's attention instantly, captivating her so much that she did not even notice that her roasted meat had slipped from her grasp.

Natalya, Sia, and the others looked on with envy.

Fortunately, Gould was absent. Otherwise, the notoriously shameless man would have pestered Sein to craft a similar piece for him.

Even if Sein's gift came with the condition that Reina must assist in his experiments, Gould would be willing to take her place if possible.

He would gladly participate in a few experiments in exchange for a piece of top-notch equipment.

As a knight who had mastered geo and metallic battle qi, this shoulder armor seemed almost custom-made for Reina.

Faced with such a blatant lure, she reached out to touch the armor Sein presented, as if in a trance.

He even generously handed it over for her to try on.

Upon receiving it, Reina affixed the equipment to her right shoulder.

A flash of yellow light burst forth. Amidst the harmonizing elemental rhythms, the shoulder piece transformed into a set of half-armor that covered her upper body.

Reina already owned various pieces of defensive gear—wrist guards, leg guards, and back armor.

However, her immense size made it difficult for her to find a full suit of armor that could cover her entire body like Natalya's did.

The issue was not that she could not bear the weight of the heavy armor; rather, such armor would hinder the large, sweeping movements essential to her fighting style.

The shoulder armor Sein introduced was perfect for her.

In its inactive state, it functioned simply as a shoulder guard. But once activated, it expanded into a half-body armor that allowed her full range of motion.

More importantly, Sein had deliberately designed it to project an ancient and imposing presence.

Clearly, he was seeking a favor from her.

Of all the magic equipment he had crafted recently, this shoulder armor was the piece he had invested the most effort into, especially in its aesthetics.

Though initially reluctant to participate in Sein's grueling body tempering experiments, Reina was a woman of her word.

After accepting the shoulder armor, she nodded solemnly and replied, "All right, I'll assist with a few more experiments."

"How many sessions exactly, though?" she asked with growing concern.

With a reassuring smile, Sein replied, "It's hard to say exactly how many—it all depends on the experiments' progress."

For some reason, that smile sent a chill down Reina's spine.

All of a sudden, the shoulder armor felt scorchingly hot in her hands, as if warning her of the commitment she had just made.