Sovereign of the Ashes-Chapter 968: Northern Witches Council

“So it turns out that Hell, the homeplane of the demons, was destroyed long ago along with many of its native creatures, some of whom later migrated to Magus World. The Abyssal Dragons that dwell in the depths of the northern Magus Continent were originally inhabitants of the Hell Plane...” Sein murmured as he flipped through a comprehensive genealogy of Hell’s creatures.[1]

In truth, Sein already knew quite a bit about the demons.

With Natalya as his wife and Sia as his mother-in-law, combined with the extensive research he had conducted in divine tower libraries during his early years, he had accumulated a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

During the Wild Gorilla World War, Sein had witnessed a knightly order fielding an entire legion of Drake Knights.

Those drakes were a subspecies of the Abyssal Dragon.

Unlike the dragons commonly raised in the Byrne Empire, Abyssal Dragons were larger, more powerful, unruly, and difficult to tame.

Yet, despite their rebellious nature, they had been forced to adapt and tread carefully in the Magus World after submitting to the Magus Civilization.

While no Abyssal Dragon armies existed, legions of drakes carrying Abyssal Dragon bloodlines were steadily rising among the knightly orders.

The Abyssal Dragons were also obligated to answer the Magus Civilization’s call whenever they were needed in war.

Additionally, high-ranking Summoners, particularly those who had befriended dragons, could easily summon them in other planes too.

Of course, the dragons were pressured into befriending these summoners.

After all, no dragons were foolish enough to make enemies with anyone from the Magus Civilization!

Unlike the Abyssal Dragons, the demons had never been welcomed in the Magus World.

Despite the Magus Civilization’s inclusiveness, the destructive and bloodthirsty nature of this once-dominant race of the Hell Plane had made full integration impossible.

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Whether demons or devils, their presence in any world inevitably brought chaos and bloodshed.

Even within the Magus Alliance, there were frequent incidents of allied planes being ransacked by star pirates.

Among these rogue factions, devils and demons had earned a particularly infamous reputation.

While studying the history of demons, Sein hoped to find ways to strengthen himself by deciphering the secrets of demon genealogy.

After all, strengthening bloodline power was also a form of body tempering.

After obtaining Flame Demon blood, Sein had clearly felt a difference—his body tempering process had improved significantly compared to the past.

The demons had a notorious reputation, but their talent for passive evolution was undeniable, perhaps even absurd.

It was said that all demons, regardless of their potential, began their existence as nothing more than weak, insignificant demon worms.

Yet, through constant evolution and survival of the fittest, some managed to ascend through the ranks, reaching formidable heights—becoming ruthless beings like the Hell Bloodwar Monarch.

The potential of the demons was truly something to marvel at.

Looking back, Sein’s decision to absorb a demon bloodline into his own body seemed like a wise one.

During his studies in Sky City, Sein had also come across records of another prehistoric species—the angels.

According to Sky City’s archives, angels—masters of lumen elemental energy—were even more powerful than the demons.

In fact, it was the angels who had destroyed Hell, wiping out the demons’ homeplane.

But unfortunately, these celestial beings were now mere relics of history. Sein doubted he would ever have the chance to see one.

The records indicated that not a single angel had been sighted anywhere in the surrounding star domains.

He had wanted to investigate further, to learn where they had gone, but in the end, he hit a dead end because his rank was not high enough.

The Magus Civilization did not permit lower-ranking beings to access certain classified knowledge prematurely, as such exposure would do little to aid their growth.

For instance, Sky City undoubtedly contained vast amounts of information on the power of laws and even those wielded by the overlords and overmages.

Yet, Sein was unqualified to access such knowledge.

Even at Rank Three Arcanist, he would only be able to scratch the surface of laws.

As for higher-level secrets, those were far beyond his reach for now.

The Magus Civilization’s restrictions on knowledge were not about control, but rather a safeguard—designed for proper development of mages themselves.

Sometimes, knowing too much too soon could be detrimental rather than beneficial.

“I wonder if I’ll ever get my hands on an angel specimen in my lifetime. A perfect lumen elemental being, huh...?” Sein mumbled to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Beyond his fascination with ancient beings and prehistoric records, Sein had another pressing issue.

His Arcane points were running dangerously low, and his Arcanist rank was nowhere near high enough.

The exploration of magical truth was never something that could be achieved overnight.

Sein, who had only accumulated knowledge for a few hundred years, would need an even longer period to sharpen his understanding and continue growing.

Yet, despite that, his time in Sky City had already proven invaluable.

Even though the Spider Queen had not pressed him to leave in recent years, Sein’s depleted Arcane points left him with no choice but to depart.

“Next time I come to Sky City, I’ll make sure to stay for a full one hundred years!” Sein muttered through gritted teeth.

The declaration was both a vow and a way to motivate himself.

To earn more Arcane points, climb higher in the Arcanist rank, and unravel even deeper truths, he had no choice but to persevere and push forward in his pursuit of magical truth.

***

Leaving Sky City’s huge teleportation array, Sein’s next destination lay within the territory of the Northern Witches Council.

As the center of Magus World, Sky City had direct teleportation links to all of the top-tier factions.

He could have used the teleportation array to travel directly to the territory of the Pyro Secret Society or even the Western Archipelago.

Since the Spider Queen was absent, Sein chose to first visit the Northern Witches Council, rather than heading directly to the Western Archipelago as per her orders.

He had always been deeply intrigued by the Northern Witches Council.

The world was called Magus World—not Mage World or Knight World—because both mages and knights had originated from the ancient Magus profession.

Over time, the magi evolved into a more advanced, specialized path—the mages, who were better suited to the structure and development of Magus Civilization.

The traditional Magus profession had long since faded into obscurity, preserved only by a handful of witches—and male Magi had become incredibly rare.

The Knight profession was not a naturally developed path; it was the creation of ancient magi’s ingenuity.

Originally, knights were nothing more than servants to the ancient magi.

In the earliest days, they did not cultivate battle qi on their own.

Their strength came entirely from bloodline modification experiments conducted by the magi.

Yet, as the magi evolved into mages, knights also broke free from their status as servants and became a dominant force in the Magus World.

This was the inevitable evolution that accompanied the relentless march of time.

Still, Sein could not help but wonder—what would the Magus Civilization look like thousands or even millions of years from now?

It was said that Steel City’s Mechanics had only emerged in the last two hundred thousand years.

Before that, the Mechanics profession did not even exist.

Sein had come to the Northern Witches Council for two reasons.

First, he wanted to explore the oldest roots of the Magus Civilization and its mystical sorcery.

The second, he had come to find Rank Two Witch Marylou. The prophecy she made centuries ago had really put him through a lot of trouble.

1. Please take note that there is a term change for "Demon" and "Devil". For more information, please visit the footnote of Chapter 910. ☜