Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 504: Brand

The skeletal dragon before Sein was not his enemy, as evidenced by its actions in dispersing and calming the nearby undead creatures.

However, Sein maintained a cautious stance toward the formidable creature.

The significant disparity in their strengths made it difficult for them to interact calmly and as equals.

Although Sein possessed the Viridescent Seeds from Master Lorianne, they were not high-level allies but merely disposable consumables with limited lifespans.

While Sein conversed with the skeletal dragon, Leena flew to his side. Yet, her gaze was fixed on the black crystal that Sein had just retrieved.

The composition of the black crystal was a mystery, but as an umbramancer, Leena found herself instantly attracted to it.

The skeletal dragon also took notice of the crystal and exclaimed with frustration, “That’s the cursed thing Peano said would heal my injuries!”

“It did heal me, but it also trapped me in this subspace for six thousand years and clouded my senses! If you hadn’t removed it from my eye socket, I might never have regained my clarity!” the dragon growled.

Sein had initially believed the crystal to be valuable since it had been placed in the skeletal dragon’s eye socket for safekeeping.

Surprisingly, this creature from the Undead World displayed both repulsion and resentment toward the black crystal in Leena’s hand.

Reflecting on it now, Sein realized the skeletal dragon had indeed only regained its senses and revealed its origins after he had extracted the crystal.

Had he not done so, a fierce battle would likely have ensued.

“Peano once claimed this crystal could help me return to the Undead World. Is that true?” the skeletal dragon asked, turning its gaze to Leena.

As she continued to examine the crystal, Leena looked up and replied, “I found a set of spatial coordinates inside this crystal. Are they pointing to the Undead World?”

Her question visibly excited the skeletal dragon, causing it to writhe with agitation that even the giant plant creatures struggled to restrain it.

“They must be!” the skeletal dragon exclaimed, its soul flame flickering. “Although Peano is utterly despicable and cunning, most of what he said turned out to be true.”

The skeletal dragon’s description of Peano mirrored how beings from neighboring civilizations perceived the mages of the Magus World—cunning and challenging elementalists known for their manipulation of laws and exploitation of contractual loopholes.

These mages often fulfilled their contracts in such a way that left the other party seething with resentment.

The skeletal dragon before them was a prime example.

Peano had promised to repair its soul but had never mentioned that it would entail guarding the graveyard of this subspace for six thousand years!

“Can you help us return to the Undead World?” the skeletal dragon asked Leena impatiently.

“I know mages of the Magus World value equivalent exchange. I can compensate you satisfactorily!” it added, eager for a resolution.

As a pure undead creature, the skeletal dragon lacked mastery over spatial magic and related knowledge.

Its expertise lay in releasing freezing deathly mist and wielding various necromantic abilities. Additionally, it possessed formidable close-quarters combat skills, likely due to its “draconic” nature.

The fact that it took two giant plant creatures to barely restrain it attested to the skeletal dragon’s considerable physical strength.

Facing the skeletal dragon’s anxious inquiry, Leena examined the black crystal in her hand, deep in thought.

“I need to study this a bit longer. What can you offer us in return?” she asked.

The soul flame in the skeletal dragon’s eyes flickered twice before it tilted its head, saying somewhat reluctantly, “I’ve got some energy crystals or something of the sort. Don’t you mages from the Magus World value those highly?”

Despite being a skeletal dragon, it seemed to have inherited the typical draconic trait of hoarding wealth.

It had been trapped in this subspace for over six thousand years yet was still hesitant to part with its treasures for freedom.

Of course, Sein and Leena were not particularly interested in the skeletal dragon's energy crystals. Rather, they saw the dragon itself as the true “treasure”, notably due to its ability to command other undead creatures nearby.

Disregarding the dragon for a moment, Leena drew Sein aside and erected a soundproofed magic shield that could also block detection through mental focus.

“There’s indeed a set of spatial coordinates in this crystal, but I’m not sure if I can activate it successfully. I’ll need to delve deeper into that Necromancy and Summoning Magic book you gave me.”

“More importantly, I’ve also discovered an additional layer of prohibition within the black crystal, aside from the spatial coordinates,” Leena revealed.

“What kind of prohibition?” Sein asked.

“Any creature that leaves using the teleportation array, activated by the spatial coordinates, will be automatically branded. I believe that’s the true intent behind this crystal left by the mage named Peano,” Leena explained.

“I might be able to modify this branding to ensure that I have the priority to summon these undead creatures. Unfortunately, my focus and mana levels are still too low compared to them. If this weren’t the case, I could convert it into a slave brand. That would make things simpler,” Leena lamented with a shake of her head.

Hidden within their magic shield, the two Rank One mages discussed the fate and future of the undead creatures populating the graveyard.

Unaware of their discussions, the undead creatures, including the Rank One beings and the undead knight, remained quiet.

Only the skeletal dragon showed signs of restlessness, twisting its body uncomfortably under the pressure exerted by the two giant plant creatures.

After a moment, it raised its head, seemingly trying to guess the nature of Sein and Leena’s conversation.

“Do what you can, I’ll support you. But will we have enough time to send them all away, given that this subspace realm won’t remain open for long?” he asked.

“I’ll start with what’s possible. If it’s merely a one-way teleportation array to the Undead World, activating it with the spatial coordinates embedded in the crystal shouldn’t be too challenging,” Leena replied.