Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 406: Verdant Cage

The sudden emergence of a dozen plant creatures abruptly silenced the raspy laughter of the Rank Two black mage, who hovered at a low altitude.

Although these creatures, bred in Lorianne’s world laboratory were typically used as cannon fodder, the appearance of over a dozen Rank One and Two beings entities startled even a black mage of Van Basten’s mental fortitude.

The most shocking were the four massive plants, towering over twenty meters high and exuding the aura of Rank Two creatures. As their verdant vines lashed out, Van Basten’s first instinct was to flee!

However, he was already trapped. There was no way Sein would allow him the chance to escape!

The greatest advantage of these plant creatures was the element of surprise.

Sein, Yuri, and Sev, all Rank One entities, were now primarily focused on keeping Van Basten pinned down, preventing him from ascending to a higher altitude where he might escape.

Though powerful, the plant creatures’ effectiveness was limited by terrain—they struggled in the ocean or at high altitudes.

During the Viridian Venom Flame World war, Sein had only deployed these Viridescent Seeds on the Flame Continents, never during battles over the sea of molten lava.

There was no such thing as perfection in the Astral Realm.

Lorianne’s ability to cultivate these Viridescent Seeds showcased her superb mastery in dendro magic.

As her apprentice, Sein was fortunate to benefit from her innovations, leaving him no room to be picky.

Hundreds of Verdant Flame Eye beams rained down, effectively thwarting the Rank Two black mage’s attempt to ascend into the sky.

Although Sein’s signature spell remained the Verdant Flame Eye, his continuous enhancements had elevated this spell to near the peak among other Rank One spells.

Characterized by a high rate of fire, formidable single-attack power, and broad coverage, it often caught those unfamiliar with Sein off guard.

The overconfidence of the Rank Two black mage was to be his own undoing. He knew a little about Sein’s Verdant Flame Eye spell.

This was precisely why he had planned to capture Sein alive—to extract the secrets of the verdant flame magic.

However, his arrogance was costing him dearly now.

At the same time, Yuri pushed her abilities to their limits.

Two beams of bright red light shot out from the arms of the Burning Flame Unit she was piloting.

Yuri's prowess was not limited to only long-range energy rays and cannon attacks; her melee capabilities were formidable as well.

Despite Sein's previous critiques of Yuri’s constitution, the engineers from the Neisse Civilization did not rely on their bodies to fight.

It was Yuri’s excellent piloting skills and the robust metal shell of her constructs that allowed her to wield the combat power of a peak Rank One creature in close combat.

Without her mecha, Sein could easily take on two Yuris in physical combat.

However, when Yuri was inside her mecha, she could take on two Seins.

This stark contrast highlights the differences in fighting styles and civilizational systems, suggesting that Sein’s earlier claim about the inferiority of the Neisse Civilization’s development compared to the Magus World was not entirely accurate.

Rather, the development of Neisse Civilization represented just one facet of the boundless and dazzling diversity found across the billions of planes in the Astral Realm.

Yuri, armed with two lightsabers and engaging fearlessly with the Rank Two black mage, demonstrated her readiness to sacrifice everything for Sein.

Sev also fought fearlessly, fully aware of the black mage’s strength and cruelty—especially given that this was a Rank Two opponent.

The bond between Sev and Sein, forged over many years of companionship, was unbreakable.

If Sein had not rescued Sev, who was severely wounded in the White Raven Forest at the Black Magic Academy, this magic beast, known only by its codename, would have faded into obscurity.

Sevs’ sharp claws reached for the black mage’s shoulder, while conjuring an Aeroball spell with its wings, causing the magic shield around the mage to ripple.

At this moment, the majority of the Rank Two black mage Van Basten's attention was focused on the plant creatures attacking from all directions.

Although these plant creatures currently seemed slow and lacked the ability to fight in the sky, Van Basten knew that if the fight continued, the situation would become increasingly unfavorable to him!

The vines were whipping through the air, almost blotting out the sky.

With the four Rank Two plant creatures as the primary force, over a dozen others sent vines shooting upward, forming what seemed to be a verdant cage intended to trap the Rank Two black mage.

Van Basten’s ability to elementalize his body should have provided him an advantage in escaping the entrapment. Yet, as he attempted to weave through the network of vines with his elemental body, a sudden wave of dizziness clouded his mind.

This was a sign of poisoning, possibly even mental toxins!

These greenish plant creatures were not only robust and formidable but also contained potent toxicity within their trunks!

Although Master Lorianne, specialized in dendro magic, she was also the youngest apprentice of Grandmaster Verdant Flame, Feylis. This background gave her access to a blend of knowledge.

While Sein studying verdant flame magic, he had already discovered its inherent potent toxicity.

Although Lorianne did not focus extensively on pyro magic, the meticulous guidance from her master, Feylis, allowed a quick learner like her to grasp the secrets of venom magic while embarking on the path of dendro magic.

Consequently, this knowledge was naturally incorporated into her cultivation of Viridescent Seeds.

During the Viridian Venom Flame World war, Sein mainly used these seeds against the mecha from the Neisse Civilization.

As a man-made metal product, the Neisse Civilization’s constructs were highly resistant to poison, causing Sein to overlook the toxic properties of the plant creatures catalyzed by the Viridescent Seeds.

Nevertheless, Sein recalled that when these plant creatures were first deployed in the Viridian Venom Flame World, they successfully repelled the assault from the mecha army from the Neisse Civilization and the native pyro elemental creatures at the main fortress base.

At the time, Sein attributed this success to Lorianne’s divine might and forbidden spell, but now he realized that the swift defeat of the native pyro elemental creatures might largely have been due to the toxins.

He watched the green vines in the sky tighten and converge, forming an inescapable cage that trapped the Rank Two black mage who had transformed into a mass of dark clouds.

“Is it working?” Sein felt a surge of hope.