Chapter 190: Ambush
Lucius was the Tower Master of Radiant Thunder, while Lorianne was the name of the Tower Master of Verdant Spring.
Lucius appeared somewhat embarrassed by the comment made by the Tower Master of Land Academy, referencing the events of the last regional war.
In the previous session, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring lost nearly four thousand initiates in the trial space, many at the hands of the Divine Tower of Shadow and the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder.
Together, these two divine towers were responsible for escalating the casualty rate of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring by twenty percent in the last war.
The strategy of the Divine Tower of Shadow seemed to have been premeditated by its academy deans, a tactical choice to target perceived weaker adversaries.
However, the aggressive tactics of the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder in the previous Regional Inter-Academy War were not directly linked to the decisions of its tower master or deans.
The primary reason for their assertiveness was the emergence of an exceptional figure within their ranks that year.
Martinez, nicknamed the Elector Commander, emerged as a dark horse in the last war. He not only dominated the five major divine towers’ territories but also ultimately secured the top spot in the standings.
Martinez’s extreme personality was shaped by his early life experiences.
Born into a struggling noble house, he faced numerous challenges before joining the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder at the age of fifty.
Back then, he was only an intermediate initiate.
His relentless pursuit of power, coupled with his exceptional affinity for the electro element, propelled his meteoric rise within the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder.
In just over a decade, Martinez became a Quasi Mage and represented the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder in the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War.
If Martinez had shown a willingness to communicate with others or lead the other initiates in earning points, the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder might have secured the first place in the last academy war.
Initiates like him were often met with a mix of admiration and resentment, irrespective of the divine tower they hailed from.
Now formally apprenticed to the Tower Master of Radiant Thunder, a distinguished Rank Five mage specializing in electro magic spells, Martinez was perceived as a successor to Lucius’ faction.
Consequently, the Tower Master of Land Academy’s allusions to the previous war, particularly those about his new apprentice, made Lucius somewhat uncomfortable.
Compared to his apprentice’s colder demeanor, Lucius was a more amiable figure.
In fact, all the five divine tower masters in this region were easy-going people and maintained cordial relations with each other.
This included the somewhat somber Tower Master of Shadow, who had been a great help to Lorianne during the early stages of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s construction.
For the esteemed tower masters, the conflicts and skirmishes among initiates in the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy Wars would not impact their friendships with each other.
They viewed the event much like a training they had set up for their initiates—akin to watching ants they had nurtured fighting against each other.
These tower masters might take note of the most exceptional initiates, occasionally rewarding those who stood out for their strength and skills.
Being accepted as a disciple by the Tower Master of the Divine Tower of Radiant Thunder was an uncommon privilege, and for Martinez, the top initiate of the last war, it was a recognition that matched his extraordinary skills and performance.
The question from the Tower Master of Shadow was largely influenced by the presence of the Summer Guardian.
Had the Summer Guardian not chanced upon the region where the five divine towers stood, it was likely that none of the tower masters gathered here above the trial space would have paid much heed to the ongoing regional academy war.
Indeed, Martinez was only accepted as an apprentice by the Tower Master of Radiant Thunder post-war.
On that particular day, the Tower Master of Radiant Thunder had just emerged from his laboratory after completing a significant research experiment. While he was in high spirits, he was informed of Martinez’s exceptional performance and decided to take him under his wing.
(Author’s Note: Under normal circumstances, the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy Wars are overseen by the deans of various divine tower academies. The tower masters generally do not engage in these affairs, considering them to be minor. Hence, the outcomes and rankings of these wars serve as key indicators of their deans’ capabilities.)
“Hehe, it seems I may have come across a promising initiate this time. Let’s see how he fares,” the Summer Guardian remarked with a chuckle.
The other tower masters followed her gaze, which was fixed on the scene below.
Although the Summer Guardian had previously announced plans to visit the Western Archipelago, she showed no immediate inclination to leave.
The four guardians of the Magus World, each known to the tower masters only by their reputations and achievements, were enigmatic figures.
The Summer Guardian was known for her fiery passion and direct manner.
Therefore, she stood out as the most unpredictable among the four guardians, a free spirit unshackled by the norms.
She was not as disciplined as the Winter Guardian, as diligent as the Autumn Guardian, nor was she as gentle as the Spring Guardian.
It was widely believed that no one in the Magus World could tame or contain her whims.
If she chose to stay and observe a while longer, it was certain that none of the five tower masters would have the audacity to urge her departure.
***
In the trial space, Sein finally found a relatively empty and safe area to land and began tallying the spoils of his expedition.
The assorted space rings and magic equipment were too numerous to count in a short time, so Sein set them aside for the time being.
Instead, he focused on the substantial points he had accumulated thus far.
14,760 points!
Given that this was nearly double his initial score, it was no surprise that Sein had soared to the top of the real-time rankings.
Nevertheless, the conspicuous golden light emitting from his badge was a nuisance.
Even in this open area, its radiant glow was a beacon to any nearby initiates, potentially revealing his location.
Considering the heavy losses incurred by the Divine Tower of Shadow, Sein anticipated they would seek retribution.
“It seems like the only option now is to dismantle this divine tower badge and find a way to conceal the golden light,” Sein mused.
He had previously dismantled the badge from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, even developing special functions for them.
As a skilled alchemist, he was confident in his ability to address this problem.
However, as soon as Sein retrieved a simple alchemy table from his space bangle, a shadow arrow whizzed by, narrowly missing him.
If not for the detect magic embedded in his Solar Eye Mask, he might have been caught off guard.
The assailant’s ability to track and remain concealed was impressive, having silently followed Sein to this location!
“You think you can wreak havoc in our Divine Tower of Shadow’s territory and leave unscathed? Seems like the lessons from the last regional war weren’t enough for you!” The hidden assailant sneered, after identifying Sein as an initiate from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring through his divine tower badge.
“Hehe... After that intense battle and using a Levitate spell to flee here, I bet your focus and mana reserves must be drained, right? Prepare to meet your end! Your points will be mine!”
A flurry of shadow arrows shot toward Sein from multiple directions.
“You think so?” Sein asked after narrowly evading one of the shadow arrows.
He suddenly looked up, his gaze fixating on a large tree about tens of meters away.
In just the blink of an eye, six points of blinding golden light lit up on the surface of Sein’s golden mask.
Without any warning, the beams burst forth, engulfing not only the large tree but also the sizable area around it in a dazzling display of light!