Sovereign of the Ashes

“Oh, that Rank Five creature hasn’t even escaped. Is he overconfident in his own strength, or is he holding out hope for joining the Magus Alliance?” Feylis remarked with a chuckle in the space fortress.

At that moment, the only person beside Feylis was Sein’s mentor, Lorianne.

Around them, two holograms materialized. It was Gregory the Whispering Flame and Bernice the Floating Flame.

These four individuals were the key forces spearheading the assault on the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Responding to Feylis’ amused remark, Bernice speculated, “Perhaps the latter. A number of medium and lower-level civilizations around the Neisse Star Domain have already surrendered to the Magus World. Even the worlds beyond the Neisse Star Domain are now initiating contact, seeking to join the Magus Alliance rather than face our war fleet.”

“Well, it’s better for them to reach out first, for their own sake and their people’s best interests,” Bernice added with a chuckle.

The mages of the Magus Civilization were known for their wisdom and reason.

Yet, in many surrounding star domains and civilizations, the “Magus Civilization” was perceived as “cold-blooded”, “terrifying”, and “tyrannical”.

Civilizations in the worlds located near the star domains controlled by the Magus Civilization shuddered under its formidable authority.

Similarly, even ancient and powerful civilizations nestled deep within the star domains, far from the spatial reach of the Magus Civilization, have gradually learned of this prosperous, thriving civilization, and now regard it with a mix of apprehension and caution.

Bernice’s chuckle resonated with absolute confidence and pride in the Magus Civilization’s strength.

Yet, to the inhabitants of the Viridian Venom Flame World, this very same laughter echoed with cruelty.

In the Astral Realm, the harsh reality of survival of the fittest remained an unchanging truth.

“I can remain here for another half a year. Do you need me to help break through the planar barriers first?” Feylis asked her three apprentices.

Lorianne and the others exchanged glances, and finally, it was Gregory who spoke up.

“There’s no need for you to handle such a trivial task personally. It’s just a weak, low-level plane. I’ll take care of it!”

With that, Gregory’s three-dimensional hologram vanished.

***

Upon arriving outside the Viridian Venom Flame World, Sein followed the instructions in the crystal ball and proceeded to his designated location within the space fortress in preparation for battle.

He had not received any messages from Master Lorianne lately. It seemed she was preoccupied with preparations for the impending battle and was unable to tend to Sein at the moment.

In the designated area, Sein found himself among nearly two hundred full-fledged mages, most of whom were from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame.

He had just gotten in touch with Eileen and learned they were on standby in a different area.

The translucent windows lining the walls of the fortress offered Sein and the other mages a glimpse of the world outside.

As Sein braced himself, ready to confront any battle or anomaly, a buzz of whispers and murmurs suddenly filled the air.

Following the gaze of the surrounding mages, Sein peered through a particular translucent crystal window. To his utter astonishment, he saw an elemental giant standing thousands of meters tall outside in the Viridian Venom Flame World, its body engulfed in verdant flames!

“Is that... Master Gregory?” Sein uttered in disbelief, staring at the elemental giant outside the space fortress.

***

Outside the fortress, Gregory, having activated his elemental body, resembled a colossal ancient giant as he slowly advanced toward the Viridian Venom Flame World.

His massive elemental body, alight with burning verdant flames, was nearly as imposing as the space fortress itself, its fiery glow resonating with the Viridian Venom Flame World.

As Gregory neared the Viridian Venom Flame World, the pyro elemental particles of the entire realm seemed to stir, becoming more energetic and chaotic.

Gregory, the elemental giant, bellowed with unbridled laughter.

“Gwahahahahahaha! Master Feylis is right. The element of this plane and its power of law perfectly align to our Verdant Flame lineage. I wonder, if I were to immerse my true body in the navel of this pyro elemental plane, to what extent could I temper my Verdant Flame Body? I’m certain Master Feylis is also attracted to the unique power of this plane’s laws. What a... wonderful world this is!”

His eyes, ablaze with verdant flames, betrayed a raw greed and desire for possession.

In response to Gregory’s laughter, a distinctive chirping sound emerged from the molten sea at the heart of the Viridian Venom Flame World.

A massive black and red bird, with a wingspan spanning thousands of meters and shrouded in thick, black smoke, soared toward the planar barrier of the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Its size suggested a power not far from Gregory’s elemental body.

Yet, facing Gregory, a Rank Five mage, and the three even larger space fortresses looming behind him, the bird’s demeanor was remarkably humble.

The giant bird surrounded by flames, smoke and venom element inquired humbly, “I have already submitted our application to join the Magus Alliance. Why then does the powerful Magus World army still loom over our Viridian Venom Flame World? Could there be some misunderstanding?”

The Rank Five creature of the Viridian Venom Flame World, despite understanding the gravity of its situation, maintained a posture of humility and respect.

It was not out of ignorance, but rather a reflection of the despair inherent in weaker races and civilizations!

“Gwahahahaha, your Viridian Venom Flame World’s application to join the Magus Alliance has been rejected! The Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, Whispering Flame, the Floating Flame and Verdant Spring have united to suppress and purge this traitorous world for its past support to the Neisse Civilization!” Gregory the elemental giant bellowed with a sneer.

“How is that possible? The contract application on my side hasn’t been terminated. And the last visitor from the Pyro Secret Society was Master Makron, a Rank Five mage...” Anridar the Venom Flame Demon King protested in disbelief.

Before the foreign god could elaborate further, Gregory had lost his patience to continue listening to it.

Sein’s initial impression of Master Gregory was right.

Despite being a powerful mage, Master Gregory bore more resemblance to a knight in his actions.

With a low growl, Gregory unleashed a massive black magic rod in a swift motion that caught Anridar the Venom Flame Demon King off-guard.

This massive magic rod, which had grown tremendously in size, pierced through the layers of space and hurtled rapidly toward Anridar.

A layer of translucent bluish-gray barrier absorbed a significant portion of the rod’s formidable impact, yet under the immense force and strain, it wavered precariously.

This barrier was the planar barrier of the Viridian Venom Flame World that provided protection and a hospitable environment for its hundreds of millions of inhabitants.

Frustrated by his inability to breach the planar barrier with one strike, Gregory did not resort to conventional magic spells.

He instead transformed his body into a gigantic meteorite, ablaze with verdant flames, and hurled himself directly at the Viridian Venom Flame World!

“Is this the formidable power of a Rank Five mage?” Sein marveled as he watched the scene unfold from within the fortress.

The sheer display of power and the method of attack were beyond anything Sein, a mere Rank One mage, had ever imagined possible.