Sovereign of the Ashes

Most of the pyro elemental creatures halted before reaching the grand shrine nestled deep within the trench, displaying evident fear at the sight of the dark and imposing structure.

Only the guardian proceeded slowly into the grand shrine.

Anridar the Venom Flame Demon King, a Rank Five creature, had invested considerable effort into the creation of this dark shrine in the depths of the lava sea.

It was common for many Rank Four and above creatures from lesser worlds to label themselves as gods.

In fact, some worlds under the governance of the Magus Alliance adhered to a well-defined and rigid belief system in godly powers, though the Viridian Venom Flame World lacked a clear path to divinity.

Anridar’s ascend to Rank Five was achieved purely through passive evolution and its cunningness. Hence, it had minimal understanding of the intricacies involved in the divinity, godhood, godheads and divine realms within a true system of divine beliefs.

Within the Magus Alliance, the world that stood out for fully embracing the system of divine beliefs was the strongest world in the alliance—the Titan World.

With might surpassing the Neisse Civilization, the Titan World served as a crucial pillar of strength in the star domains governed by the Magus Civilization.

There were rumors that numerous Rank Four beings within the alliance aligned themselves with Titan World, leveraging its power to assert their influence.

Furthermore, the Divine King of Titans was currently the strongest foreign overlord within the Magus Alliance, unmatched in both strength and authority!

In contrast to Titan World, which has elevated their faiths in divinity to an extraordinary degree, the Viridian Venom Flame World appeared as a much less fortunate realm.

The shrine of Anridar was not supported by any unique power of law.

Under the dim light, one could see that intricate patterns and the image of Anridar were etched onto the shrine’s wall. Yet, these are merely ornamental, devoid of any special powers or functions.

At the end of the day, the Viridian Venom Flame World was only a relatively obscured low-level plane within the Astral Realm, and the birth of a Rank Five creature was its greatest blessing.

Its unique “verdant glaze” of this world further signified that the Viridian Venom Flame World would have its own small niche within the territories of the Magus Civilization in the future.

However, that was about the extent of it.

The guardian, significantly smaller and weaker than its predecessor, the Red Flamed Tortoise, suddenly raised its head and asked, “I heard that the silver mecha from the Neisse Civilization has been destroyed?”

Despite being small and weak, its voice echoed throughout the silent, empty and gloomy shrine with clarity.

For guardians, strength was actually irrelevant. What truly mattered was their devotion to their homeplane and their readiness to sacrifice everything for its protection.

After all, the Red Flamed Tortoise, remembered as one of the most formidable guardians in the history of Viridian Venom Flame World, was obliterated by the devastating force of the main cannon of the Magus Civilization’s space fortress.

Even a Rank Five creature like Anridar the Venom Flame Demon King did not dare to take the main cannon of the space fortress head-on, let alone a mere Rank Three like the Red Flamed Tortoise.

The guardian’s question was met with silence in the dark grand shrine.

However, a closer inspection would reveal a significant increase in temperature within the shrine, accompanied by the emergence of pungent, toxic gasses.

Unperturbed by the changes in the surroundings, the guardian continued deeper into the shrine.

Upon reaching the center, it straightened up its hunched back. Looking up, it declared, “Anridar, you’re the sinner of the Viridian Venom Flame World!”

The accusation was immediately met with a low, resonant roar, filled with indignant anger, echoing through the shrine.

Suddenly, the dim interior was alight with vibrant red and green flames, revealing a behemoth plastered against the ceiling, dwarfing the guardian with its several hundred meters stature and glaring down with fierce, menacing eyes.

Anridar, the Venom Flame Demon King, was not at its full size.

During the clash with Master Gregory in his elemental giant form, Anridar had expanded its body to at least three thousand meters.

Presently, its condition had markedly deteriorated.

The reddish-green glow in the shrine came from its feathers and skin which was marred by numerous grotesque scars.

Not only that, one of the wings on its back appeared to have been brutally damaged, likely by a formidable external force.

“Are you blaming me for this world’s defeat?” Anridar’s voice rumbled deeply, its dark, glowing eyes fixed threateningly on the guardian as if it was ready to devour the prawn at any moment.

The guardian stood firm, unfazed by Anridar’s intimidating gaze. For guardians, who had dedicated their lives wholly to their homeplane, their world’s welfare vastly outweighed their own lives.

“It was you who lured the Neisse Civilization and Magus World here, causing our homeplane to suffer this foreign invasion for the past thousands of years!” the guardian stated plainly.

As the guardian of the world, it possessed a broader perspective than the average pyro elemental creatures of the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Although the Magus Civilization Army had locked down this world, the guardian remained informed about the situations of the other nearby planes in the Astral Realm through various communication channels.

Among the worlds that once had interactions with the Viridian Venom Flame World, those that had not aligned with the Neisse Civilization were now initiating their integration into the Magus Alliance.

Although joining the Magus Alliance might not necessarily be a good thing, it was still a preferable alternative to the Viridian Venom Flame World’s current plight.

The guardian’s knowledge of the world’s millennia-long struggles, despite its two-thousand-year lifespan, came from the planar will after assuming the guardian role. It also learned of Anridar’s actions over the years.

If Anridar had not turned the Viridian Venom Flame World into a dumping site for component waste, its planar barrier would not have weakened to such an extent. Moreover, the diversity of species and the plane’s overall vitality would have been far better than its present state.

The main reason for the invasion was the “verdant glaze”, yet these unique deposits did not exist tens of thousands of years ago.

Ever since Anridar the Venom Flame Demon King forged a collaboration with the Neisse Civilization, a continuous influx of component waste was transported to the Viridian Venom Flame World for disposal.

It was the power of the molten lava and the unique laws of this world reacting with the component waste that gave rise to this unusual resource.

The guardian’s assessment was right!

Anridar the Venom Flame Demon King was responsible for the current state of affairs because of its actions!

“Are you planning to abandon the homeplane?” The guardian sneered coldly and looked up at the enraged Rank Five Creature.