Sovereign of the Ashes

Whether it was Sein, Reina, Natalya, or Yuri, they were all seasoned partners who had fought together for centuries.

Their experiences, especially in the brutal intensity of the Sandstorm World War, had forged an incredible level of synergy.

Sein’s offensive prowess was unmatched, while Natalya excelled in defense, making their alternating strategies on the battlefield highly effective. Together, they could handle even a Rank Three creature in battle.

Reina, on the other hand, was a powerhouse of both offense and defense with extraordinary stamina. However, her lack of long-range attacks remained one of her few shortcomings.

Yuri might have appeared ordinary compared to the three exceptional Rank Two Magus World knights and a mage, but she possessed decent long-range combat skills and mobility.

In fact, Yuri had more than one mecha at her disposal. The reason she only deployed the Burning Flame Unit was that the time to reveal her full arsenal had not yet arrived.

Sein, too, held back his full strength. He maintained his basic pyro elemental body instead of unleashing his Flame Devil transformation.

The Viridescent Seeds Master Lorianne gave him remained untouched.

The first wave of battle soon unfolded in Sein’s view.

The Moknu, one of Gumo Plane’s dominant species, were not known for their prowess in close-quarters combat. In contrast, the other two dominant groups excelled in it.

Dozens of Goul Groundworms, each exceeding ten meters in length, surged through the ground like an unstoppable tide.

Their bristle-like appendages emitted red energy rays, signaling the beginning of their assault.

Most Goul Groundworms in Gumo Plane were under a meter in size, those that evolved to higher life levels were rare.

The dozens of groundworms leading the charge all had life levels of Rank One and above.

Watching them move effortlessly through the dirt, as agile as fish in water, Sein could not help but marvel at the wonders of the Astral Realm and the unique abilities of the creatures within it.

The Magus World knights wasted no time engaging the advancing Goul Groundworms.

Meanwhile, the mage legion in the rear unleashed relentless long-range fire support.

The precision of Magus World mages, with their focus and control over mana, ensured that single-target spells hit their mark even at distances of up to five thousand meters.

Area-of-effect spells, however, were another story.

On a battlefield of this scale, they carried the risk of causing indiscriminate casualties—both among enemies and allies alike.

The most prized feature of a Goul Groundworm was its “crystal heart”, which lay just beneath the skin at its contact point with the ground.

Interestingly, this crystal heart was not a vital organ; removing it would only significantly weaken the creature, not kill it.

In rare instances, certain Goul Groundworms with unique physiques possessed two crystal hearts, one at each end of their elongated bodies.

Extensive research by Magus World mages revealed that these crystal hearts were the crystallization of rare elements present within the Goul Groundworms’ bodies.

This crystallization was the secret behind their ability to release radioactive elemental rays.

These crystal hearts could also function as weaker substitutes for energy crystals, proving highly useful in the creation of magic artifacts and the construction of magic arrays.

For alchemists like Sein, the potential applications of these crystal hearts were captivating.

To any skilled alchemist, such rare and specialized raw materials were resources to be sought after.

The crystal heart was not the only part of the Goul Groundworms that held value.

In the Astral Realm, the body parts of Rank One and higher creatures—including blood, bones, and magic cores—were considered valuables.

Even mages from Magus World themselves were coveted by certain malevolent creatures in the Astral Realm.

The souls of mages, being purer and more resilient than those of most beings, were prime ingredients for dark rituals.

Similarly, their bodies, brimming with mana, were considered a source of immense nourishment.

Knights, too, were highly prized. The sheer vitality in their blood and flesh often surpassed even that of Titan World’s giants of the same rank, who stood over ten meters tall.

This phenomenon could only be attributed to the idea that smaller physical sizes embodied concentrated essence.

The other two dominant species of Gumo Plane also held substantial economic and developmental values.

The dark-skinned Moknu’s silver-colored blood was an exceptional material for crafting high-quality magic potions.

Meanwhile, the Guran Lizardmen, walking upright and covered in green scales, could be considered pyro elemental magic beasts.

Their hearts, claws, and teeth were all excellent pyro elemental materials.

As a Pyromancer, Sein could not resist the temptation of adding more pyro elemental magic materials to his growing collection.

As dozens of Rank One Goul Groundworms clashed with the Magus World forces, Sein unleashed a scorching elemental ray, its fiery width as thick as his arm.

Goul Groundworms, resembling oversized earthworms, were creatures that lacked vital organs.

Cutting them in two would only split them into two different creatures instead of killing them.

To truly eliminate these resilient beings, they had to be reduced to multiple pieces or destroyed completely using lumen elemental spells.

Targeting their crystal hearts was another effective method, as damaging these would significantly weaken them.

However, destroying the crystal heart came at a cost—the value of the Goul Groundworm would also be greatly diminished.

For this reason, most Magus World knights and mages avoided hitting the crystal hearts when fighting.

Sein, now in his pyro elemental body, stood as a towering giant of flame. The elemental ray he unleashed was a searing pillar of fire.

Though he was well aware of the Goul Groundworms’ remarkable resistance to fire and their resilience, he had not expected the results to be so underwhelming.

His Pyro Ray, radiating a scorching heat of over three thousand degrees Celsius, failed to kill the Rank One Goul Groundworm it struck.

Instead, it left a bloody, gaping wound on the creature’s body, from which a strong, fishy, and burnt odor emanated.

The Goul Groundworm let out a sharp noise, its massive body writhing violently before it burrowed back into the ground.

Despite the damage, it was clear that the creature was not gravely injured thanks to its sheer resilience.

Sein had studied several Goul Groundworm specimens back at the fortress base, but those had all been creatures below Rank One.

Without a living specimen of Rank One or above Goul Groundworm in his collection, his curiosity was naturally piqued.

“Goul Groundworms fear light the most. What if I do this...?” Sein mused aloud, snapping his fingers.

In an instant, the fiery form of his pyro elemental body shifted. The flames receded, replaced by a radiant glow.

Sein had long mastered the ability to switch between elemental body forms, a skill he was about to perfect during the Verdant Leaf World War.

Since his opponents in the previous two interplanar wars were dendro elemental creatures, his lumen elemental body proved to be hardly effective.

Similarly, during the Wild Gorilla campaign, the sheer destructive power of pyro elemental spells had far outshone any lumen elemental spells could offer.

As a result, Sein had not had many opportunities to showcase this ability on the battlefield—until now.

Faced with the Goul Groundworms of Gumo Plane, Sein’s lumen elemental body had finally found its moment to shine. Literally.

Radiating blinding brilliance, Sein’s glowing form illuminated the battlefield around him.

He had not even begun releasing any lumen elemental spells, yet his very presence caused the nearby lesser Goul Groundworms to emit piercing hisses that echoed across the battlefield.

Only the larger Goul Groundworms—those over ten meters long and possessing a life level of Rank One and above—managed to resist the full impact of Sein’s light.

Even so, they instinctively sought to avoid him, their natural inclination for self-preservation overriding their aggressiveness.

One particular Rank One Goul Groundworm, still bearing the gaping wound from Sein’s earlier attack, twisted and turned in a frantic bid to escape.

Unfortunately, Sein had no intention of letting it go.