Sovereign of the Ashes

As the Moknu High Priest drew his final breath, Rank Five Tower Master of Dark Flame felt a sudden stirring in his mind.

Meanwhile, Natalya, who had reported their discovery to the command center, gazed into the distance in surprise.

She had returned to the surface not long ago, using the very same route her group had used to venture into the depths of the underground world half a year ago.

Located on the flank of the Akre Plains battlefield, this passageway lay relatively close to the central area. However, it was still some distance from the zone covered by the silver rune array.

The molten river with flowing silver runes under it was definitely right below that law array.

This meant that the underground passageway Natalya used was not directly below that law array.

While they were exploring the underground space, they had somehow ventured to the very heart of the Akre Plains battlefield.

Filled with worry for her husband Sein and her best friend Reina, Natalya grabbed Yuri and raced toward the glowing silver array without hesitation.

This impulsive act showcased both her bravery and recklessness.

Even Rank Five Tower Master of Dark Flame struggled to escape the strange array, let alone ordinary lower-ranking knights and mages.

While others scrambled to flee the danger, Natalya’s instinct drove her straight toward it.

The battlefield descended into chaos as a series of catastrophic events unfolded—the Moknu High Priest activated the array; the Tower Master of Dark Flame transformed into a blazing sun; and the silver array emitted a blinding light, obscuring the vision of every living creature.

This unrelenting chain of events left the combatants stunned.

For a long time, they remained frozen in shock, unable to recover their composure.

For the low-level creatures, witnessing the sheer power and methods of an existence of Rank Four and above was akin to beholding a miracle up close.

The Moknu High Priest ultimately fell, but not before completing his magnum opus.

Using his own heart as the eye of the array, he successfully summoned an imprisonment law array that covered a tenth of the battlefield!

The array diagram bore imperfections due to its hasty activation and the devastating retaliation of the Tower Master of Dark Flame’s fiery assault.

The imprisonment law array that should have lasted twenty to thirty thousand years was now projected to dissolve after a mere ten to twenty thousand years.

Even so, the Moknu High Priest Moknu died without regret!

A buffer of ten to twenty thousand years would provide the Gumo Plane ample time to recover from the devastating effects of the war.

Future generations, along with the other two gods of this world, would also have the opportunity to figure out a way to strengthen and sustain the law array.

The Moknu was naturally gifted in the manipulation of special energies.

Like any proud elder gazing upon his descendants, the High Priest remained convinced until his final breath that the younger generations would one day produce an even greater existence than himself.

This belief was the foundation of their civilization—a torch passed from one generation to the next. This was why the Moknu revered their ancestors and the paths they forged, rather than gods.

For the High Priest, his mission was complete.

However, what he did not foresee was the chaos that would erupt shortly after his passing.

From a law node in the southeast corner of the silver array diagram, a pillar of crimson magma suddenly burst forth, further destabilizing the already fragile silver law array!

The Gumo Plane’s native creatures were capable of complex thoughts.

This silver array, designed to imprison Rank Five creatures, had four critical law nodes.

Each of these nodes was heavily fortified, guarded by demigod-level protectors.

Yet none of them could have anticipated that a mage and two knights would stumble upon the underground magma river by chance and uncover one of the most critical nodes.

Even more improbable was the fact that this discovery occurred precisely at the node guarded by a demigod-level Earth Dragon.

Ordinary Rank Two creatures would have been helpless against the demigod-level Ground Dragon guarding the node.

However, Sein and Reina were anything but ordinary!

The fierce battle between the two and the Ground Dragon, combined with the oppressive energy radiating from the silver array, pushed Reina into an extraordinary transformation.

Under the strain of her Fat-Burning Secret Technique, Reina broke through the limits of her life level and ascended to Rank Three!

Not long ago, Sein had wondered if he would ascend to Rank Three before Reina.

Yet, to his surprise, it was Reina who surpassed him.

Her use of the Fat-Burning Secret Technique, combined with the immense surge in strength from her breakthrough to Rank Three, led to a catastrophic collision with the demigod-level Ground Dragon.

The clash unleashed such overwhelming force that it triggered the eruption of a dormant volcano directly above the underground magma river where they were battling.

In truth, this volcanic detonation had been orchestrated by Sein.

As a knight, Reina could only sense that the silver array beneath the magma river was bad news.

Sein, as a mage, understood the situation more clearly. Realizing they could not avoid the array’s impending activation, he made the only choice he could—to destroy it.

The volcanic eruption and the resulting geological upheaval disrupted the already unstable silver array.

Tower Master Dark Flame, a perceptive and decisive mage, seized the opportunity. Though he could not immediately identify the cause of the disruption, he acted swiftly.

Summoning his full strength, the tower master surged eastward, determined to break free from the confines of the silver array.

While Dark Flame launched his relentless assault to escape, the other two native gods of the Gumo Plane were forced to abandon their brief celebration over his imprisonment. They rushed back into action to prevent his escape.

This war had been a series of unexpected twists and turns.

Even the Rank Four beings found themselves stunned, let alone the lower-ranking creatures.

Regardless of their bewilderment, the blood feud and looming crisis of war unfolding before them demanded their attention.

The chaotic battlefield devolved further into a maelstrom of violence and carnage with the sudden appearance of the silver array, as well as the ferocious clashes between Rank Four and higher beings.

Atop the towering pillar of molten lava, Sein—now in his Flame Devil transformation—found himself momentarily disoriented.

Before he could make sense of his surroundings, his attention was drawn to the bloodshot eyes of Gumo Plane’s native creatures who were surging toward him from all directions.

The Moknu High Priest’s ultimate sacrifice to imprison Rank Five Tower Master of Dark Flame had been monumental for the native creatures of the Gumo Plane.

To see the high priest’s law array destroyed by these despicable Magus World mages was an insult beyond forgiveness. The native inhabitants of this world were enraged beyond measure!

Among the swarming hordes, the Moknu stood out as the most ferocious despite their smaller number!

Ignoring the surrounding attacks of the Magus World Army, they focused solely on exacting vengeance against Sein.

From Sein’s vantage point atop the pillar of molten lava, the approaching native creatures looked like malevolent specters, clawing their way toward him to claim his life.

“What the hell is going on?” Sein muttered in confusion.

Before he could make sense of the chaos, the lava pillar beneath him churned violently. From its depths emerged two enormous figures locked in battle.

One of them was the demigod-level Ground Dragon, its body marred with wounds.

The other was Reina, who had just ascended to Rank Three.

Reina’s Fat-Burning Secret Technique was still in full effect.

Sein was not sure whether she had burned too much of her body fat, but she had slimmed down noticeably. While she retained her muscular build, the contours of her face had changed slightly.

Nevertheless, the violent female knight was still wearing the same braid that pointed skyward.