Sovereign of the Ashes

Gwyneira was definitely not seeing things. She and her sister were stunned to see the familiar Bokrian man appear before their eyes once more.

Sein was not even in a spaceship; he had simply flown straight toward them.

Everything happened so suddenly and so unexpectedly. For a brief moment, Gwyneira even thought of this reunion as a “miracle”.

Could thinking about someone every night really make them suddenly appear?

Is this the power of ancestral spirits?

The Huusians placed more faith in their ancestors than in any gods.

In fact, the hexagonal divination box passed down through their tribe was a product of their ancestors’ wisdom.

Sein looked battered and seemed as though he was being pursued.

His injuries were enough to stir anyone’s sympathy.

When he reached the stern of the Huusian vessel, his anxious expression silently urged Gwyneira and her sister to drop the ship’s shield and let him aboard.

That one glance was all it took for Gwyneira to know that, without a doubt, the man before her was the alien man she had longed for day and night.

It was an indescribable feeling. Even without proof, she knew he was real and not an impersonator.

Besides, how many could possibly look as handsome as him and appear near the Huusian fleet in this boundless sea of stars?

Among the Huusians, only Gwyneira and her sister were most familiar with Sein.

Their father had met him once, but he had likely long forgotten this “insignificant” Rank Three creature.

Under the Gallant Federation’s order, Huusians were forbidden from leaving their ships while traveling through the star domains under their control.

Yet as a princess, Gwyneira enjoyed certain privileges others did not.

A flash of red light burst from the metal bracelet on her wrist, and the ship’s shield deactivated for an instant.

Sein quickly flew inside without hesitation.

Finding the Huusian fleet had been an unexpected blessing. Thanks to the soul seal he had left in Gwyneira’s mind years ago, Sein could easily locate the sisters.

And so, in this world, what some might call a “miracle” was often nothing more than the result of human intent.

Sein never imagined that his decisions in the past, along with the extraplanar creatures he had met back then, would one day end up saving his life.

Back when he first crossed paths with Gwyneira in the starry void, his first impulse had been to kill her.

This could only be explained as the capricious hand of fate and the whims of destiny at play.

For a moment, Sein even felt a strong urge to explore the occult arts more deeply.

His influence over Gwyneira’s soul was not particularly strong. His action had only planted a seed of fondness within her, one that grew naturally over time.

Take Yuri, for instance. When they first met during the Viridian Venom Flame World War, they had been enemies. Yet now, she would do anything for him.

In the field of soul-related knowledge, the Magus Civilization was actually more advanced than countless other worlds.

Even when the Magus World was only a medium-sized plane, its civilization had already commanded billions of creatures through its mastery of soul-enslavement techniques, conquering the Astral Realm through wars.

Now that the Magus Civilization had risen to the ranks of top-tier civilizations, its mastery of soul magic had reached greater heights.

Even the soul magic Sein had once exchanged for from the Arcane Light proved useful now.

He did not reach too deeply into Gwyneira’s soul for fear that her father or other Huusians might sense it.

Because of that, Gwyneira retained her free will and her own sense of judgment.

Her feelings toward Sein were genuine, since his control over her was not strong enough to command her will.

When she saw him again, Gwyneira blurted out, “Sein, what are you doing here?”

“I first ran into star pirates, and while traveling in the federation, I suddenly ended up on their wanted list. Apparently, I broke some law without even realizing it. I need your help—I’m very weak right now, and my ship has already crashed.” Sein looked at the sisters earnestly.

“Of course!” Gwyneira said without hesitation.

Gwyndira frowned beside her. When did this “Bousse” change his name to “Sein”?

Sein’s words instantly roused her suspicions.

Before the sisters could say more, a shrill alarm blared and red lights flashed along the ship’s flank.

A federal frigate had arrived.

Sein’s gaze snapped anxiously to Gwyneira. Without a word, she directed him to hide deep within the ship’s hull, while she herself remained where she stood.

The ship’s shield was reactivated.

The federal frigate had not appeared because it detected Sein’s trail, but because of the temporary deactivation of the Huusian ship’s shield.

The Huusian vessels were worn and badly outdated, even the one carrying the princess.

They were nowhere near the caliber of the federal warships, which made it easy for detection radars to pick up any unusual activity.

“Under the Federal Wartime Regulation 47, vessels from other star domains passing through the federation’s space are strictly forbidden from showing signs of straying off course or acting independently. Any violation will result in such vessels being treated as hostile targets, and federal ships are authorized to destroy them without warning!”

A warning was issued by the frigate ahead through electromagnetic waves.

The broadcast over electromagnetic waves was similar to transmissions via mental focus in the Astral Realm. In any case, both Gwyneira and the other Huusians could understand the order perfectly.

To the Huusians, the Gallant Federation was an unimaginably colossal authority, towering above their interstellar nomadic tribe.

Even their own employer, the large-sized civilization world known as the Zeak Empire, was nothing more than a subordinate vassal to the federation.

This showed just how mighty the Gallant Federation was.

The Huusian fleet was here at this time because the Zeak Empire had hired them to fight on the frontlines.

Not every territory of the federation directly bordered the Magus Civilization. At the very least, the Zeak Empire did not.

In the early stages of the war, the Magus Civilization could not immediately strike at the Zeak Empire.

And so, vassal civilizations like them received orders from the federation to send their legions to designated star domains, where they would participate in the war.

The same was happening in the Magus Civilization.

Within the Magus Alliance, how many members truly bordered the Gallant Federation’s territory, or even shared direct interests with it?

Yet once the war was declared, a single mobilization order from the Magus Civilization rallied hundreds of thousands of planes. They flung their forces into the frontlines, determined to fight to the bitter end.

Given the Huusians’ strength and social standing, they were clearly nothing more than cannon fodder in this Clash of Civilizations.

Only their employer, the Zeak Empire, might be regarded as an ally of the Gallant Federation. Even then, its subjects might only enjoy slight preferential treatment.

The Huusians were likely being sent to a battlefield where their chances of survival were slim to none.

They were just one of many insignificant forces thrown into the dark abyss known as the Clash of Civilizations.

Every war, without exception, was paid for with the blood and lives of countless beings.