Sovereign of the Ashes

The Gallant Federation’s inspection happened more than once.

Over the next month, the federation carried out seven large-scale inspections of the Huusian fleet.

Fortunately, Sein remained undetected during all of them.

The federation appeared to be searching for someone.

When sailing through this dark, silent, and peculiar star domain, the Huusian fleet detected signs of two battles and explosions of varying scale nearby.

The Huusians had no idea what was happening, nor what forces were clashing with the Federation fleet.

The Gallant Federation saw no reason to inform them, and the Huusian King was not important enough to be involved in such matters.

After passing through a massive, heavily fortified interstellar port, the Huusian fleet finally made it out of the dark and nearly starless domain.

Now, the Huusians sailed through the starry sky alongside several federal fleets.

Collectively, the federal forces were far more elite than the Huusians. In terms of combined strength, they already far surpassed the Huusians.

Together, they were headed for a frontline star domain.

It was only then that a few high-ranking Huusians, including the king himself, finally learned of their destination.

“Transversa Star Domain...” Sein frowned, mulling over the information Gwyneira had just passed to him.

Her rank was too low to be involved in high-level war decisions. She only knew their eventual destination through her father and a few elders.

No, perhaps even the Huusian King himself had little say in such matters.

The Huusians were simply assigned to a target star domain by the Gallant Federation and ordered to fight there.

In the eyes of the federation’s upper echelons, the Huusians were nothing more than numbers, or a cog in the machine.

They had no choice but to follow orders.

The territories of the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation met at a vast border star domain!

For Sein, who had only recently advanced to Rank Four, this was the first time he had heard of the “Transversa Star Domain”.

The scraps of information he received from Gwyneira were far too limited for him to deduce its true nature.

With the Clash of Civilizations already well underway, the two top-tier powers naturally each held the upper hand on different battlefields.

Transversa could be the star domain the federation would use to push into the heart of the Magus Civilization’s territory, or it might be the battlefield where the Magus Civilization would counterattack into the federation’s space.

Given the Huusians’ role as cannon fodder, Sein reckoned they would likely be thrown into the most dangerous battlefields, where the Magus Civilization held the advantage.

For that reason, he concluded that the Transversa Star Domain was most likely the latter—where the Magus Civilization was attacking and the Gallant Federation was defending.

But this was only his speculation.

There were simply too many variables, and far too little useful information.

***

Besides learning that their final destination was the Transversa Star Domain, Sein had recently uncovered another piece of information.

Among the federal fleets traveling with the Huusians, a Nexon high-tier intelligent robot was being held captive.

This was the feedback the Magic Cube gave him.

Ever since he had last evaded the federation’s scanning device using the cube’s power, Sein had continued to rely on its power to slip past several more inspections.

Through this period of close study, he had also begun to grasp the cube’s deeper properties and mysteries.

The truths of the Astral Realm were, after all, largely universal.

Even though the cube was a product of technological civilization, Sein could still glean insights by looking past the surface and studying the nature of the laws within it.

He had even begun repairing and modifying it.

Sein later speculated that the reason this unassuming metal cube had been so helpful was the energy-gathering magic arrays he had carved into its surface.

With just a trace of energy, the cube could function to a certain extent.

But Titanfang’s excessive use of the cube back then had drained too much of its origin power. So far, Sein had managed to restore only part of its functionality.

The cube’s latest feedback confirmed what Sein had long suspected: it really possessed “intelligence”.

If it could grant intelligence to robots like Titanfang, then why could it not awaken an intelligence of its own?

***

One advantage of traveling with the Huusian fleet through the Gallant Federation’s territory was the reliable cover it provided.

Since leaving the dark star domain they had recently crossed, the federation had reduced the frequency of its inspections.

After all, when repeated checks turned up nothing, there was no point in continuing to focus on this alien race.

With the Clash of Civilizations underway, countless creatures from vassal planes and distant star domains were flooding into the federation’s territory.

If Sein had been moving alone, the uncertainty and danger would have been overwhelming.

The Huusian fleet offered him near-perfect concealment.

His only regret was that he could not rescue the Nexon robot being held aboard one of the federal ships.

He could not even contact it!

The cube’s feedback did not reveal the captive’s exact identity, but it seemed to be a Rank Four.

That, however, was a matter for the future.

For now, Sein’s priority was to stay alive for as long as he could!

***

The Gallant Federation’s interstellar teleportation technology was highly advanced.

Despite the disruptions caused by the Clash of Civilizations and the constant inspections by garrisons across the federation’s star domains, the Huusian fleet finally reached the border after only four months.

The smell of gunpowder was getting stronger.

Even though the surrounding star domains still appeared peaceful and the federal fleets kept strict order, Sein’s excitement grew. Beneath that calm surface, he could sense a murderous aura lurking!

By this time, his Faceless Mask had fully recharged.

And it was precisely this month that Sein came dangerously close to one of the federation’s most powerful forces.

An overlord-class fleet!

The fleet was so massive that it could blot out the sky. Colossal starships, each over two thousand meters long, stretched as far as the eye could see.

Some of them even dwarfed the Magus World space fortresses!

This meant they could exceed ten thousand, no, even twenty thousand meters in length.

Any living being would feel insignificant before such colossal metal constructs.

As the Huusian fleet neared this overlord-class force, Sein did everything he could to conceal himself. He activated his Aura Restraint spell, relied on the cloaking effect of the cube, and pushed his Faceless Mask to the maximum limit!

Fear gripped his heart, draining the color from his face.

The Huusians were not faring much better.

Though stationed at the border, this overlord-class fleet likely served another purpose: to intimidate and keep the vassal legions in check.

During this period, Sein saw creatures from other star domains.

Under the federation’s orders, hundreds of millions of creatures from vassal planes were sent to the frontlines, thrown headlong into brutal battles against the Magus World forces.