Sovereign of the Ashes

The final cries of agony marked the end of the Radbow World War.

A year and a half after joining the campaign himself, Sein—alongside Yuri, Tychus, and the others—finally brought down the last two Rank Four creatures native to Radbow World.

Those native deities were certainly prideful.

Even under the crushing pressure of the Magus Civilization’s forces, they did not abandon their homeplane in fear. They stood their ground and fought until the end.

In truth, for them, escape had never been an option.

Radbow World differed greatly from most planes in the Astral Realm.

These native deities drew their strength directly from their radiation-rich environment. Where could they possibly find another world with comparable conditions beyond their homeplane?

And with the surrounding star domains already under the Magus Civilization’s control, even if they managed to flee, where could they go?

To the depths of the star domain ruled by the Grand Eye Demon World?

The Eye Demons coveted Radbow World for its strategic location and its abundant supply of Radiation Stones.

Once Radbow World fell, those two Rank Four radioactive creatures would become nothing more than weakened, wounded beings—hardly worth keeping in the eyes of the Eye Demons.

At best, they would be used as expendable cannon fodder.

Their fate had been sealed from the very beginning of the Clash of Civilizations.

The final Rank Four radioactive creature perished beneath the Frost Crystal Silkworm’s decisive strike.

The Magus Alliance’s decision to send those two foreign gods to the Radbow World front had proven remarkably sound.

Though neither of them was especially powerful, they possessed a rare resistance to the corrosive effects of Radbow World’s unique planar laws, allowing them to provide substantial support to Sein and Tychus throughout the campaign.

Sein was not one to hoard spoils. Of the two Rank Four radioactive creatures slain during the final assault, he only claimed the core and half of the carcass from one of them.

Such creatures were exceedingly rare, and the Rank Four radiation core he obtained was of particular interest. He suspected it could play an important role in his future body-tempering research.

The rest of the spoils went mostly to Tychus, while the two foreign gods also received a fair share of the remains.

Following victory in this interplanar war, every participant received their share of spoils.

This was what fueled the fervor for battle. Such rewards ensured that allied deities like the Frost Crystal Silkworm remained completely loyal to the Magus Civilization.

Without them, even those who submitted out of fear would not remain obedient for long.

After eliminating the two Rank Four radioactive creatures, Sein did not rest for long.

Following a brief respite, he once again led a portion of Radbow World’s elite legions to reinforce the Magus Civilization forces fighting outside the plane.

The Grand Eye Demon World had dispatched an entire Eye Demon legion to aid the radioactive creatures.

Unfortunately for them, Radbow World had fallen far too quickly under Sein’s assault.

Before the Eye Demon legion could even reach Radbow Plane’s borders, it was intercepted by another Magus Civilization force.

In a gray-white asteroid belt not far from Radbow World, a hundred-thousand-strong Magus Civilization legion was locked in fierce combat with the invading Eye Demon legion.

The Astral Realm’s unique environment meant that, under normal conditions, only beings of Rank One or higher could fight at full strength.

For those below Rank One, even survival for an extended period was nearly impossible, let alone battling in the starry void.

Because of this, while the Magus Civilization could deploy millions of cannon fodder units below Rank One in interplanar wars, its main forces were still made up almost entirely of Rank One and higher beings.

The Gallant Federation, however, was an exception.

Having embraced the path of technological advancement, most of its drones and robots fell below Rank One by Magus World standards.

Yet, the federation could still deploy them freely across the Astral Realm.

Quantity created its own kind of strength.

Their combat power might be limited individually, but in vast numbers, even higher-tier beings were forced to yield.

This was why, in space warfare, the Gallant Federation—backed by its superior fleets and advanced weaponry—often held the advantage and dictated the pace of battle.

On the other hand, the Magus Civilization’s strength lay in interplanar wars.

While the Grand Eye Demon World legion was locked in fierce combat with the Magus Civilization’s forces within the gray-white asteroid belt, their ranks were now bolstered by a large number of technological weapons and devices supplied by the Gallant Federation.

Although the Grand Eye Demon World did not directly border the star domain controlled by the federation, enough time had passed since the outbreak of war for the two sides to establish long-range communication channels. During this time, some of the federal fleets also reached the Grand Eye Demon World.

The Magus Civilization had done everything in its power to seal off the surrounding star domains of the Grand Eye Demon World.

Yet the Astral Realm was vast. No blockade could ever be completely airtight. If the Grand Eye Demon World and the Gallant Federation were determined to cooperate, they would always find a way to make contact.

When Sein arrived at the battlefield in the asteroid belt, the enemy’s firepower was already overwhelming.

It soon became clear that the Gallant Federation had developed specialized technology designed specifically to enhance the Eye Demons’ abilities.

Small, compact energy-gathering spheres floated around the Eye Demons like mechanical satellites.

Each time the Eye Demons fired their Evil Eye Beams, these electronic orbs would focus and amplify the energy, increasing both its power and range!

Such advanced technology, capable of dramatically boosting the Grand Eye Demon World’s combat effectiveness, was clearly not something created overnight.

The Magus Civilization had indeed been negligent, failing to uncover the Grand Eye Demon World’s disloyalty to the alliance sooner.

The Eye Demons had simply hidden their intentions too well, showing no sign of betrayal until it was far too late.

Even during previous confrontations, including the battle for Radbow World, they had never been seen using these enhancers.

This suggested that the federation’s armaments had only recently been delivered to avoid early detection.

Within the Astral Realm, cunning was not a trait unique to the Magus Civilization. The intelligence and strategic foresight of other planes were just as formidable!

Through patience and precise coordination, the Gallant Federation and the Grand Eye Demon World had inflicted heavy losses on the Magus Civilization.

But as for which civilization would ultimately prevail in this great clash of worlds, only time would tell.