Sovereign of the Ashes

With a graceful lift of Lady Bev’s finger, the twelve Radiant Jades burst into light, fusing into twelve Elemental Angels overflowing with power.

Each of them bore eight pairs of brilliant white wings, except for the two leading them, who each possessed ten!

“Go forth and let your former enemies taste your power. I permit you to fight in your ultimate form,” Lady Bev commanded.

All twelve angels kneeled on one knee and answered in unison, “Aye!”

Then, led by the two ten-winged angels, they shot forward in an arrow formation toward the Gallant Federation fleet.

The Angels of the Radiant Celestials, long thought to have disappeared from history, returned to the stars once again.

The more ignorant civilizations might have forgotten about that once supreme civilization that ruled its surrounding star domains, but not the Magus Civilization or the Gallant Federation.

Both of them had reached their current top-tier status and vast scale largely by inheriting the legacy left behind by the Radiant Celestials.

Now, those vanished Angels had reappeared!

When the Gallant Federation’s warships detected the twelve approaching Elemental Angels and identified them, many fleet commanders froze in disbelief.

As the twelve angels drew closer, their forms began to change.

This was the ultimate form Lady Bev had mentioned.

When they entered the range of the federation’s vanguard fleet, the twelve Elemental Angels erupted in a blinding flash of light.

In an instant, they fused into one—a twelve-winged Archangel wielding the Divine Radiant Sword!

The readings of its elemental energy were on par with those of an overlord!

“Thus saith the Lord: The wicked shall face their punishment,” the Archangel’s voice echoed across the stars.[1]

The Twelve-Winged Elemental Archangel’s expression hardened with resolve. In the next instant, it turned into a streak of light and charged straight toward the nearest overlord-class mobile suit.

Its sudden appearance immediately drew attention across the battlefield.

However, on the current frontlines of the Sanoras Star Domain, the power fluctuations of an overlord-class being were nothing out of the ordinary.

Several overlords from the Magus Civilization had already joined the fight, including Rank Eight beings like Odin.

Compared to them, the Twelve-Winged Elemental Archangel’s power was closer to only that of a Rank Seven.

“This Radiant Necklace given to me by the Lord of Radiance is indeed useful, but it’s a pity the Elemental Angels can’t last too long,” Bev commented, watching calmly.

She smiled faintly and added, “Still, it’s far superior to those undead chimera beasts Nigel and Lilith made from the remains of overlord-level creatures.”

“Those abominations can only channel a fraction of the power they once had,” Zenasus replied, glancing enviously at Bev’s glowing necklace. “Your Radiant Necklace is far more refined, and its crafting process is nothing like the alchemy we use in the Magus Civilization.”

Aside from being a Pyromancer, Zenasus was also an alchemist master. One look was enough for him to recognize the immense value of the necklace in Bev’s hand.

Its ability to summon Elemental Angels to fight placed this artifact leagues above most world-class treasures.

Even more astonishingly, Zenasus could tell that all twelve angels possessed independent souls and retained fragments of their former memories.

Owning the Radiant Necklace was like having twelve powerful angels as personal guardians. When they merged, they could even unleash overlord-level power for a short time.

It was truly an enviable treasure!

Noticing Zenasus’ gaze, Bev smiled. “When this battle in the Netherworld Star Domain ends, I can lend you this Radiant Necklace for study.”

“Deal!” Zenasus was overjoyed.

Among the soul overmages of the Magus Civilization, Bev and Zenasus shared a long-standing, close bond.

***

On Radbow World’s battlefield...

Nearly twenty years had passed since Sein and his allies withdrew to this low-level plane.

As a Rank Four mage, Sein had no access to the Magus Civilization’s overall strategy, or even the broader course of the war.

He knew nothing about how things were going in the Netherworld Star Domain.

In fact, he had not received any messages from the rear for fifteen years.

The Gallant Federation had developed technology capable of jamming the Magus Civilization’s communications within a certain range.

The Magus Civilization could do the same.

It all depended on which side held the upper hand. Whoever dominated the battlefield could deploy energy barriers or interference fields to cut off communication.

The last order Sein and his team received fifteen years ago was to defend the areas around Radbow World.

As the years went by, the pressure kept mounting, and the casualties kept rising.

Worse still, no logistical support ever came from the rear. Magic potions, energy crystals, and other supplies were steadily running out.

War was won, or lost, on logistics!

Without reinforcements, things were already difficult. But now, even essentials like potions and energy crystals were running dry. How could they possibly hold their position?

In recent years, the mages from Sein’s Divine Tower of Ashes had been forced to adapt. They began harvesting the abundant Radiation Stone deposits scattered across this low-level plane to sustain the war effort.

Radiation Stone was technically a type of energy crystal, though its strange properties had never attracted much interest from Magus World researchers.

Still, rumor had it that Rank Four Tower Master Sein himself had spent years developing an energy conversion array.

Thanks to that unique elemental array diagram, the Magus Civilization’s forces stationed on Radbow had managed to keep several magic towers running, powered entirely by radiation energy.

Perhaps, during those fifteen long years of desperate fighting, Magus World’s command center had already issued a retreat order, but Sein and his people never received it.

And so, they kept fighting.

By now, their defenses had fallen back into Radbow World itself. Of its three outer planar rings, two had already been lost to the enemy.

Even if Sein wanted to retreat, there was nowhere left to go.

Unless he abandoned his mages, legions, and space fortress to flee alone using his Rank Four strength, there was no chance of escape.

And even if he somehow broke through, where would he go?

He had no idea what was happening in the star domains around the Grand Eye Demon World.

More importantly, he could not bring himself to abandon everything he had built just to save his own life.

That day, after another grueling battle, Sein dragged his weary body back to the Ashen Fortress, which was now parked on the ground.

Before he could even change out of his tattered robes, a message came.

“Sir Martini won’t last much longer...” reported Marie, who had been stationed inside the fortress.

Sein was silent for a few seconds before replying, “I’ll go see him.”

1. Translator’s Note: The “Lord” here refers to “God”, not overlords. ☜