Sovereign of the Ashes

When departing Aquaria, the arrogant crown prince did not even bring a single Rank Four creature from his homeworld.

He brought only around two hundred thousand royal guards!

Orric chose to bring such a small force because he had learned from Blue Star’s distress call that the invading Klytheran army numbered only around seven hundred thousand troops in total.

He was a Rank Five being with golden hair and a bold, commanding presence. The so-called “Curse of the Sea” did not bother him in the slightest.

Deep down, a quiet sense of destiny had always lingered in his heart. He believed he was the one destined to lead Aquaria into a new age of change—just like the first Ocean King of old, the ancestor who had once elevated Aquaria to the rank of a medium-sized plane.

But Orric’s ambition went even further. He intended to surpass that legendary ancestor.

Clutching his divine artifact, the Golden Trident, Orric stood on the back of a colossal metal shark, waving farewell to those who had gathered to see him off.

He looked toward the aged Ocean King, the heavy crown weighing down his head; his frail, pale-skinned younger brother; and the people of Aquaria, all kneeling in solemn respect.

After one last look at his homeworld, Orric turned away.

“Let’s go!” he commanded, his trident gleaming as it pointed toward his destination—Blue Star.

***

Marvelous Plane...

This was a low-level plane, its development not far beyond that of the Blue Star Civilization.

Its strongest being was Hippolyta, the Rank Five Amazon Queen.

Marvelous Plane was a land that celebrated freedom, wildness, and vitality.

Unlike the Shadowbat Civilization, it had not developed advanced technology or formed centralized institutions, such as councils or empires.

There were no royalties and social structures here.

Instead, the Marvelous Plane remained a world of scattered races and tribes, each ruling its own territory without direct oversight from others.

For example, Queen Hippolyta’s authority stretched across only one-third of the Marvelous Plane.

She was widely recognized as the strongest being in the Marvelous Plane, but that did not mean every creature had to obey her. Likewise, Hippolyta herself never tried to control or limit the freedom of others.

That was exactly what made this world so marvelous, just as its name suggested.

Most beings in the Marvelous Plane loved to wander and explore. The lower-ranking ones roamed freely across the land, while those of Rank Three and above often ventured into neighboring planes.

Nearly every law-wielding being in the Marvelous Plane had traveled through parts of the Astral Realm beyond their world. In fact, some of them had never returned.

Beatrice, daughter of Queen Hippolyta, was the princess of the Amazon tribe and the sole successor to her mother’s throne.

A Rank Four powerhouse herself, she had shown exceptional talent since childhood. Bright and spirited, she had always been quick to lend a hand to those in need.

In her younger years, Beatrice had journeyed to Blue Star, where she formed deep friendships with its inhabitants.

When she finally departed, the people of Blue Star gave her many specially cultivated seeds—gifts that would later enrich the Marvelous Plane’s biodiversity.

Queen Hippolyta spread the seeds far and wide, especially the grain crops, which greatly reduced famine and brought new greenery across the land.

When Blue Star’s distress signal arrived, Beatrice barely hesitated before deciding to help.

Queen Hippolyta did not stop her. Instead, she assigned her a Rank Four aide and one hundred fifty thousand female Amazon warriors.

Although males existed in Marvelous Plane, most of its power rested firmly in the hands of women.

Not just among the Amazons, the other races across the world were also largely led by females.

“I am off, Mother. Wait for my good news.”

Beatrice hugged her mother, then strode toward the edge of the forest, shield and weapon in hand.

Marvelous Plane’s technology and craftsmanship were still primitive, far behind not only the Shadowbat Civilization but even Aquaria.

The flying devices the Amazons used to reach Blue Star were nothing more than stone platforms. They were crude but functional.

Fortunately, Queen Hippolyta had sent her daughter with elite warriors, all of whom were Rank One and above.

It was a sign of Marvelous Plane’s deep respect and concern for the people of Blue Star.

As Hippolyta watched her daughter and the others disappear into the horizon, she stood in her flowing white gown and suddenly frowned, glancing at her curled fingers.

An uneasy feeling crept into her heart, like a bad omen waiting to unfold.

***

Voltara World ruled over the edge of the star domain.

Auron, a Rank Four powerhouse, picked up faint signals coming from the direction of Blue Star.

The unique life essence of Voltara World’s creatures gave them natural talent in analyzing electromagnetic waves and similar energy patterns.

From the perspective of Magus World mages, these natives would be classified as electro elemental beings.

So far, Magus World had encountered pyro, hydro, geo, and aero elemental creatures, among others.

While they were no strangers to Electro elemental creatures, such beings were extremely rare. Creatures capable of manipulating electricity were more common.

Back in the Thunderfall World that Sein once fought in, those Garths had shown an exceptional sensitivity to lightning energy.

Voltara’s reach across the star domain was immense. That dominance came largely from the fact that nearly all of its inhabitants could fly, fast and freely.

The law-wielding Voltarans loved to roam the Astral Realm, and wherever they went, they left traces of their power behind.

The Rank Four Voltaran who had once passed through Blue Star had probably already returned home, or perhaps ventured deeper into another star domain.

When Auron arrived and detected a familiar Voltaran’s signal, he immediately realized that one of their “friends” was calling for help.

Not every Voltaran being was peaceful; some thrived on conquest and destruction.

Luckily, Auron was not one of them. Still young, he was in his wandering phase, seeking growth and experience.

After a brief moment of thought, Auron shot off toward Blue Star.

A streak of golden lightning tore across the starry void.

Among all the powerful beings who came to Blue Star’s aid, Auron was the only one who came alone without an army.

When one side was in trouble, the others would rally in support.

The creatures of Blue Star might have been weak, but they had their own kind of wisdom for surviving in the vast universe.

While powerful allies raced toward Blue Star, a Rank Six presence arrived at the heart of Arid Expanse World.

There, the visitor was received by the world’s mightiest being, Ceylon, a late-stage Rank Six powerhouse.

“Greetings from the Grand Apocalypse World,” the Rank Six being declared. “On behalf of the Gallant Federation, I extend an invitation to the ruler of Arid Expanse World—join our crusade against the evil Magus Civilization!”

The Grand Apocalypse World was one of the large-sized planes under the Gallant Federation’s control.

Amidst the ongoing Clash of Civilizations, it had somehow managed to establish contact with Arid Expanse World.