Sovereign of the Ashes

The enemies were largely crushed within just half a day.

Galagudor was the name of the nomadic tribe that had the misfortune of attacking the Klytheran Legion.

The ignorant were truly fearless.

Standing barely a meter tall on average, the Galagudors were only a little bulkier than the Blue Star natives.

How they ever dared to charge the Klytheran Legion remained a mystery.

A single kick from a Rank One Klytheran fighter could send more than a dozen Galagudors flying.

As the huge-mouthed Galagudors charged toward the Klytheran Legion with iron spears in hand, Sein suddenly recalled the Drool Monsters he had seen in a Magus World compendium. The resemblance was uncanny.

Of course, the Drool Monsters and Galagudors were completely different species.

The former were creatures cataloged by the Magus Civilization—parasitic beings that survived by attaching themselves to powerful entities and surviving on whatever small scraps of nutrients they could draw from their hosts.

The Galagudors Tribe probably had a Rank Four creature leading them.

At the very start of the battle, Sein’s Faceless Mask picked up faint traces of a Rank Four aura somewhere beyond the distant starry expanse.

But the moment several Rank Four or higher Klytheran fighters appeared, and especially after Karl stepped out of the spacecraft, that Rank Four extraplanar creature vanished almost instantly.

Its escape speed and decisiveness were astonishing, directly hastening the Galagudors’ collapse.

In the end, more than a hundred thousand Galagudors were killed on the spot, and tens of thousands more were captured.

Fewer than twenty thousand managed to flee in panic, only because the Klytheran fighters could see how dirt-poor these Galagudors were, with not a single item of value on them.

Otherwise, not one would have gotten away!

“This battle was just a small incident in our journey through the Chaos Sea Star Domain. Until we fully leave this region, more nomadic races will inevitably come after us. Combat and chaos are the norm here.” Karazo told Sein and the others.

“Still, after wiping out a small tribe, things should be quieter for a while,” the Rank Five Klytheran added.

“I never imagined this place would be so chaotic. It’s nothing like the other star domains I’ve traveled through before,” Beatrice muttered.

Sein, on the other hand, was thinking of something entirely different. “If we carried out a slave hunt here, we would never lack for cannon fodder,” he commented.

His remark earned a nod of agreement from Karazo.

“The Chaos Sea Star Domain produces almost no resources. Crystals of any kind are extremely scarce,” Karazo said.

“But nomadic Astral Realm races gather here year-round, so battles and survival struggles happen constantly. Compared to energy crystals and rare resources, slaves and population are the most abundant commodities here, followed by souls.

“Our next stop will be Freedom Star City. I plan to sell these captured creatures there. That was also where I got the intel about the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation going to war—from a reliable information broker,” Karazo explained.

“Freedom Star City?” Sein let out a dry chuckle at the name.

Who would have thought that in a star domain this chaotic, there would be an interstellar city named after the word freedom?

“Who founded it?” Sein asked.

“No idea. It seems to have formed naturally among the many nomadic races wandering through the Chaos Sea,” Karazo replied.

“We help maintain order in the city too. Almost every wandering tribe needs a reliable place for fair trade. Some claim a Rank Six being watches over the place, but I’ve never seen them. I suspect it’s just a rumor that grew legs over time.

“Still, the mere possibility of an unseen Rank Six lurking around does keep certain troublemakers in check,” he added with a chuckle.

Most of the time, the Klytherans were a reasonable bunch.

And during the early formation of Freedom Star City, they were the ones who kept the place in order.

Through Karazo’s explanation, Sein gained a deeper understanding of the Chaos Sea Star Domain and this so-called “Freedom Star City.”

If anyone ever managed to unite the scattered forces of the Chaos Sea Star Domain, the combined power of this region might surpass that of an average medium-sized world civilization.

But achieving such unity here was nearly impossible.

Even sending a Rank Six being to enforce order would likely make little difference in the short term.

***

As they traveled through the Chaos Sea Star Domain, Sein and his companions were ambushed two more times, just as Karazo had predicted.

The intervals between each attack were long, at least.

The Chaos Sea was not large, but it was a treacherous space.

And with the Klytheran fleet’s subpar navigation skills, their progress was painfully slow.

During this period, one Klytheran vessel was even caught in a stellar vortex.

Fortunately, there were enough high-ranking fighters in the fleet to mount a swift rescue, keeping casualties to a minimum.

The metal vessel itself was destroyed. Sein and the others had no intention of entering the stellar vortex just to salvage what was now nothing more than scrap metal.

Despite the ambushes and mishaps, the Klytherans suffered minimal real losses and instead ended up capturing tens of thousands of enslaved creatures.

These captives were worth very little—most were even lower than Rank One.

But every bit counted. Having grown accustomed to living frugally, the Klytherans still planned to resupply at Freedom Star City.

Sein was genuinely curious about the place. Darian Wraith of the Shadowbat Civilization, Beatrice from Marvelous Plane, and several others also expressed interest in visiting.

“Arid Expanse World’s aggressive expansion has disrupted the order of nearby star domains, causing great suffering to countless planes. Suppose we could unite all those who have been oppressed and resist Arid Expanse World together. In that case, we might finally create a more reasonable order—one that brings stability and peace to the surrounding star domains,” Darian said.

His statement earned Beatrice’s support.

Marvelous Plane was not far from Arid Expanse World. Although no conflicts had broken out between them for tens of thousands of years, a lingering sense of danger remained.

The inhabitants of the Marvelous Plane did not view the Arid Expanse World favorably. After all, it was known for its relentless hunger for conquest and domination.

And the threat posed by Arid Expanse World far outweighed anything the Klytheran Legion had done to Blue Star.