Sovereign of the Ashes

Jupymars was a low-level plane close to Planet Zax, dominated by pyro elemental forces.

Here, the Gallant Federation held a clear advantage as well.

Before leading his forces to Jupymars, Sein met with Orric and the others to thank them for their help in the previous battle.

The Klytheran Legion was still recuperating, supported by a steady stream of supplies from the Magus Civilization’s forces stationed on Zax.

No matter how eloquent the words, actions spoke louder.

Empty promises simply would not cut it.

When Darian and Beatrice saw the Klytheran fighters receiving potions and energy crystals from Magus World, both of them visibly relaxed.

Orric might have looked carefree, but he was no fool—he took note of everything.

“The Gallant Federation routinely resorts to planetary annihilation. Both Klythera and Zax are proof of that,” Sein said. “The Sanoks were supposed to be their allies, yet before leaving, the federation still fired their Starbreaker Cannon at Zax.”

“The Gallant Federation is truly wicked!” Orric agreed with a nod.

Darian and Beatrice remained quiet, but the subtle shifts in their expressions spoke clearly enough.

“Our next target is Jupymars. We’ll be working with the Magus Civilization legions in this star domain to drive the Gallant Federation out quickly and prevent more planes from falling into their hands,” Sein continued.

“You have not signed contracts with our Magus Civilization yet, so you’re not obligated to take part in this operation,” he added.

Orric chuckled. “Well, I already involved myself. And who knows, maybe the Gallant Federation has marked me by now. I might as well stretch my legs and lend a hand.”

“I won’t be joining the fighting directly, but I can help escort your vessels carrying the wounded,” Beatrice offered.

Darian and Auron said nothing. But after everything they had witnessed, they likely had a good grasp of what both the Gallant Federation and the Magus Civilization were like.

Sein continued, “You may rest at our Magus Civilization’s space fortress for now. The severely injured Klytheran fighters will be transported there for treatment as well.”

“The battle on Jupymars should not last long. According to our intelligence, the Gallant Federation doesn’t have many forces stationed there,” he said.

***

Molten lava churned and rolled across Jupymars’ surface, its heat far exceeding expectations.

“Ugh, I hate fiery environments,” Orric muttered, standing shirtless in the starlit sky as he looked down at the blazing planet below.

The Gallant Federation’s forces on Jupymars could, at best, rival two Rank Four lifeforms.

The moment they learned that Magus Civilization reinforcements had launched a rear assault, the Federation fleet stationed here had already pulled out well ahead of time.

Several more federal legions from nearby sectors had also gathered in the surrounding starfield to provide support.

But these fleets were not here to fight Sein’s group to the bitter end. Their true objective was performing a cycle of retreats and ambushes.

The battle did not last long.

By the time Orric conjured a third water tornado with a flick of his wrist, the federal ships had already vanished from sight.

Shortly afterward, a Rank Four Magus World mage named Fenos appeared before Sein. He was a garrison mage who had been stranded on Jupymars for nearly seven years.

Because of its hasty retreat and the limited number of troops left behind, the Gallant Federation had failed to inflict serious damage on this pyro-attribute low-level plane before departing.

After a brief exchange with Fenos and the other garrison mages, Sein ordered them to lead their remaining combat-ready forces to reinforce nearby battlefields.

This star domain was under the command of a Rank Six powerhouse from Magus World.

Sein’s sudden arrival and the fact that he had rallied the surrounding legions into battle had definitely exceeded that Rank Six mage’s expectations and deployment plans.

But Sein had no time to concern himself with all that now. In his view, his actions alongside the Klytheran Legion should not conflict with the broader strategy set by that Rank Six powerhouse.

Besides, Sein had already declared their purpose was to assist the besieged Magus Civilization legions.

Having been trapped in encirclement more than once himself, Sein deeply understood how desperately those surrounded forces prayed for reinforcements.

“The Rank Six mage in charge of the Sanok Star Domain is a lumimancer named Fathis,” Sein recalled from Gargawell’s report.

He sighed softly. “I hope she understands our intentions and deploys support to the main battlefield quickly.”

Even with their formidable strength, they stood little chance if the Gallant Federation decided to retaliate by mobilizing all their legions at once.

The ideal outcome would be for Master Fathis and her forces to apply pressure on the main front too.

Under pressure from two directions, the Gallant Federation would be forced to speed up its decision to withdraw from this star domain.

***

Following the Jupymars battlefield...

Sein led the Klytheran Legion, joining forces with various rescued Magus Civilization legions to launch operations across multiple rear sectors of the Sanok Star Domain—Planet Desser, the Kylador Plane, the Hollow Asteroid Belt, the Scorched Battlefield...

They even destroyed two of the Gallant Federation’s supply satellites.

The impact was far from plane-shattering, but it was more than enough to throw the federal legions into disarray.

During this period, the Magus Civilization’s main forces on the Sanok Star Domain frontline launched coordinated, devastating assaults against the Gallant Federation, as if guided by the same unspoken strategy.

Sein’s ability to move freely across multiple battlefields with limited manpower and even destroy two federal supply satellites was largely thanks to the pressure the Magus Civilization’s main forces were exerting on the frontlines.

Otherwise, just as Sein had predicted at the start, he might have been able to stir up trouble on only two or three planets before being forced to dig in and wait for reinforcements.

It certainly would not have escalated into turning the entire rear of the Sanok Star Domain upside down.

More than a dozen planetary and planar battlefields were thrown into chaos by the forces Sein brought with him.

This chain reaction ultimately forced the Gallant Federation to make an early decision to withdraw from the Sanok Star Domain.

Faced with the federation’s full retreat, the sole remaining Rank Five in Sanok Star Domain, a Sanokian named Shahuru, begged the federation not to abandon them.

Shahuru had only recently been crowned the “People’s King” after the death of Sanok Star Domain’s native Rank Six powerhouse.

To his plea, the federation’s response was: “either stay here and await the Magus Civilization’s judgment, or relocate with us to the Golden Rock Worlds.”

The Golden Rock Worlds was a medium-sized star domain battlefield that the Federation had invested heavily in.

There, the Gallant Federation was confident it could deliver a decisive blow to the Magus Civilization and reverse its decline in this region.

Beyond that, the federation also planned to link the surrounding territories with Arid Expanse World, which was on the verge of rising to a large-sized world civilization, to form a new primary theater of war.

By now, there should already be some developments on the Arid Expanse front.

Naturally, the Gallant Federation saw no reason to disclose these intels or long-term strategies to a Rank Five Sanokian.

Thus, the king had only two choices: accept or refuse.

In the end, Shahuru had no choice but to lead his remaining people in retreat, following the federal legions out of the Sanok Star Domain.

As he left, he scooped up a handful of soil from his homeplane.

His sharp, dark eyes lingered on the war-torn star domain and whispered, “We will return.”

Shahuru was not the only tragic survivor forced to escape their dying homeplane. But how many of them ever returned to reclaim their worlds?