Sovereign of the Ashes

The unwittingly trapped Rank Five Sand Crocodile only came back to its senses when it was struck from behind by the Huusian King.

The Huusian King wielded a short golden dart that could inflict negative effects. It was an unusual weapon, better described as a discreet weapon.

When the dart first pierced the thick hide of the enraged Rank Five Sand Crocodile, the creature barely registered.

Only after the effects began to kick in did the Sand Crocodile slowly regain clarity, lifting its head to take in its surroundings.

The large-scale retreat of Aquaria’s forces and the interstellar mercenaries was what truly forced the creature to calm down.

No matter how arrogant or powerful it was, it clearly understood that it could not fight alone against the Magus Civilization legions Sein brought here.

As the Sand Crocodile calmed down, the blood-red haze in its eyes gradually cleared.

Despite the prolonged and brutal battle, the flames and sandstorm churning beneath its feet showed no obvious signs of weakening.

This was an exceptionally powerful Rank Five creature!

Even Sein had to acknowledge that much.

“Hmph! Without that mask, you wouldn’t stand a chance against me!” the Sand Crocodile snarled. Even while being encircled, its arrogance remained undiminished.

Sein stood directly in front of it, with the Huusian King at its back. Yuri, the Rank Four knight Gree, Rank Four Klytheran fighter Kram, and another peak Rank Four Huusian warrior named Bisoo surrounded it on all sides.

Six against one—Sein and his group really took this Sand Crocodile seriously.

Of course, the Huusian King, Gree, and Bisoo had only joined the encirclement after finishing their own battles elsewhere.

And as time went on, more powerful Magus Civilization reinforcements would inevitably come.

By the time Karazo arrived, the Sand Crocodile would probably lose its courage to keep spewing threats.

The Sand Crocodile might have been reckless, but it had keen senses. It had clearly realized the unusual nature of Sein’s Faceless Mask.

At this moment, its massive body was riddled with wounds, all inflicted by attacks amplified through the mask.

There was little point in wasting words on a Rank Five extraplanar creature that understood nothing but brute force.

If Sein was not mistaken, the Sand Crocodile had a Fire Sand Crystal within its body.

Moreover, many parts of the creature itself were rare and valuable pyro-attribute materials. Because of this, he had been eyeing the creature for a very long time.

The metallic cube he hurled toward Yuri swiftly fused with her Burning Flame Unit.

It was none other than the world-class secret treasure known as the Magic Cube.

Aside from unlocking robotic intelligence, the Magic Cube offered little immediate increase to Sein’s own combat power.

However, once it merged with the Burning Flame Unit, it granted Yuri a tremendous surge in strength.

Sein’s move made his intentions unmistakably clear. He was determined to make this Rank Five Sand Crocodile stay.

In midair, the Sand Crocodile brought its razor-sharp claws downward, grabbing the fiery sandstorm below.

Faced with mounting danger, it made an interesting choice.

Rather than charging toward the weaker zone where the Rank Four beings were gathered, it lunged straight at Sein—the strongest opponent present.

Rolling flames and raging sand coiled around its massive body.

From a distance, it looked like a living storm hurtling toward him.

This Sand Crocodile had every reason to be arrogant. As a fellow wielder of the pyro elemental law, Sein’s Ashen Flames were somewhat less lethal against it.

Coupled with its mastery over the power of sand—a variant of rock and soil elemental energies—the creature possessed abnormally high defensive capabilities.

It was no wonder it served as a trusted aide under Seiron, the mightiest powerhouse of Arid Expanse World.

“Hm? It’s coming at her?” Wreathed in the Ashen Flame, Sein’s demonic form glanced behind him at an angle in mild surprise.

With the Faceless Mask’s enhancement, Sein could almost read the Rank Five Sand Crocodile like an “open book”.

As a result, no matter how formidable the creature was, or how high its defense and attack power might be, Sein would not be inferior to it in the slightest in a clash of equal rank like this.

Hippolyta stood diagonally behind Sein, still severely injured.

Over the past two years of fighting, Sein had attempted more than once to withdraw Hippolyta from the battlefield. Yet, the Sand Crocodile was a dangerous opponent with keen instincts.

Any attempt, whether sending Hippolyta away or having Kram and Yuri cover her retreat, would immediately draw the Sand Crocodile’s relentless pursuit.

Meanwhile, Sein himself had been pinned on the main front, forced to keep the Sand Crocodile under control, leaving him no opportunity to tend to Hippolyta. Now, she had once again become its chosen target.

After quickly judging the trajectory of the incoming attack, Sein furrowed his brow and decided to intercept it.

A living Hippolyta was far better than a dead one.

It was not that he was desperate for another Rank Five ally. As far as he knew, Hippolyta enjoyed an impeccable reputation not only on Marvelous Plane, but also across the surrounding star domains.

Bringing Hippolyta into the Magus Alliance would bring far greater benefits than recruiting Beatrice ever could.

If Hippolyta were killed by the Sand Crocodile at this critical moment, at least half of Sein’s efforts over the past two years would have been for nothing.

Sein’s rescue created a brief opening in the encirclement surrounding the Sand Crocodile.

This creature’s combat instincts were truly extraordinary. Even after everything it had already shown, it still had more hidden tricks in reserve.

A crystal shimmering with blue-purple light suddenly appeared in its left claw.

The moment it appeared, Sein raised an eyebrow.

It looked like he was not the only one with a single-use magic bomb. This Sand Crocodile had one as well!

Worse still, the crystal bomb in its grasp was almost certainly a technological product of the Gallant Federation. Sein could sense an intense surge of radiation power from it.

A crimson firestorm rushed past Sein’s left flank. In the next instant, a violent explosion detonated behind the Sand Crocodile. Its main target was the Huusian King and the others.

The searing waves of flame and shock caused Hippolyta to cough up another mouthful of blood.

Sein wanted to chase after the Sand Crocodile, but seeing Hippolyta’s condition, he could only let out a quiet sigh.

The radiation unleashed by the exploded blue-purple crystal quickly flooded the area around Sein.

He had to admit—the destructive power of this blast surpassed any magic bomb he had ever crafted.

Perhaps only the explosive made from the special crystal he had obtained in the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s secret realm could exceed the force of what the Sand Crocodile had just unleashed.

While shielding Hippolyta, Sein kept his gaze locked on the fleeing Rank Five sand crocodile.

He was calculating whether there might still be a chance to intercept it once the radiation storm subsided.

Unfortunately, the Sand Crocodile was simply too fast.

In the blink of an eye, it had already reached Marvelous Plane’s planar barrier, prompting another helpless sigh from Sein.

The already fragile planar barrier was easily breached under the Sand Crocodile’s brutal charge.

Just as Sein thought the creature was about to escape, and that even pursuing it beyond the Astral Realm would make a full interception nearly impossible...

A trident, glowing with crystalline blue light, suddenly plunged down from the sky!