Sovereign of the Ashes

Beyond discussing the situation in the Saitos Star Domain, Bev also brought up recent developments across other fronts between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation during her conversation with Viktor.

This soul-level mechanic named Viktor could be considered one of Lady Bev’s most loyal supporters.

Currently, the Magus Civilization appeared to be led by Lady Bev. Her role in presiding over the 25th Magus Alliance Conference had largely confirmed her leadership position on the frontlines of the war effort.

In truth, Magus World remained internally fragmented.

This meant that among the many member planes of the Magus Alliance, loyalties and dependencies varied significantly.

That was to be expected, since the Magus Civilization does not follow an authoritarian model.

The idea of one single entity dominating the entire Magus World was simply unrealistic.

In fact, this decentralized system of mutual checks and balances might be the most suitable arrangement for the Magus Civilization under the current circumstances.

But precisely because of this structure, internal friction and favoritism were inevitable.

Even someone as powerful and respected as Lady Bev was no stranger to such political maneuvering.

With a smile, Lady Bev said, “On one of our peripheral battlefields near a plane called Blue Star, we discovered a large deposit of inert crystals. And that’s not all—we also found the ruins of what looks like a top-tier technological civilization from tens of millions of years ago. Are you interested in taking a look?”

“I’ve heard about the inert crystal deposits too. But ruins of a top-tier technological civilization... I’d love to see them. Still, the Steel City frontline legions are under heavy pressure right now. I think I should stay at the front a little longer,” Viktor replied.

That answer brought an even broader smile to Bev’s face.

It might have been exactly what she was hoping to hear.

“Ever since that incident in the Saitos Star Domain, the Gallant Federation has been launching aggressive offensives on all major fronts. Even the Netherworld Star Domain under my command has been anything but calm. So honestly, your decision to stay put is for the best,” Bev said.

For the Magus Civilization, the ruins of a top-tier technological civilization were of immense interest, especially to mechanics.

However, excavation efforts had only just begun, and no core secrets of that advanced civilization had been uncovered yet.

So even if Viktor wanted to visit, he could afford to wait.

This also showed that even if overlord powerhouses like Bev or Viktor sometimes had personal motives behind their decisions, they were still willing to serve the Magus Civilization selflessly—even at the cost of their lives.

Lady Bev had long devoted herself to the Magus Civilization. Both her younger brother and sister had already broken through to Rank Eight, yet she herself remained stuck at the peak of Rank Seven.

Bev had inherited the most extensive network and the most authority within the Magus Civilization from her father’s generation, yet she remained at Rank Seven.

Was it truly because she lacked the talent?

No. How could a Rank Nine’s daughter possibly lack talent?!

In the end, it was her unwavering commitment to the Magus Civilization that had slowed and delayed her own progress.

When the conversation turned to the Gallant Federation’s rising pressure on other star domain battlefields, Viktor hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

“Because of the Gallant Federation’s Infinity Light, many of the foreign deities allied with the Magus Civilization have started to panic. Even within our own ranks, a lot of Rank Four and Rank Five beings have grown restless over the past two years.”

“I wonder... does our civilization have any way to counter the Infinity Light? Should we retrieve the Supreme Knight Overlord Armor Set from the Knight Continent in the Western Archipelago?” Viktor asked.

As an overlord-level powerhouse, Viktor did not have the authority to decide on deploying the Overlord Armor Set. His influence only extended to casting votes during the Prelim Council.

To activate the civilization’s ultimate treasure, a formal proposal from a leader like Bev was required.

Bev shook her head at the suggestion. “Before I left for the Netherworld Star Domain, Master Douglas entrusted me with the Light of Wisdom[1], just in case. Although I didn’t use it during that war, we have already taken out one of our civilization’s treasures. In my view, the Gallant Federation’s deployment of its civilizational trump card so early was a desperate move.

“There’s no need to retrieve the Supreme Knight Overlord Armor Set yet. Besides, even if we wanted to deploy it now, we wouldn’t be able to find a suitable wearer in such a short amount of time,” Bev explained.

The ultimate weapons of a civilization were best not deployed lightly.

The Gallant Federation had made the first move, seemingly regaining momentum in the Saitos Star Domain. But one consequence of that was that the Magus Civilization had become highly vigilant against similar tactics.

Even if the Gallant Federation were to unleash the Infinity Light again, it would be difficult to replicate the same result.

Civilizational treasures were meant to be used only in truly pivotal, large-scale conflicts.

If the Magus Civilization had rushed to deploy the Supreme Knight Overlord Armor Set right after the Gallant Federation revealed the Infinity Light, it would have only exposed their lack of confidence.

At present, the Magus Civilization was holding its ground on all fronts.

In the face of the Federation’s aggressive offensives, they responded with steady resolve.

This composure left the Gallant Federation second-guessing the true strength of the Magus Civilization.

What Bev and others did not yet know was that, after deploying the Infinity Light, the federation’s top quantum computer produced troubling results.

Although the projected win rate against the Magus Civilization had increased by a few percentage points, the figure still fell short of expectations, and the rate of improvement remained sluggish.

This caused growing concern among many high-ranking officials within the federation.

Lady Bev’s response earned a firm nod from Viktor.

As for the selection of a wearer for the Supreme Knight Overlord Armor Set, three candidates had been proposed from Magus World and one from the Magus Alliance.

But a final decision had yet to be made. The requirements were simply too harsh, and the potential side effects too great.

Besides, the Overlord Armor Set was less practical than the Light of Wisdom, even though it might be more powerful and destructive.

What Bev did not explicitly tell Viktor was that with the Light of Wisdom already deployed at the front, it was critical to keep at least one civilizational treasure in reserve to safeguard the Magus Civilization.

Historically, every major catastrophe faced by the Magus Civilization had come when war breached their homeland.

By keeping the Supreme Knight Overlord Armor Set within Magus World, it served as a powerful deterrent to foreign civilizations, even if it was guarded by only a single Rank Seven knight.

From beginning to end, the Magus Civilization had never underestimated its enemies.

Its high command had planned for every possibility. And Viktor, the Rank Seven mechanic, quickly grasped exactly what was at stake.

1. Translator’s Note: There were a couple of comments on an earlier chapter saying that Wisdom Light sounded odd, so I’ve taken that feedback and changed it to Light of Wisdom! ☜