Sovereign of the Ashes

The core ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization were the very ones the Magus Civilization had stumbled across several years earlier.

Based on research and predictions by the Magus Civilization’s professional archaeology mages and astrologers, these core ruins were identified as the most valuable site in the region surrounding Blue Star and the Shadowbat Civilization.

They were also believed to contain the largest concentration of relics connected to the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.

After more than a decade of exploration, the Magus Civilization finally locked down the ruins’ exact coordinates.

They were located deep within the void between Blue Star and the Shadowbat Civilization.

It had gone unnoticed by nearby civilizations for so long because it was hidden inside a unique subspace.

The only real complication for the Magus Civilization’s leadership was that the subspace’s coordinates happened to fall within a contested battle zone, one where Arid Expanse World currently held the advantage.

Although the Shadowbat Civilization had stabilized its situation with assistance from the Magus Civilization, vast stretches of the surrounding star domain were still occupied by Arid Expanse World.

In recent years, the Grand Apocalypse World and the Gallant Federation had repeatedly reinforced their forces in this region, forcing the Magus Civilization to proceed carefully.

Instead of dispatching Feylis and her group directly, the Magus Civilization redeployed forces from Marvelous Plane’s battlefield, where Sein and the others were stationed.

This maneuver was meant to mislead the Gallant Federation and divert its attention.

The Magus Civilization concluded that the Gallant Federation had most likely discovered the existence of top-tier civilization ruins within this star domain as well.

There was no other explanation for the federation’s relentless reinforcement of nearby star territories.

After all, their previous strategic focus had not been the Shadowbat Civilization battlefield, but the Golden Rock Worlds, which housed numerous heavy industrial bases.

The personnel assigned to head to the core ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization were selected quickly, without lengthy debate—Sein, Agathis, and Karazo.

Among their peers, their combat strength was simply unrivaled.

White Stella would have been an ideal candidate for the mission, but she needed to remain behind to counter the ongoing assault from the Aquarian legions.

As a result, she was temporarily left out.

After Sein and the others finalized their departure schedule, Black Oblivion somehow learned about the existence of the top-tier civilization ruins and immediately demanded to join the expedition.

How he convinced White Stella remained a mystery, but in the end, he succeeded—and accompanied Sein on the journey to the ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization.

His cousins came along with him too.

As for the magic beast kings, only Milena—the Moon Tiger—was ultimately approved to join the expedition.

Sein was quite familiar with Milena. He had interacted with her on several occasions in the past and had fought alongside her in multiple battles.

Milena’s progress over the past few years had been remarkable. While Black Oblivion was still stuck at Rank Four, Milena had already advanced to Rank Five.

After her advancement, her body grew even larger. The white wings on her back became more majestic than ever, and the crescent moon on her forehead gleamed brightly beneath the starlit sky.

This Moon Tiger wielded the lumen elemental law—more precisely, a specialized branch of it known as the Moon Law.

Although she had reached Rank Five, the other magic beast kings in Black Oblivion’s circle still regarded Black Oblivion as their leader.

Before Sein and the others set off, Milena was chatting animatedly with a lumen elemental being.

The creature possessed only Rank Four strength, yet the law power within him was extraordinarily pure—so pure that even Sein could not help but give him a second look.

The primordial energy coursing through him bore a striking resemblance to the energy contained within the Lumina Heart Sein had recently acquired.

When Sein stepped closer and joined their conversation, he learned that the creature’s name was Dekses, and that he indeed hailed from the Luminara Civilization.

He had arrived here as an interstellar mercenary with the Arriba Chamber of Commerce.

Through their exchange, Sein also learned that this Rank Four Luminarian had been hired by White Stella for seven million magicoin worth of lumen-attribute energy crystals.

Money, however, was not Dekses’ main goal. He had crossed countless star domains to reach the Magus Civilization’s territory, primarily to broaden his horizons.

Moreover, the mercenary contract he had signed was a law contract with exceptionally lenient terms. He was even allowed to evaluate battlefield risks himself and decide whether to accept or decline assignments from the Magus Civilization.

“Our Magus Civilization’s territory is vast beyond measure. What you have seen so far is only the outer edge of the star domain where we clash with the Gallant Federation. If the opportunity arises, we can travel deeper into the heart of the Magus Civilization, and you can see the true splendor of our star domains for yourself,” Sein said.

“I look forward to the surprises the Magus Civilization may bring,” Dekses replied politely.

Although Luminarians were lumen elemental giants, Dekses appeared before Sein at a height roughly comparable to his. Outwardly, his features were also strikingly similar to those of humans from Magus World.

With the Lumina Heart in his possession, Sein had been conducting extensive research into the Luminara Civilization lately.

The Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce held the most comprehensive details on the subject.

This interstellar chamber of commerce followed a simple creed: money came first. As long as Sein could pay, they would do their utmost to fulfill his requests.

The Luminara civilization was dominated by the Luminarians.

Despite being classified as a top-tier civilization, it was said to have a surprisingly small population.

While civilizations like Magus World boasted homeplane populations in the trillions, the total number of Luminarians might only match that of a medium-sized plane.

They certainly could not compete in sheer numbers with top civilizations such as the Gallant Federation, which actively pursued interstellar colonization.

What the Luminara civilization was truly famous for, however, was the terrifying power of its individual beings.

Although Dekses appeared human-sized in front of Sein, he could instantly transform into a giant over a thousand meters tall once battle began.

This was why Luminarians were commonly referred to as “giants”.

Through direct observation and research, Sein also discovered that beings like Dekses from the Luminara Civilization were not truly elemental beings, as they appeared at first glance. Instead, they were creatures of flesh and blood.

As for why Dekses’ affinity for lumen elemental energy rivaled that of elemental beings, that remained one of the closely guarded secrets of the Luminara Civilization.

There were rumors that the range of powers mastered by Luminarians extended far beyond light alone.

“Well, we should be leaving now. Until next time,” Milena said to Dekses with a smile.

As fellow wielders of lumen elemental power, Milena and Dekses had already left a deep impression on each other, despite having known each other for only a short time.

“Until next time,” Dekses replied with a nod.