Sovereign of the Ashes

The battle arrived far sooner than Sein had expected.

At first, he had spotted only two scouting mobile suits.

But as a vast fleet of Gallant Federation warships and swarms of drones filled his vision, Sein immediately sensed that trouble had arrived.

He wasted no time rousing the drowsy Black Oblivion from the experimental base. Then, accompanied by several nearby mages and knights, Sein quickly flew toward the location where Master Howard and the others were stationed.

Within this core secret realm, there were far more Rank Four and Five mages than low-ranking knights and mages.

After all, when it came to top-tier civilization ruins, low-ranking mages were mostly useless.

Most of them served only as assistants, while knights were treated more like “laborers”, tasked with constructing and maintaining experimental bases.

The Magus Civilization enforced strict secrecy here. Enslaved creatures and most beings from allied planes were not permitted to enter at all.

Yuri was a rare exception, slipping in only because she had long accompanied Sein and usually stayed inside his spatial living device.

These core ruins had definitely not been leaked by the Magus Civilization itself.

The Gallant Federation must have uncovered clues elsewhere.

When so many Gallant Federation legions suddenly poured into the ruins, the vast majority of knights and mages—including Sein—were caught completely off guard.

“Activate automatic defense protocols at all experimental bases! Contact the garrison legions outside this subspace to prepare for immediate reinforcements!” Sein ordered a Rank Four mage who flew up beside him.

The Rank Four mage was a research specialist. Though his combat ability was average, he remained calm and clear-headed despite the sudden crisis.

As Sein flew toward the experimental base where Master Howard and the others were located, the combat units under his command gradually gathered into a sizable force.

Among the Rank Four combatants alone, aside from Yuri and Black Oblivion, there were also two dragonkin, along with two knights and mages.

Hundreds of knights and mages of demigod level and below also converged from nearby areas.

Sein had long known that Black Oblivion and members of his family shared a unique method of communication.

There was also a special bond between Sein and Tourmaline that allowed them to sense each other’s presence.

Before the incident, Qixiu and Hanliu had been wandering about. Once the crisis erupted, however, they rushed over to Black Oblivion.

As a hydro-attribute dragon, Black Oblivion struggled to adapt to the laws governing this subspace secret realm.

In contrast, the sandy environment was perfect for Qixiu and Hanliu to unleash their full combat potential, as they were geo and pyro elemental creatures, respectively.

While the Magus Civilization’s archaeological teams tirelessly excavated ancient ruins over the years spent inside the secret realm, the two dragonkins from the Immortal Realm always explored together, seemingly in search of some hidden treasure.

Of course, they found nothing at all. Even so, neither of them ever grew tired of the search.

Perhaps, for them, the journey itself mattered more than the result.

As dragons venturing beyond the Immortal Realm for the first time, Qixiu and Hanliu found everything around them endlessly fascinating.

Back on the battlefields surrounding Marvelous Plane, Sein had already realized that Qixiu and Hanliu were also not the type to stay still for long.

Back then, with White Stella keeping a close watch on them, the trio did not dare act rashly.

Now, however, Sein could not be bothered to babysit them as long as they did not cause trouble in this secret realm.

The first two mobile suits they encountered were swiftly destroyed by the knights and mages guarding the perimeter of the experimental base.

Those mobile suits were only Rank Three. Sein’s forces stationed both inside and outside the experimental base included multiple demigod-level beings, not just one or two.

As they moved toward the experimental base where Howard and the others were located, most of the federal warships and drone swarms they encountered along the way were left for Hanliu to deal with.

This draconic beast, with its exceptionally thick mane, seemed to take great pleasure in setting everything ablaze.

The dragon flames it unleashed were far too powerful for ordinary federal battle suits or mobile suits to withstand head-on.

Although large numbers of federal legions had entered the secret realm, they were mostly mid to low-tier forces. Sein did not waste his attention on them.

As these mid-tier and low-tier warships and drone swarms fell from the sky in flames, Hanliu looked thoroughly satisfied.

He was currently in his true form, covered in crimson scales. Its body was slightly smaller than Black Oblivion’s, yet it appeared sturdier and more compact than Black Oblivion’s dragon appearance.

“Is this all the Gallant Federation has? They do not seem much stronger than those creatures from Aquaria,” Hanliu said excitedly, dragon flames swirling around his entire body.

Sein glanced at the massive guy but did not bother to respond.

When Sein and his group reached Master Howard’s experimental base, the intensity of the fighting there far exceeded anything they had encountered along the way.

The drone swarms and ordinary warships that Hanliu had destroyed so effortlessly were nothing more than cannon fodder, sent out by the federal fleet to slow them down.

Although the Gallant Federation legions had only recently entered the area, they had already identified which Magus Civilization experimental bases held the greatest value.

Master Gilbert and his team were not here, but at another facility.

Given the importance of Master Howard’s base, Sein had no choice but to provide support here first.

What stood out most among the Gallant Federation forces above the base were two massive mobile suits clad in red-and-blue alloy armor, accompanied by a dozen inverted, triangular special-purpose federal vessels.

Judging from the power fluctuations they released, the two enormous mobile suits clearly possessed Rank Five combat strength.

As for the inverted triangular vessels, Sein had never encountered anything like them on the battlefield before.

Based on his years of experience fighting the Gallant Federation, he knew these unfamiliar ships were not to be taken lightly.

Sure enough, when the federal vessels linked together and unleashed layered energy beams that formed net-like patterns of light, Sein immediately ordered the knights and mages around him to scatter.

“You deal with those federal ships. I’m going to help Master Howard and the others!” Sein called out.

The moment he gave the order, Sein activated his Ashen Demon form and charged straight toward the heart of the battlefield.

Master Howard and another Rank Five mage inside the base were barely holding their ground against a massive federal mobile suit.

It had likely been a long time since Master Howard and his colleague had fought on the frontlines themselves, and it was unclear whether their old bones could endure such strain.

The mobile suit and the accompanying special fleet had clearly been chosen by the Gallant Federation specifically to deal with them, placing Master Howard and the others at a severe disadvantage.

Fortunately, the experimental base’s defensive systems were exceptionally solid. Tens of layers of magic barriers absorbed and deflected the concentrated fire from the federal warships, while towering magic towers repeatedly struck back at the enemies in the sky.

Sein’s arrival with a fresh group of reinforcements finally brought a sense of relief to Master Howard and his colleagues.

Although Sein had arrived, there was still no sign of Magus Civilization garrison forces moving in from outside the ruins. It seemed they were also tied down by fierce battles raging out there.