Sovereign of the Ashes

“Thankfully Master Feylis arrived in time. Otherwise, we might have taken a heavy blow.”The Rank Six creature from the Arriba Interstellar Chamber of Commerce let out a sigh of relief.

After only a brief skirmish, this combat-inexperienced Rank Six being was already covered in wounds.

Most of them were blunt traumas, leaving him looking rather pitiful.

Unlike the Arriba Chamber’s Rank Six creature, who wore a look of relief, White Stella kept her beautiful eyes fixed on the distant center of the battlefield she had just withdrawn from.

The clash between Feylis and Seiron offered her profound inspiration, particularly in how they wielded law power.

Even though neither of them wielded hydro elemental laws, White Stella still gleaned valuable insights from their battle.

There was a saying in the Immortal Realm: Though paths might differ, all roads ultimately led to the same destination.

Although White Stella had not really visited the Immortal Realm herself, her family background had steeped her in its culture, allowing her to absorb much of its underlying philosophy.

Being able to observe a battle between Feylis and Seiron at such close range was an invaluable opportunity, especially now, as she stood on the verge of breaking through to Rank Six.

Her silence left the Rank Six being from the Arriba Chamber of Commerce feeling rather awkward.

In the past, White Stella might have humored him with small talk. After all, he was a Rank Six being and her uncle’s subordinate.

Now, however, she clearly had no attention to spare for him.

Fortunately for the Rank Six creature, the awkward silence did not last long.

A thunderous roar of advancing legions echoed across the void, accompanied by the reappearance of dense hydro elemental power along the outer edges of the stellar battlefield.

The Arriba’s Rank Six being turned pale again.

“What...? More reinforcements?” he asked grimly.

The newly arrived forces were a mixed assortment.

The largest contingent was made up of Aquaria’s legions, led by Orven himself.

Behind them came numerous fleets from the Gallant Federation, legions from the Grand Apocalypse World, and even a handful of mercenaries from neighboring star systems.

White Stella remained remarkably calm in the face of this newly arrived hostile force.

She had long been aware of this “tail” behind her.

Perhaps Orven of Aquaria had no desire to wade into this chaos, but the decision was clearly not his to make.

Pressure from the Gallant Federation and the Grand Apocalypse World left Orven with no choice but to lead his legions away from the Marvelous Plane battlefield and toward this location.

After casting one final glance at the clash between Feylis and Seiron, White Stella summoned her narwhal mount and headed straight for Orven’s advancing forces.

Despite the appearance of a mixed Aquaria-Gallant Federation legion, the Magus Civilization forces positioned along the periphery of the battlefield remained remarkably calm.

The elite Magus Civilization legions swiftly assigned a detachment to deal with the advancing Aquarian forces.

In truth, with tens of millions of troops spread across such a vast battlefield, not every legion was immediately locked in combat.

Both sides still held substantial reserves in the rear, forces that had yet to be committed.

As a result, orders to redeploy rear units to the frontlines were carried out with remarkable efficiency.

White Stella’s decision to move toward the rear and confront the mixed enemy forces gave the Rank Six creature from the Arriba Chamber of Commerce pause. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and followed her.

Having already involved himself in this war, withdrawing halfway would mean walking away with nothing.

White Stella’s condition was clearly dire. The severe backlash she had suffered earlier left her in much worse shape than he was.

If she could face the Aquarian legions head-on without hesitation in her current condition, what excuse did he have to retreat?

After downing another potion and feeling his condition recover slightly, the Rank Six creature hurried after White Stella’s fish tail.

***

Standing at the very heart of the Aquarian legions, Orven was in a foul mood.

He had not come to this stellar battlefield of his own will.

When the cannons of the Gallant Federation’s warships subtly trained in his direction, and the legion dispatched by the Grand Apocalypse World to oversee Aquaria brandished their steel blades, the Ocean King was forced to weigh the price of defiance.

For medium-sized and small civilizations, neither the Gallant Federation nor Magus World was the “good guy”!

In war, they were used as cannon fodder. After victory, they were rewarded with little more than scraps.

Survival of the fittest—that was the cruel reality of the Astral Realm.

Whether Orven now felt any regret for murdering his father, betraying his brother, and usurping the throne remained unknown.

It was not easy being the Ocean King.

Concealed within the base of the Ocean King’s Crown was a ring of razor-sharp coral barbs that could pierce even the scalp of a Rank Six creature.

Years ago, when Orven first wore this world-class secret treasure, it took him quite some time to grow accustomed to it.

At the time, Orven had assumed this was a flaw in the treasure itself, something vastly inferior to the “battle orb” gifted to him by the Gallant Federation.

Now, however, he realized that the earliest Ocean Kings who created this world-class secret treasure had done so with intent.

It was meant to remind every successor that to wear the crown, one must bear its weight.

The Ocean King’s throne was not merely a symbol of privilege. It was equally a burden of responsibility and crushing pressure.

Aquaria could no longer pull itself out of this conflict. Under Orven’s “enlightened leadership”, it had been dragged fully into a war between two top-tier civilizations.

Aquaria had been forced to demonstrate its war potential again and again over the years.

While Arid Expanse World had long waged relentless wars across neighboring star domains, exerting constant pressure on surrounding plane worlds, Aquaria had remained largely untouched, protected by its formidable strength.

Now, things were different.

The recent conflict with the Magus Civilization, whether measured by losses among elite forces or by the sheer scale of depletion among lower-ranking combatants, had exceeded the toll of previous wars by tens or even hundreds of times.

Among Aquarians, murmurs of doubt had begun to surface. Many had started to miss the previous Ocean King, quietly questioning whether continuing to follow Orven was truly the right choice.

Orven’s reign was weakening by the day.

When his confidant, a Rank Five merman, secretly reported that certain Rank Four and Rank Five Aquarian elites were privately discussing the greater legitimacy of Orric’s claim to the throne, Orven began to sense danger creeping in.

Fortunately, Orven was not without support. Beyond his remaining loyalists, he could still rely on the Gallant Federation.

After laying bare Aquaria’s internal troubles, the Gallant Federation had assured him that they could resolve the issue with ease. All Orven needed to do was focus on leading his legions into battles.

What exactly would the Gallant Federation do?

Orven was not entirely sure, but he might have some idea.

For the first time in his life, the thought crossed his mind that usurping the throne might have been a mistake.

He should never have taken on this crushing burden of civilizational responsibility for his older brother, Orric.

Life would probably have been far easier had he remained Aquaria’s second-in-command, unburdened by such weight.

The swirling thoughts and mounting pressure in his heart temporarily suppressed any lustful impulses.

As a result, when Orven noticed his “old rival” reappear on the battlefield, he felt surprisingly little desire.

His first thought was simply that this beautiful yet troublesome mermaid had appeared again.

His second thought was of her trident—it had hurt like hell when it pierced his skin.

Only then did he register that her aura had weakened significantly, and that an unfamiliar Rank Six creature now stood beside her.

From the distance, his gloomy gaze followed White Stella as she steadily closed in.

Urged on by the Gallant Federation, Orven finally gave the order for the entire Aquarian Legion to move out.