Sovereign of the Ashes

The days spent immersed in experimental truths passed by in the blink of an eye.

On such a battlefield, how could Sein possibly be granted much time to rest?

His injuries had barely healed when Bernice came looking for him once again.

Before this, Sein had already submitted a report to the Magus Civilization through her. It was a summary of the discoveries and intelligence he had gathered within this subspace secret realm.

Gilbert, Grethel, and the others who returned alongside him had also submitted their own reports.

Overlord-level powerhouses of Magus World might have already been aware of the situation on this subspace battlefield, having learned about the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization and the Black Merlot Civilization through the intelligence Sein’s group had uncovered.

Bernice’s visit indeed involved the possibility of Sein being called back into battle.

Among Rank Five beings, Sein’s combat strength already placed him firmly among the elite.

Not to mention, he now had a Rank Six robot as a powerful ally.

The war between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation within this subspace was still raging fiercely.

According to Bernice, the fighting was not limited to the subspace itself—it had also spread to the surrounding starfields beyond it.

The Magus Civilization had deployed numerous long-range teleportation arrays, continuously bringing in allied legions to reinforce the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Gallant Federation was opening wormholes one after another, with fresh fleets constantly arriving in this star domain.

Within this subspace alone, the primary battlefields were concentrated around the collapsed Grandlight Tech Center and another coordinate node located on the outer edge of the Steel Ruins.

Although the Grandlight Tech Center had been destroyed by the Gallant Federation’s apocalyptical weapon, structures of that magnitude were known to be linked to overlord-level entities.

Both the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation were eager to excavate the core secrets of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization from its ruins.

As for the major coordinate node, Bernice had no idea what lay hidden there.

It appeared that the Gallant Federation placed immense importance on that region. Upon arriving at the Steel Ruins, they immediately deployed substantial forces to garrison it.

The Magus Civilization, unaware of what lay hidden there, noticed the Federation’s intense focus on the area and its continuous reinforcement of defenses.

Naturally, they dispatched large military contingents to launch attacks against the federal legions stationed there.

These two battlefronts had now become the most fiercely contested zones in the entire subspace.

As for the other battle zones, scattered clashes involving Rank Four and Rank Five creatures were also breaking out.

In any case, the entire subspace had become a battlefield for the war between the two civilizations.

The scale of this subspace rivaled that of a large-sized world, providing more than enough territory for the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation to deploy their forces and wage a full-scale confrontation.

Sein had remained at Magus World’s main base in this subspace for some time, yet he had not encountered Grandmaster Feylis or the others, as they were still on the frontlines.

Bernice came to inform him that he might soon be called back into the fighting, and Sein naturally had no objections.

During their conversation, she also casually asked about Fermera’s whereabouts.

Sein knew the eight-winged angel did not particularly like Bernice.

He also assumed Bernice’s interest stemmed from the same curiosity toward Rank Six robots that he himself felt.

“She’s probably with the other angel robots in the lower levels of the fortress. If you need her for something, I can call her over here now,” he replied.

“No, it’s fine,” Bernice said.

“Your mentor may also arrive on this battlefield soon. You’ll be quite the surprise for her then.” She chuckled.

***

Shortly after seeing Bernice off, and before the higher-ups could issue any orders, Sein received an unexpected visitor.

Gilbert arrived at the Ashen Fortress as a guest.

As a research-oriented mage, the old man neither established his own divine tower nor possessed a space fortress. He would not even remain in this subspace for long.

According to the old man, he would soon return to the Netherworld Star Domain to report on his duties and relay his findings regarding the inert crystals discovered in this subspace to the Magus Civilization’s higher-ups.

He was here to bid Sein farewell.

Amidst the chaos of the Clash of Civilizations, neither of them knew when they might meet again.

Gilbert also invited Sein to visit the soul tower where he served in the Marmett Union Alliance sometime in the future.

Sein had shown Gilbert considerable kindness, and having once saved Valerie during a crisis, the old man felt deeply indebted to him.

As such, Gilbert shared all the profound insights he had gained regarding inert crystals at the Grandlight Tech Center’s research facilities with Sein.

This additional knowledge should allow Sein to further enhance the destructive power of his super bomb.

While discussing inert crystals with Gilbert in the reception room of the Ashen Fortress, Sein could not help but ask, “I wonder what happened to all those top-grade inert crystal ores we discovered at the Grandlight Tech Center? Were they destroyed by the Gallant Federation’s apocalyptical weapon?”

“It’d be such a waste. Not only were there top-grade specimens like the one I have, I recall we even found higher-grade essences back then,” he said with clear regret.

Old Gilbert chuckled and explained, “Inert crystals are called inert precisely because their energy particles are extremely inactive. Only extraordinary methods can stimulate and harness their power.

“If they were ordinary crystal veins, an explosion of that scale would have triggered a massive chain detonation. But based on the situation at the time, the inert crystals within those structures were likely not destroyed along with everything else.

“The fierce fighting now taking place between the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation around the ruins of the Grandlight Tech Center is not only about the technological legacy of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization. Those inert crystals are almost certainly another major reason.”

Sein nodded. “I see.”

Gilbert saw no reason to conceal anything from him. After a brief pause, he continued in a contemplative tone, “As you said, we discovered exceptionally high-grade inert crystals back then—many comparable to the one you possess, and even some with far higher energy levels.

“Based on my understanding, if all the inert crystals within the Grandlight Tech Center were forcibly detonated by an external force, the destructive power released... could very well shatter this entire subspace.

“After all, that was power produced by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s Infinite Energy device, crystallized naturally over tens of millions of years.”