Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1712: Shocking Momentum

The central battlefield within this subspace was vast, yet even the coverage of an apocalyptical weapon had its limits.

As the activation order was issued, Five-Star General Meston swiftly evaluated the precise firing coordinates.

The Gallant Federation’s central computer rapidly filtered the battlefield data and presented dozens of alternative targeting options.

In the end, General Meston pointed toward the northeastern sector of the central battlefield.

That region held a dense concentration of Magus Civilization forces and also lay at the junction between the combat zones of the Rank Six mage named Feylis and another Rank Six knight known as Harrison.

Having spent his entire life on the battlefield, General Meston possessed exceptionally sharp combat instincts.

He also held a deep understanding of Magus World and the operational structure of the Magus Alliance.

In General Meston’s view, eliminating large numbers of Magus Alliance creatures and those so-called “foreign deities” served little real purpose.

They were nothing more than fence-sitters. The Magus Civilization likely paid scant attention to their fate.

Only by slaughtering the Magus World’s native knights, mages, and law-wielding creatures on the battlefield could the Gallant Federation gain a fundamental advantage.

Once casualties among the knight and mage legions mounted, the Magus Civilization would truly feel the pain, making it far more difficult for them to sustain the war.

Thus, General Meston designated a primary firing point where a large concentration of knights and mages had gathered.

Within the weapon’s coverage zone were not only the two Rank Six powerhouses, but also more than a dozen Rank Four and Rank Five knights and mages.

Nearly twenty foreign deities of the Magus Alliance were likewise caught within the apocalyptical weapon’s secondary blast radius.

A barrage of projectiles pulsing with overwhelming power flew toward the heart of the Magus Civilization’s army, unfolding almost before Sein’s very eyes.

Just moments earlier, Sein had assumed that this apocalyptical strike would be aimed at his own forces or at the rebellious Arid Expanse World legion.

After all, the Grand Apocalypse World legion in his sector had suffered the most, while Arid Expanse World’s rebellion and Seiron’s betrayal were the primary triggers behind the Gallant Federation’s frontline collapse.

Sein had even prepared himself to disengage from the battle at any moment.

No matter how tempting a Rank Six specimen might be, he had to survive in order to claim it.

Yet, rather than attempting to reverse the local theater’s decline or vent their frustration by eliminating Seiron and the remnants of the Arid Expanse World forces, the Gallant Federation’s commanders were far more inclined to inflict maximum damage upon the Magus Civilization’s core legions.

BOOM!

A series of violent explosions and terrifying tremors erupted in the northeastern corner of the battlefield.

One black mushroom cloud after another shot skyward, merging into the most striking spectacle across the entire subspace battlefield.

At that moment, no matter where they were within this subspace, all combatants on both sides would have noticed this shocking phenomenon.

At the epicenter of the explosions, the once-stable spatial power had been torn apart. Any bold and capable powerhouse daring to investigate would discover the area riddled with countless space-time rifts and remnants of distorted laws.

These space-time rifts and abnormal manifestations of law would persist for quite some time.

Given the sheer intensity of the firepower unleashed by the Gallant Federation, it would not be surprising if these scars lingered within this subspace for centuries.

The Wandering Reaper was designed for sustained area bombardment. Sein had experienced it firsthand.

High above, dense volleys of rockets continued to launch relentlessly from the rear of the Gallant Federation fleet, streaking toward their designated target node.

Even if some powerful Magus Civilization forces outside the blast radius wanted to intercept the attack, they lacked the ability to do so.

The sector where Sein was located suffered only limited collateral damage.

For that, he owed thanks to the large numbers of Decaying Plane creatures and other allied combat units surrounding him.

Otherwise, his position would have been one of dozens of alternative strike locations suggested by the Gallant Federation’s central computer.

The energy waves overflowing from the apocalyptical weapon slightly disrupted Sein and the God of Decay’s momentum.

However, since the primary impact zone lay elsewhere, Sein and his comrades saw no reason to retreat. Pressing their relentless assault against the Apocalypse World creature before them remained their immediate priority.

Still, Sein was no longer fully immersed in combat as he had been moments before.

His Faceless Mask and magic rod continued to unleash elemental attacks upon the enemy, yet his attention inevitably drifted toward the turbulent sector of the battlefield.

After all, Grandmaster Feylis had been positioned within the coverage radius of the Gallant Federation’s apocalyptical weapon.

The terrifying mushroom cloud obscured his vision, while the violent energy tides and law fluctuations rippling across the battlefield made it impossible for Sein to immediately determine her condition, even while wearing the Faceless Mask.

“She should be safe... right?” Sein thought to himself.

The Wandering Reaper was capable of sustained bombardment, though only in relative terms when compared to other beam-type attacks. Even then, it had its limits.

The rocket rounds that the Gallant Federation had spent so long reloading were, after all, finite.

Before long, the federation’s apocalyptical weapon finally fell silent.

However, the devastation at the epicenter was not the only thing capturing the attention of Sein and the Magus Civilization’s powerhouses across the surrounding battlefields.

What truly stirred them was the sight of Feylis, the first Rank Six being to burst forth from the mushroom cloud and roiling smoke.

Harrison, the Rank Six knight, emerged soon after.

Once the surprise wore off, this type of apocalyptic weapon proved ineffective at delivering fatal strikes against Rank Six beings.

Feylis did not emerge alone. She carried a bloodied figure in her arms.

It took Sein a long moment to finally recognize it was Master Gregory.

He had been so focused on worrying about Feylis that he had completely overlooked the fact that Master Gregory had also been caught within the weapon’s concentrated blast zone.

The destructive power of the apocalyptical weapon’s focused fire was truly terrifying. Even Gregory, a Rank Five body-tempering mage, had been reduced to such a pathetic state despite Feylis’ protection.

One could only imagine the devastation it would have inflicted on other Rank Four or Rank Five beings.

Harrison, who had flown out of the blast zone as well, was in no better condition. One arm hung limp at his side, and his once-muscular chest was torn open by bloody gashes.

Feylis was clearly enraged, though it was unclear whether it was because she had been struck by the federation’s apocalyptical weapon or because she had witnessed the severe injuries suffered by her apprentice.

After taking Gregory to the relatively safer rear of the Magus Civilization’s formation, the dual-weapon-wielding Rank Six mage began chanting a forbidden spell right at the center of the battlefield.

The Federation had struck the Magus Civilization legions with an apocalyptic weapon, so it was only right for Feylis to respond with a forbidden spell of her own!

The destructive power Feylis unleashed far surpassed anything Sein could produce with his Rank Five strength.

Moreover, Feylis further amplified the forbidden spell through her world-class magic scepter.

Surging torrents of verdant green fire gradually spread across the central battlefield.

When Magus Civilization mages chanted forbidden spells or unleashed certain forms of highly destructive magic, there was always a chance of resonating with the elemental and planar laws of the surrounding environment.

Only beings with supreme mastery over elemental forces and profound insight into the laws themselves could wield such overwhelming power.

Clearly, Feylis met both requirements.

Deathly Silent Volcano!

This was a standard large-scale forbidden spell. In Magus World, only mages of Rank Six or higher possessed the qualifications to cast forbidden magic of this level.

Even so, under normal circumstances, most Rank Six mages were reluctant to unleash forbidden spells of such caliber.

The enormous mana consumption and the inherent instability of the casting process meant that failure would trigger elemental backlash severe enough to cost a Rank Six mage half their life.

Only those standing at the very peak of Rank Six, or soul overmages, would dare resort to forbidden spells of this grade.

Sein could only wonder whether Feylis’ decision to cast the forbidden-level Deathly Silent Volcano spell at this moment stemmed from absolute confidence in her own power, or from a desire to strike back at the Gallant Federation at any cost after the immense losses suffered by her apprentice and the Magus Civilization legions.

“Stop her! All fleets, engage immediately! Deploy every giant mobile suit in reserves!” Five-Star General Meston barked from within the capital ship.

Under normal circumstances, Feylis’ casting process for a forbidden spell should have taken far longer than the brief interval between Meston’s earlier order to fire the apocalyptical weapon and its execution.

In many cases, merely chanting the incantation for a forbidden spell could take half a month or longer.

For Feylis to boldly chant such a costly forbidden spell in the midst of battle could only mean one of two things: she had either lost herself to madness or held an unshakable assurance of success.

Clearly, she was not a Rank Six mage who allowed rage to cloud her judgment.

Midway through the casting process, Feylis pulled out a brilliant orange-red crystal sphere from within her robe.

The overwhelming, explosive surge of pyro elemental energy contained within the orb could be felt clearly even from a great distance.

This was not a forbidden spell being cast from scratch on the spot, but one that Feylis had prepared in advance and sealed away through special means.

Feylis’ incantation now sounded less like a traditional spell and more like a command meant to activate the dazzling crystal orb in her hand.

As the pitch of her chanting rose in steady waves, the concentration and activity of pyro elemental particles across the battlefield surged dramatically.

Directly beneath the Gallant Federation fleet and its ground combat units, a massive crimson pattern resembling the silhouette of a volcano slowly took shape!

At that moment, Feylis replaced the Gallant Federation’s apocalyptical weapon as the absolute focal point of the entire subspace battlefield.

Just as Seiron, the mightiest being of Arid Expanse World, had broken free from the Gallant Federation’s control and confirmed his status at the peak of Rank Six, Feylis was also ascending toward the true pinnacle of Rank Six mages within this subspace battlefield!

As all eyes were drawn to her, two violent tremors rippled through the sky, accompanied by surging distortions in spatial law that erupted in two separate regions of the subspace.

In one area, countless Gallant Federation fleets emerged, packed densely together. The most eye-catching among them was a vast swarm of dark yellow warships.

The spatial ripples radiating from them left no doubt—they marked the arrival of an overlord-class fleet!

In another region, an equally massive legion of mobile suits appeared, followed by ranks of humanoid beings maintaining precise formations behind them.

These mobile suits and humanoid figures bore a striking resemblance to the civilized beings of the Rosen Dynasty that had once attended the Magus Alliance Conference.

At the forefront of this force stood a woman exuding the unmistakable aura of an overlord.

Clad in a white gown, she had clearly sensed both the lingering fluctuations of the apocalyptical weapon within this subspace battlefield and the resonant chanting of a large-scale forbidden spell echoing through the heavens.

“Well, well, it seems we have arrived just in time!” the overlord said with a light chuckle.